Scavenger Hunt: The Corner of Wall & Broad

One of the areas of the city you have to take people to when they visit is WALL STREET.  I mean, come on.  What's more New York?  (Well, lots of things, but it's on the tour nonetheless).

Do you know where Wall Street comes from? If I told you, it doesn't count.  (I read Chapter 6 in my book and then proceeding to tell everyone).  As I have mentioned before, New York was called New Amsterdam when it was first founded in the 1609.  In 1653, the Dutch built a nine-foot-high wall along the northern border of the city to protect the city from the English during the First Anglo-Dutch War.  (Ch. 6)  "The wall's primary purpose was to protect the town from an overland invasion from the north".  (Ch. 6)  The path in front of the wall became known as the "wall street".  Most interesting to me is that the wall ran river to river from the Trinity Church graveyard (as it is today) to the corner of Pearl Street.  The rest?  Landfill.  (Ch. 6)  However, bad (or good?) for the Dutch, it was never needed!  When the city was attacked 2 years later by Native Americans (Ch. 8 - the Peach War), they simply walked around the wall!

Broad and Wall
January 2011

Trinity Church
A terminus of the original "wall street" of New Amsterdam

Wall Street towards Trinity Church
July 2011

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) was also at Broad and Wall.  On May 17, 1792, twenty-four of the most prestigious traders gathered under the shade of a buttonwood tree on Wall Street and signed a document formalizing a New York Stock & Exchange Board (obviously, later shortened).  (Ch. 19)  They decided that they would only trade with each other (a rule that still lasts).  However, for years, they met in a coffeehouse until moving to a more permanent location.  (Ch. 19)  In 1903, it moved to its current location at Broad and Wall. (Ch. 114)

Doesn't this look a little creepy with the red?
January 2011

A bit more patriotic
July 2011

 The American flag (above) was added post-9/11.  (Ch. 114)  The pediment created by J.Q.A. Ward is a tribute to the exchange called Integrity Protecting the Works of Man.  (Ch. 114)  "Integrity" is featured in the woman (with Mercury's winged cap so you know it's financial integrity) standing in the middle with her fists extended.

The Garage

The photo above is 11 Wall Street (aka the "Garage") and people often mistake it for the main trading floor.  People like ME!  Thank goodness I had the sense to walk around the corner.  Embarrassment avoided!  Anyway, this building was built in the 1920s by Trowbridge & Livingston to add more office space.  (Ch. 114)

Also, right at the intersection, is the present-day U.S. Custom House.  Back in 1787, however, it housed NYC's (and the newly-formed U.S.'s) government.  (Ch. 18)  On March 4, 1789, congress and the electoral college met there for the first time and unanimously selected George Washington as the nation's first president.  On April 30, he was sworn in on the 2nd-floor balcony.  However, it wasn't to last.  Congress met for the last time on Wall Street in August 1790.  (Ch. 18) 

Statue commemorating the first inaugural

The "House of Morgan" (Chs. 122 & 137) also in the intersection I will save for another day... Mostly because I haven't taken any photos of it yet! :)

Vacation: Mom Comes to Visit!

Erik's mom came back to NYC with me after his grandparents' 61st wedding anniversary.  We had almost 3 full days' of sightseeing and girly fun.  We saw almost everything you could possibly see in the city!  I made a list, and I have more than 20 scavenger hunt finds to catch up on blogging about.  (Not all of these are from her trip).  I'm very lucky that she's in such good shape.  We walked all around the city (from top to bottom including a run in Central Park!) during a really bad heatwave.  She was certainly a trouper.

Some highlights from her trip:

We went to my favorite restaurant Recipe.  I had a ruby collins (tom collins made with rhubarb simple syrup - amazing!) and she had a cosmo.  She said that her duck was top 3 that she's ever had.

During our run in CP, we saw this mommy-fitness class.  There was an instructor on one of those razor scooters, and she was yelling at the mommies to do certain things with their jogger strollers.  It was pretty ingenious (and amusing to watch)!

Angel of the Waters in Bethesda Terrace.

Yes, she's only wearing a thong.  Yes, it's legal in NYC.  There were 5 cops to handle this "situation".  They were writing a ticket for her film crew.  Apparently, they didn't have the right permit.

Raging Bull.  Better to have the bull by the balls than by the horns, eh?

Sunset walk at Highline Park.

I think Highline Park was the highlight of the trip for Mom. She thought the idea of turning an elevated train track into a park was the coolest thing ever.  I have to agree.

