October 7-8, 2006
This weekend was openhousenewyork Weekend. Hundreds of sites throughout the five boroughs opened their doors to give visitors an inside view of some of the most fascinating architecture and interiors in NYC. The participating sites include famous landmarks, historic structures, newly designed buildings and art centers.
One of my favorite Saturday morning activities is visiting the Greenmarket for locally grown, seasonal produce and other tasty treats. The Greenmarket at Grand Army Plaza runs every Saturday, year-round, even when it's cold.
I bought some of these little orange tomatoes.
End-of-season heirloom tomatoes and green tomatoes.
Must be bean season!
Fall brings lots of different kinds of squash.
I got a few of these apples. Apple-picking is a popular fall activity here on the east coast.
Yellow wax beans
I also bought a few of these sweet yellow zucchini.
Gorgeous beets
Fall is also pear season.
Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch at Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn
Built in 1892, this is NYC monument commemorates the Union forces of the Civil War. On one side of the arch, there's a puppet museum, where they put on puppet shows. On the other side, you can climb the stairs to the roof for amazing views of Brooklyn, and across the river to Manhattan.
Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch
Top of the arch, from the back.
Detail of the arch.
These fish heads were built to be drains so that rain water that collects on the roof can run off, down to the ground.
Spiral staircase leading to the roof.
Arial view map of the east side of Prospect Park.
Hidden performance space inside the arch.
From the rooftop, a view of the Greenmarket at Grand Army Plaza, and entrance to Prospect Park.
View down Prospect Park West.
Brooklyn Public Library, at the intersection of Eastern Parkway and Flatbush Ave.
Brooklyn Public Library
Bronze statue of General Henry Warren Slocum, Civil War hero (unveiled on Memorial Day 1905, by President Theodore Roosevelt)
View across the river to midtown Manhattan - you can see the Empire State Building and the Chrystler Building.
View of lower midtown Manhattan.
Statue of Liberty
Bronze quadriga sculpture, designed by Frederick MacMonnies, was installed in 1898.
Top view of sculpture representing the Union Army.
Sculpture representing the Union Army.
Sculpture representing the Union Navy.
Honoring those who fought in the Civil War.
Mark Morris Dance Center, Brooklyn
This famous dance company has their own building just blocks from my apartment. It's a performance and studio space for the company and for dance classes. I toured the whole place, observe classes and rehearsals (although this week, the company was touring in Berkeley), and peek in on the dancers' dressing room, where each dancer gets their own little "cubicle". I never had it so good as a dancer!
Dancers in rehearsal.
Dancer's Lounge
Lovely Main Terrace on the 4th floor overlooks Brooklyn to the south.
View from the patio.
Williamsburg Bank Tower (we can see the other
side of this clock tower from our kitchen window).
Brooklyn Academy of Music
The Hard Nut, Mark Morris' hilarious spoof on
The Nutcracker is a run ballet. I saw it in CA many
years ago.
James and Martha Duffy Performance Space - this studio is the main rehearsal space for the Mark Morris Dance Group. It can also be transformed into a performance space for 140 people.
Choreographer/dancer Daman Harun in rehearsal in this beautiful space.
I wasn't supposed to photograph classes, but I couldn't resist recording the drumming coming from this Afro-Caribbean class.
Terrapin Chelsea Art Gallery, Chelsea
Built in 1853 and renovated in 2000 by the current owners, this home and private gallery was inspired by the owners' travels, and includes a scale-model of the Yangtze River in the living room. It's an interesting blend of art and family. The wife of the household told me they use an old saloon door at the top of the stairs as a baby gate.
Hallway to the master bedroom
Master bedroom
Dining room
Wavy fence
Looking down into the living room.
The scale-model Yangtze River, with large koi fish.
Office space at the end of the living room
Steps up to the backyard.
Yellow and blue netting over the backyard, and
steps to the unit upstairs.
Hot tup in the yard.
Plans for the building next-door, which the couple
recently bought and are gut-renovating to create
condos.
Tenri Culture Institute of New York, West Village
Sponsored by Tenrikyo Headquarters in Tenri, Japan, the center's goal is to promote the study of Japanese language and culture and cross-cultural dialogue and exchange. the space includes the language school and and the Tenri Gallery, used for public exhibitions and performances.
And on my way out, I saw this puppy sleeping in a pet store window.
The Chrysler Building
Tours were cancelled on Sunday, so I only got to see the lobby. It didn't make for a very exciting visit, but the interior is impressive in its own right.
Ground broke in 1928, and the building opened to
the public in 1930.
During that time, two feet were added to the original plan, to compete with another skyscraper downtown. At the time, it was the world's largest building.
Art Deco in the lobby
The stairwells have Art Deco banisters and marble
walls.
There's a subway entrance directly from inside the building.
Grand Central Station
Just across the street is Grand Central, the famous train station. Some of the subway lines run through, and it's the starting point for the Metro-North lines, which take passengers up through the Bronx, along both sides of the Hudson River. There is an extensive food court downstairs, and the main concourse is quite dramatic.
The main concourse is always buzzing with travelers and tourists.
Detail on the ceiling.
These guys are either illiterate or have chosen to
ignore the sign in front of them.
Through the Vanderbilt Ave exit is The Campbell Apartment. Once the private office of early 20th century tycoon, John W. Campbell, it is a classy lounge and bar. The high ceilings and dark wood make you feel like you've walked into a scene from The Great Gatsby.
If you're taking the Metro-North you can get your time and track info and tickets here.
Or if you get lucky, you could win a Lamborghini!
If yellow's your color, they have one of those too.
Queens Library, Flushing
I didn't actually go in the library, but I took a long subway ride out to Flushing to check out the Chinatown and visit a couple of the OHNY sites. The first was the Qeens Library.
Pretty etched glass windows along the side of the library.
Anyone missing a hat?
Chinatown pigeons must be brutal.
Hindu Temple Society of North America, Flushing
Built in 1977 and restored in 2003, this temple was built to conform to ancient temple construction codes. Inside, there were many deities, and a shrine carved of black granite imported from India.
Elephants are sacred.
On the train back to Manhattan, this couple tried to blend into the subway seats in their matching orange shirts and shoes.
Rockefeller Center
I returned to the city too late to get up to the Rooftop Garden, so I joined the tourists for a few minutes to admire one of NYC's famous landmarks.
The ice rink has been set, a sign that winter is just around the corner. Ironically, this weekend was quite warm and felt more like spring!
Today's weather probably provided amazing views
from the Observation Deck at the Top of the Rock.
Reflection in the back of the Sky Mirror.
The front faces Fifth Avenue and causes quite a foot-traffic jam on the sidewalk. Can you find me in the mirror?
I walked past the Empire State Building too (it was
a day of famous NY sites).
Scandinavia House
My last stop on the OHNY tour for this year wasn't quite as intriguing as those I'd seen in the morning. I guess I expected more out of it. It's a cultural center with a definite modern touch, reflecting Scandinavian design sensibilities.
Nordic Lego dude
Lego dude's backside
I thought these photos in the gallery were funny. The current exhibit showcases new photography from Denmark.
If you live in NY or happen to be here during openhousenewyork next year, I recommend you visit some of these amazing sites. Had I known how fun this was, I would have gotten an earlier start. Now I have a list for next year.