PLEASURES and TREASURES in NEW YORK CITY,

DURING the PANDEMIC

by David Christopher

Table of Contents

PART ONE
Chapter 1	Subway Art
Chapter 2	Roosevelt Island
Chapter 3	Conservatory Garden
Chapter 4	Noguchi Museum and Socrates Art Park
Chapter 5	DUMBO
Chapter 6	Central Park Zoo
PART TWO
Chapter 7	Rockaway Beach
Chapter 8	Green-Wood Cemetery & Industry City
Chapter 9	Highline
Chapter 10	Circle Line
Chapter 11	Grand Concourse & Bronx Museum
Chapter 12	Governor’s Island
Chapter 13	Whitney Museum
PART THREE
Chapter 14	Staten Island and Battery Park
Chapter 15	Hudson Yards
Chapter 16	Modern Museum of Art
Chapter 17	Central Park
Chapter 18	Times Square, Bryant Park & Rockefeller Center
Chapter 19	Wave Hill
PART FOUR
Chapter 20	Dia Beacon Museum
Chapter 21	East River Ferry & Hudson Ferry
Chapter 22	Grand Concourse & Brooklyn Botanical Garden
Chapter 23	Museum of Art & Design
Chapter 24	Battery Park City & Hudson River Park
PART FIVE
Chapter 25	Bronx Zoo
Chapter 26	Plastic Bag Store
Chapter 27	Old Westbury Gardens
Chapter 28	Architecture
Chapter 29	Metropolitan Museum

(Part One)

Chapter 1	Subway Art
Chapter 2	Roosevelt Island
Chapter 3	Conservatory Garden
Chapter 4	Noguchi Museum and Socrates Art Park
Chapter 5	DUMBO
Chapter 6	Central Park Zoo

Introduction:

When the Pandemic of 2020 began, we were in Florida. News of the Covid-19 dangers of New York City was rampant, and so my husband and I decided not to make our usual April, snow-birding trek, North. But the summer heat of South Florida and the impending hurricane season, plus the fact that New York was reported to be much safer, finally pushed us back to Manhattan. So, it was mid-August when we returned to the city. Our initial reaction was one of sadness and a bit of fear. Times Square, on a Sunday in the summer, was virtually empty. Broadway theaters were shuttered, and some plays, like Diana, had not even opened.
Our primary reason for living in Hell’s Kitchen was to be close to the Theater District. Our apartment in Worldwide Plaza was a block away from Wicked and Book of Mormon. So, our main entertainment was cut off completely, since all theaters in New York (and the world) were closed. The streets and avenues, usually jammed with cars, were almost empty. When crossing an avenue, traffic was so light that I didn’t have to wait for the green light, just let a few cars pass, and then cross. And it was so sad to see how many stores and restaurants were closed, for good. But because New York had lowered its number of Covid cases considerably, we found that things were beginning to open-up a little. Many restaurants were offering outdoor dining, as well as take-away. So that Ninth Avenue, which is lined with restaurants in our neighborhood, became much more active, and even cheerful. I’m sure the relief of those who had lived here during the worst, was strong. I noticed that on the street, almost everyone wore a mask, which was gratifying.
We subjected ourselves to the same lock-down requirements as the rest of the city, going out only on specific tasks, like shopping or maybe a restaurant meal, outdoors. But it was our habit in Florida to take a long, exercising walk every day. Therefore, we felt that we should continue this in New York, for health reasons, if nothing else. With masks on and touching as little as possible (and washing our hands often), we ventured out into the city, daily. We immediately found that walking in any place in New York was much more interesting than it had been in the places we walked in Florida. The variety and diversity of the people, alone, made the walks interesting. As our scope of places to walk grew, we wanted to take public transportation. I felt that the subway seemed more threatening (plus all those stairs), so we tried the buses. At that time, all buses were free, so customers entered in the back door, avoiding contact with the driver. This seemed good, but actually it made the buses extremely crowded, and not always with masked folks. So, we used the subways more often, which were much less crowded, and everyone wore a mask. They felt quite safe. Now, I had lived in the Manhattan from 1958 to 1969, before moving to New Jersey. Then, until I moved to the city last year, I traveled into New York at least two times a week, for theater if nothing else. And yet I have always felt like a “tourist” in the city. I constantly observe new things that intrigue and thrill me. So, when I took these walks in different neighborhoods, I was very aware of how exciting and fascinating this city is, as well as the differences I found in the city I thought I knew. As the weeks and months moved on, we widened our destinations. Gardens and museums opened so that gave us more places to explore. And I took LOTS of photographs. Which, of course, I then posted on Facebook. This Photo Essay Book is compiled of these photos and with a little research, clarification of some of the marvelous places we visited on our walks. Enjoy!

