CENTRAL PARK:
Central Park is the most visited urban
park in the United States. It has an area of 843 acres
(3.41 sq km; 1.317 sq mi) . Central Park is rectangular
shaped and surrounded by a 29,025-foot-long (8,847 m),
4 ft high (117 cm) stone wall.
The park has
eight lakes and ponds that were created artificially by damming
natural seeps and flows.
Manhattan skyline adding to the charm of walking through waterways... this is the turtle pond.
There are several wooded sections, in addition to lawns, and the "meadows".
Twenty-nine sculptures have been
erected within Central Park's boundaries over the years. Many of
these sculptures are busts of authors and poets, in an area known as
Literary Walk, adjacent to the Central Park Mall. Another
cluster of sculptures, around the Zoo and Conservancy Water, are
statues of characters from children's stories. A third sculpture
grouping primarily depicts "subjects in nature" such as
animals and hunters.
We saw quite a few of them.
Romeo and Juliet in front of Delacorte
theatre.
Belvedere castle here.
Belvedere means 'beautiful view' or 'panoramic view' in Italian.
It contains exhibit rooms and an observation deck, and since 1919, the castle has also been the location of the official Central Park weather station
Note the anemometer and wind vane on the top; these instruments record the official wind speed and direction for Central Park.
We walked on.
This is King Jagiello Monument, an equestrian
statue of King Władysław II Jagiełło of Poland, holding over his
head two crossed swords,
The King Jagiełło monument is situated on the east side of the Turtle Pond, across from Belvedere Castle and southeast of the Great Lawn. It is the largest sculpture in Central
Park. The monument commemorates the medieval Battle of Grunwald,
where Polish knights supported by Lithuanian, Ruthenian, Czech, and
Tatar knights defeated the Teutonic Order.
POLAND is inscribed on both sides of
the plinth, this bronze monument was created for the Polish 1939 New York World's Fair
pavilion.
As a result of the outbreak of
the World War II, the monument stayed in New York; in July 1945 it
was presented to the City of New York by the King Jagiello Monument
Committee and permanently placed in Central Park
On the oak bridge here.
This footbridge crossing Bank Rock Bay
was originally built of white oak, hence its early name, Oak Bridge.
In 2009, the Conservancy recreated the bridge
Oak Bridge is
one of the larger and more elegant of the Park's wooden bridges, it
featured panels of decorative cast iron set in the railings. Created
as one of the major entrance to the Ramble, it's become one of the
most popular Park destinations for bird watchers and offers one of
the best views of the Park and the famous New York City skyline.
here is our songbird...really serenaded us with melodious notes. I'll upload a short video.
Between Bethesda fountain and terrace
Bethesda Fountain is the central
feature on the lower level of the terrace, constructed in
1859-64,which is enclosed within two elliptical balustrades The pool is centered by a fountain
sculpture unveiled in 1873.
The bronze, eight-foot statue depicts a female winged angel touching down upon the top of the fountain, where water spouts and cascades into an upper basin and into the surrounding pool.
Beneath her are four four-foot cherubs representing Temperance, Purity, Health, and Peace.
Also called the Angel of the Waters, the statue refers to the Gospel of John, Chapter 5 where there is a description of an angel blessing the Pool of Bethesda, giving it healing powers.
a nest on a tree
This is the Bethesda terrace with
the Minton Tile ceiling... the clay is colored before baking
into tiles.
A wedding party out for pics.
Beethoven .1770 – 1827)
a German composer and pianist; his music is amongst the most performed of the classical music repertoire, and he is one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music. He was a child prodigy, sadly suffered from increasing deafness and sveere tinnitis from his 30s which he did not let impact his musical genius and output. There is a letter he had written to his brothers expressing suicidal thoughts but hr commented also on his ongoing professional and financial success at this period, and his determination, to "seize Fate by the throat; it shall certainly not crush me completely."
a German composer and pianist; his music is amongst the most performed of the classical music repertoire, and he is one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music. He was a child prodigy, sadly suffered from increasing deafness and sveere tinnitis from his 30s which he did not let impact his musical genius and output. There is a letter he had written to his brothers expressing suicidal thoughts but hr commented also on his ongoing professional and financial success at this period, and his determination, to "seize Fate by the throat; it shall certainly not crush me completely."
Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859
– May 26, 1924) was an Irish-born, German-raised American composer,
cellist and conductor.
he is best known for composing
many successful operettas that premiered on Broadway from the 1890s
to World War I.
This statue, Eagles and Prey is the
oldest known sculpture in any New York City park.
Eagles and Prey illustrates the elemental forces of nature: a helpless goat is caught
in the talons of two birds of prey. The work's rich surface texture
and anatomical detail are noteworthy.
Located at Mid-Park at 69th Street west
of the Concert Ground. Cast in Paris in 1850, the statue was a
gift given to the City by Gordon Webster Burnham, and installed in
Central Park in 1863.
Abraham Lincoln
Reared in a poor family on the
western frontier, Lincoln was a self-educated lawyer in Illinois. Lincoln led the United States through
its Civil War—its bloodiest war and its greatest moral,
constitutional and political crisis. In so doing he preserved
the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government,
and modernized the economy.
Sir Walter Scot—saw his huge memorial
at edinburgh last year... we love his Ivanhoe ....
(15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832)
was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet.
Scott was the first English-language
author to have a truly international career in his lifetime, with
many contemporary readers in Europe, Australia, and North America. His novels and poetry are still read,
and many of his works remain classics of both English-language
literature and of Scottish literature.
Famous titles include Ivanhoe, Rob Roy,
The Lady of the Lake, Waverley, The Heart of Midlothian and The Bride
of Lammermoor.
Robert Burns—national poet of
Scotland.
Burns worked for the final ten years of his life on projects to preserve traditional Scottish songs for the future. In all, Burns had a hand in preserving over 300 songs for posterity, the most famous being "Auld Lang Syne" (for the sake of old times..)
Burns worked for the final ten years of his life on projects to preserve traditional Scottish songs for the future. In all, Burns had a hand in preserving over 300 songs for posterity, the most famous being "Auld Lang Syne" (for the sake of old times..)
Should Old Acquaintance be forgot,
and never thought upon;
The flames of Love extinguished,
and fully past and gone:
Is thy sweet Heart now grown so cold,
that loving Breast of thine;
That thou canst never once reflect
On Old long syne.
CHORUS:
On Old long syne my Jo,
On Old long syne,
That thou canst never once reflect,
On Old long syne........
We had walked down the mall...
Columbus...1451-1506, explorer.
His voyages led to the first lasting
European contact with the Americas, inaugurating a period of European
exploration, conquest, and colonization that lasted for several
centuries.
Europeans had long enjoyed a safe land
passage, the Silk Road to China and India (the Indies, a far larger
region than modern India), which were sources of valuable goods such
as silk, spices, and opiates.
With the fall of Constantinople to the
Ottoman Turks in 1453, the land route to Asia became much more
difficult and dangerous.
Portuguese navigators tried to find a
sea way to Asia.
Most educated Westerners had understood
that the Earth was spherical at least since the time of Aristotle,
who lived in the 4th century BC
Columbus himself saw his
accomplishments primarily in the light of spreading the Christian
religion
Though Christopher Columbus was long
considered to be the "discoverer of America" in popular
culture, his true historical legacy is more nuanced. America was
first discovered by its indigenous population, and Columbus was not
even the first European to reach its shores as he was preceded by the
Vikings at L'Anse aux Meadows. But By bringing the continent to the
forefront of Western attention, Columbus initiated the enduring
relationship between the Earth's two major landmasses and their
inhabitants. "Columbus' claim to fame isn't that he got there
first," explains historian Martin Dugard, "it's that he
stayed”.
Victory carrying laurels statue in the
square outside the Central Park.
We had walked through the central park
admiring the water bodies and the statues and exited through one of
the gates...
Took the N subway to 49 st and walked
to the Iop of the Rock observation deck entrance,
bought tickets and went up at 7.15 pm slot. [ in peak tourist season such walk up tickets will not be possible.]
The Empire State Building ESB lit up...The Empire State Building is currently the fourth-tallest completed skyscraper in the United States (after the One World Trade Center, the Willis Tower and Trump International Hotel and Tower, both in Chicago), and the 23rd-tallest in the world (the tallest now is Burj Khalifa, located in Dubai).
