11/19/2021: Treasures

We have a lunch date today, but why waste a morning in NYC, so we headed out for a walk around the area. The hotel is just a couple of blocks from the Chrysler Building, my favorite building in the city. We walked along the street craning our necks to look at all the cool features on the outside of the building.

The Chrysler Building

Sadly, you can’t go up in the building, but it is amazing just to look at. A couple of fun facts – it remains the tallest brick building (3.8 million bricks were manually laid) with a steel structure in the world. At its completion in 1930 it was the tallest building in the world. It is a paragon of the Art Deco style and has many fantastic features. There are about 50 metal ornaments at the corners reminiscent of gargoyles, however, many of these were created to be like radiator caps or hood ornaments and so many of the ornaments are called “cargoyles,” as Walter Chrysler wanted to pay homage to the automobile. There are hubcap and fender designs in parts of the facade and the beautiful stainless steel crown at the top is shaped rather like spokes of a wheel. The whole structure is quite marvelous.

We then went in to the Grand Central Terminal, another amazing building. What we learned is that Jackie Kennedy Onassis was instrumental in saving the terminal from demolition in the 1970s. Through her efforts a preservation group was formed and they worked tirelessly to lobby city and state politicians and to procure funding to save the building and renovate it. I’m so glad they did.

Massive windows in the terminal
Grand Central Terminal with Chrysler building

We then walked down 5th Ave. to the New York Public Library, another wonderful building.

Christine by NYPL lion named Fortitude

The two lions guarding the library do have names, Patience and Fortitude. Just behind Fortitude is the newly renovated fountain in front of the Truth sculpture.

Truth statue and fountain

The engraving above the figure says, ” But above all things Truth beareth away the victory. ” I’ll steal some words from an article I read about this quote. “It’s almost as if the library is gently reminding visitors that it’s in the truth-business and since truth is the most powerful thing in the world, if you just stop in and look around, you’re bound to come out a winner.” These words, I think, are especially meaningful during these times in the country. We need a lot more people seeking the truth.

A sign in front of the library advertised an exhibition in the library, Treasures, a great theme for today as we just visited the 2 building treasures above.

Christine by Treasures sign

The NYPL owns 56 million items and has a vast collection of treasures. For more than 125 years, the NYPL has collected, preserved, and made accessible the world’s knowledge to foster greater understanding of both the past and the present. The objects in this exhibit are treasured for their rich significance. The items tell stories of people, places, and moments spanning 4,000 years.

I was intrigued by a paper toy made in 1825. The paper was folded like an accordion and the drawings inside the folds could be viewed through cutouts in the front panel. This particular item showed images of the London underground tunnel.

For New Yorker magazine lovers, read this prospectus written by founding editor Harold Ross in 1924. A lady in Dubuque might take issue with what he said.

Founding editor prospectus from 1924

A real treasure was the actual bear and his friends owned by Christopher Robin Milne. Millions have treasured Winnie the Pooh.

Pooh and friends

I wish we had had more time to explore this exhibition, but our lunch date time was nearly upon us so we walked back to the hotel to await our pickup.

Christine’s cousin Roseanne and her husband Danny were taking us to lunch. The Malones live in Brooklyn and we have maintained a connection to them, often getting together during our annual doctor visit trips to NYC. They are great people and we so enjoy getting together with them. We went to a Greek restaurant called Kyma in the Gramercy/Flatiron district on W. 18th St. Gramercy is an area I would like to explore more; it’s really beautiful without the feel of being in Manhattan.

Lunch was great and we talked, and talked, and talked. We were at the restaurant over 3 hours, the second to last customers to leave as the staff was setting up for dinner service. Roseanne and Danny have 3 kids and now 3 grandchildren. They provide daycare for two of the grandkids and they are having a ball being grandparents. Danny retired from NYU where he did something in IT, I think. Roseanne is a retired nurse having done psychiatric nursing and then school nursing. Christine has many cousins in the NY/NY area, but Roseanne is really the only one with whom she is close. Roseanne’s mother Stella was Christine’s mother Rose’s sister. I have happily acquired Roseanne and Danny as my cousins now and I feel part of their family. They are wonderful, wonderful people and we love them a lot.

Danny and Roseanne

They returned us to our hotel, a very nice thing. Since Danny used to drive into the city everyday to work, he is a master at navigating NYC traffic. I guess you learn how to stay calm and in control over time, but it sure is scary at times with cars and trucks and buses all trying to change lanes and merge into the lane where you are. And the idiots who lay on the horn just because they aren’t moving really drive me crazy. At any rate, we got to the hotel and said our goodbyes. What a great couple they are, treasured cousins.

So treasures is a great descriptive term for the things we saw and did today.

One thought on “11/19/2021: Treasures”

  1. Glad you’re enjoying your visit. I sent Jeanne your posts from Mexico as she wasn’t on your list. I spoke with her over whatsapp & she seems to be recuperating well.
    I love the Chrysler building too & was fortunate enuf to go inside in the past. The buildings from that era are beautiful. Much more human than the modern skyscrapers in my opinion. I once even saw a sound & lite show about NY – (as I was with visiters), that was very enlightening. I never would have gone as a New Yorker!
    Enjoy!

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