Autumn Day in New York City : Central Park to Riverside Church

     A few days ago, I had a Zen moment in Central Park.  Deciding to explore, I had a hunch to turn left and then to veer onto an uphill path.  It led to this gazebo, which I never knew existed!  It's one of the park's whimsical "follies".

Sitting atop an outcrop of Manhattan's prehistoric bedrock, it has great views, high above the park.

Today, I brought Lewis to see it.  Like many lovers before us, he wrote our names on a bench...

Awe!!!!  :-)

As the autumn daylight dimmed, we traversed the park, crossing "The Mall"—full of tree-lined people-watching... which is what it was designed for in 1857 as a promenade.

A quick subway ride deposited us near Columbia University: an elite "Ivy League" school.  Turning onto Riverside Drive, we encountered this ornate porte-cochère.  Horse-drawn carriages used it to turn around.

Designed by Dr. Paterno and his brother (who took over their father's Development business), it is one of a dozen ornate apartment homes along upper Riverside Drive (when it was called Lafayette Boulevard in the 1890s).

In 1908, the doctor-turned-builder created a castle for himself on West 156th Street.  Coming from a family of Italian immigrants, he created Italian gardens to surround it. Below, is all that remains.

Back in an era when the American version of robber-baron "aristocracy" lived ostentatiously...

...the flamboyant castle fit right in amongst NYC's mansions.  

Use this link to see my other post for more!

http://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2015/08/mansions-of-manhattan.html

     In the 1930’s, Florence Schwartz, the daughter of Russian immigrants, had unique access to the estate.  The father of her childhood friend was the estate's heating engineer.  When Charles Parteno was still "king of his castle", she snuck onto the grounds to visit her friend.  "All the chauffeurs slept above the garage ... and there were probably four or five Rolls Royces.  That’s the only type of car they drove.  At that age, I thought that must be pretty nifty," she said.

     Alas, "modern development" encroached upon the castle's ramparts.  

In 1938, Dr. Paterno used his developer instincts, saw the death of an era, tore down his castle, and used his property to build a row of profit-making apartment houses.

In typical NY fashion, the old wall was neglected until it collapsed onto Riverside Drive.

Rebuilt out of necessity, it is one of the few remnants of the towering castle.  A stanchion (below) represents one of the furthest borders of Paterno's former fence.

*If you want to see when we entered a true castle, please click this link: 

https://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2021/10/our-trip-to-london-uk-part-4-windsor.html

     Anyway, back to our night stroll!  We ambled uptown and suddenly came upon a towering structure on West 120th St.  

Looking like an Art Deco skyscraper, it's actually a church!

As big as an office building, the ambiance of a skyscraper was reinforced by the revolving doors that we entered!

What church uses office-type revolving doors?  Yet, it's a clever idea: it keeps street noise out.  Dragging an unsure Lewis with me, we pushed in and explored the massive church.  After all, it WAS open to public, even at night.  Except for the ELEVATORS in the tower—it definitely resembled a gothic church.

Built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. (1874-1960), the interdenominational church welcomes everyone.

Typical of Rockefeller, it is the tallest church in America.  Just look at it, compared to its neighboring buildings!

Rockefeller sent his architects through Spain and France for inspiration.  I think it has some Art Deco flair, too.  Construction began in 1927 and it opened in 1930.  

     With a paid staff of 130, it is famous as a stronghold of social and political activism.  In 2007, its annual budget was $14 million!  Martin Luther King, UN Secretary General Annan, Nelson Mandela, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and President Clinton all spoke there.  
     A large HIV Outreach program, an anti-death penalty task force, an "overcoming police violence" task force, a fund for appreciating Native Americans, a LGBT program, an Immigrants' Rights group, and a support group for Hispanic Americans are a few of their activities.  Ironically, (old man Rockefeller might've cringed), the church donated 100 tents to Occupy Wall Street.
     The nave holds 2,100 people.  A formal garden extends behind the church, with a tall buttressed wall keeping it high above Claremont Avenue (one block from Riverside).  Yet, when I went online to see what Christmastime concerts/events they have, their calendar showed ONLY ONE: a candlelight caroling night.  That's it?  Where are all the rest?  A pageant?  A supper for the less fortunate?  An organ concert or handbell concert?  Evensong?  None... which was disheartening.  In contrast, St. Thomas Fifth Avenue had its online calendar full of Advent & Christmas events, concerts, and worship services.

     From there, we continued north to Harlem, and we were under an unmistakable monstrosity: NYC's elevated subway line for the Seventh Avenue route.  It's one of many neighborhoods that suffer from overhead subway tracks or overhead highways.

      Lewis and I dined at a restaurant named By the Hudson, in Harlem on 125th Street.  

     It had nice ambiance and cool colors.

