Category: New York City

A Trip to Governors Island

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

Last weekend, I took the 5-minute ferry ride from Manhattan to Governors Island for Fête Paradiso. It was my first time visiting the island and I realized pretty quickly that I didn’t know much about it.

Governors Island is located about a half mile from the southern end or Lower Manhattan. The island is 172 acres, a mile long, and a quarter of a mile wide.

Governors Island ferry entrance
Governors Island

New York’s Native Americans had called the island Paggank or ‘Nut Island,’ for the number of oak, hickory and chestnut trees there. The Dutch also called it Nut Island but during the British colonial period it was reserved exclusively for use for New York’s royal governors and renamed Governors Island in 1784.

Governors Island served as a military base and Coast Guard installation for more than 200 years. During that time, it was off limits to the public.

There are three historic forts on the island. Two – Fort Jay and Castle Williams – were named National Monuments in 2001.

Governors Island became part of New York, legally, in 2003 when the federal government transferred the island to the City and State of New York. The City, through the Trust for Governors Island, is responsible for the operation, planning and redevelopment of the island.

Mayor Bloomberg, the current mayor, has earmarked $250 million to make Governors Island into a public open space with educational, not-for-profit, and commercial facilities.

Governors Island is open from Memorial Day to the end of September and hosts a variety of free artistic and cultural events during the season. In addition to Fête Paradiso, the day I went, there was an art exhibit in several of the historic houses on Nolan Row as well as handmade gifts and personal items like T-shirts, hats, scarves, etc., available for sale.

Governors Island is open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and Holiday Mondays and private events such as weddings, family reunions, picnics, and corporate outings can be held there.

No alcohol can be taken to the island. However, alcohol can be purchased at designated areas. Barbequing, cooking and grilling are also not permitted.

Governors Island is accessible by ferry only; no private vehicles are allowed. Ferry service is available from Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan and from Brooklyn and Queens.

Governors Island is a charming oasis with incredible views of Manhattan. It’s the perfect place to spend an afternoon bike riding, walking or just relaxing.

Linking up with Travel Photo Mondays which Noel at Travel Photo Discovery organizes.

Fete Paradiso on Governors Island

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

When I saw a tweet last Saturday about Fête Paradiso, I knew right away I had to experience it. Billed as the world’s first festival of vintage French carnival rides and carousels, it debuted on New York’s Governors Island in July and is coming to an end on September 29th. But I had plans though I had some flexibility on Sunday.

I was pretty excited as I left the house early Sunday morning. Riding the subway to the ferry that would take me to Governors Island, I tried to guess which of the other passengers – especially those with kids in tow – was on their way to the festival.

It was a beautiful morning with blue skies and brilliant sunshine, perfect for a day outdoors. The ferry ride from the westside of Manhattan to Governors Island lasted about 5 minutes, just long enough to ratchet up the excitement of the kids, young and young at heart, on board.

I didn’t know where on the island Fete Paradiso would be located – I doubt most people knew – but we fell into groups and followed the sound of the carnival music. Looking down, I noticed that horses had been drawn in different colors on the road. Like breadcrumbs, they pointed out the way and confirmed we were going in the right direction.

It was fun to see the different rides and the detailed work on these rare 19th and early 20th century museum-quality pieces. It was even more fun to hear the kids scream with the delight as they whizzed around on the rides, and watch the parents watch and photograph them.

I put down my camera long enough to take a ride on the bicycle carousel, the velocipede. One of the few carousels for adults and children, I had watched for a moment before deciding to take a ride. I felt like I was flying through the air as we pumped our legs furiously to keep up with the mechanical pedals. After a few minutes, though, my ankle couldn’t handle it so I propped up my foot and kept going until the ride was over. In all, it took about 3 delightful minutes.

Fete Paradiso's velocipede
On the velocipede

As I was leaving the velocipede, the attendant told me that it was created in the late 19th century to encourage Parisians to try out the bicycle, which was then the new transportation kid on the block. Considering how popular bicycles are now, it’s hard to imagine people had to be encouraged to ride but I can understand. Change is sometimes difficult to embrace. This velocipede is just one of two in the world; the other was featured in the film, Midnight in Paris. (I don’t remember seeing it so I’ve got to keep my eyes peeled next time. And now I can say I’ve been on one!)

