Hope these faces make you smile.
Weekly Photo Challenge – Faces
Author: Marcia Mayne
Marcia Mayne travels a world full of books, music, art, fun people and great food. She raves about them constantly. Currently, she is journeying through Jamaica, her home country, to discover the places she missed.
12 Must See New York City Buildings
As you can imagine, many New York City buildings have their own rich histories. Even though I’m partial to the old classic styles, I still love some of the new buildings. And I’m thrilled when I notice the way the sun highlights a color that makes a building I’m used to seeing look new and exciting. If I have my camera and I’m not in a hurry, I usually stop and take a photo.
I’ve been fortunate to have visited many, worked in a few and pass by a number of them on my way to and from work everyday. Here are some of my favorites.
- The Chrysler Building. At 1,047 feet, this Art Deco building, located at 405 Lexington Avenue, was the world’s tallest building from 1930 when it was completed, to 1931 when the Empire State Building edged it out. It is now the second tallest building in New York City after the new Bank of America Tower and the world’s tallest steel supported brick building. No workers died during its construction despite its four floors a week building pace. Although it was built for the Chrysler Corporation and served as its headquarters until the 1950, the Chrysler Building was a project for Walter P. Chrysler’s children. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a U.S. National Historic Landmark.
- Grand Central Terminal: Built and owned by the Vanderbilt family, Grand Central Terminal opened in 1871. Located at 89 E 42nd Street, it spans 48 acres and is the largest train station in the world by number of platforms: 44. It serves commuters from Connecticut and New York’s northern counties as well as subway riders. Over 750,000 people pass through Grand Central every day, more than 1 million during the holiday season. The main concourse (275 feet long, 120 feet wide and 125 feet high) houses the information booth. With its four-faced opal clock, estimated to be worth between $10-20 million, is a popular meeting place in this very busy station. Following a 12-year restoration, a beautiful ceiling decorated with constellations of stars was revealed and is now one of the terminal’s attractions. Grand Central Terminal is a New York City Landmark, a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Continue reading “12 Must See New York City Buildings”
Travel Photo Thursday – Durban Rickshaw
A year ago, my friends and I traveled to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. When I was researching the Durban leg of the trip, I saw a photo of a rickshaw on Golden Mile Beach and decided I had to find one when I got there and go for a ride.
On our way to the airport, I spotted this one near the beach and asked our driver to stop. We had only a few minutes but each of us got to sit in the rickshaw and have our photo taken.
The rickshaw was brought to Durban from London in 1893 by sugar magnate, Sir Marshall Campbell. At that time, there were only a few cars in the city. By 1902, Durban had approximately 1,700 rickshaws for more than 24,000 pullers who came to the city to work and returned home to the country with their earnings. Now, there are only about 20 registered pullers left.
Run by the Zulus, beautifully decorated rickshaws can be rented from pullers, who are dressed in colorful, handcrafted beaded headdresses and are usually stationed on the beach. They not only transport, they entertain in true Zulu fashion.
Rickshaw Rides on Golden Mile Beach cost between US$2 – $50.
This is my submission to this week’s Budget Travelers Sandbox Travel Photo Thursday series. Be sure to check out other photo and story entries on their website!
15 Interesting Facts About New York City
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, a few weeks ago, I offered to help my blog buddy, Tony, plan his latest trip to New York City. Since then, I’ve been doing a bit of research on the city that’s been my home for the past 11 years.
Here’s what I discovered:
- New York City was the capital of the United States from 1785-90.
- The first president of the United States, George Washington, was inaugurated at Federal Hall, 26 Wall Street, in 1789.
- Federal Hall, was the site of the first Capitol Building
- At just under 19,000,000 residents, New York City is one of the most populous cities in the U.S. with just under 19,000,000 people who live in five boroughs: Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island.
- The Holland Tunnel, which connects New York to New Jersey, which was built in 1927, was one of the first ventilated tunnels in the world. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
- The New York City subway system is the largest mass transit system in the world. It has 468 stations and 842 miles of track.
- The New York City subway runs 24 hours a day.
- Musicians who perform in the subway go through a very competitive audition process.
- There are more than 4,000 food vendors in New York City.
- Central Park, which was opened initially in 1857, spreads 843 miles.
- 25 million people a year visit Central Park
- Times Square, formerly Longacre Square, was renamed in 1904 when the New York Times moved its headquarters to the Times Building.
- The first ball was dropped in Times Square on December 31, 1907.
- The Empire State Building is 102 stories. Including the spire, it is 1,454 feet tall.
- For 40 years, from 1931, the year it was completed, the Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world. It lost that designation with the construction of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in 1972.
How many of these facts are you aware of?
Questions to Answer As You Plan Your Trip
My blog buddy, Tony Newboult, who blogs at A Wobbly Rotten Neutron, is planning to visit New York City this fall with his two teenage children. It’s not their first trip to the Big Apple but the first one that I’ve promised to help him plan.
I asked him a few preliminary questions when he told me but once I started making a list of things they should do when they’re here, I realized I needed a bit more information. The list I came up with below is one I think a travel agent would probably need but it can be used by anyone who’s planning a trip.
