Sunday, February 19, 2006

Visit New York - Day Five


I checked out of my hotel at about 9am ($192 in charges for one breakfast, one dinner and six international phone calls!) and put my baggage in store before catching the subway to Battery Park. I bought my ticket for the Circle Line Ferry at Castle Clinton and went through their thorough airport-style security checks, before boarding the boat.

The views of Manhattan, New Jersey and Brooklyn behind us were amazing and the sight of Statue of Liberty towering above us was pretty awe-inspiring. On Liberty Island I took an audio tour around the base of Lady Liberty, but the quota of passes for inside the statue had already run out.

I reboarded the ferry and went to Ellis Island. From 1892 to 1954, this immigrant depot processed the greatest tide of incoming humanity in the nation’s history. Nearly twelve million landed here in their search of freedom of speech and religion, and for economic opportunity. After it closed the buildings began falling apart, but a $160 million restoration project, begun in 1984, saved them and they were reopened as the Ellis Island Immigration Museum in 1990.

I took another fascinating audio tour around the Immigration Museum, following the footsteps of the immigrants as they arrived in the USA. Upon arrival in New York City, ships would dock at the Hudson or East River piers and passengers were transported by ferry to Ellis Island where everyone would undergo a medical and legal inspection lasting approximately three to five hours.

The inspections took place in the Registry Room, where doctors would briefly scan every immigrant for obvious physical ailments. The ship's manifest log contained the immigrant's name and his/her answers to twenty-nine questions. This document was used by the legal inspectors at Ellis Island to cross examine the immigrant during the legal inspection. Here they also had to prove they had $25 so they would be less likely to become a public charge. If all inspections were passed, they could buy train tickets at the depot before being ferried back to New York City. The sick were taken to the Island's hospital and those excluded from entry into the USA were deported back to their country of origin.

Back in Manhattan I caught the subway to Lexington Avenue and popped into Bloomingdales on the way to 5th Avenue. Again I was unimpressed - it was just an average department store. Far more impressive was Tiffany & Co - I've never seen diamonds so sparkly! I only had time to briefly look around the ground floor and the Wedding, Engagement and Statement Jewellery collection, which contained some pretty blinging rocks! Nothing had a price tag - I assume the shop works on the basis of "if you have to ask what it costs, you can't afford it".

The Museum of Modern Art was founded in 1929 as an educational institution and is dedicated to being the foremost museum of modern art in the world. It manifests this commitment through a permanent collection reflecting the vitality, complexity, and unfolding patterns of modern and contemporary art. The collection includes Architecture & Design, Drawings, Film & Media, Painting & Sculpture, Photography and Prints & Illustrated Books.

I found a lot of the design stuff a bit dull, and the most contemporary stuff was very pretentious, so had I not been able to get in free on Wiley's culture card I would have thought it was a bit of a waste of money. However, it was cool to see some famous works by Klimt, Lichtenstein, Warhol, etc.

Lichtenstein - "Drowning Girl"

Warhol - "Marilyn"

Wesselmann - "Still Life #30"

Wyeth - "Christina's World"

Back on 5th Avenue I did a whistle-stop dash past the shops and sights, taking in glimpses of Bergdorf Goodman, Louis Vuitton, Prada, De Beers, Pucci, Trump Tower, Gucci, Fortunoff, Fendi, Cartier, Saks Fifth Avenue, The Rockefeller Center, Sephora and Lord & Taylor.

I arrived back at my hotel in time to catch the shuttlebus to JFK. My flight left at 9.30pm, I transferred at Frankfurt at 10.50am, and arrived at Manchester at 12.30pm. This time unfortunately I didn't have a row to myself so I got little sleep before we landed. My train was waiting for me at the airport station and I got back to Sheffield at about 2.30pm.

All in all, an amazing time, but a shame that I was on my own - I'm going to have to go back with the boy for a romantic break and with some girlfriends for a shopping and clubbing break!
Saturday, February 18, 2006

Visit New York - Day Four


I got up and went in search of somewhere that served a short stack of blueberry pancakes with maple syrup, but failed. Instead I opted for the NYPD's favourite and had coffee and two donuts from Dunkin Donuts (left)- delicious but not exactly a balanced and nutritious breakfast!

