In New York City with Jasmine – Pigeons

October 12, 2024 by Howard Dale Posted in Wildlife & Animals Leave a comment

By this time my feet were getting tired, so I sat down in a park opposite the hotel for a while. If you’ve read my blog before you’ll know about my problems getting pictures of birds that aren’t Canada Geese or Mallards. Well, pigeons are neither of these. And there were lots of them in this little park…

Pigeons are odd creatures. The way they waddle around is quite amusing, but in some of these pictures they look quite scary (see first and second pictures).

They are after all descended from dinosaurs.

This one doesn’t look particularly scary. I watched it slowly falling asleep, and when it finally did, I took this picture.

Taken with a Sony RX10 IV

In New York City with Jasmine – Around The Frederick

October 12, 2024 by Howard Dale Posted in Buildings/Structures, People, Vehicles Leave a comment

Jasmine had a few things to do so I walked around for a while taking pictures in the area around the Frederick Hotel. I saw the picture above from the window of my room at the Frederick (See: In New York City with Jasmine – Our next hotel, The Frederick) and had to go down and take a closer look.

Strange vehicle

Woman in a pocket park

The David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building. According to Wikipedia (which has a lot more information):

The David N. Dinkins Municipal Building (originally the Municipal Building and later known as the Manhattan Municipal Building) is a 40-story, 580-foot (180 m) building at 1 Centre Street, east of Chambers Street, in the Civic Center neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The structure was built to accommodate increased governmental space demands after the 1898 consolidation of the city’s five boroughs. Construction began in 1909 and continued through 1914 at a total cost of $12 million (equivalent to $269,713,000 in 2023).

Designed by McKim, Mead & White, the Manhattan Municipal Building was among the last buildings erected as part of the City Beautiful movement in New York. Its architectural style has been characterized as Roman Imperial, Italian Renaissance, French Renaissance, or Beaux-Arts. The Municipal Building is one of the largest governmental buildings in the world, with about 1 million square feet (93,000 m2) of office space. The base incorporates a subway station, while the top includes the gilded Civic Fame statue.

The Municipal Building was erected after three previous competitions to build a single municipal building for New York City’s government had failed. In 1907, the city’s Commissioner of Bridges held a competition to design the building in conjunction with a subway and trolley terminal at the Brooklyn Bridge, of which McKim, Mead & White’s plan was selected. The first offices in the Municipal Building were occupied by 1913. In later years, it received several renovations, including elevator replacements in the 1930s and restorations in the mid-1970s and the late 1980s. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building a landmark in 1966, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In October 2015, the building was renamed after David N. Dinkins, New York City’s first African-American mayor.

The David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building (foreground) and the World Trade Center Building (background)

New York County Supreme Courthouse. According to Wikipedia (which has more information):

The New York State Supreme Court Building, originally known as the New York County Courthouse, is located at 60 Centre Street on Foley Square in the Civic Center neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It houses the Civil and Appellate Terms of the New York State Supreme Court for the state’s First Judicial District, which is coextensive with Manhattan, as well as the offices of the New York County Clerk.

The granite-faced hexagonal building was designed by Guy Lowell of Boston in classical Roman style and was built between 1913 and 1927, completion having been delayed by World War I. It replaced the former New York County Courthouse on Chambers Street, popularly known as the Tweed Courthouse. Both the interior and exterior are New York City Landmarks: the exterior was designated on February 1, 1966 and the interior on March 24, 1981.

“Saint Andrew Roman Catholic Church. The Church of St. Andrew is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 20 Cardinal Hayes Place, Manhattan, New York City. It was established in 1842. The present building was erected in 1939 through a joint effort involving Maginnis & Walsh and Robert J. Reiley in the Georgian Revival architectural style.

In August 2015 St. Andrew’s parish merged with that of Our Lady of Victory on William Street to form the Parish of Our Lady of Victory and St. Andrew. In 2020(?), St. Andrew’s Church was closed to the public when the Sisters of Life were given the building. In 2023, both parishes were merged with St. Peter’s Church at 22 Barclay Street.