     Heavy-handed cocktails, fall-off-the-bone pernil, succulent short ribs, and perfect puréed parsnips!  Happy for our raving compliments, the chef gave us some complimentary beef arepas!  (We love using unleavened bread like arepas or tortillas).

     As we departed, we saw a sign for Fairway Gourmet Market, so we went inside.

     The desserts looked paltry, but I spotted a jar of Mincemeat pie filling (delectable at Christmas) for half the price as the ones in SoHo!  I took two.  I saw and snatched some Stilton cheese from Cropwell Bishop Creamery in Nottinghamshire, England, (the shire/region is famous for the legend of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, and its flag is emblematic of that). 

Nottinghamshire is one of only three British counties that may produce authentic Stilton, as per the Protected Designation of Origin criteria for the cheese.

     We also bought a small wedge of Irish Cashel Blue cheese for comparison.  We recommend both.

*To see when we visited Ireland, please use this link:

https://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2023/02/our-trip-to-dublin-ireland-part-1-of-6.html

     The chocolate babka didn't look great... so on our way downtown, we got off the subway at Zabar's at 80th Street (a family-run Jewish market of splendidness) and bought one of their always-perfect chocolatey babkas!  It's NYC delicacy!  

     Our night concluded at my apartment with some cheese and wine, then babka for dessert.  Sweet things ensued!  

Why Watch the Local News?

     Lewis routinely watches the news (Channel 1), most mornings.  Over 5 years, the same kind of stories get told, while more important issues are totally ignored.  It's quite a phenomena.  Why bother watching the news anymore?  I can predict exactly what they're going to say: a shooting in the Bronx, a mugging in Brooklyn, a traffic jam in midtown, delays on the subway, bridge lane closures, a financial firm went bankrupt (after absconding with funds), an assemblymen or councilwoman was indicted for fraud/embezzlement, a new political candidate promises change, a hung jury, the Rockaways get neglected by the city, Staten Island feels ignored, the weather report has a chance of rain/chance of sun, and a sports team won or lost a game--causing temporary emotions from fans who await the next game.

     The news hardly ever reports on more substantial issues of any weighty importance.  They don't talk about our ineffective/corrupt FDA, or foods that are unsafe, or political decisions that are being made by tax-paid government WITHOUT taxpayer awareness.  (When was the last time your Congressman asked your opinion before he voted?)  The news ignores most world events.  The news tends to favor negative events--that often reoccur--and rarely focuses on positive events: people making a difference, good deeds, charity, accomplishments.
     Maybe "back in the day" of REAL investigative reporters, they actually updated the public on such topics.  Nowadays, "talking heads" merely recite (unrehearsed) from the tele-prompter script.  They probably have no idea if the information is accurate or true.  (Hence, the TV show, "The Newsroom").  They don't even bother researching their own stories anymore.  They just read the script.  Gone are the days of Edward Murrow, Jack Paar, Walter Cronkite, and Dan Rather.  If you look online for "News Bloopers", you can tell how useless most "commentators" are.
     When the local news finally mentions something of substance, like a MTA derailment that kills hundreds of people (due to negligence)... they never follow up on it.  Viewers don't get to see what happens next.  There's no closure to the story.  Maybe it's a lot of "hush money", or maybe the channel doesn't care.
     But, it begs the question, "Why watch the news"?  It's like reading comic books where the same things happens.

Birth of An Empire

     The gluttonous British East India Trading Company knew how quickly employees were dying from disease/monsoons in India.  Yet, they hid that fact as they recruited new employees... also while shipping blank tombstones from England to keep up with demand.  Meanwhile, the company's executives in India engaged in polygamy and treated themselves like mini-sultans.  

I thought you'd want to know.  Don't repeat the past.

Problems with American Retail : Why Work There?

The problems and detractions:

