My husband, Jon and I have been in the Big Apple this past week on business (a little) and pleasure (a LOT)! There is so much to see and do, that it is hard to know where to begin, but I will try.
Like our lovely Long Beach, there is a lot of filming, walking to shops/restaurants, street musicians, and bicycle riders in NY. It also has an 'old world' feel; the gorgeous architecture, the attention to detail, the wrought iron encircling the trees out front, etc.
First Stop: Jackie Kennedy’s Fifth Avenue/Central Park Apartment
Jackie was the Preservation/Restoration Queen of NY, so we had to stop here. Across the street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), crowds were thrilled at the Temple of Dendur (from Egypt) that she helped to facilitate. She was also instrumental in facilitating the preservation of Grand Central Station. Saving this elegant jewel of NY will serve to enrich thousands of future little city dwellers for many years to come.
Of course, I have always thought that our beautiful St. Regis looked very much like the NY buildings, and the LB Heritage Association also works very hard to ensure the preservation and continuity of our city’s history and her beautiful architecture.
Lots of “walk-ups”
The Turn of the Century spawned many buildings in the ‘walk-up’ style of entrance and the use of wrought iron embellishment. Of course, our St. Regis also employs this European style; our 1922 edifice was designed by a LB architect named John Roberts. A prolific area professional at the time, he also designed “The Californian” in the 300 block of Third Street in downtown LB. You may have noticed a similarity with our façade; a recent grant allowed them a cut-glass canopy at the entrance (similar to the one at the Cooper Arms, which was so popular at the time). These canopies were also used at entrances to movie theaters, and are suspended with the help of large, stabilizing chains. You also see a lot of these icons in the historical districts in downtown LA (on Main) and in NY everywhere.
We visited The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue, Park Avenue, Broadway, Central Park, etc. Walking through the Met was amazing; really iconic pieces of world-class art are housed here. In fact, if you look closely at the piece "Repose", by John White Alexander (1856–1915). Date: 1895, you will see the original painting from which our own mantel art is derived!
Recognize Me? “Repose” (John Alexander White, 1895)
The people are really wonderfully unique and helpful and NY is a world-class city in every way. The subways felt safe too; locals all credit Mayor Guiliani with the gains in safety; they said he and the Police Commissioner followed 'The Broken Window' Study that cracked down on small things such as graffiti and minor drug violations to help ensure safer streets and compliance to rules. We stayed in a newly remodeled fourth floor walk-up in the East Village (at First Ave. and Ninth St.) and really had no trouble at all no matter what time of day (or night) we went out. The East Village has a young vibe with older buildings being refurbished with a loft-like feel. Everyone bicycles, walks, or takes public transportation; in fact, the bike lanes are almost as busy as the roads.
Jon was also here on business; we were to meet with Dr. Helen Fisher, of Match.com fame. She is the famed anthropologist and the leading expert on romantic love; you may have seen her on 20/20, Oprah, etc. and she has written a number of best-selling books and continues to teach at Rutgers University. Jon has worked for her for a number of years; they jointly created the test used by Chemistry.com. She has a gorgeous apartment overlooking Central Park, and we had a nice walk and lunch in the park with her.
Highlights of NY
…a walk across the amazing Brooklyn Bridge (view Ellis Island and the Stature of Liberty)
…taking the subways at rush hour
…a visit to Rockefeller Square
…walking down Mulberry in Little Italy and Chinatown
…a glass of wine at the Algonquin, a 1902 Hotel that housed the Round Table, a collection of writers, artists, and critics that met daily before Vanity Fair publications. It was also the scene of the film noir classic, ‘Laura’ with Gene Tierney
…a tour of Radio City Music Hall
…a visit to Ground Zero
…(across the street from Ground Zero) St. Paul’s Church, built in 1775, George Washington attended church here and site of make-shift shelter for 9/11 workers
…a visit to Grand Central Station
…a walk (or carriage ride) through Central Park
St. Regis News
Of course, when you leave home, there is always something needing attention in our absence. If you have visited our lovely garden in the last six months, you know that wonderful changes have occurred there. After removing the dried and dead plants, Rodney and I began a small ‘restoration’ of the upper patio and slope. Eli has always kept the lower patio raked and clean from cigarette butts and trash. As some of you may know, I have been watering the garden since last summer; I am happy to say that life is now returning to our lovely garden. So many residents now enjoy sitting out there, especially in the evenings when the birds feed, just watching the surf roll in or reading and relaxing. We have such a spectacular, ‘one of a kind’ view and location on our patios; completing and caring for our garden is a great investment in the St. Regis for the residents and the owners. On any given day, you can see butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and all manner of birds. Combined with our new patio furniture, it really is beautiful out there now, and to make it feel ‘homey’, I have planted tomato plants in the side garden, that are growing like weeds and we already have several tomatoes. While I have been gone, Eli and our son, Sean, have stepped in to make sure everything is watered, so a big Thank You. Katerina offered to fill the bird feeder; another generous offer from our young residents, that helps to keep the St. Regis a home. Getting these young people involved in the St. Regis, ensures continuity and the future of the St. Regis for many years to come.
Another big Thank You to Lisa and Rodney, who have arranged to have Mr. Lau install a series of tubing or pipes that will entirely cover the slope and side garden with sprinklers and automatic timers that will provide the care the garden requires. Having these systems in place for daily maintenance will help relieve the residents, and puts the building on a beautifying and self-sustaining course that ensures the care and maintenance of our building for years to come.
Our Board for 2013 is:
Rodney Hilburn, President
Jodi Rich, Vice-President
Bruce Peterson, Secretary
Lisa Chin, Treasurer
Mercedes Julian, Member at Large
Alternate, Eli Guzman
I’ll close with the story of Matilda, the thoroughly modern, independent cat that lives at the Algonquin Hotel. She (and her ghostwriter) on Facebook (Matilda-The Algonquin Cat) and Twitter (@Algonqueen) will answer all manner of question or give any type of advice.
“What do you do when your heart is broken?”
Matilda’s answer, “Act more catlike and just ignore it.”
Have a PURRfect day.
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