NYC Then and Now

Igudesman & Joo (who?)

Before I forget, and discard the playbill, I want to mention a fun concert I attended on April 17th at Carnegie Hall by those folks in the title. I never heard of them until I received a Smarttix email  that mentioned the concert. Smarttix does ticketing for an eclectic variety of NYC events that aren't Broadway shows. I actually watched this video that was inserted in the email.

 

I was hooked. I talked a tour guide friend into joining me and we had a great time. These two are sort of a two man PDQ Bach show with a wider range of music. If they perform in your part of the world go see them. (I somehow doubt that Joshua Bell and Billy Joel will be part of the encores at other performances).

 

May 5 and 6, 2012 - events

So many possibilities, so little time. Saturday, I will be doing the Psoriasis Walk at the New York Botanical Garden. Follow the link to donate or to email me if you want to meet at the Garden when it opens to the public.  We could explore some more and then head to Arthur Avenue for lunch.

Many of you visitors will stumble into another Cause Related Fitness Event that begins right in Times Square - the EIF Revlon Walk for Women's Cancers.

For those of you who believe that you CAN walk all around Manhattan, The Great Saunter sponsored by Shorewalkers is just the thing. Although the link is to last year's post, the links in the post work correctly for this year.

I've spent the last couple of days, "commuting" to the DMV office in Harlem to renew my driver's license. Yesterday I arrived during lunch and didn't want to hassle with the lines. Today, May Day, I arrived early and the  DMV computers all over the state were temporarily down for some reason (who would have thunk it). Anyway, I did meet someone near the Subway who was promoting the Frieze Art show on Randall's Island. It looks a bit expensive but it also looks very interesting. A definite possibility for Sunday.

Another major 5 borough event is the TD 5 boro Bike Tour - aka Bike New York. Many of the entrants are part of Cause Related Fitness teams. Beware of road closings on May 6th.

Last on my list is the series of FREE walks in all five boroughs in memory of Jane Jacobs called Jane's Walk. These walks are taking place all over the country but the ones in NYC are sponsored by The Municipal Art Society.

These are my picks for the weekend. Feel free to add yours as comments! Have a great weekend whatever you do.

One more, because of Partners in Preservation, the Museum of the City of New York and the Tenement Museum and probably other places on the Partners list are offering FREE events on May 5th and 6th.

 

NY Botanical Garden - Psoriasis Walk - May 5, 2012

(CRF) - This Cause Related Fitness 5k walking event will take place before opening time at the NY Botanical Garden in the Bronx. I have wanted to do this walk for several years but it always conflicted with my schedule on the Hop on Hop off buses. Since this is no longer a problem I have signed up for the walk. Pat Gonzolez, one of my guide friends, takes incredible pictures at the Garden. You can view her pictures here.

I probably inherited my psoriasis (do you remember the commercials about "the heartbreak of psoriasis?") from my mother. It was also passed down to some of my nieces. It is not contagious but there is no known cure so....

I am walking in memory of my mother. I am walking to raise funds for psoriasis research. I am walking so I can explore the garden before opening time and continue my exploration after the garden opens.

If you wish to walk with me or volunteer, you will find all the information you need here. If you wish to make a donation to the National Psoriasis Foundation (and help me raise enough money to get a T shirt), here is the link to my walk page with all of the information about how to donate.

If you decide to visit the gardens at opening time, send me an email and we will make a plan to meet.

Tribeca Film Festival - TOAST 2012

Tis the season for two great NYC April events - The Tribeca Film Festival and Toast. Today (4/10) was the first day American Express Card Holders could buy individual tickets. The rest of you can find Ticketing and film details on the Festival Site. The box office pilgrimage is much easier now that most people order online. Anyway, I'm posting the films and dates I am attending. If any of you want to meet before or afterwards, send me an email.

