Greetings:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ead_module

Pretty neat!

The photo of Grand Central made my heart melt. I long to visit New York in my lifetime.

11 years ago I used to walk through those exact doors every day.... as I quickly walked (there is no other way in NYC) or even ran to catch my train! It was through those doors that I gave Chuck Shumer a dirty look and ignored his extended hand when he was running for senate.

Great photos!

Lisa

Wow, Lisa. 11 years ago was around the time of the Twin Towers attack! Must have been a strange time to be a New Yorker. The only politician I relate to New York is Rudy Giuliani. We got to know that name and face really well then.

The thing about Grand Central Station that draws me is the way the windows are placed. It must be a spectular light display at any time of the day. Just beautiful.

I am just barely old enough to remember the other grand railroad station we used to have in NYC -- the old Pennsylvania Station:




Now THAT was a building, and its demolition was a crime. At least one good thing came of it, though -- the destruction of Penn so shocked everyone that it led to the current landmarks laws in NYC, so Grand Central Terminal can never meet the same fate.

I was in another landmark today; the NYPD Holy Name Society for those portions of the Department that are assigned in the Archdiocese (because NYC is split between the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn) had its communion breakfast today, which started with a Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. You know St Pat's:

Looks like that, right? Well, actually, not these days; it is being renovated, and the facade is all covered in scaffolding. H.E. Cardinal Dolan could not make it this year (although we have had him as the celebrant in the past) so we had a replacement: H.E. Cardinal Egan (isn't it nice when you have a spare Cardinal in town?), and I did the second reading at the Mass. I am not the most nimble of men, and I had visions of myself taking a header as I came down the little winding stairs from that beautiful pulpit in St. Pat's:

but it all went well. Incidentally, I noticed that next to the Pieta in the ambulatory behind the altar

there is now a case with a galero; in order to have one hang from the ceiling when Egan dies (because cardinals no longer receive them from the pope) one was donated, and is on display down below with us.

After the Mass, and led by the Department's pipe band, all the attendees marched down Fifth Avenue to 47th Street, then west on 47th to Sixth Avenue, and then back up Sixth to the New York Hilton, where the breakfast was. Puzzled tourists out for a Sunday morning stroll were baffled by the sight, as they are every year.

It WAS a strange time to be a NYer, however, thankfully, I had already moved to Georgia by 9/11. In some ways it was worse to not be there. It was hard to have your heart so heavy and be away from it all... to not be experiencing the same thing as my fellow NYers. I lived in South Queens and pretty much my whole neighborhood that commuted to Manhattan (and everybody did) worked in the downtown area and those that didn't, passed under the WTC on the subway. It was a hard time.... for everyone.

As for Grand Central, they had renovated it so that it was restored to the way it was. It was starting to get run down... but the restoration really made it look beautiful again. And yes, the light coming through the windows depending on what time of year and day could be blinding. The changed the ceiling though. If I remember correctly they put some sort of blue ceiling with constellations on it and they used to show some sort of light show or something. This was back in the 90's and quite honestly I never hung around for any shows. I was either running TO a train or FROM a train to work. :) I hear they are doing more renovations for the 100th anniversary.

Lisa

I don't remember the old Penn station. I remember some other cool buildings from my youth. I remember when the Met Life (is it still met Life?) building was the Pan Am building and helicopters often would land and take off from its rooftop. I also remember Gimbals and B. Altman. B.Altman especially at Christmas time. They used to have the most awesome window displays. I remember one such building and I can't remember what building it was or even where it was. Custos, maybe you will know. There was a building that had an escalator that you'd ride on that took you what seemed like in between two buildings. You rode the escalator and then there was this show/display of panty hose or stockings or nylons (not sure which)... how they were made and dyed. I think it was on 6th avenue not too far from Rockefeller Plaza.. in the 40's somewhere, I think. It was a building that had a small fountain in front. I wish I could remember where that was. I loved doing that with my mom as a kid. I remember the old Hayden Planetarium. Now, it's all high-tech and too expensive in my opinion. I remember as a teen a cool thing to do was go to Manhattan and see the Laser show at the Planetarium. They changed the show pretty often so it was something that you could keep doing. I don't think they changed it that long ago.

