Monday Night Movies in Bryant Park

View from the Terrace Cafe

----A Postcards from New York Encore----

Since this article first appeared, two new places have opened across from the Park that we recommend you consider in your picnic plans; Pret a Manger for terrific organic sandwiches and Crumbs for the most delectable cupcakes in a wide variety of flavors.

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Dear Postcards from New York Reader,

Bryant Park on 42nd Street behind the New York Public Library has long been a lunchtime refuge for corporate employees working in the area and students from the State University of New York School of Optometry across the street.

Years ago, from my office in the AT&T Building (now Met Life) on the Avenue of the Americas, I looked down upon the park and realized the geometrically laid out spaces for grass and trees were deliberately designed to compliment the architecture of the Library. From my high vantage point, it was immediately evident that the early 20th century building was planned to replicate an Italian Renaissance or Baroque Palazzo (Palace) with the requisite landscaped garden to provide a pastoral retreat from city life.

The park's tranquil beauty, café umbrellas, comfortable chairs and tables, make it an ideal location for a picnic. Invite a friend to meet you for lunch or after work for a short visit. You can pick up everything you need close-by.

Select a bottle of chilled wine from a wide variety at Park Ave Wines and Spirits, 292 Madison Avenue, between 40th and 41st. Then, stop by Zeytinz, direcly across from the Park on 40th St, for fruit, crackers, sandwiches, breadsticks and of course, cheese. One nice touch, they have a place where you can wash the fresh fruit.

This Monday evening the HBO sponsored Summer Film Festival begins and the Park becomes the “place to be." Thousands of New Yorker's with picnic baskets and hampers in all shapes and sizes will be there to eat, lounge on the grass and toast glasses of wine. Get there early to secure a spot as the festival kicks off with those two cunning hearttrobs Robert Redford and Paul Newman in "The Sting."

Other popular classics on the menu this summer include: "Dog Day Afternoon," "Kramer vs Kramer" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Click here for dates and check out the many events from Yoga and Tai Chi, knitting, poetry readings and jazz concerts that keep Bryant Park abuzz with activity from early morning to late at night.

Jacqueline Cable
For Postcards from New York


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Addresses to remember: Bryant Park, 42nd Street and Avenue of the Americas. Visit web site to learn more about the parks beautiful flower arrangements, events like free tai chi classes, music and dance performances, poetry and book readings http://www.bryantpark.org/.

Zeytinz, 24 West 40th Street,http://www.zeytinz.com/, 212-575-8080.

Park Ave Wine and Spirits, 292 Madison Avenue, between 40 and 41st Street, 212-685-2442, http://www.parkaveliquor.com/.


Directions: From Times Square MTA A, E, C, 1, 2, 3, 7, S, R, N, Q a short walk to Avenue of the Americas.

If you like today's issue, why not become a subscriber to Postcards from New York? To start receiving your own copy of Postcards, click here. Or, forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to receive Postcards from New York too.

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Photo by Joseph Knight



© Copyright 2007-9 The Cable Group.

Captain Henry's 'Half Moon' Sails the Hudson 1609 - 2009

On route to Albany once more

Dear Postcard from New York Reader,

A year long celebration of Henry Hudson's voyage up the river that bears his name began a couple of months ago in Amsterdam, but officially gets underway here this weekend when The Half Moon (a replica of Hudson's ship) leads a flotilla up the river to Albany. The impressive fleet will retrace Hudson's 1409 journey in search of a Northwest Passage to China.

New York and the Netherlands have staged a series of exhibits and events in both places along the waterfront, at botanical gardens, museums and architectural landmarks, to make this an excellent occasion to reflect on New York's Dutch roots, and to honor the many contributions of early Dutch settlers and why many sites, streets and parks bare their names.

How did an English sailor happen to arrive here as captain of a ship owned by the Dutch East Indian Company in 1409?

Take a walk through the Dutch Rooms of the Metropolitan Museum's European Art Collection; notice the many portraits of prosperous soberly clad businessmen and their wives by Rubens, Van Dyck, Rembrandt and Frans Hals. They are the visible evidence of the wealth of Amsterdam, Haarlem and the Dutch Republic in the 17th century. Surrounded by water, ships and trade were the life blood of their economy; they were one of the first with the idea that a quick way to China could be found around the Artic Ocean's ice. Such a trade route would have made Dutch merchants even richer than they were.

