Pride March

Today was Pride Day in NYC.   I thought I should pay homage to Pride even though I'm in Florida.  So here is an entry about the history of the Gay Pride March.  Now - this entry COULD be epic but I simply have not had the time to write a proper history of all LGBT history in NYC or the U.S.   It is fascinating, colorful, and beautiful, so I do highly recommend you read up on it if it interests you.  Perhaps in the future I will write a more complete entry.   This entry is going to focus only on the parade.

A lot of the parade history centers around the StonewallRiots.  I urge you to read a full account here: http://gaylife.about.com/od/stonewall/a/stonewallhistory.htm  The very brief version of the Stonewall Riots is that during the weeee hours of the morning on June 28, 1969 (the night/morning following Judy Garland's funeral), an openly gay club known as the Stonewall Inn was raided by the police.  This in and of itself was not an uncommon occurrence - gay clubs were frequently raided.  For the first time, however, on this night, the gay community fought back.  They fought back for six days and they fought so mightily and with so much charisma the police were actually forced back and the gay rights movement was born.  

The Stonewall Riots created a cohesive community amongst the gay community in New York and amongst the gay community throughout the U.S. The gay community wanted to continue to contribute to their cause.  On July 2, 1969 Craig Rodwell (famous for founding the first bookshops devoted to gay and lesbian authors -the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop), Fred Sergeant, Ellen Broidy, and Linda Rhodes proposed the idea of a Pride March during a meeting in Philadelphia.  (This meeting, I have read, was not nearly as colorful as the organizers and participants had hoped it would be - but never fear - the pride parade was coming.  For anyone who has attended - it is one of the most spectacular and colorful parades around!)  

Here is what this amazing quartet of activists proposed: 

"That the Annual Reminder, in order to be more relevant, reach a greater number of people, and encompass the ideas and ideals of the larger struggle in which we are engaged-that of our fundamental human rights-be moved both in time and location.

We propose that a demonstration be held annually on the last Saturday in June in New York City to commemorate the 1969 spontaneous demonstrations on Christopher Street and this demonstration be called CHRISTOPHER STREET LIBERATION DAY. No dress or age regulations shall be made for this demonstration.
We also propose that we contact Homophile organizations throughout the country and suggest that they hold parallel demonstrations on that day. We propose a nationwide show of support."

The proposal passed unanimously amongst all voting parties (there was an abstention) and for the next year planning took place.  It wasn't always easy - in fact the parade PERMIT arrived only 2 hours before the parade was scheduled to begin!  Brenda Howard was the organizer for this parade and earned the nickname "Mother Pride" for her efforts.  She also originated the idea of a week long series of event leading up to "Pride Day" which we now know as "Pride Week."

The very first parade was held June 28, 1970, the 1 year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.  Today it is held the last Saturday of each June, and similar events are held worldwide.  This year the parade started at 36th and 5th and ended at Christopher and Greenwhich streets.  This means the parade passes the Stonewall Inn - which still stands and operates to this day!  (The very first march went all the way up to Central Park and covered 51 blocks!)  

Of this this year was especially powerful thanks to the Supreme Court DOMA ruling.  The tops of the Bloomberg Building, Empire State Building, and Conde Nast were all even lit up rainbow celebrating pride.  It was a good day for New York City!

You can read more about NYC pride events here: http://www.nycpride.org/events

11 tallest buildings.

I'm on vacation and was out chasing sea turtle all day so please forgive me if this is a cop-out of a blog - but I think it's interesting and important.  It's merely a list of the 11 tallest buildings in NYC!:)

1-One World Trade Center  - 1776 feet
2-Empire State Building - 1250feet
3-Bank of America Tower  -1200 feet
4-Chrysler Building - 1,046 feet
5-New York Times Building - 1,046 feet.
6-One57 - 1,004
7-Four World Trade Center - 977
8-70 Pine Street - 952 feet.
9-The Trump Building - 927 feet.
10-Citigroup Center - 915 feet.
11-8 Spruce St. - 876 feet.

In case you were wondering why I chose 11 and not 10 - it's because I wanted to include 8 Spruce Street  - which is also known as "New York by Gehry" because I've come to love the bizarre yet beautiful design of that building.  I'm simply showing it some love by making my list the top 11. :)

Bloomberg Tower

Until I read that it was lit up rainbow colored for Pride week - I had no idea the Bloomberg Tower even existed.  (worst tour guide in NYC - I know….)

So I decided to rectify my ignorance and look it up.  So here we go - the Bloomberg Tower.

It is located at 731 Lexington Avenue (between 58 and 59 streets).  Construction began in 2001 and the building opened in 2004.  It houses Bloomberg L.P., retail stores, restaurants, and several residences known as "One Beacon Court."

The tower is the 15th tallest in NYC and the 46th tallest in the U.S. for those of you into tall buildings.  It's 806 feet and 55 stories tall.  

The most random fun fact i could find is that it came in 10th place in the 2005 "Emporis SkyScraper Award" contest.  You can visit the Emporis Page to learn more about the awards - I must say I say some pretty cool skyscrapers there.  But if you aren't feeling like clicking on a link - here is how the website describes the awards: 

The Emporis Skyscraper Award is the only prize for high-rise buildings awarded annually and on a global basis. Nominees and winners are chosen by Emporis editors, who are architecture experts from all over the world. Since 2000, the award has been given to recognize excellence in both aesthetic and functional design.

Also - while it is lit up rainbow for the Pride, the only information I can find about the actual light is that they were designed by Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design - who also designed the lights on top of the Time Warner Center Towers. 

And here is a link to a beautiful photo of their Pride light design - it's pretty gorgeous if you ask me!:)  http://www.flickr.com/photos/46871223@N00/9161677409/

Jane's Carousel

If you go to DUMBO, sitting on the bank of the East River between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, you will see a beautiful carousel in a glass case (technically an acrylic pavilion) - it looks a bit like a jewel box.  That is Jane's Carousel.  It was created in 1922 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. The original home of this carousel and its 48 horses was Youngstown, Ohio.  It delighted children in the then prosperous steel town's "Isadora Park," but in the 1970s a fire came and consumed the park.  Luckily it spared the beautiful Carousel. 

 Jane and David Walentas bought the Carousel for $385,000 and then went through a very long labor of love restoring it.  They hacked off years of bad paint jobs with and x-acto knife and hired detailers from Mercedes to restore the original detailing.  It actually took 30 years to restore the Carousel and it was finally places in Brooklyn Bridge Park in 2011.

