New York Philharmonic II

Tonight, I enjoyed another musical highlight during my time here in New York.



Again, I made my way to the Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall. As an interesting service, the New York Philharmonic had sent both a curtesy email message as well as a phone call to let me know how to best get there considering ongoing weekend construction at the 66 Street subway station. Christoph von Dohnanyi, conductor, seemed to create a strong pull as the 14,525th concert was completely sold out:

Christoph von Dohnanyi, Conductor
Nikolaj Znaider, Violin

Harrison Birtwistle - Night's Black Bird (2004)

Sibelius - Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D minor, Op. 47 (1902-04; 1905)

Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 (1804-08)


The concert ...

New York Keeps Caring

Thousands have been active again this Sunday for a good cause as they participated in the Alzheimer's Association's 2007 Memory Walk that took place in Manhattan, the other boroughs and across "the nation". I did not, this time, but enjoyed our late summer day with some biking in the park, under the sun and the blue sky, just by myself.

Who knows how long this beautiful late summer weather will last. It is amazing and almost a bit scary considering its past mid-October. But it is - no question asked - with no doubt better then the wet-cold late fall weather you guys have back home ;-)

In recognition of the 2007 Memory Walk, the Empire State Building blazed purple and white this weekend - as sight I don't want to deprive you of. Enjoy (while this view lasts...)














On my way home I'll stopped by Tisserie Bakery Pastry Catering at the north-west end of Union Square to pick up an oversized Luxemburgerli whose American name I was unable to understand from the shop guy who spoke better Spanish than English and a lovely dulce de leche frozen cappuccino. Tisserie's pastries are insanely yummy and the success of this Caracas, Venezuela originated bakery is unquestioned (at least considering the lines in the shop).

New York Cares Day

Fall seems to be not only the perfect timing for bike rides favoring a good cause but also the time of community and volunteer work. During another beautiful Saturday when sunshine combined with nicely fresh, almost too warm temperatures, New York Cares set out to support pressing community needs with hordes of volunteers on the 16th New York Cares Day. My company mobilized close to 100 volunteers. Together, we convened at Washington Irving High School (for some background see here) close to Union Square. The school is educational home to over 2,500 students in an surprising, 11-story building constructed in 1902 with an elegant wood-paneled entrance hall with a huge fireplace and classic wall paintings.

Our tasks: We added three wall paintings, cleaned out a couple of library archives, and re-coated the fence that surrounds the whole building. I was part of one of the outdoor teams. and we enjoyed the nice weather as we scrubbed off the rusty areas and repainted in classic black.

Views

This Saturday, the lovely weather and friends in town lured me to finally go through the trouble and the lines and go up the Empire State Building. We had a nice view and great visibility of beyond 25 miles. We agreed that the Chrysler Building still is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. This 1930 Art Deco masterpiece by architect William Van Alen is considered a 'classic beauty' and - not for nothing - was recently named the city's #1 Architecture sight by TONY (Time Out New York Oct 11-17, 2007). It measures 1,048 feet (= 319 m) including its 27 m high shiny rooftop, a "stainless steel spire representing a series of overlapping hubcaps". The roof's amazing and distinctive illumination at night are simple neon lights attached to the window frames. Initially build for the Chrysler Company with the founder's appartment located on the 67th floor, the building today houses simple offices that do not show any indication of the Art Deco style we admire at its exterior, the lobby, and the elevators. The building is not accessible to the public with the exception of its lobby.
It held the title of world's tallest building for only a few months before the Empire State Building surpassed it.

In it's background, we'll see the black Trump World building which in the same TONY ranking was names #5 Blight with the comment that "those who live inside this ginormous black slab of metal and glass are the lucky ones - they don't have to loo at it. The ominous structure, which brahsly violates the ruling against constructions taller than the nearby U.N. Secretariat building, thrusts into the skyline like a flipped bird."

Southward, we enjoy the sight of the Flatiron building (also: Fuller building), another New York landmark (ranked #4 in TONY). "At 20 stories, this triangular wonder was the city's first skyscaper upon its completion in 1902 (!)."

And further south, the financial district becomes blurred in the haze of the afternoon...

To finish the day of views, we had dinner at the Rainbow Room on Rockefeller Plaza's 65th floor. From our table at the window we had another great perspective onto the city ("priceless panoramic views"). While the food was excellent ("quality Venetian cuisine") - maybe with the exception of the unspectacular Vanilla Meringue desert that suffert from lack of vanilla - the service did not live up to the expectations promised by ZAGAT: "smooth formal service". Overall, we however agree that it is "a monumental splurge (and) everyone should go at least once". We did - and I thoroughly enjoyed the evening with my great company.

Fall Foilage II

We stayed a couple of extra days in the Adirondacks and made a trip up to Lake Placid. The weather remained an unstable friend. But walking under the colorful tree leaves multiplied the sun leaving one with a much "lighter" impression, much like walking under a sun screen.

A short hike around Heart Lake and up nearby Mount Jo along the Indian Pass Trail was well worth the effort considering the views into the foilage and over towards the Lake Placid ski jumps.

Mirror Lake at Lake Placid sure lived up to its name showing some amazing early morning pictures.

Fall Foliage I

The visit of two friends in the city, Columbus day long weekend, what other excuse did we need for a trip up north, by invitation of a common friend who owns a cottage close to the Adirondack National Park and not far from the Canadian border. First half of October - perfect time to peak the famous foliage. The weather did not fully cooperate. While Saturday was grey and rainy, Sunday spoiled us with wonderful sunshine, mild temperatures, and a mostly blue sky! We spend the day on Tupper Lake chilling out in the sun and having some fun.

Empire State Building

It's by now more than clear that this building represents New York in its special way - at least for me. The sight of it amazes me, over and over. In the morning, during the day, against the blue sky or the clouds, in the twilight or at night - for that matter. Yesterday, New York offered yet another, a new view - Empire by night with the moon right next to it. Enjoy