The man they sent in search of the "Northeast Passage" was Captain Henry Hudson. We know he never found China, but his voyage gave Dutch settlers the right to lay claims to what would become New Amsterdam. Near the entrance of the Museum of the American Indian, you will find a sculpture that marks the spot where Peter Minuit in 1626 made a deal with the Mahican tribe to purchase Manahatta -"island of hills."

Before your calendar becomes crowded with summer activities check the Henry Hudson 400 website now and plan to attend many of the events scheduled throughout the five boroughs; one that will give you a chance to climb abroad the Half Moon and experience what it might have been like to sail such a small ship on the high seas is at the Atlantic Salt Company maritime festival on Staten Island, August 29th.

Jacqueline Cable
For Postcards from New York



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Address to Remember: Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island, NY 10004, 212-363-3206, http://www.nps/gov/stli

Directions: From Times Square MTA 1 to South Ferry, R, W to Whitehall, short walk. Ferry to Liberty Island departs from South Ferry.

If you like today's issue, why not become a subscriber to Postcards from New York? To start receiving your own copy visit http://www.postcardsfromnewyork.com/ and enter your email address. Or, forward this to a friend so they can sign-up to receive Postcards from New York too.

You can choose to receive Postcards From New York as an e-mail or RSS feed. Click on the small orange button on the right side of the webpage to activate the RSS. Then you will receive new "Postcards" on your email homepage, or enter your email address on the Home Page at www.postcardsfromnewyork.com to receive "Postcards" via email. Be sure to check your email in-box for a confirmation email, then just click where indicated to activate your subscription.

Photo courtesy of Journal News




© Copyright 2007-9 The Cable Group

Staten Island Ferry - Voyage across New York Harbor

The tip of Manhattan as the ferry leaves Whitehall

----A Postcard from New York Encore----

Since we suggested the Staten Island Ferry as a complement to a visit to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in the last Postcard--New York for Kids.

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Dear Postcards from New York Reader,

Lift your face to catch the cool breeze off the water as the ferry slowly pulls away from the dock, become mesmerized by the stoic beauty of the tall buildings that crowd the shoreline along State Street.

On the rare occasions when I take the time to make the trip, I wonder once more, why I don't do this more often. It's only a half-hour ride each way; an hour round-trip. Yet time is always the issue. It is the recurring New York "problem," too many things to do--too little time.

No inside seat for me, I remain on deck the entire voyage, speechless as I suck in the serenity of the almost cloudless azure blue sky and gently rippling waves dappled with sunlight. Never quite prepared, but always anxious for the moment when I cross over to the opposite deck and my eyes are caught, arrested might better describe it, by the sublime beauty and graceful line of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. It never fails to take my breath away.

Yes, the Golden Gate, London Bridge, and Brooklyn Bridge are magnificent engineering achievements, but they cannot compare with the Verrazano's sweeping elegance.

Standing at the mouth of Upper and Lower New York Bay it overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. Its long lilting cables and slender towers painted "battleship gray," make it appear to melt into the skyline and become a natural extension of the landscape rather than something man-made.

Experience the Verrazano's majestic beauty and enjoy the waters refreshing cool. The Staten Island Ferry departs almost every half hour every day from Whitehall Terminal. And, I'm surprised most people don't know this. It is free!

Best time to avoid the crowds, early Sunday morning, the ferry's almost empty. Once on Staten Island, don't rush back; there's lots to explore, like the Staten Island Botanical Garden, with its Chinese Scholars Garden, the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Alice Austen House and the Garibaldi Meucci Museum.

Jacqueline Cable
For Postcards from New York


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Address to remember: Staten Island Ferry Whitehall Terminal.

Directions: From Times Square, MTA 1 to South Ferry, N, R, or W to Whitehall Street.

If you like today's issue, why not become a subscriber to Postcards from New York? To start receiving your own copy of Postcards, click here. Or, forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to receive Postcards from New York too.

You can choose to receive Postcards From New York as an e-mail or RSS feed. Click on the small orange button on the right side of the webpage to activate the RSS. Then you will receive new "Postcards" on your email homepage, or enter your email address on the Home Page at www.postcardsfromnewyork.com to receive "Postcards" via email. Be sure to check your email in-box for a confirmation email, then just click where indicated to activate your subscription.

Photos by Joseph Knight

Copyright 2007-9 The Cable Group