You can ride it Wednesday-Mondays now in Brooklyn Bridge Park for only $2.  

It had a scary moment during Hurricane Sandy when they thought it was going to wash into the East River!  I don't like to use photos that are not my own in this blog - but you can see a beautiful and harrowing image of the carousel during the storm here.  

I have ridden the Carousel and it's a lot of fun!  I would highly recommend it!:)

Here is their official page.  

Here is a photo of me riding the Jane's Carousel!  As you can see - I'm having a lot of fun!  I recommend it to kids and adults alike!  (And I know there are adults who like carousels because there are carousel conventions!!!!)

Size of Central Park

Another question I get a lot is 'how big is Central Park.'  My go to answer of 'it starts at 59 and goes of to 110 and is between Central Park West and 5th tends to not appease anyone.  So here are some numbers.

Length: 2.5 miles

Width: .5 miles

Square miles: 1.317

Acres: 840.01

How many times you would run aroun the park to complete a marathon: 5

Perimeter: 6 miles (which really means those running the CP marathon ran longer than a real marathon!)

8,336,697 people

Just a quick little entry about the population of New York City.

First of all - I want to preface this with the fact that NYC actually refers to all five boroughs - Manhattan - the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island.

So the population of all five boroughs put together is approximately 8,336,690  people!  (that is from a census taken July 2012 - about a year ago.)

The breakdown is as follows:

Manhattan: 1,619,090
The Bronx: 1,408,473
Brooklyn: 2,272,771
Queens: 2,272,771
Staten Island: 470,728

(Staten Island - you're holding us back!!!!!)

Among these 8,300,000 million people, over 800 languages are spoken!  20% of them do no speak English or only speak very minimal English!  It is the most linguistically diverse city in the world.

I was also asked by a lovely Norwegian couple today if everyone in Manhattan is rich or if everyone is poor.  I told them it was a mix, you could have very rich living next to very poor, but here is a more official and researched answer:

Medium income: $188,697
Avergae Weekly Wage: $1453 (Now I'm feeling poor!)
Percentage living in poverty in Manhattan: 17.6%
Percentage living in poverty in NYC: 18.5% (about 13% of the entire US lives in poverty so NYC has more.)
What the richest man in New York (David Koch) is worth: $20 billion. (Think of all the Burberry he could buy!  Also - thank goodness he likes the Natural History Museum and The Met Opera - I know he's controversial but he funds my two passions so I have mixed feelings.)
What the second richest man in New York (Mayor Michael Bloomberg) is worth: $18.1 billion
Minimum wage in NYC: $7.25 and hour

The Woolworth Building

I am relating the story of the Woolworth building as researched on that great site Wikipedia and as told to me by a fabulous fellow tour guide named Diallo.

Frank Winfield Woolworth revolutionized how we buy things.  Before he came along, if you wanted to buy things you needed the help of a salesman.  (Think Nellie Olson's family in "Little House on the Prairie.")  Woolworth decided to use a "self-service" system, where customer would examine what they wanted to buy without the help of a sale man.  His stores were technically discount stores, and he priced everything at 5 or 10 cents.  This relatively simple idea made him a fortune.

He wanted to celebrate his fortune with a building - the tallest building in the world.  (It would need ot overtake the Met Life Building which currently held that title.)  So in 1910, Woolworth commissioned Cass Gilbert - the celebrity architect of his day - to design this tower and paid him 13.5 MILLION DOLLARS CASH for it!

When the building was completed in 1913 it stood at 792 feet tall and held the title of tallest building in the world until 40 Wall Street was completed.  In the lobby of the building is a sculpture of Woolworth counting nickels.  The "prickly top" of the building echoes the Gothic Cathedrals of Europe. Because of Woolworth's role in revolutionizing commerce and the similiarities to a Gothic Church - the Woolworth building gained the nickname "The Cathedral of Commerce" during its opening ceremony.

Part of the building is now owned by NYU  - specifically NYU's "School of Continuing and Professional Studies Center for Global Affairs."

Despite its beauty and success as a skyscraper, Cass Gilbert had some regrets aboutbuilding it.  He wrote to a friend:

"I sometimes wish I had never built the Woolworth Building because I fear it may be regarded as my only work and you and I both know that whatever it may be in dimension and in certain lines it is after all only skyscraper."

Never the less it still stands strong today.  And if you look really closely,you can see where they did renovations on the tower.  The tower is made out of these BEAUTIFUL terra-cotta panels, but they used concrete in the renovations.  The areas where they used concrete are darker.

17 State Street - AKA the building with a crown.

I must and will get a good photo of 17 State Street.  I talk about it a lot on my boat tours, but I never actually know what to call the building.  We usually talk about the Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine, and use the "blue curved skyscraper with a white ladder pattern climbing up it" as a landmarked, but not a site in and of itself.  Then I had a couple on the boat that asked about the pretty building with a crown on the top - and I realized I had no idea what it was.  So time to find out!

It is a 41 story high skyscraper designed by Emery Roth and Sons.  (Emery Roth and Sons also designed the El Dorado on the US that is often featured in Central Park Tours!)  The bottom floor is actually a museum that I now desperately want to visit.  I never even knew it existed.  It is N urban archeology museum known as New York Unearthed.  You can read more about it here.  and has approximately 2 MILLION artifacts from local excavation sites!   Other tenants include: Fidessa (A finance software company), Georgeson Shareholders,  IPSoft, Hudson Insurance Group, Varick Asset Management, Neville Peterson, LLP, Wechsler & Cohen LLP, and AXA.  

Is a "modern high-rise" skyscraper made of glass, steel, aluminum, carbon-fibre, and reinforced concrete.  It was completed in 1988 and stands at 541 feet.  

40 Wall Street

40 Wall Street was originally known as the "Bank of Manhattan Trust Building."  

This buildings beginning are closely linked to that of my favorite building in New York's - The Chrysler Building.  Both 40 Wall street/Bank of Manhattan Trust Building and the Chrysler Building were competing to the world's tallest building.  At the time construction began on 40 Wall Street in 1928, the tallest building in the world was the Woolworth Building which stands at 705 feet.  The Bank of Manhattan building had plans to be 840 feet tall, 2 feet taller than the Chrysler building and 135 feet taller than the Woolworth Building.  However, tycoon Walter Chrysler did not like this plan and have evil plots abounding in his head. By the time the Bank of Manhattan Building/40 Wall Street was completed, it's plans had been changed and it stood at 927 feet, 71 stories.  It had succeeded in being the tallest building in the world.  Except that a few months later Walter Chrysler released his secret weapon - a 125 foot spire.  The spire was built inside the crown of the Chrysler building and erected last minute in secret.  In October of 1929, thanks to the spire being hoisted up from inside the building the Chrysler building surpassed 40 Wall Street as the world's tallest building and the Eiffel Tower as the world's tallest structure.