Chapter One: Subway Art

Many of the destinations we sought out were not walking distance from our condo, so we often took the city subways. In going to so many subway stations, I was delighted by how much real Art existed there. Most platforms had mosaic decorations, some quite old, but others had added some amazing art works, either on the walls of the platform or in the corridors leading to the trains. Some work was by prominent artists like the faces by Chuck Close at the 2^nd Ave. & 86^th Street station. At the 167^th St. station in the Bronx, Rico Gatson’s portraits of well-known, black figures, with rainbow stripes extending from them, were particularly striking. And my favorites, for many years, are all the fanciful, bronze statues at 14^th St. and 8^th Ave. by Tom Otterness. As the trains sped by the stations, I saw so many beautiful mosaics, but could not take photos. This art work is all over the boroughs and I would love to stop at many more stations sometime, and savor all these works.

Chapter Two: Roosevelt Island

We had visited Roosevelt Island before, but it seemed a perfect place to take a nice, long walk,
so we hopped on the tram at 59^th St and 2^nd Ave.

It’s a smooth ride over the East River, which lands you at the southern end of this long, slender island. Walking to the southern tip of the island, brings you to the FDR Memorial. It’s a beautiful walk, with a great view of the UN Complex. When the state developed Roosevelt Island as a residential community, the subway link was not yet completed. The tramway was put up as a temporary connector to Manhattan and was not expected to last more than the couple of years, that it would take to get the subway open. Needless-to-say, it took decades to get the subway there, by which time the tramway was nearly worn out. The city was going to demolish it, but public outcry saved the beloved tramway, and it was completely reconstructed and returned to service. A high-tech campus of Cornell University is almost complete in its construction, south of the 59^th Street Bridge. Some of the buildings are functioning, and we had coffee in the student café. The local school children had made inspirational billboards that were placed all over the island. The Roosevelt Memorial was designed by famed Philadelphia architect, Louis Kahn, in 1974. Because of the fiscal crisis, it was never built in his lifetime, and the city had other ideas for the south end of the island. In 2005, William Vanden Heuvel raised $53 million to complete Kahn’s vision. It is truly magnificent. After this wonderful walk, we took the Q subway back to 49^th and Broadway.

Chapter Three: Conservatory Garden

One of the first gardens that was open was the Conservatory Garden at the top of Central Park.
We took the C train to 103^rd Street and walked across the Park.

It was particularly nice seeing a part of Central Park I’d never seen. And it was quite a surprise, when we reached this charming garden, to find it snuggled away at the top of the Park. It is situated across 5^th Avenue from the Museum of the City of New York, which was closed, due to the pandemic, or we would have visited that again. After we strolled around the garden (it’s not that big) we ventured up to the top of Central Park and into Harlem to find another subway station for our trip home. Walking through these neighborhoods, that I’d never been to, was a treat in itself.

Chapter Four: Noguchi Museum & Socrates Sculpture Park

Across from the northern end of Roosevelt Island, in Long Island City, Queens,
sits one of my favorite, small museums, The Noguchi Museum.
We took a subway to Queens Plaza and then a local bus to this industrial neighborhood,
where the museum is located.

There were many marble and stone businesses in this area, which is probably why artist, Isamu Noguchi, moved his studio there in 1960. He was already a renowned, international artist, with sculptures displayed all over the world. In 1985, the building that held his studio, was set up as a museum to house many of his works. There was also a peaceful garden on the grounds. I had been there before, but it was a joy to see these magnificent works again. When we left the museum, we looked for a place for lunch and found it next to the Socrates Sculpture Park. This Park was established in 1986 on an illegal landfill. Now owned by the city, artists are encouraged to create large, public sculptures there. New works were in the process of being created in a construction area, as well as completed work displayed on the grounds.

Chapter Five: DUMBO

Our first ride on the East River Ferry was from Wall Street to DUMBO.
Although the ferry pier is under the Brooklyn Bridge,
the acronym stands for: “Down Under Manhattan Bridge Underpass”.
I think that it’s because it’s more fun.

It was once a warehouse district, but now it’s a very chic neighborhood with lovely parks, shops, and restaurants.
My favorite discovery was St. Anne’s Warehouse Theater, which I’d heard about but never attended.
Now that I know where it is, I will certainly come again when things return to normal.
On the last photo, you can see the NY Ferry that travels up and down the East River, for just the fare of the subway.
Over the following months, we took this ferry several different places.

Chapter Six: Central Park Zoo

In the heart of Manhattan, at the lower eastern corner of Central Park, is a perfectly wonderful zoo.

I hadn’t been there for years, so I looked forward to seeing it again on one of our afternoon walks. It’s not big like the Bronx Zoo, and I remember it as quite old fashioned, with animals often just in cages. But it has been completely revamped, remodeled, and beautifully landscaped, with fully environmental spaces for the animals. Since it isn’t huge, it is the perfect zoo to walk around in an afternoon without getting exhausted, and being close up to these splendid creatures. Of course, the sea lions in the center are always the highlight, and they showed off as usual.

Public Art Interlude #1

At the end of each Part of this book, I will share photos of Public Art. In all our wanderings around the city, I was blown away by all the Street Art and Public Art that exist. I consider “Street Art” the graffiti-inspired Art that covers so many walls around the city. “Public Art” are usually sculptures by prominent artists, usually paid for by the office buildings or the city in the parks. Some works are permanent, some temporary, but all are inspiring. Here are some examples of both Street and Public Art.

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Click Here for PART FOUR	Click Here for PART FIVE