Thoughts & Reflections

Category: Around Town

Open House at the TWA Flight Center

It’s been several years since I last attended any of the openhousenewyork events. I probably would have skipped this year’s weekend as well had it not been for a few interesting places that I’ve been dying to visit and did not require advance reservations.

Despite the rainy Saturday morning, I made a very out-of-the-way trek across town to the airport. Unfortunately, the AirTrain wasn’t running but at least the shuttle buses were free and frequent. It took me a little over an hour to get from home to my destination, Terminal 5, known mainly as the JetBlue terminal.

Head into the terminal, walk past the Baggage Claim area and there, off to the side is a nondescript glass door. Even with printed instructions, people (including me) had a hard time trying to find it. On the top pane of glass a small sign with the OpenHouse logo was the only indication that it was the right place. Once through the door and up the stairs and there it was, the entrance to what I wanted to see:

Those who’ve seen Catch Me If You Can should be familiar with this location. This corridor leads right into a well-known (at least among architecture and perhaps some history fans) building.

The TWA Flight Center is a thing of beauty saved thanks to preservationists and the city’s landmarking committee. Whenever I’ve gone to the airport in the past, I would pass by the building many times and have always wondered what it looked like on the inside. During previous OHNY weekends, the building was open to the public but required advanced reservations; this year, it was open access so here was my chance to finally explore and see what was inside.

The departures signs still function; they listed the current time and actual flights that were leaving JFK that day.

I did not think anyone would dress up, given the wet weather, but these two definitely stood out amongst the crowd (and all the cameras)!

I was definitely thinking of Mad Men when I saw them; they certainly dressed for the era (the building was dedicated May 28, 1962).

There has been talk of renovating the building as part of some possible future construction for a hotel. It looks beautiful now in its slow decay but I’d love to see it completely restored.

At least the restroom wasn’t left to ruin:

Even the most functional of rooms were given a design treatment. (And no, I was not the only person taking photos inside the ladies room.)

If the TWA Flight Center is open for next year’s OHNY weekend, it’s well worth the journey to take a look. Hopefully, the weather will be better too!

October 15, 2014
The Old Stone House

Two weeks ago, I ended up strolling along Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn and crossed from one neighborhood to another. From Boerum Hill, I walked south and made my way into Park Slope and my tired feet stopped at 9th Street to catch the train home. When I got home that evening to see how far I walked, I saw “Old Stone House” pop up on the map right next to my route. Curious, I returned to the area this past Sunday to learn more.

The Vechte-Cortelyou House really is an old stone house located right in the middle of a park, sandwiched between ball fields, playgrounds and a school. It’s a very unlikely place to situate a museum but apparently, it’s right near the original location of the building. (The original house was demolished in 1897 and rebuilt years later, in 1933.) The house itself is a lovely little building, surrounded by a front garden with other educational gardens nearby. There is a suggested donation of $3 to visit the museum and once inside, there is one exhibit located in the main room on the ground floor (the second floor was off-limits due to some sort of event and the side wing has public restrooms installed for the surrounding park). The sole exhibit is all about the Battle of Brooklyn during the Revolutionary War, with posters along the walls describing the battle and there are glass cases filled with objects that date from that time. Right in the middle of the room is a diorama of the original house during the Battle, which resulted in the British defeating General Washington and his troops.

It’s amazing where one can still find pieces of old New York these days. There aren’t that many of these old buildings left and the few that remain have also been turned into museums and educational centers, which benefits everyone interested in a bit of history.

September 23, 2014
Brooklyn Grange Farm

I’m back after a month-and-a-half of a somewhat self-imposed hiatus. August had been pretty insane with the amount of work at the office and I barely did anything fun or exciting over the summer weekends. I finally downloaded a batch of photos from my camera and saw there were a few things that might seem interesting.

Back in July, I met up with a friend one day and told her I was planning to head up to the Brooklyn Grange farm that afternoon. She decided to join me and we hopped on the subway to Queens (there is a farm in Brooklyn but the one is Queens is the flagship). Getting there was easy; trying to figure out how to get up to the roof required a bit more work but we managed in the end.

Once we stepped outside, we were greeted with a wonderful view of the Manhattan skyline on one side and the Queens landscape on the other. There was one main aisle running through the middle of the roof, and rows of vegetables, herbs and fruit branched off toward the walls. Some of the vegetables that were grown included kale, lettuce, eggplants, peppers, chard and carrots. Off to the side, there was also a chicken coop and a beehive.

On Ssturdays, the farm in Long Island City is open to the public and one could buy fresh produce and other items. The vegetables, eggs, and honey for sale come directly from the farm. We arrived late in the afternoon so there wasn’t much left for sale but what I did see looked good. There were also some activities for children in the western corner; on my visit, there were a few kids either coloring or making something while others were learning more about how earthworms helped with gardening. It’s a nice way and place to spend a day.

September 2, 2014
Elizabeth Street Garden

Tucked amid the boutiques, restaurants and apartments of Soho is the Elizabeth Street Garden. It’s a great place to stop and rest after a bit of (window) shopping and provides a nice counterpart to the hustle and bustle a few blocks over on Broadway. Whenever I’m taking the scenic route down to Chinatown, I love walking by and admiring the wonderful antiques, sculptures and myriad architectural elements scattered on the lawns. I am a sucker for architectural ruins that remind me of ancient Greece and Rome.

The Garden takes up the shorter length of a block though the entrance is located on one of the two streets it touches. A few weeks ago, I had walked past with a friend and there was a band playing inside for visitors of the Garden. During this visit, it was a much quieter affair with many people sitting on benches or lying on the grass; there was one woman leaning against the base of a statue, book in hand.

