A Manhattan Walk in Mist and Rain

I love ugly days in New York. Cold, sleet, rain, anything that clears sidewalks of crowds for just a little while and lets the city breathe.

  

When fog appeared this week, Manhattan looked like it was exhaling, tired after an exhausting shift. Dressed in gray it was beautiful, less spectacle, more majesty.  It eased back to being itself.

It’s when weather turns and most run for cover that New York rests. It invites you to stay awhile.

You walk together. Everything is mist and quiet. It’s just you and the city you love.

Break lights and neon shimmer on the street.  Rain swims in potholes. Cobblestones seem to push aside asphalt as if the old city is trying to break free.

Around each corner, hints of the New York you thought was lost suddenly stand out. Gloom throws gentle light on their details.

Under disguise as a “bad day to be outside” New York drops its mask to reveal it hasn’t changed so much afterall – its classic lines remain. You find the city you miss.

As the rain continues, the city whispers. Couples lean into each other under umbrellas, taking in the rich silence. The novelty of finding New York so empty and quiet makes even strangers smile at each other in passing, knowing just how rare this is.

You realize that an ugly day in New York is a gift for the taking for anyone who longs for the way things used to be in this city.

   

You recognize now that it’s an open invitation to meet again with a New York you thought was gone, weather permitting.

When It's Cold in Philadelphia, Visit Haddonfield

Tired of winter, Philadelphia?  Exhausted by the snow, South Jersey? Hurry to historic Haddonfield. It’s a town with just enough magic to make you happy in the cold while you wait for warmer weather.

After a snowstorm, or even during one, Haddonfield is an especially beautiful place to explore…and you don’t even need to tackle slippery roads to get there.

A quick hop across the Ben Franklin Bridge by PATCO Speedline (11 minutes) and a short ride from all points served by PATCO in New Jersey, Haddonfield welcomes winter-worn visitors with picturesque scenes. Covered in snow, the town looks like a storybook illustration.

If you arrive in town layered for warmth, comfort and walking you'll soon be having fun and feeling far away from droning weather reports about traffic delays, downed power lines and canceled flights. Haddonfield turns down the volume on all of that. 

It whispers to you instead - about snow angels, sledding and how much fun it might be to build a snow man.

Only a few minutes into a snow walk in Haddonfield you might just find yourself smiling – breathing frosty, clean air as you make your way along streets that reveal picture-perfect Americana in every direction will have that effect on you.  If not, look up. It’s hard not to brighten at the sight and tickle of snowflakes.

Walk along King’s Highway, Tanner Street and Lantern Lane, where more than 200 storefronts in Colonial buildings invite you to peek and linger. Along the way you’ll find a bronze sculpture of a historically-significant dinosaur.

Haddonfield is an ideal shopping destination. It turns shopping and “just looking” into genuinely interesting pastimes.

Store windows are lined with treasure – from glassware, antiques and fine jewelry, to crafts, books and fashion that ranges from bridal to casual-chic. By the way, Haddonfield has fabulous consignment – you’ll find seven consignment shops within just a few blocks of each other.

Haddonfield is also a great place to replace winter “hat head” with a fresh style for spring – the little town boasts a surprising number of hair salons – over 30 at last count!

After you’ve explored the center of Haddonfield, meander along the town’s residential side streets. Washington Street in particular is one you’ll want to visit – it’s an easy three-minute walk from Kings Highway and lined with some of the town’s most beautifully-restored Colonial and Victorian houses. 

Haddonfield's Historic District includes 488 houses, buildings, and sites and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Back on King’s Highway, come in out of the cold and reward your invigorated self with expertly curated teas and coffees at The Coffee BouTEAque then lunch delectably at Little Tuna, The British Chip Shop or Ludovico’s. Two award-winning favorites in Haddonfield are Fuji  Restaurant and Da Soli - you won't want to miss them. 

Too happy to leave this winter wonderland? Stay overnight in cozy elegance at Haddonfield Inn.

Minutes on a train, an hour or two of walking in postcard-perfect scenery then back home in no time – that’s how easy it is to skip being “snowed in” during a storm in favor of exploring Haddonfield.

Just imagine the PATCO line as an escape route from cabin fever during the next round of “inclement weather” in Philadelphia and South Jersey then make your way to Haddonfield to beat the winter blues.

‘Like’ Haddonfield on Facebook for updates about year-round events and dining experiences you won’t want to miss then visit Downtown Haddonfield online to discover more reasons to visit a town that is one of the best day-trip and weekend getaway destinations in New Jersey.