St. Andrew’s parish was founded by Rev. Andrew Byrne. Local Catholics had purchased the old Universalist Church, known as Carroll Hall, which then Bishop John Hughes dedicated on March 19, 1842. In 1844, Byrne was named the first bishop of the Diocese of Little Rock. In 1858 extensive street improvements carried away so much of the old structure that it was found necessary to purchase the adjoining lot. According to Remigius Lafort, George Washington once dwelt in a house on this site. The remodeled St. Andrew’s was dedicated October 20, 1861.

On February 25, 1875, during a Lenten service at which about 1200 worshippers were assembled, the building next to the church suddenly collapsed. As a result, the roof of Saint Andrew’s caved in on those gathered, killing five and injuring at least 29.

Father Luke Evers initiated the “Printers’ Mass”, held at 2:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. An adaptation approved by Pope Leo XIII, this allowed Catholic workers at nearby Printing House Square, where The Sun, The New York Telegram, The New York Times, and the New York World newspapers were then published, to fulfill their Sunday obligation by stopping by on their way home after the Saturday night press runs. The “Printers Mass” also drew railway workers, postal employees, policemen, firefighters, brewery and saloon workers. The practice soon spread to other cities. This tradition continued for more than 50 years, and the church became known as “The Printers’ Church. Some six years later a similar accommodation would be made for the theatrical community with the establishment of the “Actors’ Chapel” at St. Malachy’s.

Evers was also chaplain at The Tombs.

In 1892, the address listed was on Duane Street at the corner of City Hall Place (now Cardinal Hayes Place).[6] The present building was erected in 1939 through a joint effort involving the famous Boston firm Maginnis & Walsh and Robert J. Reiley of New York. It is one of the best examples of the Georgian Revival architectural style in New York. St. Andrew is the only New York City church to be designed by Maginnis & Walsh. The church was erected near the site of the infamous Five Points slum. The selection of the site for the church was near where Cardinal Hayes was born.

The church is located near New York City Hall and 1 Police Plaza, along with several other courthouses such as the New York County Courthouse and Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse. Above the entrance to the church, an inscription in Latin reads “Beati qvi ambvlant in lege Domini,” which means “Blessed are they who walk in the law of the Lord.” (Adapted from Wikipedia)

Taken with a Sony RX100M3

In New York City with Jasmine – 9/11 Museum

October 12, 2024 by Howard Dale Posted in Buildings/Structures, Sculpture, Vehicles Leave a comment

In an earlier post I mentioned that I’d visisted the 9/11 memorial back in October 2013. At that time the museum wasn’t yet open and so this was the first time I would see it.

According to Sowing Seeds of Faith:

Also on the site is the newly opened, National September 11 Memorial Museum which has become the central location for preserving the history of the tragedy. Located in the space between the North and South Towers, the museum is designed to help you relive what happened that day but also chronicles the stories of the survivors as they and the city rebuild.

As you walk through the halls, you hear stories about the victims, recordings from 911 calls, interviews with survivors. You view dozens of media images and even touch objects found near the site. There is the Ladder Company 3 Fire Truck smashed by chunks of debris. There is the Giant Cross made of two steel beams tha stood at “Ground Zero.” There are sections of the original walls and even a damaged elevator motor.

One hall is called “102 Minutes: Events of the Day” that helps you relive moment by moment what happened during the 102 minutes between the impact of the first plane into the North Tower to the crash of the fourth plane in Pennsylvania. There is the “Tribute Walk” that presents many of the artistic tributes created in response to 9/11.