I got the subway uptown and then walked in the bitter cold (stupidly I didn't take my hat, gloves or scarf!) to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (5th Avenue and 89th Street), which is a work of art in itself. The 1959 building (right) was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, who envisioned a building that not only broke the rectilinear grid of Manhattan but also shattered existing notions of what a museum could be. He conceived of its curving, continuous space as a "temple of spirit" where viewers could foster a new way of looking. The special collection is displayed on this continuous upward spiral and there are annexes for the permanent collections.

The special collection was of the sculptor David Smith, but despite him being the namesake of my boy, I wasn't that impressed. The permanent collections are mainly comprised of modern art, but I really liked a couple of the Kandinskys and one of the Picassos. I took advantage of the free audio tour, which was definitely worthwhile as I learned a lot more about the artworks than I would've done otherwise.

Kandinsky - "Dominant Curve"

Kandinsky - "Several Circles"

Picasso - "Woman with Yellow Hair"

The Frick Collection (at 5th Avenue and 70th Street) is the mansion (left) of Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919), the Pittsburgh coke and steel industrialist. The house cost $5,000,000 to build in 1913 and was designed to accommodate his paintings and other art objects, with the intention of them being left to the public after his death. The house itself is beautifully built in an Eighteenth Century European style, with many grand rooms including a music room (still used as a concert hall today) and a central courtyard garden (below right).

The art collection includes some of the best-known paintings by the greatest European artists, major works of sculpture, superb eighteenth-century French furniture and porcelains, Limoges enamels, Oriental rugs, and other works of remarkable quality. I saw some gorgeous and very famous works by Boucher, Degas, Van Dyck, Fragonard, Gainsborough, Hogarth, Holbein, Renoir, Reynolds, Romney, Turner, Vermeer and Whistler. Definitely well worth seeing.

Boucher - "The Four Seasons: Summer"

Fragonard - "Love Letters"

Gainsborough - "Sarah, Lady Innes"

Hogarth - "Miss Mary Edwards"

Holbein - "Sir Thomas More"

Romney - "Lady Hamilton as Nature"

Vermeer - "Mistress and Maid"

Whistler - "Harmony in Pink and Grey - Portrait of Lady Meux"


After walking along the East side of Central Park (left) and eating a hot cheese pretzel for lunch, I went to The Central Park Children's Zoo & Wildlife Center (on 5th Avenue and 64th Street). Since the 1860's, animals could be here, although at first, the collection was simply a growing group of donated animals - from 72 "white swans" to a black bear cub. In 1864 the Central Park Menagerie was formally established (becoming the Central Park Zoo in 1934) but over the decades it became a woefully inadequate facility for its inhabitants.

In 1980 the WCS signed an agreement to renovate and operate the zoo and in August 1988 the new Central Park Zoo opened, attracting nearly 1 million visitors a year. The Wildlife Center (right) leads visitors through tropic, temperate and polar regions to encounter fascinating animals and the Tisch Children's Zoo, added in 1997, lets little animal lovers meet gentle creatures up close. The zoo is also actively involved in helping endangered species.

I saw bunnies, sheep, goats, cows, ducks, lots of tropical birds, spider and tamarind monkeys, mouse deer, snakes, penguins, puffins, sealions and polarbears. It was lots of fun and I felt like a kid again!

Next I went to St Patrick's Cathedral (left). This cathedral (on 5th Avenue and 50th Street) is the seat of the Archbishop of New York and is the largest decorated gothic-style Catholic Cathedral in the United States. Building began in 1858 and the doors opened in May 1879. Towers were added to the West Front in 1888 and work began on the east addition, including the Lady Chapel in 1901. There was an extensive renovation of the interior between 1927 and 1931 when the great organ was installed and the sanctuary was enlarged. Both interior and exterior were completely restored to their original beauty during the years when Cardinal Cooke was Archbishop.

The cathedral is a truly breathtaking and serene building, with fascinating shrines and confession booths. I was unable to take any photos of the interior as my camera batteries died, but I lit a candle for my family and loved ones, and respectfully left before evening mass began.