Best part of Highline Park: The biergarten at the end!  We went to Tom Collichio's The Lot on Tap.  There were 4 different beers on tap and lots of foodtrucks to choose from.  They had great music playing.  It was a ton of fun!

Mom looks so happy for pizza!

The next day we started off in the Fashion District and Mood from Project Runway fame.

We stopped at McSorley's (the City''s oldest pub) for a quick round.

This art installation is called Borders.  I'm a huge fan of all the public art in NYC.

She felt silly when I asked her to look lovingly at the statue but loved the results afterward.

All and all, it was an awesome trip! I love showing loved ones my current adopted city. :)

Sunday Run: Suburban Edition

During my visit to Chicago for the first weekend of my vacation, I ran around Erik’s mom’s boyfriend’s neighborhood in Hinsdale.  It was such a beautiful quintessential suburban neighborhood with large tree-lined streets and immaculate lawns. I had to get up super early to run because we had to be at Mass 30 minutes away at 9am for our grandparents’ vow renewals.  I ran about 4 miles (had to estimate), with .25 miles of it being around a track.  It was so strange running on a track again!  I wished that Sunday wasn’t my distance day because I was so tempted to run 800m repeats.

The subdivision had a lake!  His neighborhood used to be a place where people in Chicago would have second vacation homes.  Now, it's a Chicago suburb.

Almost rivals CP, doesn't it?

Entrance to the track.  What do the less-than-skinny teens do to get to the field?  I'm just picturing a high school linebacker trying to just get to the field to play his game!

Bonus photo from my firm event.

Photo from the 61st wedding anniversary.  There will be more photos later.  Promise. :)

Scavenger Hunt: Brooklyn Bridge and More

A few weekends ago my good friend Jess and me met for brunch in the lower east side and then walked across the Brooklyn Bridge.  It’s one of those things that you just have to do when in NYC.  Despite that, it’s taken me living here twice and for at least 9.5 months to actually do it!  Unfortunately for her, I also dragged her to some of my scavenger hunt sights.  Sorry! But not that sorry... truly.

Anyway, first up on the tour was the location of the old Collect Pond (Chs. 12 and 22).  In 1741 there was an alleged Slave Rebellion.  In reading this chapter (Ch. 12), I learned some disquieting things about New York.  For instance, it was the second-largest slaveholding city in the nation and was the second to last northern state to abolish slavery in 1827.  What does this have to do with Collect Pond? Well, after the trials some of the convicted black slaves were hanged and then gibbeted near Collect Pond as an example to others.  I had to look up.  It’s when people who are hanged are then hanged from a type of gallows for public display.

Fast forward to the early 1800’s.  Collect Pond was a good source of the city’s fresh water; however, the move of slaughterhouses nearby destroyed the water. (Ch. 22) In 1803, the city voted to drain the Collect and a canal was built connecting the pond to the Hudson.  However, this proved to be in vain because the aquifer under the pond kept refilling itself creating boggy low-value real estate.  The buildings in the area (such as the Supreme Court) all have sump pumps to keep their basements from flooding.

Not much to look at now.

Next on the tour was the Surrogate’s Court (originally the Hall of Records).  It’s actually where the indoor scenes for Law & Order are filmed.  On a more historical note, it’s considered an unofficial tribute to the man that unified the 5 boroughs, Andrew Haswell Green.  There is a carving above the east door that commemorates the unification. (Ch.107)

Next, we made our way to the African Burial Ground National Monument. (Ch. 178) The national monument was created in 2006.  In 1991, workers of a new federal building found almost 400 distinct graves that were thought to be of black people in the 18th century.  In fact, it is likely that many of the slaves executed during the Slave Rebellion (see above) were buried here.  It is estimated that probably close to 15,000 black people (both free and captive) were buried here, making the 400 or so exhumed a mere 3%.  The memorial was designed by Rodney Leon and serves as a reminder of NY’s role in the slave trade.

Next, we saw the Woolworth Building, the so-called “Cathedral of Commerce”.  (Ch. 132)  It is the best example of a Beaux-Arts skyscraper in New York and was at one time the tallest building in the world.  It was built in 1913 by Cass Gilbert.  Frank Woolworth was the inventor of the dime store (I guess I should thank him for my first post-college job at Dollar General) in 1878.  Woolworth hired Gilbert to build his company’s corporate headquarters on Broadway.  It’s called the Cathedral of Commerce do to its medieval looking gothic style.

We also saw the Supreme Court courthouse and the federal courthouse.

This is where the outdoor scenes of Law & Order are filmed.