 

Thurs 4/19 - 6PM  -     Your Sister's Sister

Sat     4/21 - 6PM  -     Shorts: Help Wanted

Sun    4/23 -  6PM  -    The Zen of Bennett

Wed   4/25 - 5:30PM    Ballroom Dancer  

Wed   4/25 - 8:30PM    Booker's Place

Fri     4/27 - 6:30PM     BAM150

Sat     4/28 - 4:00PM     Side By Side

Sun     4/29 - 5:30PM     Joe Papp in 5 Acts

 The TOAST Website is also really great this year. My Friday film rules out a TOAST wander on Friday but I do intend to do a couple of hours on Saturday from 1-3 and Sunday from 1-4:30. Unfortunately my Sat and Sunday films are not in Tribeca theaters.  If anyone wants to come down and wander as a group, send me an email. I love TOAST!

If you search this blog you will find posts from prior years.

 

City Island - David Roth - Sunday April 1, 2012

On Sunday April 1st at 6PM, my favorite 60's folksinger for the 21st Century, David Roth, will be performing at the Uptown Coffee House underneath the Nautical Museum on City Island. I went up to City Island on Super Bowl weekend for a dry run so to speak. The Museum wasn't open on Saturday but there certainly were plenty of restaurants to choose from and the lecture at the Public Library was quite interesting.

If you would like to join me for an afternoon escape from Manhattan, email me. If anyone says yes, I'll come down to Grand Central and meet in front of the Transit Museum at 2 o'clock. If you don't email me by noon, I will leave from 86th Street. Concert tickets are 15 dollars at the door. It is too late to get the pay in advance discount.

I will be returning to Manhattan the same way after the concert so for those of you who attend, we can return as a group.

Bring a MetroCard with at least 2 fares so you can get home on the bus and subway easily. We will wander through town and pay a visit to the Nautical Museum. Bring money to eat or drink or shop wherever you choose.

I still haven't seen the movie City Island but for those of you who would like to see it before you go, you can find a copy here.

NOTE: For those of you who want to go up on your own, you might also look at the BxM8 bus as a source of transportation. For those of you who will not be in NYC for this concert, here is David Roth's performance schedule. 

Harry Belafonte Sing Your Song the Movie

I had the privilege of seeing Sing Your Song at the Brooklyn Library late last month. If you haven't seen it, it might be available on HBO on demand but there are also several independent screenings all over the country in the upcoming months. I am actually going to see it again at the Maysles Cinema in Harlem tomorrow night March 22nd. Albert Maysles and his brother David (now deceased) have been my heros ever since The Gates. At first I couldn't believe what Christo and Jeanne Claude would be doing to Central Park, but after seeing several Maysles brothers documentaries about their prior projects, I knew The Gates would be amazing. For more about Maysles documentaries you can start by looking here.

When I started reading about the Film Institute, I decided to become a member. For those of you who live downtown, the 2 and 3 subway and the M102 stop really near by. The Red Rooster and Sylvia's restaurants are also near by. 

If you are like me and loved Pete Seeger: The Power of Song and Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune, Harry Belafonte: Sing Your Song is even more amazing. And yes, these three men spent lots of time and energy in New York City.

Come on uptown and see this film March 22-25, 2012. I saw the film on March 22nd and was struck by the long list of credits at the end. For more on Harry Belafonte's life and work, click here.

 

Take a look at this interview with Harry Belafonte on Democracy Now which was first broadcast on my 60th birthday before Occupy Wall Street. Watch it to the end.

 

 

 

March (23) 25, 2012 - Triangle Shirtwaist Fire 101 Anniversary

Last year, I wrote quite a bit about the 100th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire here and here. This year I am having some difficulty finding information about the commemoration. The ceremonies will be on Friday March 23rd. Chalk, the writing of the names of those who perished outside the places where they lived, seems to be happening on the actual anniversary date, although a friend of mine who is writing 3 of the names is doing hers before the official ceremonies.

I would like to attend the ceremonies on Friday but I might (or might not) be in the cellphone free universe known as Federal Jury Duty. I encourage those of you who want to see another side of NY History to attend with or without me.

If/when I confirm that Chalk is actually happening on Sunday, I will be heading down to the East Village to find more of the names in the morning. If any of you wish to join me, send me an email or write a comment.