Naturally, Shreve and Lamb, the consulting architects on the Bank of Manhattan building were livid, even writing articles about how the Chrysler Building's spire shouldn't count.  However, their arguments proved futile as less than a year later, the Empire State Building was completed dwarfing both the Chrysler and Bank of Manhattan Buildings.  (The ESB stands at 1,454 feet tall with the spire, 1250 feet without the spire!)

Never fear 40 Wall Street - you are still the tallest mid-block building in Manhattan!  

The Bank of Manhattan merged with Chase bank, this is what prompted the name change to simply the building's address - 40 Wallstreet.  

In 1982, the building was bought by Ferdinand Marcos, the late president of the Philippines.  (He was married the Imelda Marcos, the woman famous for owning over 3,000 pairs of shoes!)  Ferdinand was removed from power during the "People Power Revolution" which was catalyzed but public outrage over the assassination of Ferdinand arch political rival Benigno Aquino, Jr.  When Marcos was removed from power in 1986, his assets in the U.S. were frozen - this included 40 Wall Street.  The building was therefore placed in limbo for nearly 10 years and fell into neglect.  Then, along came Donald Trump.  Donald Trump bought the building in 1995.  He was hoping to convert half of the building into residential space, but that proved too expensive so the building remained 100% commercial.  He did try to sell the building in 2003, but got no acceptable offers so he holds on to this building to his day.  It is one of his many properties in NYC.  (I have counted 13 properties that Trump owns in NYC, but if you have a different number please let me know!)

FYI - 40 Wall Street is the building with the mint green triangle/pyramid shaped top.  I took this photo on a break while I was working on the boat - so -it's far from coffee table book worthy but you can get the idea!:)

Fort Wood/Liberty Island

First of all my apologies for anyone who read this post last night.  I had a "Blair Waldorf" night on the town and should not have ever attempted to write a blog entry - much less one with an incorrect TITLE!  Here is the revised entry!

I was asked what was on Liberty Island before the statue, and I realized that I didn't know!  So - I found out.  Turns out that before "Liberty Island" was called "Liberty Island," It was Bedloe's Island and was home to a fort!  Fort Wood to be exact.  The pedestal the Statue of Liberty stands on in is actually placed on top of this fort!  Fort Wood is made out of granite and shaped like and 11 pointed star.  It was built between 1807 and 1811. It was used on and off by the U.S. army until 1937, when it was abandoned. During its heyday it housed 77 guns and 350 men.   In 1849 it was briefly used as an immigrant examination station.  After 1899, the park became a recruiting station more than than a fort.  The island was converted into Liberty Park in the 1950s.  The military buildings of "Bedsloe's Island" were removed during the1950s  leaving only the "Star Fort" which served and still serves as the base for the statue.

The Battle of Brooklyn

I think it's time I gave Brooklyn some love. Partially because I have to talk about it a lot, partially because I know very little about it, and partially because it's just really interesting!

So - the Battle of Brooklyn.  It happened on August 27th, 1776.  It was not a great victory for George Washington.  It was not a victory at all for George Washington.  It was however, the largest battle of the Civil War and the first that the "army of the United States" was involved in - since the U.S. had just declared itself a nation a little over a month earlier.

George Washinton knew that New York's port would prove a valuable resource to whichever army controlled it.  In March, after a victory at the "Siege of Boston," Washington marched his army up to New York to defend this strategic port.  Understandably, Washington thought that the English would attack Manhattan first, so he moved most of his forces there.  The English commander, William Howe, landed on Staten Island in July and began rebuilding his force - which had recently been defeated in the Siege of Boston.  On August 22, 1776, the British started their attack.  Much to the Americans surprise, they did not start with Manhattan!  They snuck up from behind by attacking Long Island first and making their way all the way to Brooklyn Heights a week later!

Surrounded, Washington knew the odds were against him so he opted for a sneaky strategic retreat!  In the middle of the night he began to evacuate troops across the East River to Manhattan.  He muffled wagon wheels, forbid his men to talk, and he even wrapped burlap around the oars of boats taking them across the river to muffle the sounds.  A rear was guard was left to tend the campfires of the American camp until the last minute, to deceive the English into thinking nothing was amiss.  Aided by a thick fog, Washington and his men were able to escape to Manhattan by 7 .m.  (Washington himself was the last man to get on a boat to cross - he was a good general.) 9,000 men were evacuated and not a single life was lost.

Eventually Washington and his men were forced to retreat to New Jersey and then Pennsylvania, but the retreat saved Washington and gave him time to re-examine his approach to the army and the war.  While the English were celebrating a great victory in London, ringing bells and giving their general accolades for winning the battle, Washington was re-training his army preparing to win the war.

This escape happened right where the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory is today.  So as you enjoy your delectable deliciousness sitting in Brooklyn Bridge Park, give a few thoughts to the courageous young general, just starting out his career, who made a daring escape that might just have given you your freedom.

William Barthman Sidewalk Clock

I was walking home from a tour I gave, taking photos of "things I need to research," when I stumbled upon a clock.  I mean - literally stumbled.  It was on the ground at the corner of Broadway and Maiden Lane.  It said "William Barthman Since 1884."  What a mysterious thing to discover!  So I went him and researched!

It is actually referred to as the "William Barthman Sidewalk Clock."  

William Barthman was a jeweler, and he had a store at 174 Broadway which opened in, you guessed it, 1884.  William Barthman Jewelers.  In 1899 he came up with the idea to put a clock in the sidewalk.  All over lower Manhattan there were apparently tall standing sidewalk clocks, and William Barthman originally planned for his clock to be one of them.  Then in 1899 he got the idea for a sidewalk clock.  Originally the clock was an analog clock.  This meant that clock was square and the numbers flipped by the minute.  The clock was made and place in the sidewalk by the end of 1899 and was maintained by a man named Frank Homm.  During Frank Homm's life the clock behaved perfectly.  After Frank Homm died, however, the clock became problematic.  So problematic that sometimes Barthman would have to cover the clock with a piece of cardboard!  So in 1940, Barthman replaced the analogue clock with a round traditional clock with hours and minute hands.  