Back at the hotel I showered and changed and went for dinner at Niles, the hotel's restaurant (on 7th Avenue and 31st Street). At the bar I had an aperitif of a Key Lime Martini (A mix of Stoli vanilla, pineapple juice, triple sec and a dash of lime juice) before going through to the restaurant (right). I was worried about looking like a loner, but the staff kindly sat me in a corner booth and later on a wealthly looking old lady came in to dine on her own too!

While I looked over the menu the staff were very attentive with the bread basket and iced water. For an appetiser I had Steamed Lobster Dumplings (with shiitake mushrooms and scallions in a spicy lemon garlic sauce) and for my entree I had Risotto Crab Cakes (with pesto mashed potatoes, spinach and chipolte aioli), washed down with a glass of Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio, from Trentino, Italy. Feeling stuffed I declined dessert and went back upstairs for a lie down!

After a rest I packed my bags while watching a cable TV guide to New York, then went to sleep before my final adventures!
Friday, February 17, 2006

Visit New York - Day Three


I caught the PATH to Wiley on my own and sat with Michelle again, who showed me how to check in manuscripts online, before I went for my second training session with Michael. Tom then took me for lunch at the cafeteria, and let me leave after I'd taken a few photos of Manhattan from the 7th floor gallery windows.

Back at the hotel I collected my sightseeing things together and headed uptown along 5th Avenue to The New York Public Library (left), a beautifully grand building that puts most libraries I've seen in England to shame.

The Library (on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street) opened in 1911 and is one of the great knowledge institutions of the world, its myriad collections ranking with those of the British Library, the Library of Congress, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France. It is a privately managed, nonprofit corporation with a public mission, operating with both private and public financing in a century-old, still evolving private-public partnership. Entry is free but as the Library put it, there is "one criterion for admission: curiosity".

A lot of people say America has no history, but this place felt rich with culture and history. I took lots of photos, mainly to show my Dad who would love to have any of the reading rooms as an annex to his house!

After the library I went to Grand Central Terminal (right) where I tried (and failed) to recreate THAT famous picture. Grand Central Terminal (42nd Street and Park Avenue) opened in 1913 and at various times housed an art gallery, an art school, a newsreel movie theater, a rail history museum, and innumerable temporary exhibitions. All the while, it remained the busiest train station in the country, with a bustling Suburban Concourse on the lower level and famous long-distance trains like the Fast Mail, the Water-Level Limited, the Wolverine, and the Twentieth Century Limited departing from its Main Concourse.

Over the decades the area and terminal declined and in the 1970s the station was almost demolished, but thankfully the Landmarks Preservation Commission saved it and it was restored to its former glory during the 1980s & 1990s. It was pretty amazing to be in such a beautiful and iconic location.

Feeling tired I walked back down 5th and to my hotel, picking up some sushi takeout from a deli and a pint can of beer (wrapped in a brown paper bag by the clerk as if drinking is somehow shameful seedy!). I phoned Dave and then went to sleep, ready for a long day of sightseeing the next day.
Thursday, February 16, 2006

Visit New York - Day Two


Tom met me from the hotel lobby (right) and took me on the PATH underground to Wiley's offices in Hoboken. First I was introduced to Heather, (who although not involved in my journal, is assistant managing editor of two journals so will be a good point of contact if I need any help or advice) and we all went doen to the cafeteria for coffee.

Heather was really sweet and friendly - she works at Central Park Zoo as a volunteer on Saturdays, and suggested I pay a visit, which sounded cool. After our drinks I sat with her and she showed me what her job involves, and also talked about Gus - her favourite polar bear at the zoo (left), her cat and her David Boreanaz lookalike fiancee!

I then met Michelle (Tom's assistant and my main point of contact at Wiley) who is also really nice. She took me for training on Manuscript Central with Michael - the system seems fairly intuitive so I think I should be ok, although there will be a bit of a learning curve and the transition from one Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Assistant's way of working will take a bit of work.

After training Tom took me and Mary Beth (the Production Editor for the journal) for lunch at The Brass Rail (right), where I had a sourdough roll with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip in, black bean soup, a smoked duck sandwich and fries, and passionfruit sorbet. Mary Beth was very friendly and we chatted about BBC America (she loves The Office, and thinks An American Office is rubbish) and the American Idol auditions. Back at the office Michelle was going to show me her work on Manuscript Central, but her computer wasn't working and Tom thought I looked tired so they suggested I leave for the day.

