Yorkville in Manhattan

10 October 2018 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, New York City Reading Time:  14 minutes

90th Street and Second Avenue © flickr.com - mike/cc-by-sa-2.0

90th Street and Second Avenue © flickr.com – mike/cc-by-sa-2.0

Yorkville is a neighborhood in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City. Its southern boundary is East 79th Street, its northern East 96th Street, its western Third Avenue, and its eastern the East River. The neighborhood, in Manhattan Community Board 8, is among the most affluent in the city. In August 1776, George Washington stationed half of his Continental Army in Manhattan, with many troops in the Yorkville area in defensive positions along the East River to protect the other half of his army if they were to retreat from Brooklyn, and to inflict damage on invading land and sea forces. Following the Battle of Long Island defeat on August 27, the Continentals implemented an orderly pivoting retreat in the Yorkville area, leading the enemy to entice the Continentals to fight by piping “Fly Away”, about a fox running away from hounds. The Continentals’ disciplined northerly retreat led to the successful Battle of Harlem Heights in September 1776.   read more…

One57 in New York

1 October 2018 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month, New York City Reading Time:  13 minutes

© flickr.com - Anthony Quintano/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Anthony Quintano/cc-by-2.0

One57, formerly known as Carnegie 57 and nicknamed “The Billionaire Building”, is a 75-story (marketed as 90-story) supertall skyscraper at 157 West 57th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in the Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Upon completion in 2014, it stood at 1,005 feet (306 m) tall, making it the tallest residential building in the city for a few months until the completion of 432 Park Avenue. The building has 92 condominium units on top of a new Park Hyatt Hotel with 210 rooms, which is set to become the flagship Hyatt property. The building’s developer is Extell Development Company, the contractor is Lend Lease Project Management & Construction, and the architect is Christian de Portzamparc. As of January 2015, it is home to the most expensive residence ever sold in New York City.   read more…

The Dakota in New York

1 July 2018 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture, House of the Month, New York City Reading Time:  11 minutes

© Ingfbruno/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Ingfbruno/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Dakota, also known as Dakota Apartments, is a cooperative apartment building located on the northwest corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was built in 1884 and is considered to be one of Manhattan’s most prestigious and exclusive cooperative residential buildings. The Dakota is famous as the home of former Beatle John Lennon from 1973 to his murder in the archway of the building in 1980. The Dakota was constructed between October 25, 1880, and October 27, 1884. The architectural firm of Henry Janeway Hardenbergh was commissioned to create the design for Edward Clark, head of the Singer Sewing Machine Company. The firm also designed the Plaza Hotel.   read more…

Chelsea in Manhattan

9 April 2018 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, New York City, Shopping Reading Time:  8 minutes

High Line © flickr.com - Matias Garabedian/cc-by-sa-2.0

High Line © flickr.com – Matias Garabedian/cc-by-sa-2.0

Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The district’s boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south and the Hudson River and West Street to the west, with the northern boundary variously described as 30th Street or 34th Street, and the eastern boundary as either Sixth Avenue or Fifth Avenue. To the north of Chelsea is the neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen, as well as the Hudson Yards; to the northeast is the Garment District; to the east are NoMad and the Flatiron District; to the southwest is the Meatpacking District; and to the south and southeast are the West Village and the remainder of Greenwich Village. It contains the Chelsea Historic District and its extension, which were designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1970 and 1981 respectively. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, and expanded in 1982 to include contiguous blocks containing particularly significant examples of period architecture.   read more…

Chinatown in New York

12 February 2018 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon appétit, New York City, Shopping Reading Time:  15 minutes

© chensiyuan/cc-by-sa-4.0

© chensiyuan/cc-by-sa-4.0

Manhattan‘s Chinatown is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, bordering the Lower East Side to its east, Little Italy to its north, Civic Center to its south, and Tribeca to its west. Chinatown is home to the highest concentration of Chinese people in the West. With an estimated population of 90,000 to 100,000 people, Manhattan’s Chinatown is also one of the oldest Chinese ethnic enclaves. The Manhattan Chinatown is one of nine Chinatown neighborhoods in New York City, as well as one of twelve in the New York metropolitan area, which contains the largest ethnic Chinese population outside of Asia, comprising an estimated 820,000 uniracial individuals.   read more…

The Upper West Side in New York

29 September 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, New York City Reading Time:  18 minutes

Upper West Side and Central Park from Rockefeller Center Observatory © Nmattson10

Upper West Side and Central Park from Rockefeller Center Observatory © Nmattson10