The line for food, which was prepared specially for Fete Paradiso by the French bistro, Le Gamin, was several rows long but I wasn’t hungry so after my ride on the velocipede, I decided to leave.

Fete Paradiso enjoys its final run this weekend. It closes on Sunday, September 29th, so if you like carousels and rides and you’re in the New York City area, you should definitely not miss this.

Tickets to Fete Paradiso cost $3 per ride, $25 for 10. The ferry is free and leaves every 30 minutes from Manhattan’s Battery Marine Building on South and Whitehall Street. Ferry service is also available from Brooklyn. You can read more about Fete Paradiso here.

 

Linking up with Travel Photo Thursday, that Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox organizes. Be sure to head over and check out more photos from locations around the world.

Fall in New York City

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

I’ve always enjoyed the fall and this year, I get to spend part of it in New York City, one of my favorite places.

After being in Jamaica, where the temperature rarely dips below 70 degrees in most places, I have a new appreciation for the cool, crisp air that fall brings. You can almost feel the switch that comes as the last days of August usher in September and the frenetic pace of summer gives way to the gentleness of fall.

Here are a few of the fall activities that I look forward to doing.

1.     West Indian American Carnival – This annual cultural extravaganza takes place in Brooklyn on Labor Day and signals the end of summer. Millions come out to prance and ‘wine’ and enjoy the vibrant celebration of West Indian culture.

Fall in New York - a Carnival Queen
Taking photos with the queen

2.     Brooklyn Book Festival – Started in 2006 by Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz, to give voice to the writers who call Brooklyn home, the BBF has since expanded to include writers from outside the borough. The festival, which is free, will be held on September 22nd at Borough Hall and other venues.

3.     Wine Tastings – Each fall, we drive out to Long Island’s North Fork to meet friends for our usual wine country tour. We try to visit two or three vineyards and have lunch then drive back to the city. I’ve always wanted to check out some of the wine festivals in New Jersey, and might do that this year as well.

4.     Broadway comes alive – Fall also means the new theater season begins on and off-Broadway. Here’s what I’m looking forward to seeing: After Midnight, The Glass Menagerie, Macbeth, Richard III, and Waiting for Godot.

West Side Story

5.     Fall Fashion Week – Not just for fashionistas and big name designers, Fall Fashion Week is a chance to get a peek at they styles that will be in the stores in spring and check out the work of designers who’re not yet household names. Fall Fashion Week is on until September 12th.

Fall is not only about the turning of the leaves or the coolness in the air, it’s also the time I celebrate my birthday. The party lasts all month and usually involves a themed event, and a trip north to Toronto to celebrate with my friends from university.

This post is part of the fall blog carnival hosted by Patti at One Road at a Time. Be sure to check out what other bloggers have to say about fall.

Culture on Display at the West Indian American Carnival

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

The Labor Day weekend means one thing to New York’s West Indian American community: the West Indian American Carnival! Now in its 46th year, the Carnival bills itself as the greatest carnival in North America. It is perhaps New York’s largest cultural festival.

The celebration of carnival began in the 1920s as a private event among the West Indian communities in Harlem. It became an official event in 1947, when a Trinidadian woman received a permit from the city to organize a street festival on Labor Day. In 1964, the city revoked the permit because of a disturbance at one event.

The festival resumed in 1969, in a new location – Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway – perhaps following the migration of West Indians from Harlem. It also had an organizing committee, the West Indian American Day Carnival Association, which, under the 32-year stewardship of Carlos Lezama grew into the signature event it is today.

The West Indian American Carnival, 2013

Each year, the carnival kicks off on Thursday with a music festival, featuring some of the region’s popular entertainers. On Friday, there’s a Youth Fest and a Brass Fest; and a Junior Carnival Parade and Panorama Steelband Competition on Saturday. Fat Sunday (Dimanche Gras) features the winner of the steelband competition as well as the king and queen costume winners.

West Indian American Carnival Queen
Taking photos with the queen

And on Labor Day Monday, the activities come to a grand finale with parade which attracts elected officials – the Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz, has been the grand master for the last several years – business leaders, members of the Caribbean diplomatic corps and between one and three million people. They line the Eastern Parkway parade route from Schenectady Avenue to Grand Army Plaza enjoying Caribbean food, the many floats, costumed bands, and the sounds of Soca, Reggae, Zouk, Kompa, Salsa and Calypso.