Ahhhh... the old days.

Lisa

While I was born in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, my parents had an apartment in the Marble Hill section, which is actually on the Bronx side of the Harlem River: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... view_2.jpg

All those pictures brought back a lot of memories. I worked in Manhattan for two years as a steno-typist from 1954 to 1956, taking trains from Brooklyn, and then from Queens when my family moved there. I have seen some of the sites shown in the pictures.

My favorite church near my job was St. Francis of Assisi. It was called "Everybody's Parish". It was there that I got to see Franciscans for the first time. They radiated a peaceful atmosphere in the church. I didn't count the number of confessionals on either side of the church, but there were always at least 3 or 4 Franciscan priests available there.

Lisa, I remember those stores you mentioned! Also Macy's. Macy's sold everything from chocolate covered ants to round the world cruises! I used to eat my sandwich at my desk at about 10:30, and when it was time for lunch hour I would walk around I especially liked going to Woolworth's 5 and 10 cent store.

. I also remember the Haydn planeterium which blew me away with those spectacular effects of staring out at the starry sky. I was about ten years old then.

A most fascinating experience once a year was a visit to Radio City Music Hall at Christmas time with my mom and dad and two sisters. And, it was always a treat to go to the Chinese restaurant afterwards. No buffets, just sit down and relax and be served!

The pictures of St. Patrick's Cathedral are beautiful. I was too young to remember exactly how it looked inside, but I do remember it being very impressive.

Lisa, I remember B. Altman's Christmas windows as well. (The building, by the way, is now the graduate school for CUNY!) With Altman's gone, the best windows at Christmas now are probably Lord & Taylor, and Saks.

The fabric display you saw was the famous "mill" created as a public relations gimmick in Burlington House, the New York headquarters of Burlington Industries.

Dorothy B, I also liked the big Woolworth's near Herald Square (which is the one I think you mean; it ran all the way through the block from 33rd to 34th Streets); they had a good lunch counter, and I have stopped there more than once to get a black-and-white ice cream soda. Alas, it is gone now (like all Woolworth's in the US), and instead is occupied by a Foot Locker store. To see what the inside of St. Francis looks like these days, click here.

Custos,

Thanks for the picture of the inside of St. Francis! It is beautiful.

I remember the lunch counter at Woolworth, and enjoyed eating there occasionally. Frozen malteds were good there as well. On the way home from work, walking to the train station I couldn't pass up the big fat salted pretzels sold on the street.

Yes!!! That's it! I knew it was some sort of hosiery company but I knew it wasn't Hanes. That just didn't sound right. Thanks for that. I have been wondering about that for years!

Oh... Woolworth! I think they closed in the mid to late 90's. I'd walk to catch the A train and manage to do a little shopping at Woolworth before I went home. Loved that store. That was a really good one! The deals I got when they went out of business!!!! I remember the lunch counter. They were one of the few stores that still had theirs going. Most of the other stores closed theirs.

Is the Harley Davidson Cafe still around? I used to like the Santa on the motorcycle above the entrance during Christmas. And, the giant snowflake in the middle of the street at 57th Street near Bergdorf Goodman. Maybe that was Broadway & 57th? Can't remember exactly. That was the coolest snowflake.

In the late 80's/early 90's, I used to work on 15th and 5th and we'd walk over to I guess it was like 12th street or 13th and the Lone Star Cafe was there. There was a big giant iquana on the top of the building. They had the best Chili. They closed it before 95 and turned it into a huge salad bar. Love the salad bars in NYC. I don't know if they are the same now (been gone 12 years) but they were awesome. Across from the Lone Star on 5th was the Forbes Building and on the ground floor they had a free little museum that contained some Faberge Eggs and little armies and stuff. It was so cool in there.

I am totally taking a trip down memory lane.

Lisa