In 1983, after being scratched so much you could barely read the clock, it got a facelift thanks to Cartier.  It allegedly says Cartier on the clock, but I do not see it.  Let me know if you do!

William Barthman Jewelers has since moved a few blocks away from its Maiden Lane and Broadway location, but the sidewalk clock remains.  Barthman Jewelers build a replica clock to place in front of their new store front, but you will have to look up above the door, not down to see it.  The authorities let Barthman know "there is only one New York Sidewalk Clock."

This clock epitomizes one thing I have learned about New York.  Sometimes you can learn more by looking at your feet than at the sky.

The New Colossus

Just a quick entry tonight since I got home late.  I realized I was very unfamiliar with the Emma Lazarus poem that is on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.  The entire poem is beautiful so I thought I would share it!

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Shakespeare in the Park

Two nights ago I was lucky enough to attend Shakespeare in the Park's "The Comedy of Errors."

Seeing Shakespeare in the Park is a true New York experience.  What is Shakespeare in the Park you may ask?

Shakespeare in the Park, simply put, is free high quality theatre theatre made available on a first come first serve basis to people who get up early and wait in line.  It is presented at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park.  (You would enter Central Park from 81st st. and CPW.)  Shakespeare in the Park has been a tradition since the Delactore was built in 1961 (it openeding in 1962.)  It is produced by The Public Theatre which was founded by the visionary Joe Papp. For the past 51 years it has been producing some of the best directed productions of Shakespeare in the U.S., often starring celebrities such as Al Pacino or Jesse Tyler Ferguson.


Shakespeare in the Park has become to popular that people will begin lining up at early at 6 a.m. for tickets that are handed out noon.   While my friend waited Some die hards will even hire homeless people to stand in line for them before Central Park Opens!  If you arrive at 10 a.m. if may be too late to get a ticket.  The good news for those in line is, you will not be bored or hungry.  "Street performers" like to entertain people waiting in the line, often asking for tips.  There is a saxophonist who is always there.  There have been jazz trios, guitarists who put Shakespeare sonnets and monologues to songs, people performing scenes from Shakespeare, and dancers.  You can also order food to be delivered to you "in the line."  Why not eat a pizza while you wait?  Another common past time is watching the parade of dogs on their morning walks that pass by you.  Every friend I have ever had that waited in lone has wonderful dog stories for me.  I was lucky enough to not wait in line for my ticket.  I have a fabulous friend who waited in line for me while I took a bus of the most delightful school children on an early morning walking tour of Central Park.  Here he is, the incredible Erik Hanson, waiting "in the line."

And here are some street performers:

The line of people who arrive before 7 am.

The theatre opened at 8 and the show began at 8:30.  It is a relatively short Shakespeare play so it was performed without and intermission. This particular production incorporated some of the most brilliant swing dancing I have ever seen.

What makes Shakespeare int he Park truly special though is the setting.  The Delacorte is an outdoor theatre, so surrounding the sets are the lush landscapes of Central Park - including Belvedere Castle.    It's very intersting when you are watching theatre, and landscape around the theatre is more magical than the amazing sets on stage.  Of course this also means the actors might have to compete with airplanes and helicopters flying overhead, or the stray loud boombox, but that is all part of the magic.

Here is a photo of me and Erik about to enjoy The Comedy of Errors. 

New York Life Insurance Building.

One day I will fully appreciate the genius that is Cass Gilbert - the architect responsible for the U.S. Customs House, the Woolworth Building, and our current blog subject - the New York Life Insurance Building.  I feel like Cass Gilbert deserves an entire entry and has many secrets for me to unlock.

New York Life Insurance is one of the largest mutual life insurance companies in the U.S. of A.  With assets of just $17,000, the company was founded in 1845 under the name Nautilus Insurance Company.  It was renamed four year later "New York Life Insurance."

It moved into it's fancy Cass Gilbert designed building in 1928 after 2 years of construction at the cost of $21 million!  It's design is actually based on Salisbury Cathedral in England.  The gold pyramid on top of the NYLife building is made out of  25,000 gold leaf panels which contributed to the buildings high cost.  New York Life Insurance still occupies this building.

It stands today at 51 Madison Avenue between 26th and 27th streets - and you can see it's shiny gold top from both the Hudson and East Rivers.  I suppose that's what standing at 615 feet tall will do to you.

There is another story about the New York Life Building that musical theatre audiences might be particularly interested in! It is where Standford White, the famous architect and former lover of Evelyn Nesbit, was shot.  Well, this is not entirely true - but ALMOST true.  The New York Life Insurance is build on the site where the original Madison Square Garden was.  (New York is on its FOURTH Madison Square Garden.)  Standford White was attending a performance on the rooftop of this first Madison Square Garden.  During the show's finale - a song called "I Could Love a Million Girls" - Harry K. Thaw walked up to Stanford White, and standing two feet away shot Stanford White three times and killed him in what would become known as "The Crime of the Century."  (cue the Ragtime musical song here.)

You can read all about the murder here.  

The Strawberry

Just a short post tonight.  If you enter Strawberry Fields from CPW (at 72nd st.)  and make the first left that you can on a path, you will see a rock to your right.  That rock is a pretty awesome rock because it has the only strawberry in Strawberry Fields growing from it!  And today I got photographic evidence!  Mwhahahahahahahaha!

This strawberry is an anomaly because Strawberry Fields gets its name from the Beatles song 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and not an abundant source of the bright red fruit growing on its soil.  In fact, people have TRIED to plants strawberries ever since Strawberry Fields was opened in 1985, but the area doesn't seem to be strawberry friendly - with this one except!  Strawberry that lived!

The Grand Central Terminal "clock."

In the middle of Grand Central Terminal is a clock worth approximated $20 million dollars.

The clock was designed by  "Seth Thomas Clock Company"  supplying the "Self Winding Clock Company" which was the company commissioned to create the "Grand Central Clock." The clock was in place when GCT opened in 1913, which also marked the 100 year anniversary of the Seth Thomas Clock Company.

The clock itself is made out of brass, with each of the four sides made out of precious opal.  The opal is gently lit from behind giving the clock the warm glow.  Though the clock is mechanical and runs on swiss motors, it is set according to the atomic clock in Washington, D.C. making it accurate within 1 second every 1.4 million years.  Not a bad margin of error.

