New York City from the top of the Rock

Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 buildings covering 8.9 ha in Midtown Manhattan. Begun in 1930 it includes the GE Building (at left), NBC studios and offices, Radio City Music Hall and much more.










In 1932 Mexican artist and socialist Diego Rivera (his patron was Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, wife of John D. Rockefeller, Jr.) was commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller to create a colour fresco for the 100 square metre wall in the lobby at 30 Rock. This coming after attempts to secure the commissioning of either Matisse or Picasso. In any event, Rivera's Man at the Crossroads became somewhat controversial as it contained Moscow May Day scenes and an obvious portrait of Lenin. After much argument between artist and employer and a refusal by Rivera to replace the offending figures with something more anonymous, the artist was sent packing. Fully paid of course. His mural was papered over while unsuccessful attempts were made to move it to a more accommodating venue. About a year later Rivera's mural was destroyed and in its place a larger piece by Josep Maria Sert, named American Progress, was commissioned and is what we see today.

Rivera recreated his work in Mexico City where it was renamed Man, Controller of the Universe. The composition is similar to the original with some additions. Leon Trotsky, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels appear in the new version as does John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Mr. Rockefeller, a lifelong abstainer from most things fun, is pictured drinking in a nightclub with a woman, a dish of syphilis bacteria appearing above their heads. The Rockefeller family was not amused.




The Lower Plaza features an ice rink where the Rangers play when Madison Square Gardens is booked with a rock concert or boat show. Workers were removing the ice the day we visited.












Views from the Top of the Rock are impressive and it's well worth going through the security screening. "Backpacks, cell phones and cameras" seemed a constant refrain from our security agents, friendly enough but insistent all the same. Good thing they didn't mention Swiss Army knives, corkscrews or Q-Tips.

Looking south to Downtown.

Looking west to New Jersey.

And north towards Central Park.

The Upper West Side.

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

The Excited State that is Times Square

Times Square is probably the busiest pedestrian intersection (or group of intersections) in the Americas. It is in a constant state of excitement that seems to persist regardless of the time of day. Confusing, crowded, congested, this is supposedly "the crossroads of the world." Construction and renovation of the buildings, subway and streets doesn't help, and construction in NYC is ubiquitous.












It is estimated that 40 million people visited Times Square last year. The photos are deceiving because it seemed as though all 40 million were there on the days Sherry and I transited to shows.

If not for the theatre district, I would avoid the area entirely. It's exhilarating for a few minutes but there are too many people crowding into too small a space. You will find fast food, fast cars and fast money. The fast food is fast only in name. The fast cars are moving very slowly, if at all. The fast money is only your own, slipping ever so quickly from your wallet.




But look around Jeem. The signs, electronic and digital, are everywhere. This is the grand centre of being seen and making a scene.

To which I can only reply as did Jerry many years ago, "But I don't want to be a pirate." This can't be real.











Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

Manhattan Vertical

New York City is made up of five boroughs and Manhattan is but one. It is, at least in its own mind, the biggest, richest and best of all. The superlatives are endless and Manhattan reserves most for its own. Manhattan is an amazing place and it certainly is the tallest.





















While it is not the most populous borough in New York City, it is the most densely populated jurisdiction in the country. With an area of less than sixty square kilometres, Manhattan's population density is about 27,000 per square kilometre. In comparison, the City of Vancouver has an area of 115 square kilometres and a density of only 5,250 per square kilometre.






Manhattan is the wealthiest jurisdiction the the Excited States with a per capita income exceeding $100,000. In fact, it is the only area within the US that exceeds that $100,000 per capita average. Sherry and I lowered that average significantly during our brief stay.











Manhattan's population is about 1.6 million yet just as many people come into the city everyday, to do the work of the city. They come from Queens and Brooklyn, the Bronx and Jersey, and their numbers exceed 1.6 million every weekday. Four out of five of them travel by public transit and more than fifty percent of them travel by subway. At any given time about 800,000 additional tourists are wandering around the streets of Manhattan.

It is surprisingly clean. And friendly. And safe. It is a city in which one can walk all day, yet constantly distracted by the city itself; its people and its architecture.






















And we are always looking up. We can't help but look up. It is the only place to look. At the new and the old, the shadows and the reflections. This is an amazing place.




Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

Ellis Island and what seemed a good idea at the time

Ellis Island could be one of the best things to see in NYC. It could be, but it isn't. However, if you want a tiny glimpse of what must have happened to immigrants to the Excited States at the end of the 1800s, this might be for you.

Herded around in various lines at The Battery at the southern most tip of Manhattan, then submitted to "airport" screening to get on a ferry, was all part of the experience. It seemed to take forever and reinforced the homeland security apparatus that is the Excited States today. I'm guessing the folks from Latvia and Estonia and everywhere else, must have felt the same in 1904, when 12,000 people were processed on a normal day.




In its heyday, the government wanted to restrict entry to certain individuals of a lesser physical or mental capacity. The amount of time provided to determine eligibility was brief to say the least, and most were granted entry. Today about 100 million Americans can trace their entry in some way to Ellis Island.

However. The historic site that is Ellis Island today is primarily static, with lots of reading and not much to see. It's all about "telling me" something. The "show me" exhibits used in more contemporary historical exhibits in Australia or Canada is not present here.

A better introduction to Ellis Island is the wonderful Italian movie from 2006 called Nuovomondo or Golden Door. The film was written and directed by Emanuele Crialese and opens in Sicily and concludes in the promised land of New York. Filmed in Rome and Buenos Aires (BA provided most of the Ellis Island scenes) the movie provides an alternative to the normal Hollywood depiction of the immigrant story.



In Italy, the family in the film dreams of a land of opportunity, where giant vegetables are grown, people swim in milk and coins fall from the sky. It is a beautiful film and much more rewarding than our visit to Ellis Island.








At the end of our Ellis Island escapade, firmly planted back in Manhattan, we started walking through Tribeca towards SoHo where we stopped for some rest and relaxation at a place called The Brick. Gus was our genial and generous host and as an introduction to Tribeca, I'd recommend the place for Gus alone.

After that interlude we wandered through SoHo where we happened upon Graham and his two female friends. Being a friendly New Yorker, Graham recommended a dining establishment down the street and around a block or two, depending on which way you go, called Lupa, which is one of the current hot spots in Manhattan. The front of house staff were clearly cool kids, or whatever they might be called these days, with one looking just like Justin Timberlake as he appeared in the latest Coen brothers film: Inside Llewyn Davis. Jeem's pasta was great and Sherry's lamb pedestrian at best. Waiting over an hour for a table: sort of like Ellis Island, without the metal detectors. It's all part of the New York experience.

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014. 

Oslo ~ a NYC coffee shop

A few doors away from our apartment on 75th Street, is a terrific coffee shop named Oslo. Founded, strangely enough by immigrants from Norway, the business started in Brooklyn and has branched out to the Upper East Side. There are two locations in Brooklyn and one in our neighbourhood on the Upper East Side.





Our experience with Oslo is positive; we've been here almost every day so that must say something. Different baristas do make a difference and ... we seem to have found our preference. However, stopping at Oslo in the morning for a wonderfully sweet espresso is also a preference.











There's always an interesting music mix playing in the background with the selection and the volume determined by the staff of the moment. It's a busy little place and it concentrates on good coffee and not much else. While there are some pastries available, it's really all about the coffee.










The Oslo coffee company is relatively small. It is a company that returns something to the community. They roast their own beans. This is all very good ~ for New York and for coffee lovers. You're here already. Have a coffee.


Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.