Snow Globe

So far this week it has snowed about every other day and it is predicted to continue that pattern the rest of the week. It is beautiful from the apartment window, especially since we don’t have to go out in it. Between snows the streets and sidewalks are cleared just as quickly as the snow falls (at least here in Midtown) and we are able to get out easily or, my favorite, get delivery.

click the photo to see it full size.

This morning I saw this patrol car parked in front of the Sheraton Hotel and I had to chuckle to myself. I am not sure if the person who tagged it with "I ♥ NY" was genuine or sarcastic but I suspect the latter as the wind was howling and the temps in the teens. That would severely test anyone’s love for NYC. Of course this is just as fleeting as graffiti and scrawling in the beach sand and you just have to catch it at that very moment.

Here is a slideshow of a few photos.

Here is a short video from the same window for our snow globe loving friends.

They know who they are.

A Day In The Life

Today I have incorporated a couple of Toni's Facebook posts.

Toni:
Yesterday, in memory of Don Kirshner I strolled over to the Brill Building this afternoon in the sloppy cold rain. Then on my way back home, I waited at the Letterman stage door for a few minutes and got a glimpse of Betty White. I found out when I watched the show that it was her 89th birthday.

Bill:
You may recall that many years ago when Paul Shaffer was in the Saturday Night Live cast one of his memorable bits was his impersonation of Don Kirshner. As a tribute the Late Show Band performed songs associated with Kirshner all night. If you only know Kirshner from hosting Rock Concert then you only know a very small fraction of his biography and his contribution to pop music and his connection to the Brill Building and the songwriters who came out of that environment. Those of you who have visited our apartment know how sparsely decorated it is and that we only have four items on our walls. One of those is a photo I took of the Brill Building.



Toni:
Today, I'm at the register of my favorite little produce market and the checker and several of the customers spontaneously started singing out loud along to the Italian choruses of Dean Martin’s “Volare” as it played over the PA system. No alcohol or preplanned flash mobs were involved. Stiles Market may be barely more than a tent in a parking lot, but they have a great sound system always playing something I like.


Bill:
I have been intending to write about Stiles Market since we stumbled on this place more than eight months ago. It is on the fringe of the Theatre District as it morphs into Hell’s Kitchen. Tucked into this area is a basic asphalt parking lot. This is in itself a rarity here as nearly all parking facilities are underground multiple layer affairs. Then on a small corner of the blacktop sits this crude little produce stand protected from the elements only by a tent and some makeshift flimsy walls. When you walk through the rickety plywood door you are transported to another world, a spot that looks more like something on a state highway in the Ozarks. You might think that it is a seasonal operation. In fact it is open seven days a week year round. The prices are easily one quarter the prices charged at the grocery stores. The place is always packed with customers of every walk of life. You will see fur coats standing next to coveralls. I just can't emphasize how out of place this is in Manhattan.

This photo shows the entire operation except the two cash registers behind me.

New Year's Day

On New Year's Day we were anxious to get to Central Park before the snow from the huge December blizzard was gone. The streets and sidewalks were pretty much cleared off but as you can see in the photos the park still had snow to spare even after a week of sledding and cross-country skiing had packed it down somewhat.

These are some chocolates we received for Christmas from our Swiss friends. I was too slow to get a photo of the full box. Each one is a work of art and it is almost a shame to eat them but we managed a few before we headed out into the Winter Wonderland.

There are many picturesque places to sled.

One of the entrances from Central Park West very close to Strawberry Fields.

Enjoy the small slideshow or check them out full size if you prefer.

A Bit Of Austin In New York

We saw the band Hot Club of Cowtown play Thursday night at a bar called Hill Country. When you step in the door of this place you are instantly transported to a Honky Tonk in Austin. No kidding there is no clue that you are in Manhattan, well except the prices. By the way, the singer/fiddle player is a native of Prairie Village, Kansas, although the band formed in New York. Some of you saw Willie Nelson open for Bob Dylan at Comerica Park (where the T-Bones play). Elana was on a break from the band at the time and she was the first opening act as well as playing in Dylan's touring band.

I will let this New York Times review take it from here.

If you are in NYC you have until Saturday to still catch them this time around.

Nosebleed Seats

As I mentioned in the last post we were treated to an outstanding vantage point for the New Year’s Eve celebration in New York City. In this case the nosebleed seats and the luxury suite were one and the same. We were in the penthouse on the 39th floor of our building. This unit is about equal to four apartment spaces, two on the penthouse level connected by a stairway to an equal area on the floor below. The lower level has the master bedroom and two guest bedrooms while the top floor is an open plan living space and kitchen with the outdoor deck area that runs the entire west side of our building. She had totally gutted the place about eight years ago and when she did furnished the unit with top of the line throughout and much of it was custom made. It truly looked like a magazine cover story. A funny story about the unit is that the previous occupants were The New Kids On The Block and we were told that the word had gotten out and the building’s doormen had to constantly keep vigil for young girls trying to sneak into the building.

