Entries Tagged as 'upper east side'

New York Symphonic Arts Ensemble

February 2nd, 2004 · 6 Comments

Eleanor Playing Violin in the New York Symphonic Arts Ensemble
Eleanor Playing Violin in the New York Symphonic Arts Ensemble, Julia Richman Auditorium, Upper East Side, Manhattan

Today we got a chance to see Eleanor play violin in the New York Symphonic Arts Ensemble, a community-based symphony orchestra. This was the first time I got to hear her play. I felt like a proud mama and instead of a polite golf clap in between songs I wanted to stand up and yell “whoooo! Eleanor!!!!!!!!!” and whistle.. but I restrained myself.

Here’s a video clip of my favorite song that they played. I can’t remember which one it was though!

- NYSAE clip (.mov, 30 seconds, 552k)

See Also:
- NYSAE Concert by Tien

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Doin Time on the LES

January 25th, 2004 · 12 Comments

Lower East Side Tenement Museum
Lower East Side Tenement Museum, Lower East Side, Manhattan

Yesterday Jess and I had lunch at 88 Orchard and then went to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. It was really good, if you haven’t been there, you should go. The museum has preserved an actual tenement building and access to it is by tour only. There are three different tours to choose from and we chose a tour called “Getting By: Weather the Great Depressions of 1873 and 1929″. This hour-long tour takes you through 3 apartments in the tenement building. The first apartment is unfurnished and somewhat dilapidated. This apartment has not been restored at all and is almost exactly as it was discovered when the museum purchased the building. It is used to show the layout of each of the apartments and to explain their features. The next apartment has been restored to the period of the 1870s. At this time the Gumpertz family, a German-Jewish family, lived in the apartment. You get to see how the apartment would have been furnished when the family lived there and the tour guide walks you through the history of the family and what everything in the apartment is. The last apartment was that of the Badizza family, a Sicilian-Catholic family that lived in the apartment in the 1930s. Again, you are told about the family and the apartment. What was really great about this apartment was the woman who lived there as a child contacted the museum a while back and gave an oral history of living there. So.. you not only got to hear the tour guide’s description, you got to hear stories of the apartment in the words and voice of someone who actually lived there.

Our tour guide was Carlo d’Amore. He did an awesome job giving us historical facts but throwing in personal stories and jokes to keep things lively. It helped that he was kind of hot. Also, at one point early on he stopped the tour to point at me and say “Has anyone ever told you you look like Renee Zellweger!?”. To which I replied, “Yes, all the time.”

Economy Candy
Economy Candy, Lower East Side, Manhattan

Economy Candy
Jessica at Economy Candy, Lower East Side, Manhattan

After the tour (and purchasing far too many books) Jess and I headed over to Economy Candy. I’d heard Jeannette talk about this store before but I’d never been inside. It’s so fun. An entire store filled from front to back, floor to ceiling with candy!!!!

Candy
Eating Candy and Watching a Movie, East Village, Manhattan

Rachelle and Jessica - Wax Lips
Rachelle and Jessica – Wax Lips, East Village, Manhattan

Candy Coma
Candy Coma, East Village, Manhattan

A quick dash uptown to stock up on skin care products from Mario Badescu, and then Jess and I went home to rent Gangs of New York and to eat candy!!! heh. We picked Gangs of New York because I thought it would drive home some of the things that we saw at the Tenement Museum. I’d already seen the movie and read the book. And read Five Points, a book on similar subjects, so going to the museum then seeing the movie again brought everything together for me.

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“We’ve never lost a patient.”

October 16th, 2003 · 9 Comments

New York Doll Hospital
New York Doll Hospital, Upper East Side, Manhattan

The famous words of Irving Chaus, a third-generation doll doctor who runs the New York Doll Hospital. The hospital began as a beauty parlor that Chaus’ grandfather ran. Women would come in and get their hair done and they would bring their children, who would bring their dolls. Chaus’s grandfather soon found that he could make more money repairing the children’s dolls than by styling their mother’s hair so in 1900 the New York Doll Hospital was founded. Chaus unwillingly joined the business in 1946. He didn’t have any particular interest in dolls, but his father was sick and he needed to help out with the family business. He’s been doctoring dolls ever since. Chaus’ daughter Allison also works at the doll hospital, so hopefully it will be around and in the Chaus family for years to come.

Some of the New York Doll Hospital’s more notable customers are Dustin Hoffman, Bruce Springsteen and Sir Lawrence Olivier. In his thick Brooklyn accent, Chaus says, “We’re not impressed by celebrities or reputations. We’re impressed by the work — you know what I’m saying? Dustin Hoffman walks in here occasionally; I call him ‘Dusty.’”

Another interesting tidbit – the 1970′s cutting-edge punk band The New York Dolls was named after The New York Doll Hospital. Guitarist Sylvain Sylvain and drummer Billy Murcia worked at a clothing store that was located across the street from the hospital before forming the band.