On TOP of the clock is a compass that points true north.

New Yorkers apparently tell each other "Meet me at the clock." For the record - the very first time I was ever told this was when I was TAKING my first tour of Grand Central Terminal, however I ended up waiting outside of GCT in front of a DIFFERENT clock on the the south side of the terminal - the clock that is made entirely out of Tiffany Glass.  I felt silly.  I guess my friends tend to not "meet at the clock."  Never the less - the clock is a famous meeting spot because it is directly in the middle of the terminal making it easy to access from all entrances.  It is also allegedly the the site of many a proposal, though I have not personally seen any.  (I have seen two weddings by the whispering gallery.)

Despite all of this, what the "clock" is probably most famous for is that it is the clock Mellman the giraffe smashes his head into (and comically gets stuck in) in the movie Madagascar.  Seth Thomas would be so proud!

Astor Place Theatre

Tomorrow I'm giving a tour that ends at the Astor Place Theatre.  I felt like an idiot because I didn't actually know what the Astor Place Theatre was - or where it was located.  (Though from the name I guessed is was in Astor Place.)

Turns out I've been to the Astor Place Theatre at 434 Lafayette Street before.  It is the current home of the "Blue Man Group" and I saw them and their drumming goodness perform there back in 2000.  

The Astor Place theatre is an off-Broadway theatre.  That means it has between 100 and 499 seats.  (I could not figure out how many seats this theatre has sadly.)    The theatre has been there since 1831.  It is part of "Colonnade Row" which was originally a series of 9 row houses.  4 remain to this day.  (I had to look up what a row house is.  It is a linked house or a townhouse.)  Colonnade Row was originally purchased by the miserly John Jacob Astor.  His Grand son, John Jacob Astor III lived in the number 424.  Fun fact - John Jacob Astor's great grandson, John Jacob Astor IV, died on the Titanic.  The Vanderbilt family also lived in Colonnade Row.  

In 1965 the building was bought by Bruce Mailman - an entrepreneur who has enough imagination to turn the building into an off-Broadway theatre.  From what I have read about Bruce Mailman, I imagine him to be a vibrant man very full of life and an amazing gay advocate.  Here is his obituary as written in the New York Times.  I must find out more about him because I imagine he was quite the character!  

In 1968, the Astor Place Theatre opened with a play called "The Indian Wants the Bronx."  The star was an unknown actor named Al Pacino.  He obviously went on to pretty amazing things.

In 1991 The Blue Man Group moved ingot he theatre and later bought the theatre for their company.  To this day they perform their whacky multimedia show bringing joy to audiences from all over the world.

The Burberry Tower

If I had my way, I would have an entire walk-in closet dedicated to Burberry coats, jackets, capes, and vests.  I sadly do not have this, but I am lucky enough to have two BEAUTIFUL Burberry coats.  This makes myself the butt of quite a few jokes since Burberry is not exactly a brand that a "starving artist" should be wearing around town.  I am lucky to have a fairy godmother.  But enough my Burberry coats and on to the Burberry Tower.

Every time I go up Madison Avenue I see a tall tower that says BURBERRY on it.  I get excited but I never knew WHY it said Burberry.  Now I do.

In 2009, Burberry moved its New York headquarters to 444 Madison Avenue between 49th and 50th street.  (this actually is conveniently right next to Saks Fifth Avenue.)  Burberry signed a lease for floors  13-16 for 15 years, replacing New York magazine that inhabited that space until 2009.  (They moved down toe 1 Hudson Square.)

Inside these offices Burberry houses 14,000 square feet worth of showroom space!  (I'm not drooling AT ALL.)

Burberry scored this space because Westbrook Partners, who bought this 1931 building in 2007, wanted a well-known client in the building.  They wanted a well known reputable company because 444 Madison Avenue is one of the only skyscrapers left in New York that is allowed to have illuminated signage on top of the building.    City zoning laws currently forbid such signage, but 444 Madison Avenue slips through a loophole using a grandfather clause.  As such, Westbrook Partners wanted to take advantage by having the signage on top of the building be classy.  What could be more classy than Burberry?  (Nothing in my opinion.)

Even though Burberry's lease on 1350 Avenue of the Americas didn't expire until 2011, they leaped at the opportunity to move to 444 Madison.  Eugenia Ulasewicz, the president of Burberry's American branch, said: We’re a brand, and how often does it come along that you have a building you can brand with your name on it?”

So the building, which they rent for about $95 a square foot, carries Burberry's name via an illuminated sign on three sides of the building.  The hope is that more people like me will call it the "Burberry Building," but I wonder how many people are more interested in the fact that underneath the Burberry logo the time and temperature are displayed.  

The branding of the building, however, is the reason Burberry moved.  Despite being only one avenue east of Fifth Avenue, Madison avenue isn't exactly the shopping epicenter of Manhattan.  If you want high end shops, you go to Fifth, not Madison.  The opportunity to have a tall tower with the company's name on it, however, proved irresistable.  In my opinion, it was a smart move and makes me smile everytime I'm on Madison.

I would also like to point out that my entry about a Burberry sign is about three times as long as my entry about FDNY Rescue 1.  I think I need to re-evaluate my priorities.

Here is a view of the "Burberry Tower" as seen from the bus I was riding today!:)  Enjoy!

Rescue 1

Since my bus route has change, I had to learn about things on 43rd street - a rather mysterious street to me since I'm always on 42nd street.

On 43rd Street is Fire Rescue 1.  Fire Rescue has existed since March 8th, 1915.  It is a specialized Fire Department that responds to fire situations where rescues require special equipment or skills such a parasailing, rappelling, or vaccuum trucks!   They specialize in "rescues" of civilians and firefighters, in addition to fighting fires.  Rescue 1 is 25 members strong, and sadly on "9/11" they lost nearly half of their company.  They lost 11 men.  Their names are on the outside of the Rescue 1 firehouse on 43rd street as well as on Panel S-9 of the South Pool in the 9/11 memorial.

Rescue 1 keeps a very impressive blog detailing their rescue missions.  I highly suggest you check it out.  It's pretty amazing.  You can read about how they sharpened their rappelling skills on the Roosevelt Island Tram or how they rescues a a construction worked trapped in mud whilst working on the 2nd avenue subway line.  You can find their blog here.

