20 Minutes from Midtown: A National Treasure

The Bronx River

Dear Postcards from New York Reader,

This past weekend, a friend and I decided to head up to the New York Botanical Garden to see the Orchid Show. The plan was to stay out of the cold and leisurely linger over the exquisite flowers; in the hope their vivid tropical colors would hasten spring.

We never made it.

Despite the brisk wind and chill in the air, the open sky and white untouched snow was too bewitching to resist. We quickly forgot about the cold, the comfort of being indoors and opted for a walk around the grounds.

Snow on the streets of New York City is white for only one day before it is piled high and dumped on the sides of streets, where it quickly turns black from air pollution and the constant churn of traffic.

What a difference here, just 20 minutes from Grand Central Station, it feels like you’re in the country; with forest so dense you could be in the Adirondacks. Pristine snow blankets the landscape in silence. Bare leafless trees stand out from the endless varieties of evergreens and pine, their stark beauty a pronounced contrast to the bushy pines.

On the way to the Native Forest, I interrupted a family of boys in the middle of a snowball fight with their Dad. Further on, I met a young man, about four years old, walking a distance from his father, who proudly told me about the many birds he had just seen; one actually ate from his hand. His eyes lit up with excitement when he described a swooping hawk.

My favorite thing is to follow the forest trail. 25 acres of untouched woodland looks very much the way it did when Indians inhabited the region centuries ago. The deep snow made a trek impossible, so I walked along the forest perimeter and discovered something I had not seen before; a rustic stone mill. Built in the 17th century, it stands at the edge of the Bronx River where the sound of rushing water is overpowering. Look below the bridge nearby to capture a mesmerizing view; you’ll see the river frozen in sections, full rapids in others and then a cascading waterfall.

The changing vistas of sky though the course of the afternoon coupled with the buzzing activity of wildlife, from busy squirrels to varieties of birds, made every moment special until we were chased from the grounds at closing time. Click here to see more pictures. Go to: A Day at the Botanical Garden, and select view as a slide show.

Don’t let the cold weather pass before you see the New York Botanical Garden in its winter beauty.

Jacqueline Cable
For Postcards from New York

Address to remember: New York Botanical Garden, 200th Street at Kazimiroff Blvd, Bronx, NY 10458, 718-817-8700.www.nybg.org.

Hours: Tues-Sun 10 AM – 6 PM.

Directions: Metro North from Grand Central Station to Botanical Garden Station.

Photos by Joseph Knight

© Copyright 2007 The Cable Group

St. Patrick's Day - A Special Way to Celebrate

Bagpipers on Fifth Avenue

Dear Postcards from New York Reader,

The sounds of bagpipes usher in one of the city's most festive Holiday celebrations. Wear something green and claim Irish heritage for a day.

Mayor Bloomberg and Cardinal Egan will kick things off as thousands line Fifth Avenue from 42nd to 86th Street to watch the parade. Long before it ends, every bar and pub in the city will be packed with lines of people trailing out the door as the Guinness flows freely.

Amidst the spirited revelry, gaiety and leprechaun hats, it’s easy to forget the reason for celebration, the Patron Saint of Ireland’s feast day. Look closely at the cumbersome pipes carried proudly by men in colorful kilts, the tartans of their clans. Those pipes have witnessed three thousand years of Celtic History. Their shrill haunting music mirror not only the lush beauty of the land from which they come but the lilting rhythm and cadence of the Gaelic language.

Make this St. Patrick’s Day a special memory. Unless you visit the far reaches of the Irish Isles or Scotland’s Outer Hebridian Islands, you will not get to hear this live. Experience the rare beauty of the Celtic language first hand at a Mass sung in Gaelic at St. Agnes Church steps from where the parade begins. The tiny Church, tucked away on 43rd Street off Lexington Avenue, is a beautiful setting for the 10 AM Service. Get there early, this promises to be a standing room only affair.

A few words on Ireland’s Patron Saint.