Manhattan in the 1970s - A Novel Reveals Another Side of the Story

Dirty Old 1970s New York City is a Facebook page that perfectly captures the city as it was in its bad old heyday - scary, rough, dirty but also spontaneous, authentic and brash in a way that was irresistible to the millions who lived and flocked here despite the danger. It's a page that celebrates the old New York that everyone recognizes and many of us miss.

A new novel invites you into a very different 1970s New York City - a hushed, elegant Manhattan that continued to thrive even in the middle of the mayhem that defined that era. A Very Good Life reminds you that there was more than one version of New York City in the 1970s. You could switch between them just by choosing to walk several blocks in one direction or by walking from one avenue to the next.

It's worth remembering that the New York you might catch a glimpse of while watching Tony Randall in The Odd Couple was the same city you watched Al Pacino move through in Serpico and Panic in Needle Park.

Stepping into Lynne Steward's debut novel, A Very Good Life, is much like walking into the legendary New York department store, B. Altman, in which so much of the story unfolds. It's classic, subdued and reveals its facets moment by moment. A Very Good Life isn't focused on the hard edges. Instead it sheds gentle light on the classic city.

Ms. Steward's novel takes the reader away from today's touchscreen existence back to a time in New York when telephones rang and typewriters clacked on cluttered desks. A time when stand-up ashtrays were part of office decor and dry martinis were ordered with each business lunch. A time when customers dressed up to visit New York's grandest store then shopped for hats, scarves, slippers, gloves and more - each category of item displayed reverently in its own dedicated department.

But there is nothing old fashioned about this novel. The characters in it navigate marriage, career and New York's stratified social scene in a way that resonates across the decades.

A Very Good Life invites you to revel in the New York of the recent past. If you are a native New Yorker it also allows you the satisfaction of recognizing the people, places and concerns that were the focus of Manhattan attention during those gritty yet glamorous years. But the characters are what linger with you long after you've finished the book. Lynne Steward brings them to life with spare, masterful strokes.

This is a New York story told in genuine New York style in voices that ring true. It's now been several weeks since I read A Very Good Life. (Ms. Steward shared her book with me after she read my post about my childhood memories of the great B. Altman department store) What is a bit funny is that I remember it not as a book that I read but as a movie I watched - the experience of reading it was like watching one of the great films of the 1970s, the ones that featured female leads that you immediately got caught up with and fell alongside them in their journey from the first scene - An Unmarried Woman comes to mind. The novel is available everywhere including online and in one of New York's leading independent bookstores,  St. Mark's Bookshop.

Photos: The subway and Park Avenue images above do not belong to me. If you are the copyright holder, please contact me so that I can add your copyright information and a link to your site or delete the images from this post. 

The National Cherry Blossom Festival: Pink Even Off-Peak.

Timing is everything when it comes to The National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., a lovely, lively, month-long springtime event that marks the official end to winter doldrums. 

But our timing was off. 

My mother and I coordinated our schedules and planned our trip to D.C. to match predictions for peak blooming. We imagined ourselves enjoying a sunny, warm weekend surrounded by color and blooms. We arrived in D.C. to cold, gray and pouring rain. Most trees were at the "peduncle elongation stage" - trying hard but not quite flowers yet. Could this trip be saved?

Yes!

Hints of pink just steps from The White House.

Washington, D.C provided plenty of reasons to smile.

A Japanese Magnolia abloom in The White House Garden. 

The scent of fresh spring was in the air, the hiss of wet city streets muted D.C.'s bustle and there were no crowds.

Rose-tinted skies above The Capitol Building.

Even making restaurant reservations was a breeze. And if you looked carefully, there was a rosy glow with hints of pink everywhere.

A Treasury Department visitor brought a touch of pink to a gray day.

If you're on your way to The National Cherry Blossom Festival this weekend, you're in for something special. Over 70% of the cherry blossom trees along the Tidal Basin are now in peak bloom! Join the festivities then wander - Washington, D.C. is at its seasonal best right now, rain or shine. Happy Spring!

See NYC Like a Local: A Genuine Slice of New York Life

You've seen Times Square, the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center but you know there is still so much more to explore and experience in New York City. So, isn't it time that you enjoyed an authentic slice of city life? There is one walk I love sharing with friends and family that does just that - it brings you into the fabric of daily life in one of New York's most-beloved neighborhoods. That neighborhood, the Upper West Side, just happens to also be one of the city's most beautiful locations.

The Dakota is an Upper West Side architectural gem. Photo by briannac37.