A $90 million mystery!

157 West 57th st is most famous as "that building with a dangling crane during Hurricane Sandy."    As of May 17, 2013 it is famous for another headline as well - "At Over $90 Million, Sale of Midtown Penthouse Set a New Record."

The Penthouse is not yet built (as of June 10, 2013), but a mystery buyer has purchased it for for $90 Million!  When One57 street (as it's official named) is completed it will be the tallest residential building in NYC replacing 9 Spruce Street (which is also known as New York by Gehry.)  It will stand at 1004 feet tall, the penthouse occupying the 89th and 90th floors.

Who bought the penthouse at a record price?  The single highest price paid for a Manhattan residence?  Only Gary Barnett  president of Extell Development Company knows.  The buyer would not reveal their name or country or origin, but we know it is a family, a "very nice family," and someone that people will recognize.  Only time will tell who the mystery tenants are.

You can see this tower in from the middle of Central Park.  I often get asked if it is 1 World Trade Center.  It's actually something far more mysterious!

You can learn more about the building and architect on the very impressive One57 website.

Lost and Found in Grand Central Terminal

I'm totally copping out tonight and sharing photos with you.  I was working on a boat for 12 hours and have an early morning audition - give a girl a break!  That being said - these are pretty cool photos.  They are from the Grand Central Terminal branch of the Transit Museum.  These photos are of various objects that were lost on trains the terminated or began at GCT. Each item is kind of a mini time-capsule.  Food stamps, Bill Clinton election buttons,  1953 World's Fair cards - each one is a glimpse into a tiny moment of New York's history.  Here is a quick article about the exhibit: http://stuffnobodycaresabout.com/2013/05/18/objects-lost-and-found-at-grand-central-over-the-past-100-years/

And here are the photos I took when I went to see the exhibit!  I love the conductor who collected these item's comments.  I hope you can read them in the photos!:)  Enjoy!

Library Way

If you walk up the New York Public Library via 41 street, you will be walking down a delightful road known as "Library Way."

Before it was "Library Way" it was a delivery entrance, with little to write home about.  (In fact, you might want to avoid the area entirely since it was near the then "sketchy" epicenter of NYC - Bryant Park.  How things change.)  One of the reasons things changed on "Library Way" was due to the "Grand Central Partnership."  In their own words:

Since the mid-1980s the Grand Central Partnership has been providing supplemental services within one of the largest business improvement districts in the world.  We work every day to ensure that our Midtown Manhattan neighborhood remains the world’s most desirable business address and a vibrant destination for shopping, dining, nightlife, and tourism.

In the 90s one of their projects was cleaning up 41st Street between Fifth and Park Avenue and putting in a promenade with 96 bronze plaques containing various quotes from literature.  You can see all 96 plaques here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/42394240@N07/sets/72157626738626135/

Or you can look at this marvelous collage I made of photos I took myself on my iPhone!  ENJOY!

Hoboken, NJ

Gasp!  But Megan!  Isn't this supposed to be a blog about New York?  How dare you have an entry titled "Hoboken, NJ."

Yes, yes, I know, and it IS mighty early to be venturing off the island.  This is why I'm DARING TO DO IT!  I occasionally am stuck in traffic on the West Side Highway or am working on a boat - and we can see this far off land on the other side of the Hudson - and people ask - what is that?  And I can say - "it is a mysterious land known as New Jersey," but it is always followed up but the tourist asking, "What part of New Jersey."  When this happens, I stand there like a blubbering idiot.  So - here we go - exploring Hoboken, NJ.

Hoboken is famous for three things - in no particular order:

1 - The birthday place of Frank Sinatra.

2 - The Cake Boss

3- Where the very first baseball game was played.  (The New York Nine played the Knickerbockers.  The Knickerbockers lost 23:1.

Hoboken is part of the "New York Metropolitan Area"  which I suppose also justifies it being in this blog. Like New York, Hoboken was first settled by the Dutch as part of "New Netherland."  It was peacefully surrendered to the British in 1664.  It was then developed by American Colonel Stevens after the Revolutionary War.  It became a township in 1849 and a city in 1855.

Side Note: John Stevens was kind of a cool guy - who actually created the first steam-powered ferry service between Manhattan and New Jersey and received the first railroad charter in the US to build the New Jersey Railroad.  He also helped developed U.S. patent law.  The Stevens Institute of Technology now bears his name - and is also located in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Trinity Church

Whenever I get to Trinity Church - I always panic a little bit inside as I know very little about it.   It is time for that to change.  So I decided to write an entry on Trinity Church.

The Trinity Church that currently stands at 79 Broadway is actually the church's third incarnation.  The first Trinity Church was build in 1698.  Land was purchases for this Church in 1696 and the church received it's charter from King William III the following year.  For these first 78 years of its life, it acted as a church, a school, and base of military operations at the start of the Revolutionary War.  (It was the base of BRITISH military operations after George Washington and his men left New York, and during British occupation all clergy were required to be loyalists, despite parishioners including revolutionary leaders.)  This incarnation of the church was destroyed during the "Great Fire of New York" that began September 21, 1776 at Fighting Cocks Tavern.

Construction on the second Trinity Church began in 1788 and it was consecrated in 1780.  Unfortunately, in 1838, New York experience severe snow storms which caused snow to accumulate on the church's roof causing it to weaken to the point of collapse.  Trinity Church had to be torn down.

The third Trinity Church is the church that you can see on 79 Broadway today.  It was finished in 1846.  Fun fact - when it was built its spire was the tallest structure in Manhattan.

So - another important and possible controversial aspect of Trinity Church is how much land it owns.  In 1705, Queen Ann of Great Britain bought additional land for the church, bringing its total land holding to 215 acres of lower Manhattan.  The church still owns that land today!  This allows Trinity Church to lease land and offer land grants.  The very first land grant was given to King's College which was later renamed "Columbia University."  An article published earlier this year in the New York Times says that the church's holdings are estimated at a worth of $2 billion!  There seems to be some controversy surrounding this land - for example - should Trinity be a bigger player on the world charitable scene by giving more money away?  Or should the continue spending  they money they make from leasing their land as they do?  Even Occupy Wallstreet seemed confused.  On one hand, Trinity Church gave them an indoor space to hold meetings and take shelter, on the other, Occupy Wall Street protested some of the businesses leasing their land.