July 9, 2014
The Frick Collection

One of the best perks at my company (before the spin-off) was the free admissions to many of the city’s museums. Thanks to corporate admission, I would find myself visiting museums more often than I would had I been a paying guest (though yes, many do offer paying a “suggested” amount if one doesn’t wish to pay the full amount). Over the years, I’ve been a frequent visitor of the Met and the Cloisters, MoMA and the American Museum of Natural History. One of the museums that wasn’t on the corporate admission list but I’ve been meaning to visit is The Frick Collection. During frequent forays to the uptown Ladurée, I would walk by the entrance and gardens of the museum and always wonder when I’ll get around to finally seeing what lay inside.

Yesterday was finally the day.

On Sunday mornings, admission to the Frick is “pay as you wish”. I managed to get uptown during those hours and pay a fraction of what it normally costs (like the Met and MoMA, a ticket for the Frick costs as much as going to the movies). There were already plenty of people inside but it wasn’t too crowded once one gets past the entrance and reception halls. Even though there are many rooms in the mansion, for me it was more or less a straight path to get from one area to the next and not end up in the same room over and over again.

According to Gothamist (which was what prompted me to finally visit) the most-photographed room at the Frick is the beautiful Garden Court. That’s no surprise since the museum does not allow photographs anywhere else inside. The Garden Court is very lovely though, with plants, sculptures and a fountain situated on the former driveway; there were many people sitting on the benches and taking a break from all the art. While I liked it very much, it would have been nicer to take a walk around the gardens outside but alas, they were off-limits. I guess I’ll continue to admire the manicured lawns from the street then.

July 7, 2014
Celebrating the Fourth

It’s too cold and damp for any real partying and fun for this year’s Independence Day. I had hoped to spend the day outdoors but the weather has derailed those plans (though it hasn’t stopped determined grillers, judging by the smell of charcoal drifting in along the breeze).

So instead, I’ll be celebrating at home with a red, white and blue Mixed Berry Tart from Balthazar. One cannot go wrong with seasonal fruit currently in peak, cream and a pastry shell.

But in all seriousness, I did do something patriotic last week and that was checking out the Declaration of Independence. For one brief week, the New York Public Library had on display an original copy of the document written in Jefferson’s own hand. The exhibit was held inside the (rarely opened to the public) Celeste Bartos Forum and it was nice to revisit that room again.

As for the document itself, it was displayed in two large cases. Inside each case was a sheet of paper suspended inside to make it easier to view. Words were written on both sides of the papers and looking closely at each one, it’s not too difficult to make out the words written by our third President and all the things he underlined. (The brochure handed out at the exhibition contained a transcript of the entire document with the revisions included.)

July 4, 2014
NYBG Rose Garden Festival

I recently headed up to the New York Botanical Garden with a friend, finally taking advantage of a perk I’ve received not too long ago. I hadn’t been up to the Bronx (and the garden) in a while and with the warm weather and clear skies, the timing was perfect. We went specifically to check out the Rose Garden Festival that was held that weekend; I had been wanting to visit when the roses were in bloom but never got around to it until now.

It was exceedingly warm and with rainfall from a few days before, most of the roses were already at peak or just past. There were still plenty of buds yet to bloom but I thought it didn’t look as nice when so many flowers were already beginning to wilt and there were a lot of oversized blooms that were starting to droop. Visiting the garden a few days before the festival might have yielded an even prettier landscape. Ah well, lesson learned for next time (hopefully next year).

There was a lot of variety in the garden but I have to admit that the flowers started to all look the same after a while. And I was also getting bored with the color palette: too many pinks and pale colors, not enough bold hues for my tastes. It also didn’t help that the strong sunlight washed out the subtle shades on some of the plants. But at least I did find the time to stop and smell the roses!

June 17, 2014
Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Springtime at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is wonderful, especially when the weather is good and everything is in bloom. This weekend is the annual Sakura Matsuri but I never visit on festival days anymore due to the large crowds. I went last weekend instead and while the cherry esplanade wasn’t flowering yet, there were still a few trees that shed plenty of pink petals when the branches swayed in the wind.

Besides the cherry trees, the magnolias and dogwoods were also in bloom, though some were already past their peek. And there were daffodils everywhere, particularly on Daffodil Hill. I think my favorite flowers of the day were the bright red Emperor Tulips. With the sun shining brightly on them, the petals looked more like silk than the real thing.

The southern end of the garden was under construction but that did not decrease the many people that and explored what was open. There were also a few other changes since my last visit some years ago, which meant I meandered through lesser traveled paths and came across things I hadn’t seen before. There was even a wedding being held on the lawns. I really enjoyed listening to a musical quartet playing Vivaldi as I browsed the flowers and trees.

April 26, 2014
Central Park North

Now that the weather is warming up, I’ll be embarking on other activities besides eating. On a recent warm weekend, I headed up to Central Park and rambled through the northern sections.

From my favorite part of the park, the Conservatory Garden, I wended my way through the paths around Harlem Meer and headed west. Usually, I exit the park around Lenon Avenue but I decided to continue on and exit at the northwest corner of the park, which I hadn’t been to before.

As I walked along the northern edge of the park, I noticed an unusual stone building at the top of a cliff. After dodging bikers and joggers, I climbed up and checked out the Blockhouse #1, which is the oldest structure in the park. It’s a small, squat, roofless fort with steps leading to a locked metal gate. Looking through the bars, the view reveals nothing much except for a grassy floor with a flagpole set in the center. From the pole hung both the American flag and the POW-MIA flag. I’m really glad I took the long way out of the park for once, otherwise I’d never have discovered something new (to me).

Not that there isn’t more; there’s plenty of attractions in the park I’ve yet to see in person.

April 20, 2014