%5B1%5D.JPG)
Dear Postcards from New York Reader,
Three tiny ships that changed the world; See them floating on the pedestal standing in the center of always-busy Columbus Circle.
High above them, their great Admiral Cristoforo Colombo looks over the horizon, intent and resolute, the way one imagines he once looked over an endless sea of water from the deck of the Santa Maria. Hand on his hip, his lucca (long coat) below his knees, leggings, and balloon trousers, long locks under his cap, even today he is a commanding presence.
When Constantinople (present day Istanbul) fell to the Turks in 1453, all the land routes to India and China, in use from the days of Marco Polo, were suddenly lost. European kings, queens, merchants, nobles and townspeople anxious for markets and eastern products, made new trade routes imperative. 1488 saw Portuguese sailors successfully circle Africa's Cape of Good Hope, while Colombo sought a western route, against all odds and at great peril.
What made this voyage so adventurous? For millenniums, ships navigated the Mediterranean almost always close to the shoreline or within a day's sight of land. When the Portuguese circled Africa, however rugged the journey, they were never far from the coastline. Colombo's crews saw nothing but water for more than 30 days! Any wonder their panic increased with each passing day. Several times, they threatened mutiny.
The captains of the Nina and the Pinta secretly prepared to turn back. With his life in danger, Columbo resigned to abandon his mission on October 11, and decided to turn the ships around. Then, in the early hours of the 33rd day, the cry came from the lookout on the Nina, (Rodrigo de Triana), "Tierra! Tierra!" (Land! Land!)
With Colombo's "discovery" of the New World, modern history begins. The Atlantic would soon overshadow the Mediterranean's former trade dominance.
The Columbus Day Parade and a special exhibit in Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Station through October 13*, give us special reason to pause and acknowledge Colombo's and other Italians many significant contributions to our history. Amerigo Vespucci gave his name to two continents. Giovanni da Verrazano, Fiorello LaGuardia, Mother Cabrini, Maria Montessori are others we remember, to name just a few.
For Kids
Three tiny ships that changed the world; See them floating on the pedestal standing in the center of always-busy Columbus Circle.
High above them, their great Admiral Cristoforo Colombo looks over the horizon, intent and resolute, the way one imagines he once looked over an endless sea of water from the deck of the Santa Maria. Hand on his hip, his lucca (long coat) below his knees, leggings, and balloon trousers, long locks under his cap, even today he is a commanding presence.
When Constantinople (present day Istanbul) fell to the Turks in 1453, all the land routes to India and China, in use from the days of Marco Polo, were suddenly lost. European kings, queens, merchants, nobles and townspeople anxious for markets and eastern products, made new trade routes imperative. 1488 saw Portuguese sailors successfully circle Africa's Cape of Good Hope, while Colombo sought a western route, against all odds and at great peril.
What made this voyage so adventurous? For millenniums, ships navigated the Mediterranean almost always close to the shoreline or within a day's sight of land. When the Portuguese circled Africa, however rugged the journey, they were never far from the coastline. Colombo's crews saw nothing but water for more than 30 days! Any wonder their panic increased with each passing day. Several times, they threatened mutiny.
The captains of the Nina and the Pinta secretly prepared to turn back. With his life in danger, Columbo resigned to abandon his mission on October 11, and decided to turn the ships around. Then, in the early hours of the 33rd day, the cry came from the lookout on the Nina, (Rodrigo de Triana), "Tierra! Tierra!" (Land! Land!)
With Colombo's "discovery" of the New World, modern history begins. The Atlantic would soon overshadow the Mediterranean's former trade dominance.
The Columbus Day Parade and a special exhibit in Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Station through October 13*, give us special reason to pause and acknowledge Colombo's and other Italians many significant contributions to our history. Amerigo Vespucci gave his name to two continents. Giovanni da Verrazano, Fiorello LaGuardia, Mother Cabrini, Maria Montessori are others we remember, to name just a few.
For Kids
After the Parade, make it a day; Take the Staten Island Ferry and visit the Garibaldi Meucci Museum.
On a personal note, I pause to remember that centuries ago the name Cable ended with a "z", Cablez. Colombo, thinking he had reached islands off the coast of India and China, named almost all the islands of the West Indies. St. Kitts, a particular favorite, was named for his patron saint, St Christopher. This is the home of my paternal ancestors, and in the 1780's, my family founded the first newspaper on the island, The St. Christopher Star.
On a personal note, I pause to remember that centuries ago the name Cable ended with a "z", Cablez. Colombo, thinking he had reached islands off the coast of India and China, named almost all the islands of the West Indies. St. Kitts, a particular favorite, was named for his patron saint, St Christopher. This is the home of my paternal ancestors, and in the 1780's, my family founded the first newspaper on the island, The St. Christopher Star.
Gérard Depardieu's stirring portrayal of Colombo gives us some sense of his many trials during his great discovery in 1492 - Conquest of Paradise
.
.* Do not allow the week to pass without visiting the sumptuous exhibit of Italy's many beautiful regions at Grand Central Station. There are exquisite Vespa's and Maserati's on display begging to be driven.
Address to Remember: Columbus Circle, New York, New York 10019.
Directions: From Times Square, MTA 1, A, C, E, to 59th Street, or M10 or M104 Bus to 59th Street.
Photo by Joseph Knight
©Copyright 2007 The Cable Group
