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:
Anyway, back to our night stroll! We ambled uptown and suddenly came upon a towering structure on West 120th St.
Built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. (1874-1960), the interdenominational church welcomes everyone.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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!
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