NYC - Holiday Blizzard 2010 vs Snow in the Val Racchiusole 2009 - Dig out or Chill Out?

Ciao Cari,
I may have jinxed the LIRR in my blog entry of December 25th.

26 December 2010

MTA REPORTS THAT:Due to storm related switch trouble at Jamaica LIRR service is suspended from Penn Station and Atlantic Terminal. Westbound service is operating with delays ranging up to one hour and there are multiple train cancellations.

27 December 2010
LIRR passenger service remains suspended systemwide. High winds and drifting snow are making the effort to clear tracks and switches very challenging. This suspension will continue until safe and reliable service can be restored.

When the big storms hit NYC, I start to daydream about Umbria and the Val Racchiusole ...

Young Olive Trees on the Piazza

Mt. Tezio in the Distance

Our Annex

Whose Foot Steps?

Not Luigi XIV 'Il Piccolo Coraggioso' (The Little Courageous One) - 
Looks like he needs some courage.

Looks like he found some.

Wishing you a Healthy and Happy New Year
with a little Prosperity thrown in for good measure.

Saluti,
Joan

NYC - XMAS Window Shopping - on a budget!

Hi,

We're going to town to do some holiday window shopping today and you can't beat the Long Island Rail Road(LIRR) for speed and comfort (except when there is snow on the rails and the cars can't move and the heat goes out, BUT ... that happens very rarely.)  Early on a Sunday morning, you are more likely to have to dodge the 'presents' left behind by the privileged  teenagers going back to Long Island on the 5:20(am) after a 'great' night of trawling the city. But, today is Friday December 24th and we are out for a good time of our own.

All a-board!

Gees! That's some train, isn't it?  Well, after arriving at Pennsylvania  Station, we take the E train, the subway - it's just as long - uptown and start our descent into the epicenter of holiday spirit - 5th Avenue.

Our first stop  is TIFFANY's. We have already had our breakfast, so we are ready to enjoy the display windows, but not buy. Remember -  we are on  a budget - $0.00!

CARTIER,   GUCCI ,   FENDI                                                              

FENDI deserves special note.

I seems that the east side of 5th Avenue has most, not all, but most of  the elegant stores. Let me show you what I mean. 

Getting hungry?? This guy is out to temp even the most controlled among us. He's got pretzels (and mustard), chili dogs, and ...

... chestnuts which I usually cannot resist except that I have lost ten pounds since I got back and I don't dare ruin my losing streak.

SWAROVSKI on west side.

So, we continue our descent and come across a very groovy new store with its west coast Pacific ocean theme and on the west site of 5th Ave. at that!

HOLLISTER'S. Have you heard of it?  I hadn't.

This store deserves a video clip as well.  Note the noise level on the streets of Manhattan. 

In fact, after I went inside, I decided to go in again armed with my handy FUGI FinePix at hip height to let you in on just how groovy this place is.

Okay, you have been very patient we are finally there ... 30 Rock! Here it is on the west side. (If your getting a little dizzy turning your head from left to right and then back, take a short break.  I'll wait for you.

SAKS 5TH AVENUE on the east side has the strangest windows this year, but I like the reflections of Rockefeller Center in the glass. Check out the American flags while you are at it.  They are everywhere you look in Manhattan. 

Now the tree. What would a holiday spirit tour be without THE tree. It is so big it has to be anchored to the ground with tension wires. See them?

                         



Seven sisters from Canada came down to see it!

Not every store is extravagantly decked out. Note KENNETH COLE. What were they thinking?

Back to gold and red. 

Here are some places you have heard of even if you haven't visited NYC yet.  I dinned at the Rainbow Room in the 70's.  And, Radio City Music Hall - who can forget the first time they saw the Rockettes?

Are you getting tired? I am. Let's go home! Okay. Can you believe the traffic? Talk about traffic - If you want to see the contrasts in my life go back to my blog entry dated April 2010 to see what we call heavy traffic on our way home from Umbertide through theVal Racchiusole.

We'll just grab the Express Bus over the 59th Street Bridge. You just had  a window shopping spree and didn't

spend a cent. Now isn't that groovy?

Ciao! From Joan In NYC.

P.S. What would you like to visit next? Let me know and I'll do my best.



NYC - New York Public Library and suroundings in Mid-Town Manhattan

Getting  into the spirit in NYC at 42nd Street and 7th Avenue Subway Station.

Five policemen take a break and watch as a group of musicians from South America prepare to entertain.  Musicians are welcome to perform by the City.  Licenses are required.

First stop Bryant Park Skating rink - FREE to the public.

On to the NYC Public Library which is the building right there. Note the famous lions that guard the entrance.  I only photographed the lion on the right of the main entrance, since there is construction going on behind the lion on the left .

I have been a New Yorker all my life, but this is the first time that I have taken a proper tour of our very famous landmark. It is spectacular (one of my favorite adjectives) inside and out!  Our guide remarked that in Europe the grand buildings were constructed for royalty, but in America this grand structure was constructed for the pleasure and edification of the people. Vive la difference! (I also like exclamation points a lot.)

This incredible publications reading room was renovated by the couple that founded the Reader's Digest one of the first family magazines in 1922, DeWitt and Lila Bell Wallace.  The couple used to come to the library and copy articles by hand, which they would later condense for the general public.  They made millions and then gave back. In addition to funding the renovation, they added  murals depicting the buildings of several famous NYC publishing houses.  The tables and chairs are made of the most beautiful polished wood and you can go there and read (or rest ) for as long as you wish.

Another benefactor of the NYPL was a penniless Romanian immigrant who came to the USA at the turn of the century without knowing a word of English.  He went the library where some librarians helped him to learn English.  He went on to be a prosperous financier and left millions of $s (in the six figures) to the library in thanks.  The names of many well-known benefactors are etched on the marble pillars that line the main entrance of the 42nd Street branch of the New York Public Library, but an innocuous marble slab with this little know immigrants name on it was place in the floor in a prominent position just inside the main entrance. Proof positive that America is (or was) the land of opportunity.

This in a photo of some of the stacks.  They are off limits to the public.  Ask for a book at the desk  and they will retrieve it for you.  If your choice is not here in NYC, it may be in Princeton New Jersey.  In that case, it will be delivered next day.  By the way the NYPL catalogues every thing in print from Playboy ( and worse) to hand bills distributed on the street, which they collect once a month.

Winnie the Pooh, is a children's standard.  You find editions at booksellers all over (Borders, Amazon, etc.), but the original stuffed animals that inspired A.A. Milne to write the stories for his son, Christopher Robin can be found preserved under glass right here in the Children's Room of the NYC Public Library! (And that deserves an exclamation point).

It seems that this bank of telephones, which are found on the lower level of the building and still work, may soon be found in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC.

Once outside, it back to the mundane...



Souvenirs anyone?  The sign in the lower right hand of the shop window is a quote from Joe DiMaggio,
                                           "I thank G-d for making me a Yankee!" (Honest).

 The Empire State Building and...

Getting hungry? There is always something to eat just a step away. This is an Indian Halal food truck. I found the decoration more enticing that the offerings, but it's up to you.

Thanks for reading and you will be hearing from me sooner that you think.
Ciao for now.
 Joan in NYC

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