Born on the West Coast of Britain, present-day Wales, around 385, as a boy, Patrick narrowly escaped death when Celtic pirates raided his village. Abducted, taken to Ireland, then sold into slavery, he spent several years of privation and hardship among pagans whose language he struggled to learn in order to survive. As a young man, he risked his life to escape his captors, negotiated passage on a ship sailing to Gaul (France) and eventually found his way back to his family. Years later, in 432, he returned to Ireland as a priest determined to bring Christianity to the people who had enslaved him. His feast day and the soaring Cathedral built to honor his memory celebrate his success at turning a bad experience into something wonderful.

Happy Saint Patty’s Day.

Jacqueline Cable
For Postcards from New York

Address to remember: St. Agnes Church, 141 East 43re Street, between Lexington and 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10017, 212 682-5722.

St. Agnes also offers Latin Mass in Gregorian Chant every Sunday at 11 AM.

Directions: From Times Square MTA S (Shuttle) to Grand Central Station, walk one block.
Bus M101, M102, M103 to 42nd St.

Photo courtesy of nymag.com

© Copyright 2007 The Cable Group

George Washington Slept Here

The Morris-Jumel Mansion


Dear Postcards from New York Reader,

Bundling up to brace against the bitter cold, dodging slush pools and snow banks and tugging tight boots on and off has left me exhausted. Winter cannot come to an end too soon. Moments like this, when I crave an escape, I seek the quiet peace and romance of one of my favorite house museums. Imagine Colonial Period elegance in the midst of skyscrapers and concrete!

From the moment you approach the Morris-Jumel Mansion’s graceful Georgian façade of towering white columns the house comes to life. It is 1770, lively music from violins, cellos, piano and flute float from the house along with the muffled din of dancing feet. The buzz of pleasant conversation and the expectation of light refreshment force you to hasten your pace to join the party. Inside, wide corridors, double parlors, hand-painted wall paper, handsome portraits, antique Chippendale, Empire, and Classical Revival furniture tell the tale of the entertaining that obviously took place here during the Pre-Revolutionary Period in British New York.

Built in 1765, the mansion was once the country home and summer retreat of Colonel Roger and Mary Morris. When war broke out in 1776, Colonel Morris, a British officer, returned to England to raise money for troops and military supplies. His home, meanwhile, was seized by George Washington’s forces and served as his headquarters because of its key strategic location overlooking both the Harlem and Hudson rivers.

Walk slowly around the parlor, dining room and drawing room downstairs then imagine the life of the former inhabitants in the comfortable airy bedrooms upstairs. The furniture in Washington’s study and bedroom painstakingly restored look the way they might have appeared when he lived here. Venture down a narrow staircase, peek in the kitchen below the main floor. Now notice the hearth, odd-shaped curious wrought iron kitchen utensils and cooking accessories once used to toast bread.

The Mansion and beautiful landscaped garden off Roger Morris Park in Harlem is a bit of a hike from midtown, but without a doubt your effort will be pleasantly rewarded. A couple hours spent here allows your imagination free rein and transports you to another era.

Best of all, it’s never crowded. This is a museum only the most discerning New Yorkers have discovered. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis engaged the drawing rooms for private luncheons and tea parties, while Katherine Hepburn found the gardens a welcome refuge from her East Side townhouse. If you are lucky, you may find you have the place all to yourself.

Suggestion: When you return to midtown, take a taxi. Ask your driver to drive south through Central Park. The wooded landscape will give you a sense of what this area of the city looked like in the late 18th and early 19th century when cultivated farmland, grazing sheep and cows were commonplace.


Jacqueline Cable
For Postcards from New York

Address to remember: Morris-Jumel Mansion, Roger Morris Park, 65 Jumel Terrace at 160th St, New York, NY 10032, 212-923-8008. http://www.morrisjumel.org/.


Hours: Weds – Sun 10 AM – 4 PM. Closed holidays.

Admission: $ 4.00 Adults, $3.00 Seniors and Students. Children under 12 free when accompanied by an Adult.

Directions: From Times Square MTA C train to 163rd Street, proceed up St. Nicholas to Roger Morris Park, you will see the Mansion.
Bus M2, M18, M101 to 160th Street, short walk to the Mansion.

Photo courtesy of The Morris-Jumel Mansion

Copyright 2007 The Cable Group ©