Ready to take that lively walk on your own? Follow (and improvise along the way!) this self-guided walking tour and you'll be ready to craft your own day of genuine New York moments the next time you have two hours to spare in Manhattan:

Getting Started

Hop on the IRT subway line (you can pick it up in many locations including Times Square) and take the 2 or 3 Uptown Express. One stop later exit at West 72nd Street. This landmark subway station is known as the Gateway to the Upper West Side. Begin heading north from West 72nd Street toward West 74th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.

A peek at the West 72nd Street subway station and Verdi Park. Photo: J. Zeldman

In only moments of strolling the area's sidewalks you may begin to realize that while Times Square may be the epicenter of New York to the world, the Upper West Side is the heart of Manhattan to everyone who discovers it or calls it home.

Listen as you stroll between 73rd Street and 74th street - that is the sound of New York quiet: a muted roar interrupted rhythmically by the sound of delivery trucks and cabs bouncing along potholes, their sound magnified into deep, echoing booms by the elegant Florentine Renaissance palazzo landmark building you see to your left, known today as the Apple Bank for Savings, and by the pre-war landmark building standing above you on your right, previously known as The Berkeley.

The Ansonia - scandal, a rooftop farm, a notorious nightclub are only half the story. Photo: J. Zeldman

Peek in each storefront you pass. Restaurants. Elegant shops. An old fashioned barber shop. When you reach the original neon sign of a Chinese laundry, recognize that this family-owned business has been a mainstay of this Upper West Side block for decades - its comforting scent of clean, starched steam has billowed onto the sidewalk for over 50 years hinting at neighborhood continuity in a city of constant change.

Make a right turn at West 74th Street to enjoy two Upper West Side delights - sweets eating and stoop sitting - before we move on toward a Central Park adventure, Columbus Avenue sightseeing, the delights of Lincoln Center and...

This is just the start of your lively walking tour - experience it, complete with images, helpful links and directions to a rewarding, scenic grand finale in my post at Ask a New Yorker. Follow me on Twitter for daily city tips, travel photos and "Best of ..."  updates. Happy Travels!

Experience NYC Like a Local - Let it Surprise You

What I love about New York is how it can take whatever you thought would be the highlight of your day and turn it into just one more event in a string of incredible moments.

The New York Travel Show was supposed to be my highlight one March weekend. Instead New York itself became my main focus.

New York always has a surprise waiting for you on the way to your plans.

A sight that can make you stop in your tracks...

A carriage waits  near the W. 37th St. stables to be readied  for the day.

or a scent that can lift your eyes from crowds and concrete to a piece of old city history.

Tavola is a Hell's Kitchen favorite that stands where landmark grocer Manganaro's opened in 1893.

New York rewards intuitively.

After a day at the travel show walking exhibits from around the world, what luck to find rest and lunch in a quiet little Turkish restaurant.

Deciding between hundreds of 9th Avenue restaurants in NYC is delicious fun.

New York asserts its number one-ness especially when your attention is drifting elsewhere.

After a day of being tempted at the Travel Expo by what the rest of the world has to offer, New York’s mightiest monument to culture drew my thoughts closer to home with an unexpected pleasure - an evening visit to uncrowded galleries and dinner accompanied by live music.

The Met is open until 8:45 PM each Fri. & Sat. eve - ideal for uncrowded galleries, dining and live music.

New York also makes inconvenience irrelevant.

Take a taxi to a train when it’s time to leave town? Not in New York. This city makes it seem reasonable to roll your suitcase blocks out of your way toward transportation  - even in winter cold - just for the pleasure of seeing,

Central Park West is home to architectural gems like The Dakota.

seeing,

Imagine, catching a wedding in progress. Lovely!

seeing!

Columbus Circle - a smartphone camera does it no justice.

What do you love most about New York? What makes it the city you just can’t leave or the one you keep returning to over and over again? I’d love to know. Please share your comment below or connect with me @CityGirlWrites on Twitter. Also, treat yourself to Pauline Frommer’s Easy Guide to New York City 2014 – whether you’re a native New Yorker or have never been to NYC, you’ll find it’s packed with useful information and insider-y insights – it's a valuable companion.

The Beatles and Frank Gorshin: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to The Ed Sullivan Show

Fifty years ago today, in a small New York City theater, in front of an audience of 728 people, Ed Sullivan launched The Beatles, ignited a cultural revolution and unleashed the desire to create music in countless artists. The audience of 73 million television viewers included children like Steven Tyler, Richie Sambora, Tom Petty, Nancy Wilson, Billy Joel, Chrissie Hynde and Bruce Springsteen, all of them reportedly inspired by what they witnessed on The Ed Sullivan Show that night.

Everything that happened after The Beatles took the stage at CBS Television Studio 50 (later known as The Ed Sullivan Theater) on February 9^th, 1964 is now part of pop culture history but another event took place on that stage in between the two sets The Beatles played that night. It was a pop culture moment-turned-funny-footnote by the presence of the Fab Four.