One my favorite exhibits displayed a beautiful motorcycle named the “Dream Bike.” According to the description… “Firefighter Gerard Baptiste purchased a battered Honda motorcycle. Baptiste believed that he could restore it to good working order. His fellow firefighters joked that it would take time and money just to start the engine. Following Baptiste’s death on 9/11, the broken-down motorcycle remained at the firehouse until a memorial tribute inspired Baptiste’s colleagues to restore the bike in his memory. Surviving members of the firehouse and motorcycle enthusiasts nationwide, transformed the motorcycle into a “bike of healing’ known as the Dream Bike. Ten roses painted on the cover of its gas tank symbolize the members of Ladder Company 9 and Engine Company 33 killed that day.”

Near the end of your museum tour, you are invited to watch a multi-screen 360 surround film experience appropriately named “Rebirth at Ground Zero” which uses time lapse footage and interviews to show the rebuilding and renewal of the World Trade Center site. Upon leaving the museum you can’t help but notice the newly built World Trade Center towering above the memorial and the museum grounds.

I came to “Ground Zero” to pay my respects but I left the 9/11 Memorial and Museum with a sense of awe and pride at the resilience and fortitude of the survivors, New York City and America. 9/11 will always be a tragic day burned into our memory forever but September 11 may ultimately be one of America’s greatest examples of triumph in the face of tragedy; accomplishment in the midst of destruction.

Two pictures above: The World Trade Center Tridents. According to the World Trade Center Website:

These seven-story steel structures were part of the original façade of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, once forming the distinctive Gothic arch motif at the base of the skyscrapers. The forked columns are so large that the Museum Pavilion’s structure will be built around them. The steel icons were recovered from the World Trade Center site during the recovery effort in 2001 and 2002. The Port Authority has worked to conserve the steel columns and other historic World Trade Center artifacts at JFK International Airport’s Hangar 17.

‚The ‘tridents’ are visual references to the towers that once stood at the World Trade Center,? Chairman Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said. ‚Installed within the Museum, they will symbolize our resolve to overcome the devastation of 9/11 and signal a hopeful future as they greet visitors to the site.?

Above a scale model of The Sphere which once stood in the World Trade Center complex. As the only piece of iconic artwork to survive the 9/11 attacks, it became a symbol of strength, survival and resilience and reflected “the tenacious spirit of all those affected,”. Like the United States after the fateful event, the Sphere emerged “very bruised, much broken, but not defeated.” On March 11, 2002, the Sphere was erected in Battery Park as the first official memorial to the victims of 9/11 in New York City. The Port Authority voted in 2016 to return it to World Trade Center site.

The next two pictures show the World Trade Center’s foundations.

The two pictures below show The Last Column. It stands in the center of the 9/11 Memorial Museum’s Foundation Hall, is covered in thousands of markings and tributes placed on the beam by workers and family members. The story of how and why the markings began to appear links back to one fireman’s personal and practical act. For more information see Story Behind the Last Column’s First Markings

To the right of the stairs in the picture below you can just make out the Survivor’s Staircase. According to Wikipedia:

View of the Memorial Hall. The Survivors’ Staircase is a granite and concrete staircase that was the last visible remaining original structure above ground level at the World Trade Center site. It was originally an outdoor flight of stairs and two escalators, which connected Vesey Street to the World Trade Center’s Austin J. Tobin Plaza. During the September 11 attacks, the stairs were an escape route for hundreds of evacuees from 5 World Trade Center, a 9-floor building adjacent to the Twin Towers. The staircase was moved from its original location in 2008, and in 2010 it became part of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

Below another view of the Memorial Hall featuring a quote from Virgil:

In the vast space known as Memorial Hall, first glimpsed from the overlook, you will again encounter the quote from the poet Virgil, presented in letters about fifteen inches tall, forged by blacksmith Tom Joyce in steel recovered from the World Trade Centre Site. Virgil’s words read “No day shall erase you from the memory of time. ” A sea of blue surrounds the quote: 2983 individual paper watercolours in different shades of blue pay tribute to the people killed on 9/11 and in the 1993 bombing. Artist Spencer Finch created this exhibition titled “Trying to remember the color of the sky on that September morning” especially for this space in the museum.

