Mondays on Memory Lane: MY OFFICE VIEWS FROM THE 102nd FLOOR OF WORLD TRADE CENTER SOUTH TOWER – With the advent of the spire topping off and finishing the new World Trade Center Tower, I will tell you what it was like to work in the original towers. In 1983 I got a job on the 102nd floor of the World Trade Center, the south tower. I was senior project manager of a commercial design firm named Dancker, Sellew & Douglas. I worked there with my dear friend Helene Bernicoff. My desk was right near the tall floor to celing windows. It was incredible.
On my first day to work – I was late! I am German, Germans are never late! But I was. You see, I had calculated the exact amount of time it took to take the subway from Rego Park, Queens to the Trade Center. What I had not calculated on was the vertical traveling time. That took an additional 12-15 minutes. By the time you found an express elevator in the rush hour that had room to take you to floors 50 and 100, then, transferred to the local elevator which took you to floors 101 – 110. . . it was 12 to 15 minutes vertical traveling time! To transfer from a “local” to an “express” was something one usually does with trains and buses, not elevators, it was surreal. Then you had to un-pop your ears every morning as you arrived at your desk. (There were 198 elevators in total).
My view was north. I could see the whole of Manhattan, the Chrysler Building, The Empire State Building, Central Park and far into New Jersey. My friends relied on me for weather forecasts. If the radio said it was a sunny afternoon for the park, I would contradict the radio and say, ‘No, no, I see a big dark weather pattern coming in the from the north or the south’. It was fun.
Northeast view from the original World Trade Center Tower. Woolworth Tower below.
On stormy days the building would sway in the wind, it had to of course. The girls would complain and say they were getting sea sick…no they weren’t, they just wanted to go home to watch their soap operas. There were 12 lobby elevators which expressly took you to the higher floors, twelve of them. Each was the size of a cattle car – huge! On very stormy days, only the outer corner elevators would be operational because we were told the center 10 car cables were not stable enough to handle the swaying…great to know. Once inside the elevator, even the biggest loudmouth shut up. There was always this “silence” in the elevators.
The elevator banks at the World Trade Center
On those stormy days you had to learn to balance yourself. No, not walking – in the toilet. You see, the water in the bathroom bowl swayed the way it does on a ship in stormy high seas. If you weren’t careful, you’d get a wet bottom.
Since we were a design firm, we had many colored markers at our desks. What we would do, is to attach one of the markers from the ceiling with a string and hang it so the tip would touch a piece of paper on our desk. We would watch the marker make the same pattern on the paper over and over again as the building swayed. As the wind shifted, so did the design on the paper. I wish I had kept on of those papers, but it was a novelty taken for granted in those days. There was always ‘white noise’ in the background, the hum/buzz of the air ventilation systems, it was like being on an eight hour airplane ride daily. To work in the clouds – a memory I will never forget and always treasure.
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May 13, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 102nd floor of World Trade Center, 1983, 9/11 memorial, building swaying in wind, Central Park, Chrysler building, Dancker, Empire State Building, express elevator, Hans Von Rittern, Helene Bernicoff, Manhattan, Manhattan views from atop WTC, New Jersey, New York City, Sellew & Douglas, tall floor to celing windows, The Empire State Building, weather pattern, Woolworth Building, World Trade Center, WTC south tower, WTC toilets | 2 Comments
Photo of the day: CIRCLING COLUMBUS – Columbus Circle, named for Christopher Columbus, is a major landmark and point of attraction in New York City, located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue, Broadway, Central Park South and Central Park West.
Completed in 1905 and renovated a century later, the circle was designed by William P. Enos – a businessman who pioneered many early innovations in road safety and traffic control – as part of Frederick Law Olmsted’s vision for Central Park, which included a “Grand Circle” at the Merchants’ Gate, its most important 8th Avenue entrance.
The monument at the center of Columbus Circle, created by Italian sculptor Gaetona Russo was erected as part of New York’s 1892 commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ landing in the Americas. Constructed with funds raised by Il Progresso a New York City-based Italian-language newspaper, raising the money from Italian immigrants with their pennies, nickles and dimes, the monument consists of a marble statue of Columbus atop a 70-foot (21 m) granite column decorated with bronze reliefs representing Columbus’ ships: the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria.
If you are fan of the classic TV show “The Odd Couple”, the fountain was featured in the opening and closing credits in the later runs of the show. At the time the monument was sitting within a fountain, the design of which now has been renovated. The credits’ scene is where Felix meets Oscar by a big fountain in New York City’s Columbus Circle: Oscar throws a cigar butt in the fountain, Felix barks at him to pick it up, and Oscar scoops it up with his shoe then places the wet and soiled cigar butt in Felix’s pocket.