Junior Carnival, West Indian American Carnival
Watching the Junior or Kiddie Carnival

Like most West Indians, I look forward to carnival and have spent many a Labor Day on the Parkway. Had it not been for my not-totally-back-to-normal-ankle, I would have been there this year. The junior carnival was a good compromise as I’d never been and I was curious to see the youngsters do their thing. Yes, carnival is not only for the adults.

Junior Carnival, West Indian American Carnival
Junior Carnival

It was nearly 2 pm when I arrived at the Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum station. As I exited the subway, I was surprised to see several parents and their costumed youngsters waiting to board. Was the carnival finished? I was relieved when one mom said her daughter had already performed and they were going home to rest. Outside the station, more people were sitting on benches near the museum’s entrance or milling around.

I followed the sound of soca music to the area behind the museum where the carnival was taking place. There were food vendors, face painters and people, lots of people, flags waving, flags tied on their wrists, or dressed in the colors of their respective flags. There was pride and excitement in the air.

There were only a few bleacher seats and they were already taken so I joined a group of people standing partially under the shade of a large tree. But I was so far back, I could hardly see the stage when the different camps danced and paraded before the judges, without raising myself on to my toes – something I could have done easily pre-accident. I was lucky to get a few photos. I’ll just have to get there earlier next time.

Linking up this week with Travel Photo Thursday, which Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox organizes.

New York’s Fashion Walk of Fame

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

′Think New York and you’ll think either theater, fashion or finance.  Theater has Broadway, finance has Wall Street with its iconic bull, and fashion has Seventh or Fashion Avenue.

Did you know that Fashion Avenue has a Fashion Walk of Fame?

Established in 1999 by the Fashion Center Business Improvement District (BID), the Fashion Walk of Fame celebrates American designers who have influenced fashion worldwide. Twenty-eight designers have been inducted into the Walk of Fame to date. Each has a bronze plaque that is engraved with a description of the designer’s contribution, and an original sketch. Each bears the designer’s signature. The plaques are embedded in the sidewalk on Fashion Avenue from 35th to 41st Street.

Plaques commemorating designers on Fashion Walk of Fame
Fashion Walk of Fame

Continue reading “New York’s Fashion Walk of Fame” →

My Year of Travelling in Jamaica & Elsewhere, Pt II

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

As 2012 drew to a close, I was plagued by the notion that I didn’t do enough travelling. It was making me feel a bit regretful so I started making a list — I love lists! Sure enough, I realized I had done a lot of travelling in Jamaica and that made me smile. I had even managed to slip in a few trips to New York and Toronto.

My photos helped to bring back memories of each place I’d visited, the people I’d met and the experiences I’d had. In the end, I realized that it wasn’t a bad year of travel after all.

Appleton Rum Tour
Appleton Rum Tour

Rum has become my drink of choice and in 2012, I was fortunate to visit Appleton Estate, the undisputed home of rum, twice. While the first visit was an amazing experience (we were offered rum punch and 13 rums to sample!), on the second visit, I joined the Jamaica Rum Society on a deluxe tour that came complete with a complimentary bus, tour guide, and bartender who served us sandwiches and as much Appleton Estate Extra and the Master Blender as we could handle.

On arrival at Appleton, we were welcomed with complimentary breakfast. We did the usual tour but at the end, we had a private tasting with four premium Appleton rums. Afterwards, we were certified as Appleton rum ambassadors.

The Colors of Independence
The Colors of Independence

In 2012, Jamaica hosted a year-long celebration of her 50th anniversary of independence from Britain. In August, I took these photos at the Independence Village that was set up at the National Stadium in Kingston.

The Colors of Independence
The Colors of Independence

In St. Ann, my cousin pointed out this statue of Christopher Columbus, near Seville – the place where he landed when he arrived in Jamaica in 1494.

La Santa Maria, Christopher Columbus Statue, Jamaica
La Santa Maria, Christopher Columbus Statue, Jamaica

Continue reading “My Year of Travelling in Jamaica & Elsewhere, Pt II” →

New York City at Christmas

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

Christmas decorations start going up on stores, office buildings and private homes in New York City right after Thanksgiving. The decorations are sometimes simple, sometimes elaborate. No matter, they put a smile on my face and help me get into the spirit of the season. I’m sure they do the same for others, which is why there are usually scores of people milling around.