Sources and more information:

Photographs
- Inside The New York Doll Hospital

Life Saving Tales:
- Doll Hospital Saves Childhood Playmate, by Dolores Magnotta
- New York Doll, by Chelsea Lowe
- A doctor’s office where the patients don’t talk back, by Cindy Schreiber
- Dolls in demand, by Marilou Berry, Scripps Howard News

Movies
- The Doll Doctor: A Day in the Life of Irving Chais, by Reel Biography (.mov, 10.5mb)
- The New York Doll Hospital, by Monk.com (.mov, 11.8mb)

On the New York Dolls (the band)
- Rock ‘n’ Roll survivor reemerges with new record, tour, by Michael McCall
- Sylvain�Sylvain finds his Subway Rhythm, by Ralph Heibutzki
- Village Voice Best of 2003

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OHNY – Scandinavia House

October 13th, 2003 · 7 Comments

Scandinavia House
Scandinavia House, Murray Hill, Manhattan

After leaving Roosevelt Island Jeannette and Eleanor went to Trader Joe’s in Jersey (Yvan’s parents were in with their car). Masako, Tien and I went to one last openhousenewyork site, Scandinavia House. It celebrates the cultures and traditions of the five Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

In 2004 in Finland, The Snow Show is scheduled to take place. Artists and architects are gathering to build large-scale structures out of snow and ice. Here in New York at the Scandinavia House, the featured exhibit is a behind the scenes look at the artists and architects thoughts, plans and models for The Snow Show.

- Tien’s post on Scandinavia House

After leaving the Scandinavia House, we got some cheesesteaks at Carl’s which just opened up in Tien’s neighborhood.

Before we went in the Scandinavia House, we passed by a pet store and I snapped this photo of all of us and the little puppies in the window. Will this be my next Mirror Project entry?

UES Pet Store
Puppies in the Window, Upper East Side, Manhattan

Overall, I think that openhousenewyork was a success. One thing that was agreed upon is that the marketing isn’t where it should be. It seemed like the people that I know who are heavy internet users all knew about the event but people who were less nerdy.. even people who are online everyday.. had no idea. If they’re going to do this next year, I would suggest to the openhousenewyork committee more offline advertising. Of course, maybe they were trying to keep attendance on the low side for the first year. .. not that it wasn’t well attended, but it’s not like all of New York knew it was going on.

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OHNY – Roosevelt Island

October 13th, 2003 · 24 Comments

After brunch, Jeannette, Masako, Tien, Eleanor and I took The Tram to Roosevelt Island to see the Smallpox Hospital Ruins. We missed the openhousenewyork tours, but the grounds are open until sunset every day so explored around by ourselves.

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After brunch at the Sidewalk Cafe we went to Veniero’s to get some Italian pastries for dessert. I’d never been to Veniero’s before – it sounds too much like an STD! – but had heard Jeannette talk about it many times. On the bus ride to the Upper East Side we dug in to the pastries. From the Upper East Side we took The Tram to Roosevelt Island, a small island in the East River between Manhattan and Queens.


The Tram goes from Manhattan to Roosevelt Island and back. The Tram opened in 1976 as a temporary solution to get people to Roosevelt Island since there was no subway service. The gondolas are Swiss-made and are the only such system used for mass-transit in North America. At the time of it’s opening, The Tram was free. It wasn’t until 1990 that they started charging a 10 cent fare. Today the fare is $2.00 and is the only place in New York that still uses the old subway tokens.


From The Tram you get a beautiful view of the Queensboro Bridge and Queens. The skyscraper to the right of the bridge is the Citibank building and is the tallest building in Long Island (including Queens and Brooklyn).


The Queensboro Bridge is also called the 59th Street Bridge because you access it from 59th Street on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Simon & Garfunkel sang a song called The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy). It’s one of my favorite songs of theirs.


The Tram system has two sets of cables so that two gondolas can be running at the same time. Here we pass the other gondola at one of the highest points of the 4 1/2 minute ride. It’s about 250 feet above the water.


Descending, we approach the Roosevelt Island Tram station.


Roosevelt Island’s west side has a promenade along the water with great views of Manhattan. These cranes are working on FDR Drive on Manhattans’ east side.


While we were at brunch earlier we were trying to decide what to do. We wanted to go to Gracie Mansion but it was going to be too late by the time we got done eating. We thought about going to the MTA Transit Museum but it was closed. On the openhousenewyork map there were tours of the Smallpox Hospital Ruins on Roosevelt Island, but they were for Saturday, not Sunday. Because no one in our group had ever been to Roosevelt Island, we decided to go and check it out anyway. These are the ruins of the Smallpox Hospital.


The Smallpox Hospital was opened in 1856 and was the first hospital in the United States to take in the victims of the smallpox plague. Patients here were under quarantine because smallpox is so contagious.


James Renwick, who is best known for St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Smithsonian Institute Building, was the the architect who designed Smallpox Hospital.


The ruins of Smallpox Hospital as well as The Tram are featured in the 2002 movie Spiderman. Dave Gallagher documents the NYC Spiderman locations here.


Looking back at the ruins as we make our way to the southern tip of Roosevelt Island.


Masako stops to pick up a stone. Behind her are the ruins of Smallpox Hospital and the Queensboro Bridge. The three smokestaks are that of a powerplant in Queens.


At the tip of Roosevelt Island there was a grassy area with some chairs left behind by some fishermen. Sitting down and enjoying the view.. Manhattan to our west, Queens to our east. This is another view of Manhattan.


Eleanor, Jeannette, Masako, Rachelle, Tien


Pepsi Cola bottling in Long Island City, Queens. There’s been controversy around this sign.. whether it should be preserved or whether it should be taken down to make a clear waterfront for Queens West. I think it should be saved. It’s 60 years old and is well-known and loved as part of the western Queens skyline.


At the very tip of Roosevelt Island there were some rock outcroppings in the water. In the background is Manhattan.

Walking back up the promenade to the subway.


The seagulls of Roosevelt Island hate me. I was torturing them to get a good shot in front of the Queensboro Bridge and the Manhattan skyline.

- Tien’s post on Roosevelt Island

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