Renovations to the circle completed in 2005 included new water fountains by WET, of Fountains of Bellagio fame; wooden benches; and plantings encircling the monument. The inner circle measures approximately 36,000 square feet (3,300 m2), and the outer circle is approximately 148,000 square feet (13,700 m2). Day or night, it is still of the most majestic places in Manhattan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbYnySdp0d4
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May 2, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 1905, Broadway, Central Park, Central Park South, Central Park West, Christopher Columbus, classic TV show "The Odd Couple", Columbus Circle, Eighth Avenue, Felix Unger, Frederick Law Olmsted, Gaetona Russo, Hans Von Rittern, Il Progresso, italian sculptor, Manhattan, New York City, Odd Couple closing credits, Oscar Madison, the Nina, the Pinta, the Santa Maria., WET Fountains, William P. Enos | 3 Comments
NEW YORK POSTCARDS FROM THE PARK: Who writes postcards anymore? Remember how special it was when you went to your mailbox and got those old postcards with the wavy white edges and the glossy finish from far away exotic places your family and friends had been too. Yellowstone Park, Central Park Zoo, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Sardi’s restaurant on Broadway, on the road on route 66, the exotic far east, Carnaby Street in London, your family’s little home town or just from Schlomel’s Pickle Store in the Bowery. I remember the air lines would have postcards available with pictures of their jets in flight so that you could mail them upon arrival at your vacation spot to announce you had arrived safely.
“Dear Jane,
Having a wonderful time,
wish you were here! Can’t wait to tell you all about it!
My love to the kids.”
Written in fountain pen or blue (never liked black) ball point pen, with a special postage stamp for your loved ones you had searched for, to make the postcard all the more special! I have an old shoe box stored away somewhere with all those wonderful postcards answering that excited request when they left “send me a postcard!”
Nowadays, it’s a quick ‘check in ‘ on Facebook, a couple of quick instagram photos sent, flickr and YouTube to follow. It’s just not the same. Today in New York City you can find plenty of postcards, some as cheap as 10 for $1.00 – but good luck in trying to find a place that sells postage stamps, it’s almost impossible. Do you remember the last time you got your mail and there was that colorful card from loved ones at the Grand Canyon or the Alps in Switzerland or even from the sea shore in ‘Jersey’?
I spied this older couple sending them to their loved ones back home. They both took the time to write several long sentences to each loved one. One card was going to Natick, Massachusetts, the other to Tucson, Arizona. “Look mom, a postcard!”
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April 26, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: ball point penk ink, Bryant Park, Central Park, collecting postcards, Facebook, fountain pen, Grand Canyon, Hans Von Rittern, instagram, Jersey shore, Manhattan, New York City, OLD FASHIONED POST CARDS, taking the time to write, tourists | Leave a comment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3DBys2TPzk&feature=youtu.be
PhotoS of the day: I AM FEATURED IN THE NEW ‘SocialEyesNYC.com’ VIDEO! – My friend Randi Horwitz has a web site and Facebook page called SocialEyesNYC.com. Her current video release advertising her new site features some of my photos! The site features some of my photos and we will work together to feature more of my photos in the future.
Randi’s steadfast work is incredibly all encompassing. She gathers all possible upcoming interests in one site with just a click of your mouse. Ideal for my fellow tour guides! From Ballet to Boxing, Parades to Photo galleries, Cooking clubs to comedy shows = her research done for you is amazing – CHECK SocialEyesNYC.com OUT for all of your NYC activity plans including street fairs, concert presale codes, Broadway discounts, activities for kids, music around town, lectures/classes, weekend itineraries and so much more! SocialEyesNYC is the premier New York City lifestyle/social activity guide focusing on diverse and sometimes not so obvious, activities ranging from art to wine tasting and everything in between. SocialEyesNYC ™ ~ See The City Like a Native “New Yawkah”
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April 16, 2013 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: 9/11 memorial, Broadway, Broadway discounts, Bryant Park, celebrities, Central Park, city lifestyle, cooking clubs, Empire State Building, entertainment, Greenwich Village, Hans Von Rittern, lectures/classes, Manhattan, New York City, New York social activity guide, parades, presale codes, Queens, SocialEyesNYC.com, street fairs, Times Square, wine tasting | Leave a comment
THE SNOWY BRIDE OF CENTRAL PARK: I was walking past Central Park in the midst of the heavy snowfall yesterday and I caught a glimpse of a Victorian like figure with her white umbrella making her way to the rocks on the lake in the park. There they were in the snowfall, just she, her groom and one of their moms. A photographer was on hand the document the “white wedding”. I later found out they are from England and were determined to have their photos taken by the lake and were enchanted by “the magic of the snowfall.” She had a white fur jacket to keep her warm, her cheeks had a red rosy glow, perhaps it was the snow, perhaps it was the joy of the moment, either way, it was a magical picture perfect Currier & Ives moment.
