In 1733 Bowling Green was officially designated as a park by the City of New York. Its history goes back far longer though, as it is the oldest park in the City. The park’s patrons have varied greatly over the years, from the Native Americans, to the Dutch, to the British colonists. The park has …
Category: Places and Landmarks
St. Paul’s Chapel
Amidst the sky scrapers and business buildings that dominate lower Manhattan stands a small relic that goes back to 1766. The little chapel is known as St. Paul’s, and it has seen American history grow all around it. The chapel began as an extension of Trinity Church, where parishioners could have easier access to religious …
Fraunces Tavern
In lower Manhattan at the corner of Pearl Street and Broad Street stands a building that seems to have remained untouched since the day it was built three hundred years ago: Fraunces Tavern. With a welcoming red and yellow façade and an eye-catching sign featuring the image of a Revolutionary Minuteman, the tavern’s age and …
Fulton Street Ferry
“Fulton Ferry was Brooklyn’s connection to New York for hundreds of years, until that honor – and the associated prosperity – was usurped by the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883. There are records of the local natives, the Lenape (a.k.a. Canarsee) tribe, using the area as a crossing to Manhattan” (The Weekly Nabe). “Brooklyn’s most vital connection to …
A Walk Up and Down Broadway
People walk like darts, each on a mission to get to their next destination. You look up and notice the buildings looming over the street, self-aggrandizing like gods, looking for people to worship them. Some do, they look up, their backs arching, chests pointing towards the sky as they stare in reverence at the …
Literary Haunts
The Chelsea Hotel Built by architect Philip Hubert between 1883 and 1885, the Chelsea Hotel began as a Utopian commune and didn’t become a hotel until 1905. Since then it has been home to numerous writers, artists, and musicians, giving it the unofficial label as a “bohemian mecca” and home of creativity. The hotel is …
Trinity Church
Trinity Church is one of the most popular landmarks in New York City, and currently stands on Manhattan’s Wall Street. According to a New York Times article entitled, “The Church With the $6 Billion Portfolio” written by Jane Margolies, Trinity Church was created when “King William III” issued a “charter […] in 1697” (Margolies). The …
Sleepy Hollow
Thirty miles north of the heart of New York City, the village of Sleepy Hollow sits on the East bank of the Hudson River. The area is populated by a wide array of historical landmarks that inspired Irving’s famous tale, and is only a short distance away from the author’s Sunnyside estate. The town hosts …
Gay Liberation Monument
A monument accompanied by a sculpture by George Segal representing the gay rights movement. This movement was evoked by events occurring at the Stonewall Inn, right across the street. https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/christopher-park/monuments/575
Chumley’s
An old speakeasy on 86 Bedford Street visited by various famous American writers: John Steinback, Willa Cather, Edna Vincent Millay, and E.E. Cummings. Though today it is just a pub, Chumley’s is still an interesting place to visit for its atmosphere and vast history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumley’s