Times square. Chrysler bldg from the top of the rock
The skating rink, Rockefeller Center’s most singular feature was an accident. The Sunken Plaza, as the area was originally called, was lushly landscaped and boasted high-end shops and restaurants, but few people could be enticed down the stairs leading from the Channel Gardens.
Bronze gilded Statue of Greek legend Titan Prometheus...18 feet high, 8 tons weight, recumbent, bringing fire to mankind, features prominently in the sunken plaza at the front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
NY skyline at the gift shop.
Designer chocolate window...
Nice ceramic statues.
M&M CHOCOLATE WALL here.
"Colorful button-shaped candies" produced by Mars, Incorporated.
M&M girl in liberty mode...The current "spokescandies" for M&M's.
NYPD horse police here at the Times square with the NYPD... wound up day 1 on this note...
bought tickets and went up at 7.15 pm slot. [ in peak tourist season such walk up tickets will not be possible.]
TOP OF THE ROCK, ROCKEFELLER CENTER:
Top of the rock at Rockefeller
Center....There’s no better way to understand the scope of New York
City than by a visit to the top of one of the skyscrapers that make
up the iconic skyline.
At Top of the Rock on the 70th floor
of Rockefeller Center, we have gorgeous views of midtown as well as
the pièce de résistance of New York’s art deco skyscrapers:
The Empire State Building. The views of the city from the 86th-floor
deck are spectacular, but the views from 16 stories up on the
102nd-floor observatory are even more so—and yet, fewer visitors
make it this far. Downtown, One World Observatory offers
panoramic views and dining options on the 101st floor of the tallest
building in the Western Hemisphere.
Soar 70 floors high and experience 3
viewing decks and the exhilarating joy of unobstructed 360º city
views from Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center. From the sweeping green of Central Park
to the thrilling city skyline, nowhere else can we see New York so
spectacularly.
Hand out of the glass barricade ...
touching the skyscrapers...
Took the 7.15 timeline for going up to
the deck... went down well past 8.
After a hot chocolate at Pret a manger,
leaving the rock at 8.30 pm.
Rockefeller Skating Rink:
Rockefeller skating rink here. With a skating surface that stretches just 122 feet long and 59 feet wide, the rink can only accommodate up to 150 skaters a time.
In the winter of 1936, to attract attention to the Plaza, Rockefeller Center’s managers got a temporary rink built. It became a permanent fixture.
Prometheus (Greek: meaning "forethought") is a Titan who sided with Zeus and the ascending Olympian gods in the cosmological struggle against Cronus and the other Titans in Greek mythology.
The inscription, a paraphrase from Aeschylus, on the granite wall behind, reads:
"Prometheus, teacher in every art, brought the fire that hath proved to mortals a means to mighty ends."
It is the fourth-most familiar statue
in the United States, behind the Lincoln Memorial, Mount Rushmore,
and the Statue of Liberty.
Flagpoles around the plaza at street
level display flags of United Nations member countries, the U.S.
states and territories, or decorative and seasonal motifs.
During U.S. holidays, every pole
carries the Flag of the United States.
The bldg we had been up on...in the
background.
Lego store window--recreation of the
scene just outside in lego.
We were at the M&M, Hershey Candy Stores next.
M&M, Hershey Candy Stores:
The candy shell, each of which has the letter "m" printed in lower case on one side, surrounds a filling which varies depending on the variety of M&M's. The original candy had a milk chocolate filling which, upon introducing other varieties, was branded as the "plain" variety.
"Peanut" M&M's, which feature a peanut coated in milk chocolate and, finally, a candy shell, were the first variety introduced and remain a regular variety.
Numerous other varieties have been introduced, some of which are regular widespread varieties (such as "peanut butter", "pretzel" and "dark chocolate").
The candy-coated chocolate concept was inspired by a method used to allow soldiers to carry chocolate without having it melt. The company's longest-lasting slogan reflects this: "Melts in your mouth, not in your hand."
We made our purchases at Hershey's.
Report on Day 2 continues here:
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