Frank Gorshin was an accomplished fine artist  who enjoyed drawing caricatures.

It’s also a favorite family story.

Frank Gorshin, remembered best as Batman’s “The Riddler,” was among Ed Sullivan's guests on the show that night. Comedians, a trapeze act, Georgia Brown and the cast of Oliver! plus Tessie O'Shea were there too but how many people remember those performances? She Loves Me, All My Loving and the thrilled, screaming audience in Studio 50 were the ones destined to make history’s highlight reel.

Still, the feeling was optimistic that Sunday before the show when Frank, accompanied by his fiancé, Christina, manager and an agent, arrived at The Essex house on Central Park South.  He’d been invited to perform his impressionist routine, featuring uncanny impressions of Kirk Douglas, Boris Karloff, Richard Widmark and Burt Lancaster, on the longest running variety program on television. Ed Sullivan had a reputation for spotlighting promising new talent while raising the profile of even the biggest acts in show business. Elvis Presley had only been recognized as “The King of Rock & Roll" after his first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Frank Gorshin as The Riddler in Batman.

This was a make-or-break moment.

Frank had already appeared in American B-movie classics like Hot Rod Girl, Dragstrip Girl, Invasion of the Saucer Men and the comedy feature film, Where the Boys Are, by the time he was scheduled to be on Sullivan so he was used to a fair amount of attention but still, the screaming fans below his hotel room window took him by (mock) surprise. “How did all of those gals and guys know I’d be here?” he joked looking out over the growing crowd on the sidewalk. In fact, he was seeing spill-over from the general mania taking place further down the street at The Plaza Hotel where The Beatles were rumored to be staying.

This was a sign of things to come.

Pandemonium had broken out on the sidewalk in front of the theater on Broadway from which The Ed Sullivan Show would broadcast. Frank took the scene in stride but comedians Mitzi McCall and Charles Brill, also scheduled to appear on the show that night, saw the massive crowds and were floored. “I swear to you, I turned to Mitzi and I said, ‘I didn’t know Frank Gorshin got so famous!’” Charles Brill recalled years later.

Once inside the theater it was clear the excitement was being generated only by The Beatles. Trying to control the crowd (and protect the egos of the other performers standing in the wings that night) Ed Sullivan jokingly threatened to “call in a barber” to shave off the Beatles famous mop tops if the audience didn’t give each act a warm welcome.

Performances went well. The audience was kind. The Beatles killed.

After a thrilling but slightly bruising night, Frank, Christina and their friends headed to Sardi’s to have dinner. Everyone in the restaurant, mostly show business industry people, had either witnessed or heard about The Beatles stealing the Sullivan spotlight even before they arrived. Still, spirits were high: that night’s show had become the talk of the town, the focus of the entertainment industry and the center of attention for millions of fans around the country – not bad for one night’s work.

Soon after his appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Frank was cast in the Walt Disney classic comedy, That Darn Cat, and won the role of The Riddler on Batman for which he received an Emmy nomination. He also played The Riddler in the movie Batman and became the first impressionist to headline in Las Vegas showrooms for many years after the series ended.

Frank Gorshin with Gene Barry, Carol Burnett and Rock Hudson.

Throughout the 1970s he appeared in almost every television show that defined that era – from The Munsters, Hollywood Squares, S.W.A.T., The Untouchables and Hawaii 5-O, to Charlie’s Angels, The Carol Burnett Show, The Bold and The Beautiful, General Hospital and The Naked City.

During his long career he performed in hundreds of films, plays and television series. His role in an episode of Star Trek as Commissioner Bele, the black-and-white-faced alien, became another cult classic character he became well-known for during his lifetime. During his last year, while fighting lung cancer, he starred in Tony-nominated Broadway hit and one-man-show, “Say Goodnight, Gracie” and continued making television appearances. His last performance was directed by Quentin Tarantino, a fan of cult classics in all genres. He directed Frank in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The master impressionist played himself in that last role and died only days before it aired.

Frank Gorshin in a scene from 12 Monkeys.

Tonight CBS will air a two-hour special, The Beatles: The Night That Changed America – A Grammy Salute. Peter Frampton, John Mayer, Keith Urban, Maroon 5, Alicia Keys and John Legend, Gary Clark Jr., Joe Walsh, Stevie Wonder and many more legendary artists will bring their formidable talents to a celebration of 50 years of music. But who will remember those performances once Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr take the stage? There’s a good chance everyone there will be beautifully overshadowed by The Beatles. It’s okay. It happened once before - 50 years ago today.