St John the Divine - Paul Winter

Some of the links for my last St John the Divine post are out of date but the picture and story are still good. However, this post is about  why you should go out of your way to see this Largest Cathedral in the world and my still to do bucket list items here.

These pictures are from the yearly Tour Guide education courses.  The peacock is a favorite sighting and well, when we went on the crypt tour, we encountered some very old "lost tourists". Moral is don't wander off too far and never go beyond closed doors on your own. The Cathedral sponsors several Public Tours each week. Over the years I've been on almost all of them with other tour guides and seen more than the public ever sees. I still hope to visit the Textile Conservation Lab one of these days. There is so much to see that I would recommend that you read about the Cathedral before you visit or after you return home and just enjoy the sheer beauty of the place when you visit.

 

The Cathedral had a fire at the end of 2001 and it took until 2008 to complete the cleaning. One of my clients brings each of his grandchildren when they turn 11. I've gotten to know 3 of them and I am waiting for the 4th. He also visited with his wife and daughter and son-in-law on one trip. He saw different sections of the Cathedral during his first two trips and finally saw the whole place on a later trip. The Cathedral is alway in need of support for the maintenance and completion of this majestic building and for the services the Church provides to the community and the world.

Twice a year, around the Winter and Summer Solstices, the Paul Winter Consort does concerts at the Cathedral. I have never been to any of them. But, this year, he is doing a special concert on March 16th and 17th and I intend to go on the 17th. This year's concert is called The Flyways Project. Follow the link and you will realize that it is about so much more than music. I will be buying my ticket soon for the 17th. I hope to see some of you there.

February 21st - International Tourist Guide Day - FREE Tours

This year, the Guide's Association of New York is participating in International Tourist Guide Day, a program that commemorates the founding of the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations. I and several of my fellow licensed NYC Tourist Guides will be leading one hour (or in my case slightly longer) FREE walking tours  in different parts of NYC.

All tours will begin from the NYC & Company Information Center at 810 Seventh Avenue (between 53rd and 54th Street). Some tours will start with subway or public bus rides. Participants will pay for their own subway fares.

My tour will start from 810 Seventh Avenue at 10:45 AM. We will subway to a Park entrance near the American Museum of Natural History. On our stroll, we will see the Great Lawn, Belvedere Castle,the Shakespeare in the Park theatre, the Obelisk, several statues, bridges, arches, the Lake and Boat House. We will end on Fifth Avenue near the Model Boat Pond, the home of Pale Male, and the Frick Museum.

Participants should have at least two fares ($4.50) on their MetroCards even though we will probably finish in time for the bus ride to midtown to be considered a transfer from the subway ride. Your MetroCard is your key to NYC.

There is a limit of 10 people per tour. If you are interested in attending my tour please contact me by commenting below or sending an email to MsGuidedtours@me.com   so I can put you on my list.

For more information about NYC's International Tourist Guide Day event - click here.

For the full schedule of tours - click here.

If you decide to attend a different tour, please tell my colleagues how you found out about their tours. 

If you are not in NYC for the event, International Tourist Guide Day is taking place in over 50 countries.  Enjoy!

Thalia Follies - Uptown (off) Broadway

When I moved to NYC many many years ago, I was definitely a West Sider living in an East Side apartment. I didn't discover the wonders of the great Upper West Side cultural center Symphony Space and the Thalia Theater by myself until I attended my first Thalia Follies during the pre-Presidential Election months 4 (or was it 8) years ago. The audience is very local. The satire covers all bases with the emphasis slightly left and democratic. Actually, I did go to Selected Shorts, which some of you might know from NPR, with a West Side friend several years earlier.

There is programming for everyone at Symphony Space .I've been to movies, readings, concerts, etc.  I will be heading up this month for the first installment of another Presidential election year Thalia Follies. How can I resist. Paul Binder, the founder of the Big Apple Circus , will be playing Mitt Romney! I'm going Thursday February 16th. Come on along. The Thalia bar is also a great place for a drink and it is right on the premises.