Below A 10,000-pound elevator motor that shuttled hundreds of people a day at the original World Trade Center. The exhibit also tells the story of John Menville, who arrived at the World Trade Center in 1969 to install the elevators and stayed for 32 years to maintain them. For more on this story see: Elevator Motor that Helped Save Thousands for 9/11 Museum.

Below: New York City, Ladder 3. For more information see: The tragic & symbolic wreck of Ladder 3 – victim of 9/11

Below motorcycles associated with the World Trade Center including (final picture) “The Dream Bike”

Below The Dream Bike. For more see: Black History: “The Dream Bike”

All things considered it was a very interesting, if sobering experience. Part of me wanted to browse around some more. Another part just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

Taken with a Sony RX100M3

In New York City with Jasmine – 9/11 Memorial

October 12, 2024 by Howard Dale Posted in Buildings/Structures, People Leave a comment

I’d been to the memorial before, back in October 2013: (See: New York 9/11 Memorial).

According to Sowing Seeds of Faith:

The 9/11 Memorial is no ordinary tourist attraction. We were enjoying the sights and sounds of New York City but once we stepped on “Ground Zero” the laughter and chatter ceased. We were fellow mourners paying our respects. The 9/11 attacks killed 2,977 people from more than 90 countries. Everyone over the age of twenty still remembers where they were on September 11, 2001. How could you visit New York and not feel compelled to see where most of 9/11 occurred?

The 9/11 Memorial opened exactly ten years after the attacks. There are two pools set in the foundation of the former twin towers. Thirty-foot waterfalls – described in the brochure as the largest in North America – pour into the pools and then vanish in the center.

The names of every victim are inscribed in bronze around the pools. Not in alphabetical order as you would expect but based on “layers of meaningful adjacencies” that reflect where victims were on 9/11 or as relationships with others killed. To find specific names you go online or use a nearby electronic directory. Each name has a symbol beside it. For example: S-50 means South Pool, panel 50.

As I leaned over the wall to gaze at the waterfall, I couldn’t help but rub my hand over the engraved names and pronounce each one out loud. There were miniature American flags embedded in the lettering of a few. Some of the names were familiar. Like many churches, ours regularly listed the names to pray for their families.

Surrounding the pools are many precisely placed trees planted with the purpose of adding a sense of peace and serenity. All but one are Swamp White Oaks. But a solitary pear tree is the “Survivor Tree.” Badly damaged, near death, the tree was discovered by workers shortly after the tragedy and nursed back to health. The “Survivor Tree” is now over 30 feet tall and stands as a testimony to the fortitude of he survivors that is such an important part of the 9/11 story.

Taken with a Sony RX10 IV

In New York City with Jasmine – The Occulus

October 12, 2024 by Howard Dale Posted in Buildings/Structures Leave a comment

The following morning started with a visit to The Occulus. I’d never visited it before, and I must say that as we approached it from West Broadway it looked really impressive.

According to Loving New York:

The Oculus in NYC is an artistic landmark located within walking distance of the World Trade Center. The transit hub, serving the PATH, cost four billion dollars, making it the most expensive train stop in the world. With its sleek and modern design, it immediately became an attraction in Lower Manhattan. The Oculus is the centerpiece of The World Trade Center Transportation Hub. After 12 years of construction and constant delays, it finally opened to the public on March 3, 2016. Designed by famed Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the $4 billion building exceeded the original estimate by 100%! In total, the WTC Oculus is 350 feet long and measures about 75,000 square feet of retail space. In fact, the Oculus blurs the line between a railway station, shopping center and pedestrian tunnel. For me, the Oculus is one of New York’s most beautiful structures. From the outside, the Oculus resembles a bird being released from a child’s hand inspiring love and hope in the city. On the inside, the cavernous hall is flooded with natural sunlight thanks to the large skylights. The luminous space features white marble flooring harmonizing with its bright, sleek interior design.

A longer article from We. Digital Magazine: The Oculus of New York: history and specifications of a new icon provides additional information, including some of the inspirations for the building.

Taken with a Sony RX10 IV