The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 110th Street. The Upper West Side is sometimes also considered by the real estate industry to include the neighborhood of Morningside Heights. The area north of West 96th Street and east of Broadway is also identified as Manhattan Valley. The overlapping area west of Amsterdam Avenue to Riverside Park was once known as the Bloomingdale District. From west to east, the avenues of the Upper West Side are Riverside Drive, West End Avenue (11th Avenue), Broadway, Amsterdam Avenue (10th Avenue), Columbus Avenue (9th Avenue), and Central Park West (8th Avenue). The 66-block stretch of Broadway forms the spine of the neighborhood and runs diagonally north/south across the other avenues at the south end of the neighborhood; above 78th Street Broadway runs north parallel to the other avenues. Broadway enters the neighborhood at its juncture with Central Park West at Columbus Circle (59th Street), crosses Columbus Avenue at Lincoln Square (65th Street), Amsterdam Avenue at Verdi Square (71st Street), and then merges with West End Avenue at Straus Park (aka Bloomingdale Square, at 107th Street). Traditionally the neighborhood ranged from the former village of Harsenville, centered on the old Bloomingdale Road (now Broadway) and 65th Street, west to the railroad yards along the Hudson, then north to 110th Street, where the ground rises to Morningside Heights. With the building of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, its name, though perhaps not the reality, was stretched south to 58th Street. With the arrival of the corporate headquarters and expensive condos of the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, and the Riverside South apartment complex, the area from 58th Street to 65th Street is increasingly referred to as Lincoln Square by realtors who acknowledge a different tone and ambiance than that typically associated with the Upper West Side. This is a reversion to the neighborhood’s historical name. Like the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side is an affluent, primarily residential area with many of its residents working in commercial areas of Midtown and Lower Manhattan. It has the reputation of being New York City’s cultural and intellectual hub, with Columbia University located at the north end of the neighborhood, and artistic workers, with Lincoln Center located at the south end. Conversely, the Upper East Side is traditionally perceived to be home to commercial and business types. Both Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue from 67th Street up to 110th Street are lined with restaurants and bars, as is Columbus Avenue to a slightly lesser extent. The Upper West Side, along with the Upper East Side, is considered to be among New York City’s wealthiest neighborhoods.   read more…

Theme Week New York City – The Upper East Side

13 September 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, New York City Reading Time:  10 minutes

Fifth Avenue © flickr.com - Alex Proimos/cc-by-2.0

Fifth Avenue © flickr.com – Alex Proimos/cc-by-2.0

The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park/Fifth Avenue, 59th Street, the East River, and 96th Street. The area incorporates several smaller neighborhoods, including Lenox Hill, Carnegie Hill, and Yorkville. Once known as the Silk Stocking District, it is now one of the most affluent neighborhoods in New York City.   read more…

The Lower East Side in New York

30 August 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, New York City Reading Time:  18 minutes

Katz's Delicatessen © Alex Lozupone/cc-by-sa-4.0

Katz’s Delicatessen © Alex Lozupone/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan, roughly located between the Bowery and the East River, and Canal Street and Houston Street. Traditionally an immigrant, working-class neighborhood, it began rapid gentrification in the mid-2000s, prompting The National Trust for Historic Preservation to place the neighborhood on their list of America’s Most Endangered Places in 2008. The neighborhood is bordered in the south and west by Chinatown – which extends north to roughly Grand Street, in the west by Nolita and in the north by the East Village. Historically, the “Lower East Side” referred to the area alongside the East River from about the Manhattan Bridge and Canal Street up to 14th Street, and roughly bounded on the west by Broadway. It included areas known today as East Village, Alphabet City, Chinatown, Bowery, Little Italy, and Nolita. Parts of the East Village are still known as Loisaida, a Latino pronunciation of “Lower East Side.”   read more…

Midtown Manhattan

3 July 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, New York City Reading Time:  8 minutes

Times Square © Matt H. Wade/cc-by-sa-3.0

Times Square © Matt H. Wade/cc-by-sa-3.0

Midtown Manhattan, or Midtown, represents the central lengthwise portion of the borough and island of Manhattan in New York City. Midtown is home to some of the city’s most iconic buildings, including the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the headquarters of the United Nations, and it contains world-renowned commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square. Along Manhattan’s north-south long axis, Midtown Manhattan separates Lower Manhattan from Upper Manhattan. Geographically, the northern border of Midtown Manhattan is commonly defined to be 59th Street on Manhattan Island, and although its southern border is less clear, it is variously taken to be 34th Street, 23rd Street, or even 14th Street. Midtown spans the entire island of Manhattan along an east-west axis, being bounded by the East River on its east and the Hudson River to its west. Midtown is the original district in the United States to bear the name and included historical but now defunct neighborhoods such as the Ladies’ Mile, along Fifth Avenue from 14th to 23rd Street; and the Tenderloin, from 23rd to 42nd Street and from Fifth Avenue to Seventh Avenue.   read more…

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