Now, what brings people to Trinity Church?  One thing is most likely it's cemetery.  Buried in the Trinity Church cemetery are Alexander Hamilton (the man on our $10 bill) and Robert Fulton (inventor of the "commercially successful" steamboat.)

Another draw are the beautiful bronze door by Richard Morris Hunt that were places on the church in 1893.  The north door depicts scenes from the Bible while the south door depicts six panels of New York history.

Trinity Church also houses the "Trinity Root."  There is an amazing video on the Trinity Root here.   The Trinity Root is a bronze sculpture memorializing the surviving root of the Sycamore tree that fell on St. Paul's Chapel during the 9/11 attacks thus protecting it from debris.  As a result, not a shingle on St. Paul's Cathedral was damaged or misplaces.  You can currently peek in through a little peep hole outside of Trinity Church at the "root."  In my opinion it looks like a creepy science experiment but an interesting piece of art none-the-less.

Trinity Church has an amazing timeline on their website that I suggest you look at if you are interested in learning more about its history.  It can be found here.   

Before I leave I shall leave you with a very important piece of information - Trinity Church belond to the Episcopal Diocese of New York.

Thanks for reading!

Inside Trinity Church

Bronze door

Bronze door

Winnie the Pooh

Tucked away in the children's section of the NYPL at Bryant Park - you will find the animals that inspired Winnie the Pooh!:)

Exotic Fruits in Chinatown

So inspired by my Chinatown tour today I thought I would do a blog on some of the exotic fruits you might find in Chinatown.  (For the record - the tour was for a group of second graders - and it was fun watching them try to name all of the unusual fruits as we passed by the shops.)

Durian:

Durian is nicknamed the "stinky fruit" due to it strong odor when cut open.  It is a fruit native to Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia.  Despite the rotten onion smell, it has a sweet unique nectary taste and is often used to flavor candies.  It can also be eaten straight from the fruit.  I saw a man cracking open a Durian and scooping out the contents into a styrofoam container to eat raw.  It is also relatively high in Vitamins B and C.

My favorite part of seeing Durian today came when I asked the 2nd grade students if they knew what the name of this fruit:

One of the children shouted "CHICKEN FRUIT!"  Packaged this way - Durian most certainly does look like "chicken fruit."

Lychee:

As long as we are talking about naming fruits - I was once on a match.com date (because I'm classy like that) and was drinking a lychee flavored martini.  The guy had never even HEARD of a lychee before so I let him taste the peeled lychee in my drink and asked him what he could call it if he didn't know it was named "lychee."  He said "moonfruit."  (Perhaps asking questions like this is why I'm not successful at dating...)

I also first heard of the lychee when I was playing the eponymous character in the play "Little Moon."  It was a Chinese fairy tale and Little Moon's family was so hungry that all they had to eat a single lychee nut to split amongst themselves.  

At any rate - the lychee.  The lychee is native to China, Malaysia, and Vietnam.  It is extremely high in Vitamin C.  In traditional Chinese medicine the lychee has "hot properties" and the belief that excessive lychee eating can cause fainting spells or rashes.  A ripe lychee with have a pink not a green skin.  They are often served after being canned, but you can also eat them raw.  Simply break open the skin with your thumb, peel, and enjoy!

Dragon Fruit:

The dragon fruit is also known as Pitaya.  Despite their beautiful exterior (which I describe as looking like a dragon-heart, thought I believe the name comes because the fruit appears to have dragon scales) the fruit is very bland tasting. Apparently it can be used as a substitute for rice, especially for diabetics.  

Interestingly, the Dragon Fruit is native to South America.  It's appearance in Asia is due to European explorers introducing it to the East.

Java Apple:

The Java Apple is also known as a "wax apple" or Syzygium Samarangense.  In Chinatown they were simply advertising it as stone fruit, but a stone fruit has a pit in it - like a peach.  Java Apples do not.  The goal when buying one of these "apples" is to find the lightest or darkest colors you can.  The lightest and darkest have the sweetest tastes and are called "Pearls" or "Black Pearls."  

I also wanted to share something my friend Jolie told me on facebook - that source of infinite knowledge.  She studied holistic medicinal food - and this is her take on these exotic fruits:

Durian: warming. Good if you have a cold when you have chills that are worse than fever, not sweating or frequently feel cold, have fatigue, copious urine etc. 

Java Apple: I think is a chinese date??? (I usually see them dried) are good for low energy, loose stools, post partum, flowery vision, scanty periods. 

Lychee: (dried is actually a gogi berry) depression/stress, dryness, lack of appetite, flowery vision... much the same as the Chinese stone fruit. 

Dragon Fruit: balancing blood sugar levels, protective oral health, prevention of colon cancer, reduce cholesterol, preventing bleeding.

Epic Chinatown Entry

I do not know why - but I keep getting asked to give walking tours of Chinatown.  Have you ever BEEN to Chinatown?  Sure there are some delicious dumplings and Chinese spongecakes, but for the most part it's crowded, smelly, scary, and I'm always convinced I'm going to be pick-pocketed.  (And I am NOT one of those paranoid people who wears a fannypack with a padlock, I'm the disorganized girl who walks around with money basically hanging out of her bag begging people to help themselves.)  Oh - and I'm a little resentful since Chinatown seemingly ate Little Italy - reducing it a few tiny square blocks.   However, the point of this blog is to ask "WHY do people care about this?"  So I am going in search of "why do people care about Chinatown."

First of all I suppose we should by figuring out how Chinatown even came to be.  

Let's travel back in time to 1858.  Ah Ken, a Cantonese businessman, arrived in NYC and began to oboe profession of selling low-quality cigars on the streets.  He also opened up a boarding house on Mott Street for other Chinese immigrants.  It is said that he made unto $100 a month in rent, which in the mid-19th century was enough for Ah Ken to save up and open a successful cigar shop on Park Row.  (I wish $100 a month was still enough to live the high life, I'd be living in a pent-house!)

But why did the Chinese even come?  NYC isn't exactly the first stop in the U.S.  from China.  Shouldn't they all be settling in California?  Well - they DID start out in California.  They got jobs building the transcontinental railroad and came seeking fortunes in the great California gold rush.  Instead of giving you and entire history of the Chinese in the California gold rush - I'm just going to link you to this miraculous website: Gold Rush and Anti-Chinese Race Hatred - 1849 . Basically - Americans were resentful of the Chinese who were fabulous workers and willing to work for far less money than American workers.  This caused the Chinese to be dubbed "UnAmerican" and therefore be persecuted.  As a result of the "persecution" in California, the Chinese started to head east.  Ah Ken was the first to permanently settle in New York.  