Here are some questions I came up with:
- Where do you plan to go?
- When do you want to go?
- What’s the purpose of your trip?
- How long do you plan to stay?
- How many people will be traveling with you? What are their ages?
- What type of accommodation do you prefer? Hotel, Guest House, Villa, Bed and Breakfast, Hostel, etc.
- Will (name of place) be your primary destination or will you be traveling around?
- If you’re planning to travel to other places, do you want to fly, go by train, bus, car, etc.?
- What do you like to do when you travel?
- What’s on your must see list?
- Is there anything you don’t want to do/see?
Although it’s not listed above, one of the most important considerations is budget. How much Tony or anyone has to spend will determine what kind of trip he will have.
Since Tony’s British, he won’t need a visa for the U.S. He also won’t need vaccinations. But he should consider getting travel insurance and bring any medications he needs. If he or any of his children has food allergies or is a vegetarian, he should disclose this to the airline so other arrangements can be made.
With answers to these questions, it’s easy to plan your own trip or one for a friend.
What do you think? What other questions would you include?
Weekly Photo Challenge – Textured
Innocence Lost – 9/11 Remembered
My office, a block south of Grand Central, is empty except for one person when I arrive at a few minutes past nine on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. I greet him as I go towards my desk and ask where everyone is.
Without taking his eyes from his monitor, he says casually, “Oh, they’re in the lunch room. Somebody flew a plane into the World Trade Center. If you look out the window, you can see the smoke.”
Walking the few feet to the window, I think how unlucky people in the WTC are. I remember the 1993 bombing and news footage of employees emerging from the building covered by something whitish. I remember the look of terror on some of their faces.
With many of its employees traumatized by the experience, my company made the bold decision to move from the thirteenth floor at One World Trade Center to the fifth floor of a building almost a world away on Park Avenue.
When I get to the window, I notice an unimpressive plume of smoke curling its way towards the sky. This had to be a small private plane or tour helicopter, I think. Several companies take tourists on helicopter tours of New York City everyday. One must have crashed.
Saturday, 9/10/11
In the aftermath of September 11 (9/11), many people commented on the significance of the date 9/11. 911 is the number we call when we need help. The first flight that crashed into the Twin Towers was American Flight 11. Including the hijackers, that flight carried 92 passengers (9 + 2 = 11).
Emails that floated around at the time, gave more details on the numbers, some were just too farfetched to believe.
But as I looked at today’s date, I noticed that it 9/10/11 lines up in perfect numerical sequence. I have no idea what if means or if it means anything. If it does, can someone enlighten me?
What do you think? Does it mean anything? Did you even notice?
Friday, 9/9/11
It’s the weekend of the 10th anniversary of September 11th and I really didn’t want to be in New York. I want to be someplace far away where there’s no television blasting wall-to-wall coverage, no extra police presence, no threats of terror threats.
All this is probably why my brain feels like it’s shut down. Why I feel like I’m under siege.
September used to be a pleasant month for me. I looked forward to the Labor Day weekend, the changing leaves, the inevitable slowing down of life’s hectic pace. The days go by smoothly until the 11th rises like an unexpected roadblock, one that some years feels easier to go round. Not this one. I feel anxious; I want to hide.
While I didn’t lose anyone in the World Trade Center, I feel deeply for and empathize with those who did. In one week, I lost a significant friendship and before I could even begin to grieve, I received word about my mother. We had spoken just hours before. Seven months later, my grandmother was also gone. These losses changed my life in many fundamental ways.
September 11th also changed our lives. As I write, police sirens screech in the distance. It could be for reasons totally unrelated but it’s hard not to connect it to the upcoming anniversary.
An unexpected consequence of that day is that flying, in particular, is not as pleasurable as it used to be. A simple thing like opening a bank account is now subject to deeper levels of scrutiny, and the government has broader powers to spy on us and intercept our communications. But are we truly any safer?
Life has returned to Lower Manhattan and the World Trade Center site but it’s difficult to see it and not remember.
A 9/11 Memorial, a tribute to those who fell will open to the families on Sunday and to the public on Monday, September 12th. Maybe I’ll visit.
Getting There:
If you’re in the New York City area and want to visit, passes must be obtained before you go and can be obtained by going to the website.
The best way to get there is by public transportation. Several subway (A, C, J, M, R, Z, 4, and 5) and bus lines (M5, M20 and M22) stop within walking distance, and the E, 1, 2, and 3 and New Jersey PATH trains to go directly to the WTC terminal.
Hours: Monday-Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
Travel Photo Thursday – Nobel Square
These sculptures which honor South Africa’s four Nobel Prize winners, Nkosi Albert Luthuli, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, former State President F.W. de Klerk and former President Nelson Mandela, are located on the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
Created by two of South Africa’s most accomplished female sculptors – Noria Mabasa and Claudette Schreuders – they were unveiled on December 16, 2005, South Africa’s Day of Reconciliation.
This is my submission to this week’s Budget Travelers Sandbox Travel Photo Thursday series. Be sure to check out other photo and story entries on their website!