-Often inadequate computers and POS (point of sale).
-Outdated cash registers.
-Overuse of paper, instead of digital records.
-Shoddy "back of house" environment.
-Lack of investment in infrastructure by Corporate.
-Cheapened quality of products.
-Layoffs despite years of contribution.
-Hired for full time, yet many companies don't want to pay for 40 hours, so they reduce it to 32 or 35 hours.
-Human Resources departments that fail to uphold the rights of employees.
-Suddenly reduced work hours (even thought management disciplines employees for tardiness).
-The "sending home early" of employees, to conserve payroll.
-Companies prefer part-time help, to avoid paying healthcare, without care to clients or employees.
-Inferior employee training.
-You sell millions of dollars for corporate profits, while you get meager compensation, in comparison.  e.g.: you sell $100,000, yet you only get $500.
-Company-mandated removal/"weeding out" of employees with seniority, due to the cost of paying them (even though they haven't done anything wrong).
-If you sell something successfully, the company might not make enough product or its allocated improperly.
-Upper management's squandering of profits--that the lower levels produced--often impacts lower levels only.
-Upper management's "new ideas" (gambles) waste resources.
-They rarely ask for input from front-line employees or longtime employees to make sound decisions.
-The lower levels produce profit: shipping, selling, customer service, fixing problems, maintaining stores, seeking new clients, propagating the "brand image".  The upper levels create an illusion of profit by cutting human costs.
-Corporate offices absorb the profit margins produced by stores through their high expenses: couriers, messengers, car services, parties, support staff, expense accounts, travel, fashion shows, launch parties, furnishings, marketing materials, corporate retreats, and "research" costs.
-The seeming inability to allow money for employee birthday cakes in the Petty Cash budget.
-When corporate entities waste funds and diminish their wherewithal, they cut back from the lower levels (the people making the profits) before they cut back from themselves.
-Standing on your feet all day.
-Nowhere to easily gift wrap customer purchases.
-Corporate arrogance/disregard for front-line employees.  (Even witness a "store visit" or "walk through" where they ignore the sales & customer service & maintenance staff?)
-Companies give away merchandise to celebrities & VIPs--and to pacify complaining customers--yet punish theft or overuse of "employee discount" by workers.
-Rudeness inflicted by customers.
-Lack of back-up from store management (often afraid of offending anybody) against such customers.
-Holiday hours.
-Working during holidays and weekends.
-Seeing how often the corporate office is closed--especially during bad weather (while stores are forced to stay open) or to observe a holiday.
-Here's a memo: "In response to many inquiries about the blizzard, we are stating that--as is our policy--stores will be open tomorrow.  If you have any problems tomorrow, please call us."  A paragraph later, it says "Due to the severe storm conditions tomorrow, the corporate offices will be closed."  What a double standard!  Additionally, how could anyone "call them" if they're closed?
-Getting only 2 weeks off per year (perhaps only as your time accrues with the company).
-Being discouraged from taking your full legal lunch breaks.
-Management breeding competition, instead of teamwork.
-Poorly designed stores and layouts, without asking for input from the sales teams that occupy them and work there.
-Thoughtlessly positioned stores, with "off site" stock rooms, inconvenient storage, tight quarters for employees/shipping.
-Poorly laid product development/depth, without asking for input from sales team or store management.  That's often why new merchandise fails.
-As you try to make sales, the company fails to produce enough depth/range of key products.  Especially annoying if they allocated resources from key products to some trifle "new idea" that failed anyway.
-Ever-increasing monthly goals are the sarcastic "rewards" of attaining or exceeding your numbers.
-Your monthly goals don't take into consideration last years's special events which boosted those numbers.  e.g.: If you had an event, last June, but don't have one this June, then the goal shouldn't be carelessly raised.
-Goals are seemingly set randomly, without rhyme or reason.
-When stores are closed for weather/renovation but the goals aren't reduced to accommodate that.  
-When a store is closed (above), and thus doesn't reach its goal, so Corporate lumps the unachieved amount onto the NEXT month's goal!
-Pushed to open new credit card accounts, then Corporate abuses the clients' contact information (ruining the rapport you had with the trusting client), or allow hackers to steal it.
-Suddenly changing the rules (that worked successfully), to create excuses to terminate employees.
-Incompetent Allocations Departments that send products to the wrong locations.
-Uncaring Allocations/Merchandising Teams that send products to locations without regard to "customer demand" or what sells best in a certain district.
-Uncaring Visual Merchandising directives that position products in unflattering areas of stores... or routinely put new/expensive merchandise closest to the exits--practically as an incentive for shoplifters.
-Overtly open-ended Return Policies that practically invite customers to abuse them.
-When your sales numbers are far above LY (last year)--despite low client traffic--yet you fall short of the actual goal and still don't get paid any commission/bonus.
-Companies penalize associates via deliberately-negative Performance Reviews or petty "write-ups" (written correctives) to avoid giving pay raises at the end of the year.
-Excessive time being allowed to transpire before employees are reimbursed for Petty Cash expenses.
-Corporate payroll that "accidentally" forgets to pay monthly bonuses, and makes employees wait an entire pay period.
-Companies that demand profits to be made on time, but avoid paying commissions to employees until a month (or two) after the pay-period!  So, you get your July bonus in September.
-Companies that offer bi-weekly pay, so that they can hold onto the funds longer.
-Deliberately contradicting directives from senior management (to hide illegal business practices).  e.g.: "In addition to other directions you may receive from me today..."  e.g.: Corporate Policy says don't ring up backorder sales unless clients take it with them, yet a phone call to store managers tells them to ring up everything--even future sales/items not arriving till next month... to boost the month's numbers.
-The proliferation of incompetent upper middle managers, who make unsound/emotional decisions, act as "yes men" to senior management, and can't lead or solve problems.
-No oversight of senior management's performance or favoritism.
-When Corporate makes mistakes or carelessly create oversight, they dump the responsibility of cleaning up the errors onto the front-line employees.
-As "Inventory time" nears, corporate/warehouses dump loads of unrequested merchandise upon stores, so they don't have to count them.
-When you try to sell a product, and the company outsources its production to a foreign/cheaper maker, thus reducing customer satisfaction/sales.
-When you try to sell a product, but the company erroneously didn't buy/make enough of it.
-When the company does massive advertising of a product--and it causes high demand--but Corporate isn't prepared with enough product and then can't get it in time.
-When Corporate hasn't allocated products that are going to be advertised or given public awareness, e.g.: worn on a red carpet, given an award, reviewed on a TV show, endorsed by a celebrity.  Due to their error, you cannot satisfy customers.
-When you try to sell a product, and the company discontinues it, despite great customer demand.
-When you try to sell a successful product, but the company suddenly wants you to push something else that is inferior.
-When you try to sell a produce, the company's factory may report that it can't produce anymore because it's making merchandise for another (outsourced) company (which is profitable for the company but not for its own salespeople).
-Poorly designed Window Displays (via directive) that discourages shoppers due to its cheapness, thoughtlessness or appearance.
-Local ads designed by faraway Corporate, which doesn't relate to the local target audience, thus discouraging sales.
-A suddenly-created "Sale", right after a prior "Sale", that worsens the trust between clients and sales associates.
-Mandated prices that make a low-level item from a premiere collection cost more than the best item from a regular collection (even though it's far better).
-The treatment of employees as "harvest workers", dismissed at a whim, furloughed, disregarded because of a high "unemployment rate" (lots of replacements available).
-The hiring of a majority of young inexperienced employees (even at luxury level), due to how little they cost.  Thus, no true concern for Customer Experience.
-Being shouted at and harassed by unruly slovenly customers... often because someone at Corporate or (remote) Customer Service has avoided accountability with them... or because bad products or services (beyond your control) got f*cked up for the customer.
-Top sellers in city flagship stores are merely "cashiers", not skilled sales associates.  Yet, they get all the credit and rewards.
-So often, store managers are either "darlings" (favored by upper management) who don't "lift a finger", or they are overworked dogs, toiling for 14 days straight and doing the shipping, receiving, restocking, paperwork, staff hiring, training, price tagging, inventory, problem-solving and working all the vacant shifts caused by staff that quit.
-Even if you finally reach your goal--to QUALIFY you to earn a higher percent commission, you might only get 2% of what you sell.  That means if you sell $2,000 of merchandise, you only get $40.  A waiter might make more than you while serving dinner.  A parking valet might make more in an hour.  Is that fair?
-In 1951, panelists on the new TV show, "What's My Line" (they guessed people's professions) got $300 per week.  In 2016, luxury retail salespeople earn weekly pay of only $500.  !!!  Look how far (or how little) we've come! 