Screen shot 2012-12-18 at 9.07.35 AM
All Dressed Up for Christmas

Each Christmas, this building on 6th Avenue near 50th Street decorates with these large red balls but every year when I see them, it feels like the first time (at least to me). A little Christmas magic, perhaps?

Red balls decorate building in New York
All Dressed Up
Lipstick lights decorate a building in New York
All Dressed Up in color
Radio City Music Hall tree
All Dressed Up – Radio City Music Hall

Continue reading “New York City at Christmas” →

How Not to Get Sucked in by Times Square Electronic Stores

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

Up to 70% off all cameras, the sign screamed, its bright red letters unmistakable against the white background. It could have been there for months but on that day late last year, it drew me in.

I’d heard about them before I even moved to New York – these stores around Times Square that pull you in with the promise of good deals on electronic items. For years, I never even looked their way. Then, on an impulse, and thinking I was immune to the hard sell, I walked in.

Yes, young lady. What can I help you with today?

Just looking, I said, in my best I’m-not-interested voice.

You looking for a phone? camera? We’ve got the iPhone, iPad and all the cameras, all on sale. Seventy percent off. You looking for a camera?

At this point, I thought, what the heck?

Yes, I’m looking for a camera, I replied nonchalantly.

What kind of camera?

Canon, I told him.

Well, the Canon’s a good camera, but you’ve got to try this one.

Continue reading “How Not to Get Sucked in by Times Square Electronic Stores” →

New York City Before Hurricane Sandy

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

Last week, I waited anxiously for Hurricane Sandy to arrive here. Though western and central Jamaica were spared miraculously, when Sandy changed course, the eastern side bore the brunt of the damage and large parts of it are now disaster areas.

This week, I’ve been glued to the television, once again feeling powerless, switching from one channel to the next, looking in absolute disbelief at the images from my other home, New York City. Thankfully, so far, everyone I’ve been in touch with is fine. But my city isn’t.

Continue reading “New York City Before Hurricane Sandy” →

In the Shadow of 9/11

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

Being in New York on September 12, 2001 was like living Hollywood’s depiction of the End. The normally bustling city was eerily quiet as if everyone had left in hurry.

The World had shifted, and we who were still around were holding our collective breaths, unsure what our next move should be.

I took the subway to work, not because I had to but because I couldn’t watch any more television, and because I wanted everything to go back to normal, in a New York minute. Somehow, I thought, if I willed myself to go out, the city would do the same. That spirit of resilience did return but it would take months for the new normal to take shape.

A few weeks shy of the first anniversary, I found myself working next door to the site. From my office

New World Trade Center Building
New World Trade Center Building

window, 9 floors up, I could look straight down into the crater that was once the World Trade Center. I did, once, and that was enough. I kept playing back the images I’d seen on television of people jumping to their deaths. I tried to imagine the terror that pushed them to make that choice. It was difficult for me to fathom.

Each morning as I walked the narrow path that wound its way through the cleanup site and lead to my office, I wondered if the spot I had just put my foot was the place someone had died.

No matter how early I went to work, people clogged the path and lined the chain link fence that surrounded it. I couldn’t understand why anyone who didn’t need to be there wanted to and worse, to bring children, some still in strollers.

No one wore masks or covered their noses from the acrid stench that stained the air like bad gas. I dreaded going to work until I discovered a new subway stop that bypassed the site altogether. It meant a longer walk, but it was worth it.

On that first anniversary, I wept during the minute of silence at work. I wept for the victims, their families and for my city.

By the time work took me to New Jersey, the debris had cleared. And as the PATH train snaked through what was the lower levels of World Trade Center station, I turned my back, I didn’t want to look. I still couldn’t shake the feeling that I was disturbing the dead.

I was relieved when construction started to take shape and the new towers began to rise quickly, triumphantly to the sky.

The events of 9/11 cast a long shadow over New York City and the U.S. It was the closest thing to war for me. I can’t forget, I won’t forget but I can smile because New York City has healed. New York City has found its new normal.

Update: Two of my friends in New York emailed me that today’s an almost exact replica of 9/11. Besides it being a Tuesday, the skies are beautiful, not a cloud and the air is crisp.