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December 27, 2012 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: Bride in snow, Central Park, Central Park lake, Christmas, Currier & Ives, Hans Von Rittern, Manhattan, New York City, Victorian bride, White wedding, winter | 2 Comments
TREE CLIMBING TURTLES!: I could not believe my eyes. I was photographing the lake at Heron’s Point in Central Park when I noticed this lovely shady cove. At first glance I saw the beautiful water and trees and was lulled by the tranquility of the scene. Then – as my eye zoomed onto the main branch of the tree, there were two turtles marching up the tree! Who knew there are tree climbing turtles ! I love New York !
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October 27, 2012 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: Central Park, Hans Von Rittern, Heron's Point, lake, Manhattan, nature, New York City, tree climbing turtles, trees, turtles | 1 Comment
THE MAN IN THE MIRROR: …is Christopher Columbus, usually seen 70 feet above Columbus Circle in Manhattan. Starting this week, Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi has enclosed the statue in an 810 square foot living room complete with a big screen TV, couches, magazines for you to read and wallpaper that features American icons such as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, hot dogs and the Grand Canyon. It is all part of a temporary art project funded by the Public Art Fund.
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Before the art installation
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Before the art installation
Eagerly I climbed the six flights of scaffolding stairs as the view got more and more incredible, literally a bird’s eye view.
It is surreal when you first enter the ‘living room’. Reactions range from absurdly ridiculous, insane and ugly to genius, innovative and brilliant. Upon hearing of the idea first my reaction was unflattering. A scar on our city I thought, a gimmick, defacing the discoverer of our land. But then…as I climbed the stairs….and entered the room….and saw Columbus for the first time in my 56 years of living in this city, face to face, my opinion changed instantly.
Reactions are a mixture of astonishment, bemusement and wonderment. Smiles are instant. To watch the faces of the people as they enter the room is a show in itself. You are encouraged to sit, make yourself comfortable, read the daily supplied papers…just don’t sit on the windowsill as the attendants will tell you. There is even a vinatge copy of Walt Whitman’s ‘Leaves Of Grass’ on the bookshelf. You are to observe every tiny detail as you make your way around the room.
I have been to countless public art projects in my lifetime in this city, this one is one of the most inventive. (I am not a fan of Christo.) It brings me almost face to face with a statue the was literally paid for by the Italian immigrants in this city, paid for with their hard earned pennies, nickels and dimes.
Created by Italian sculptor Gaetano Russo, it was erected as part of New York’s 1892 commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ landing in the Americas. Il Progresso a New York City-based Italian language newspaper spearheaded the campaign for it’s citizens to donate what they could. I think they would be proud and smile, exclaiming “Bella! Bravo per gli Americani! Fantastico!”
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September 25, 2012 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: Central Park, Central Park West, Christopher Columbus, Columbus Circle, Elvis, Hans Von Rittern, Manhattan, Marilyn Monroe, New York City, Public Art Fund, Tatzu Nishi | 3 Comments
CONCERTO: Tango in the dark. The Naumburg Orchestral Concerts at the bandshell in Central Park.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012. The artists Lara St. John and friends celebrate the 25th anniversary of classical tango artist Astor Piazzolla’s 1987 concert at the bandshell. It was quintessentially New York. Classical radio station WQXR broadcasts the performance live. Wine corks are popping, brie is being passed around with the fine crackers and grapes. My good friends the Garcia’s are perfect picnic hosts. The stars above start to twinkle after a beautiful summer’s sunset.
Then as it became dark, I noticed these wonderful exaggerated shadows on the wall. And all it reminded me of was . . . the classical music scenes from the Bugs Bunny Warner Bros. cartoons! Astor Piazzolla – forgive me 🙂
Naumberg Bandshell, Central Park
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August 20, 2012 | Categories: DAILY PHOTOS WITH STORIES OF NEW YORK CITY | Tags: Astor Piazzolla, black white, Bugs Bunny, Central Park, classical music, Hans Von Rittern, Lara St. John, Manhattan, Naumburg Bandshell, New York City, shadows, tango concert, tango music, Warner Bros. | Leave a comment
NEW YORK CITY - IN THE WIT OF AN EYE 