     Like a crazed stagecoach driver--whipping the team to go harder, even though the horseshoes are worn out, the wheels are outdated and the reins are broken.  Does it make sense to work there?

     Then again, part of the issue might be that American retail has sought to hire cheaply-paid young "wannabe professionals" for top ranks.  Instead of the venerable experienced team that other companies use (or that Retail used to include)...

...companies now hire young, inexperienced "hipster" kids.  These images are of actual people working in Manhattan.

Store Manager

Human Resources Manager

Merchandise Buyer

 E-commerce Manager

 General Manager of a flagship store

National Visual Director 

 Northeast District Manager

 National Payroll Manager

Retail Management Development Coach

Store Manager

Do you think any of them actually have real experience?  Knowledge of the field?  A solid resume?  Many look like they merely graduated a few years ago, so their resumes cannot be substantial.  How could they hold such high-ranking jobs, when they barely finished having their college parties?

Does this guy (below), who's a store manager, look like he can settle a dispute between clients?  Or vendors?  Or employees?

     When you pay for cheap things, you get cheap quality.  That's why such employees do poorly at their jobs, and they negatively impact entire districts/regions, while making life hectic, stressful, and miserable for hundreds of retail employees.  All of that is easily avoidable, and that is the pivotal point of their sins.  

     When the spectrum of American retail suffers from all of those handicaps, does it make sense to work for it?  How can you strive to make money for your headquarters, while being penalized for so many things that go wrong (which are beyond your control) and which prevent you from achieving your goals?  

Please refer to my previous blog entries:


http://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2012/12/0-false-18-pt-18-pt-0-0-false-false.html


http://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2014/06/this-job-sucks-to-put-it-mildly.html