Then FINALLY we reached the Brooklyn Bridge!  (Ch. 88) At the time it was built in 1883, it connected the largest city in America (NYC) to the 3rd largest (Brooklyn).  It was designed by John A. Roebling to be much stronger than necessary because of people’s general mistrust for suspension bridges (especially this one since it was to be over a mile long!).  It was a good thing too because after the wire from the factory was inspected, the supplier secretly inserted material back into the inventory that had failed inspection.  By the time this was discovered, the thick bridge ropes had been spun and there was no going back.  I don’t know about you, but I’m really happy I didn’t read that part before walking across it.

I just thought that the sign was so tiny for such an iconic sight in the city!  Also, despite what it looks like, I'm not several months pregnant here!

About to cross!

View from halfway through.

Running in Central Park: Sharing It with the Cars

Last Friday, I decided to try out running in the park on a weekday as opposed to my usual Sunday.  Well.  I completely forgot that I would have to share the road with cars.  I’m thinking that I might either take the subway up to the Reservoir or just stick to the gym on weekdays.  I don’t like breathing in exhaust.  I did, however, manage to run 4 miles even after having a few adult beverages at my firm function the night before.








I also saw that the Central Park Conservatory workers doing their analysis of Cleopatra’s Needle.  Good thing I got my photos already!

It's Hard to Imagine Sometimes

A few nights ago, it hit me like a ton of bricks.  Sometimes my past creeps up and knocks me right on the head.  You see, because things go so well most of the time (as in 98% of the time), I forget how hard things have been for me.  I forget the pain I've endured and overcome.  Well, on Saturday night, it all came back.  I was reading my latest book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, and somehow it brought stuff up to the surface for me.  Our brains' connections are funny things.  It only lasted for a few minutes.  But it lingers with me.

If I were my mother, I would have a child about to start the second grade (me), have a 1 year old (Matt) and be pregnant with my third child (Mike).  I know where I was in second grade, and it was not living with my mother.  In fact, the summer before second grade is the summer she lost custody of me.  That would be like this summer, her being my age.  In fact, just thinking about this fact again makes my heart race and makes me feel short of breath.  What a realization.  I think about how I feel at this age.  I'm 27 about to be 28.  I have the capacity to love completely, which I had actually questioned my ability to do previously, and am excited for Erik and I to start our family (in a few years).  At any rate, I cannot imagine having a daughter and just stopping the fight for her.  Even at this age.  I think of my mom, who married my dad at 19 and had me at 21.  My dad was much older and probably more formidable in the courtroom/ at the conference table than her (not to mention his whole family).  But really?  How could you not devote all of yourself for a part of yourself?  This is even more poignant for me as I begin to see how moms really are supposed to feel about their babies.  My friends' blogs and Facebook pages are covered in their darlings and I love them for that.  My MiL shows what motherhood should mean.  These shining examples just further confuse me about my own mother.

After realizing the significance of this summer, I started thinking about fights that we had and about how she basically told me that I wasn't welcome at her house anymore.  She was 32 at the time.  That's 5 years from now for me.  That's only 1 year older than one of my closest friends.  Now that I'm getting older, I'm actually finding it harder to forgive her/ understand her.  I just can't imagine her point of view.  I can only imagine that this will continue get harder as I get older and start my own family.

Scavenger Hunt: Chelsea & the Birth of the Oreo

I've been wanting to do this particular scavenger hunt for awhile.  I mean, going to Chelsea is only a short 40 block walk away... I guess, that's not particularly close.  At any rate, I used it to get out in the sun (the weekend was beautiful!) and to catch up with my good friend Rachel.  I'm pretty sure it has been almost 8 months since last caught up.  I also used it as an occasion to get no less than 5 blisters on the bottom of my feet.  Novice move.  Picked the cute shoes over the birks.  Walking fail.

Some random sights from the walk:

I love the juxtaposition of the modern with the old.

Empire State Building

I love the old painted building sides.

What a strange... hotel?

On the way to Chelsea Market, I took a quick detour to 23rd Street to see the Chelsea Hotel (Ch. 89).  It was opened in 1883 as an apartment building.  In fact, it was the first cooperatively owned apartment building.  "[A] number of the apartments were duplexes, with parlors and public rooms on the lower floor and private rooms and bedrooms above."  (Ch. 89).  However, it was not completely successful as a co-op and therefore became a hotel.  As a hotel, it is where Arthur C. Clarke wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey and where Bob Dylan composed Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands.  It's also where several famous musicians have died—some by their own hand (if even by accident) and at least one murdered.  I just went in to take a peak.  Believe it or not, but they charge an outrageous $40/ person for a tour.  Really?