I caught the PATH back, and stopped in at a Jack's 99c Store where I got some crazy American breakfast cereal (Apple Jacks and Fruit Loops - how can multi-coloured cereal be good for you?) and stocked up on some Wrigley's Big Red - sadly not available in the UK anymore. Back in my hotel I had a nap and used my guidebook to plan what to do with my evening.

My first port of call was Macy's, which I found overrated - it was just like Debenhams really, so I carried on to Times Square, which was just amazing - so bright and busy. Being the big kid that I am, I naturally went into Toys R Us and saw the ferris wheel (right) and T Rex.

While walking around and taking loads of photos of Nasdaq, the MTV studios, Planet Hollywood, etc, I began feeling peckish so I treated my self to not one, but two New York hot dogs from Sabrett street vendors (left). The English woman I met on the shuttlebus yesterday had been raving about them, and they are pretty damn good - the sausage is frankfurter style and the ketchup and mustard really make them. Mmmm!

Next I made my way to the Empire State Building (below right). After going through an airport-style security check I bought a ticket and audio tour and got the elevator to the 86th floor observatory (which is open until midnight, last elevators at 11.15pm). I decided to go at night because I thought the twinkling city lights would look magical, but I'd love to go back in daylight too.

The audio tour is narrated by Tony, a fictional native New Yorker and is filled with his colorful, amusing and informative observations - which is really useful as he points out buildings you either wouldn't have noticed or have realised what they were, and tells you facts and trivia about the Empire State itself.

I took a few photos, but they've come out rather blurry - the notice board in the lobby declared that wind conditions on the observatory were "calm"... Calm my arse! I've never known a wind like it - kids were putting their coats over their heads like sails and being blown across the observatory platform. Nevertheless, the views were amazing.

Tired out after a long day I went back to my hotel and went to bed, ready for my next day of training and sight-seeing.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Visit New York - Day One


I caught the train from Sheffield just after 9am, making it to Manchester Airport at 10.30am. I checked in with the grumpy Lufthansa staff and explored the departure lounge. Had a last phone call with Dave and boarded the plane at 12.45.

The flight to Germany was fine, if a little turbulent, and after going the wrong way at Frankfurt Airport I managed to find the right gate to board the plane to New York. Luckily I got a row of three seats to myself, so after dinner (a special lactose-free meal nonetheless!) and a couple of G&Ts I was able to sleep for a few hours.

Luckily I woke up just before our descent to Kennedy Airport and saw one of the best views I've seen in my life! You could see the shape of Manhattan Island picked out in lights - amazing sights included a glowing area around Midtown (Times Square), the red white and blue of the Empire State Building, and Brooklyn Bridge. Pretty breathtaking for someone who's spent the last year dreaming of going to NYC! (Daylight equivalent, right).

We landed just before 7.30pm, but it took a while to go through the rigamarole of giving fingerprints, having a mugshot and having my USA entry and customs forms checked. My baggage came off the ramp straight away, but I had to wait about half an hour for the shuttle bus to my hotel. Fortunately there was a friendly native New Yorker waiting too, and she chatted to me about what I should see in my time off. Once on the bus I also met a nice lady from London, who was going to stay with her sister on Bleecker Street, who enthused me with the possibilities of being a 23-year-old seeing New York for the first time!

At my hotel, Affinia Manhattan (371 7th Avenue, left) I checked in, was given a complimentary cocktail, and went up to my room - a bedroom/living studio with an ensuite bathroom and kitchen. I called Dave briefly then unpacked and showered.

Feeling a bit peckish, I went to explore the neighbourhood, but unfortunately headed downtown rather than uptown - everything petered out and was just a bit dark and dingy. What with the residual snow, busy traffic, confusing crossings and my post-flight tiredness I felt somewhat overwhelmed and decided to retreat to the safety of my hotel, stopping in at a deli (right) on the way for takeout.

Went to bed at about 11pm, nervous about meeting everyone at Wiley the next day.

See my New York photos here

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