The immigration of Chinese everywhere in the U.S. was limited between 1882 and 1943 due to the Chinese Exclusion Act. but the population of "Chinatown NYC" (mostly centered around Doyers street) grew from 2000 to 7000 during this period.  Interestingly, there was only about 1 woman for every 35 men.  As a result a lot of Chinese men ended up pairing up with Irish widows who had settled nearby in The Five Points.  

During the days of the Chinese Exclusion Act - anti-Chinese sentiment led to the concerns of Chinese residents being neglected by the City.  As a result, the "Assiciations" or "Tongs" were formed.   These associations, paired up with gangs such as the "Flying Dragons" offered assistance to new immigrants.  They also resulted in a lot of gang violence.  Eventually they formed the Chinese Consolidated Benevolence Association, which still exists today.  It was meant to stop fighting amongst the clans, but street wars still broke out.  At any rate - here is the mission statement of the CCBA that still exists today:

• Provides social services
• Provides personal and commercial conflict resolution and mediations
• Promotes Chinese traditions and cultural heritage
• Serves as a bridge between Chinese American immigrants and the main stream groups
• Promotes Chinese American interests
• Engages in charitable activities
• Sponsors educational and recreational activities
• Sponsors and promotes youth services
• Provides and advocates for small businesses

Sentiments towards the Chinese in New York began to lighten, especially after a Chinese Consulate opened in 1887.  It was really the Chinese exclusion act of 1943 being lifted, however, that led the population of Chinatown growing exponentially.  (Especially after 1965 when ALL quotas were lifted.)  By 1970 Chinatown had expanded to 2 square miles.  

Yet everything wasn't sunshine and bubbles.  Confucius Plaza was built in Chinatown in 1975 as an affordable housing project for Chinese-Americans.  While affordable housing was welcome, not hiring any Chinese to help build Confucius Plaza was not.  This caused "Asian Americans for Equality" to be formed.  After 6 months of protests (and 48 protesters being arrested!)  the developers gave in and hired Chinese workers.  This was an important event for Chinatown because it showed that Chinese-Americans could be a powerful political force in the New York City community.  

Today Chinatown NYC is the largest enclave of Chinese in the world outside of China.  It has over 100,000 residents whose native languages are Mandarin, Min, or Cantonese.  (This explains why it is so crowded!  You try fitting 100,000 people in 2 square miles!)  Chinatown is known for its tenement style housing, however due to its proximation to SoHo, several luxury apartment are making appearances as well.  People flock from all over the world to visit Canal street where they can buy knock-off brands of bags, watched, iPhone cases, etc… on Canal Street.  Fishmongers line the street with their slimy fish - eyes gazing at you.  Delicious restaurants are around every corner.  There is even a Buddhist Temple.  While the Chinatown in Manhattan remains the largest, there are other Chinatowns popping up in Flushing Queens and in Brooklyn.  

To give credit where credit is due - MUCH of my research for this part of the article came from this source: http://books.google.com/books?id=OTSCmU33e2oC&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=ah+ken+cigar+shop&source=bl&ots=XXOoBNLAfg&sig=3mVMlQ0yW2o8hj8aI2ofpeKLPg4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Lx2tUZP4ILa64AOf7oHIDA&ved=0CFQQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=ah%20ken%20cigar%20shop&f=false

So now that we've got some preliminary history out of the way (phew), let's move on to some Chinatown landmarks.  

Chatham Square:

-Named for William Pitt - 1st Earl of Chatham and Prime Minister of England before the American Revolution.

-Originally used as an open air market for good and livestock - esp. horses.

-By the mid-1800s it became a seedy area for tattoo parlors, flophouses, and saloons in the midst of the Five Points.  

-It was cleaned up during the Prohibition.

-Has a statue of Lin Zexu - a Chinese official and scholar of the  Ming Dynasty.  He was known for his moral high-ground and opposition to the opium trade.  

-Kim Lau Memorial Arch.  Has the inscription: "In memory of the Americans of Chinese Ancestry who lost their lives in defense of freedom and democracy." Lt. B.R. Kimlau was a Chinese-American bomber pilot who died defending his country in WWII.

Confucius Plaza:

-Has a large red brick building that is the aforementioned housing project that originally wouldn't hire Chinese workers.

-Contains a statue of Confucius.  The statue was a gift from the CCBA in 1976.  It contains sayings of Confucius in both Chinese and English.  

Mahayana Buddhist Temple:

(Honestly the best thing to do is visit the "About Us" page on their website http://en.mahayana.us/?page_id=13 -  there is a really fascinating history - but here are my bullet points.)

-Founded in 1962 by Annie and James Ying.

-Originally designed to be both a social club for men who had lost their families back in China due to the Communist Revolution and a temple.

-Has a 16 foot golden Buddha sitting on a lotus inside, which is also the largest Buddha in the city.  

Columbus Park:

-Created by Jacob Riis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Riis  (he was a social reformer and photojournalist most famous for "How the other half lives.)

-Named in 1911 after Christopher Columbus

-It sits on the area that used to be the Five Points.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Points,_Manhattan

Church of the Transfiguration:

-Roman Catholic Parish located at 25 Mott Street.

-Built in 1801as a Lutheran Church.  It then converted to Episcopal.  In 1853 it was sold to the Roman Catholic Church of the immigrants.

-Built from Manhattan schist. (The bedrock of the city.)

-Oldest Roman Catholic Church in the City.

-Today it serves an almost entirely Chinese congregation and services are given in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.

New York Chinese School:

-On Elizabeth street.  

-Established in 1909.  Initially opened to 20 students, and today has more than 3000 with a faculty of around 50.

Canal Street:

-Got it's name because  a canal was dug there in the early 19th century to drain contaminated water from Collect Pond to the Hudson River.  After the pond was filled in 1811, Canal Street was built.  It was finished in 1820 following the same path as the canal.

-Is the main Chinese jewelry district of Chinatown.

-Lots of stores selling counterfeit good and knock-off brands are the site of frequent police raids.

Mott Street:

-Chinatown's unofficial "main street."

-Chinese school is located at 64 Mott Street.

Mulberry street:

-During the American Revolution is was known as "Slaughter-house street" for Nicholas' Bayards slaughterhouse.  

-The road that the feast of San Gennaro began on.