A funny side note about this was I went inside to look (no photos) and was asked by the staff if they could help me with something (really really small lobby).  I said no and that I was just checking it out and escaping the heat in the A/C.  As I was leaving, this really young looking guy came running after me (outside!) with a brochure.  I told him that I lived here and didn't really need one - thanks anyway.  And then he starting chatting me up!  He asked if I was in the city for UNDERGRAD!  Umm... No, I'm actually an attorney.  Him: Oh, umm.. How old are you?  Me: 28.  Him: Oh... Wow. You don't look a day over ... well, 22!  And, I was going to pay you a compliment but now I don't know if it's appropriate.  Me: Why? Because I'm too old?!  So... Yeah.  Good times.

Anyway, the tour continues to Chelsea Market.  It is a really cool place.  It's like an indoor mall meets foodie heaven.  In fact, Iron Chef America is filmed there.  I heard it's notoriously hard to get tickets to see Iron Chef America.  Believe me, I tried.  Anyway, Chelsea Market is housed in the old Nabisco factory (National Biscuit Company) (Ch. 129).  But the most exciting thing about the factory?  The invention of oreos in 1912. (Ch. 129).  That's right.  The fabulous all-American cookie known as the Oreo will be celebrating its 100th birthday next year.  All rejoice. :)  My photo tribute to the Oreo (and Nabisco factory):

MMmmmmm

Nabisco Factory

Anyone else notice the creepy length of the fingernails? Ew.

Old timey tins.

Some interesting things about the first Oreos:  No one at Nabisco knows where the name came from and it originally came in a lemon meringue flavor.  I hope they bring it back for the centennial so I can taste it.  Oreos are my all-time favorite cookie.  I'm not alone in this, according to the book, over 500 million Oreos have been sold, making them the most popular cookies in the U.S.

Living Long Distance: The Phone

When Erik and I started dating, we faced the scary prospect of being away from each other for, wait for it, EIGHTEEN WHOLE DAYS OH-MY-GOD-HOW-CAN-WE-SURVIVE?!!?

Erik even wrote me a song about those 18 Days as my Christmas present.  It's still in my iTunes rotation.  We both racked up $$$ in phone bills.  His mom is STILL giving him a hard time about it.  I think we talked the equivalent of an entire day during that winter break.  Ah, to be 18 again. (Side note: Despite my best efforts I cannot seem to locate an electronic photo of us from that time - probably for the best).

Now, however, we are not on the phone anywhere close to that much time.  It's hard to be on the phone at the end of a long day at work.  There's also little to say.  Yeah, I worked on confidential client stuff all day.  Yeah, I did some experiments that I could explain but it would take like 20 minutes and you wouldn't understand half of it.

Sometimes, we have a phone date that goes completely awry.  And by completely awry, I mean, that we want to talk but one thing goes wrong and we end up arguing.  And since we are not in the same place, it's hard to resolve that argument.  If we were in the same place, the argument would dissolve into laughter (about the sheer ridiculousness of the subject matter) or we would hug it out and then it would all be better.  What do we currently do in that situation?  Just end the call and try it again the next day.

When it happened last week, this is the text I got from Erik:

Sorry we had a bad convo tonight.  Still love you

Me: I still love you too.  Connection via telephone fail. :-/

E: Yeah, we can try again tomorrow :)

Me: Haha. Yeah.

That's just what it takes.  A sense of humor about the thing.  Not every visit will be magical and not every phone call will be successful and make you feel better.  Key take away?  Just be flexible about it and don't force the situation.  Oh, and thank goodness for gchat!

Visiting Cambridge

I write a lot about NY (okay, most of my posts are about NY) so I thought that I should write about my visit to Cambridge a few weeks ago to see E.  We had a great visit! The weather was cool but we were okay with that (E's place does not have A/C).  We went to this really fun place called Flatbread Company and Sacco's Bowl Haven.  It's a brilliant combination of locally brewed beer, wood-fire oven cooked pizza and bowling!  We had a fabulous time.  Some highlights:

We originally sat near the fire... Yeah, REALLY hot! (we were also surprised). 
Cool part: They actually cook in that oven.

Erik got mushrooms and pepperoni; I got buffalo chicken (of course).  We were so excited about eating that we forgot to take a photo until it was half gone.  Notice how my half has less left than Erik's.

We really need an actual camera and not just the iPhone.

My man is so hot!

Action shot.

Looks like we were caught in some sort of time warp yet having fun while traveling.

Old timey posters.  I should have tried bowling like the little girl.  Probably would have had less gutter balls.  Candlestick bowling is tougher than it looks!

Yeah, I may have been a little too excited about winning the first round.