One of two seating areas

The foyer and hallway are to the right and our NYE champagne and homemade cookies were there to greet us.

On the deck, outside looking in.

Looking north to Central Park. There was still some blizzard snow left from a week earlier.

New Year's Eve 2011

I don’t think anyone needs an explanation of the relationship of Times Square and New Year’s Eve. Those of you who have visited us have seen our proximity to the ball drop area and the official clock or if you will, “The Crossroads of the World”. So it is hard for us not to think of New Year’s Eve practically every day.

Plan A: Watching from the street.

Our apartment entrance is only a few dozen feet away from a straight shot view of the drop from 7th Avenue but our apartment is not on the 7th Avenue side. So while we could get a great view of the crowd and hear all of the action, we would not be able to see the event itself from our windows. Neither of us is too crazy about crowds let alone being in a crowd of a million. They expected to cordon off our cross street around 6PM with barricades and check points. From that point forward you cannot leave the secure area and return, you are stuck. There are no restrooms available and no drinking allowed. That option did not appeal to us very much. REJECTED.

Plan B: Watching Central Park fireworks from our roof.

At midnight there is also a huge fireworks display at Central Park. This lasts more than twenty minutes and is put on by the most famous fireworks family/company in the world. The Grucci Family has been in the business since 1850 and contracts for most major displays worldwide and everything in New York City. This sounded like a better idea as we could go to our rooftop on the 39th floor with no problems. Wine, warmth, and restroom, at the apartment. Perfect. But then on Thursday we got a notice from the building management that the roof was off limits due to safety concerns and it would be strictly monitored. THWARTED.

Plan C: Begging for balcony space on 7th Avenue.

The week before New Year’s Eve I composed and printed a short note asking if someone with an apartment on the west side with a balcony might not let an extra couple into their home for ten minutes near midnight. Toni strongly discouraged this idea as a futile waste of time but we posted it on the laundry room bulletin board anyway. There was no response from any of the 36 balconied apartment dwellers and on Thursday Toni gave up and took it down. FAILED.

We were now out of plans and resigned to simply throwing open a window as midnight approached and enjoy being on the fringe of the big event. Then, at nearly 4:30PM we received an unbelievable phone call. The caller was a neighbor in the building. She had seen our note in the laundry room and invited us to share her view for the evening. She was not having a party, we were her only guests. She also happened to live in the penthouse on the 39th floor! We arrived promptly at 11:30 and the door was open. She greeted us and after introducing ourselves she opened a bottle of champagne and we were offered her own homemade Holiday cookies. We were needless to say wide eyed and practically in tears at our great luck. Her balcony extends the entire length of the 7th Avenue side of the building with outstanding views of both Times Square AND Central Park. SUCCESS.

I am including some photos and a video. The video requires some explanation. My memory card filled up before the finale but I found a great video, the second one below, of just the finale up close.

The apartment itself is worthy of a separate post so that will be next time. It goes without saying that it will be impossible to top this New Year’s celebration.

 MY VIDEO

SEE THE FIREWORKS FINALE BELOW OR HERE

Fifteenth Visitors and Visitor 1.4

We finished 2010 with one last group of visitors from Kansas City. Five of my cousins arrived on Wednesday to attend the first Pinstripe Bowl held at the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx pitting hometown favorites, Kansas State Wildcats, against Syracuse. Included in the group was Cousin Brent who returned for his fourth time with us in nine months. He just might have pulled ahead for good with this trip. It seems that nearly all of my cousins are K-State alumni. In addition to Brent we had Doug, Paul, Brian, and Matt. Counting myself we had five branches of the family represented.

We met up at Heartland Brewery which is near Rockefeller Center and roughly half way between our apartment and their hotel. There was a bit of wait but it flew by as we reunited in the cramped area between the bar and the hostess area. We did our best to stay out of the way of the wait staff and managers but the restaurant was packed with Holiday tourists. The seven of us were finally seated and it was worth the wait as we had managed to get an ideal secluded and roomy booth in the back out of harm’s way. The conversation was wild and loud as you might expect.

After dinner the guys all wanted to see our place so we came back for more drinks, music, and laughter. We also went up to the rooftop for a brief after dark view of some of the skyline and Central Park. Later we said our goodbyes and they headed out for a nightcap on their way back to their hotel.

The game was exciting (we watched from home) with the touchdowns going back and forth. Syracuse would score and K-State would come right back to tie and so on until late when a controversial play and a controversial penalty finally secured the win for Syracuse 36-34. There is no joy in JoCo.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS