STOPOVER NYC - AUGUST 1984

TOP OF THE ROCK!

The Rockefeller Centre features an observation deck atop the GE Building with panoramic views of Central Park and the Empire State Building. The observation deck remained open until 1986, but was then closed following a drop on the number of visitors and the cut off of the elevator access to the roof due to the expansion of the «Rainbow Room restaurant on the 65th floor. It reopened in 2005, and I still think it's the best view in NYC!



"5TH AVENUE -Summer in the city..."


"ST. PATRICK"


"EAST RIVER"


"CHRYSLER and PANAM (it stil existed...)"


"EMPIRE and WTC"


"CENTRAL PARK: Sheep Meadow and Lake"


"CENTRAL PAR: Metropolitan and Reservoir. Also 5th Av. and Tom's apartment"


"FOUR LAWYERS, Three from Brazil, one from Portugal..."

AROUND WASHINGTON - AUGUST 1983

FROM WASHINGTON TO NEW YORK, VIA MOUNT VERNON

***

MOUNT VERNON

While in D.C., we profited to see some of its surroundings. A traditional tour includes Mount Vernon and return by boat to see the Potomac River.


"FRONT DOOR - Mount Vernon was the plantation home of George and Martha Washington from the time of their marriage in 1759 until George's death in 1799. During that period the house was extended from six to twenty-one rooms..."


"VERANDA - The back of the Mansion, on the Potomac side, has a lawn that goes down to the river"



"THE LAWN is a nice place to make movies..."


"THE ARCADE connects buildings. There are some trees that are the only living witnesses of the time when Martha and George lived there"


WASHINGTON'S TOMB - George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 (275 years ago this February month of 2007) and died on December 14, 1799, and rests at the estate..."


"SHIP - Preparing to board"


"POTOMAC RIVER CRUISE"


"DISEMBARKING in Washington"

***

PHILADELPHIA


"THE LIBERTY BELL is one of the most familiar symbols of the American Independence, and is also linked to the abolition of slavery. Its most famous ringing occurred on July 8, 1776, to summon citizens of Philadelphia for the reading of the Declaration of Independence. The Liberty Bell was originally known as the "Old State House Bell", but changed its name when, in 1837, it was adopted by the American Anti-Slavery Society as a symbol of the abolitionist movement"



"INDEPENDENCE HALL - The red brick building, built between 1732 and 1753, was the place where the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution were all signed"


"DOWNTOWN"

***

NEW YORK


"VERRAZANO BRIDGE connects the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn at the Narrows. The bridge is named after the first known European navigator to enter New York Harbour and the Hudson River, the Italian Giovanni da Verrazzano"


"DOWNTOWN with the WTC"


"BROOKLYN BRIDGE"


"WEIRD"

NEW YORK - AUGUST 1983

TRIP NUMBER FIVE, VIA MADRID

The return from Bangkok was a tricky and long night flight: we continued to fly BA and made Bangkok - New Deli (Very Boring Stop) - Bahrain (with a visit to the fantastic duty-free sometime in the middle of the night) - London (where we changed aircraft) and, finally, Lisbon...
In June, I went back to London and stayed for some days, but took no photos.
In August, we flew once again to New York for what would be the fifth visit. This time we flew Iberia, and that meant that we had one night in Madrid with dinner and accommodation for free... There were no Low Cost Airlines on those days, but competition was also soaring!

***

MADRID - PARQUE DEL RETIRO

We did not have much time in Madrid. Anyhow, we managed to visit the Retiro Park, created as a royal park for the Palace of the Real Sitio del Buen Retiro. The palace was built in 1632 by King Philips IV as a retreat for the Royal family (hence the name Retiro, which means Retreat). By then, the 130ha Park, which is now in midtown, was entirely outside the city walls. It was opened to the public in 1868.


"ESTANQUE DEL RETIRO - Near the northern entrance of the Parque, at Alcalá Gate, is an artificial lake, with a large monument, erected in 1922, including the equestrian statue of King Alfonso XII. One can rent a rowing boat to burn the calories taken at the Tapas bars"


"PALACIO DE CRISTAL is a beautiful glass building, located on a much smaller lake to the south. It was built in 1887 after the Crystal Palace in London, and was initially used to show some exotic plants brought over from the Philippines"

***

NEW YORK

Eight hours flight and we landed once again at JFK!


"5TH AVENUE"


"ROCKFELLER CENTRE - Promenade. There used to be a Teuscher shop with the famous chocolate truffles there. I used to visit the Geneva version of such a wonderful spot..."


"ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL - No wide angle..."


"THE PLAZA nicely mirrored on a 58th Street building!"


"CENTRAL PARK LAKE - Created originally from a large swamp the lake is another place where one can rent rowing boats... No, Thank You!"





"GUGGENHEIM - I adore the Guggenheim New York: building and collection. Actually I adore New York, and I'm definitely missing it a lot. I've already mentioned it on the post of my last - for the time being - visit to New York, actually the Sixtieth . Since 1990, it is the first time I did not visit it for two years in a row...
Anyhow, the Guggenheim is fantastic..."

NEW YORK WITH STANLEY - MAY 1979

NEW YORK ARCHITECTURE IS A CHALLANGE FOR YOUR SIGHT!

THREE LANDMARK BUILDINGS: THE TWIN TOWERS, THE EMPIRE STATE, AND THE BEST VIEW FROM THEM ALL - THE RCA!

In May 1979 Stanley, whom we had met in 1975 in Rome, actually on an excursion to Florence (see Florence, December 1975), travelled from New Haven to join us in New York for a stroll in town. That's when we discovered one of the best (if not THE best) cake ever produced: NEW YORK CHEESECAKE! Years later I found Eileen's: even better!


"ROCKFELLER CENTER - With Stanley"


"TIMES SQUARE - and Stanley"

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TWIN TOWERS AND WORLD TRADE CENTER PLAZA

Ready at the beginning of the seventies, they were the tallest buildings in New York city.


"WTC PLAZA SPHERE - It was damaged by the 9/11 attack but survived destruction"


"WTC ONE AND WTC TWO - Designed by Minoru Yamasaki, 417 meters high, 110 floors!"


"107th FLOOR - Views from inside"


"VIEWS - Church street and New Jersey port"


"BROOKLIN BRIDGE"

***

EMPIRE STATE

Opened to the public in 1931, after a fierce competition between Chrysler and General Motors to see who would build the tallest building. Chrysler is much more beautiful!


"OBSERVATORY - At the 102nd floor, a bit misty in the background"


"TWO AT THE TOP"


"MIRROR EFFECTS"


"NORTH"


"EAST"


"SOUTH"

***

RCA - Built in 1931-1933 for the Radio Corporation of America. The open-air observatory had a fabulous view of Manhattan. In 1986 it was closed to the public due to the expansion of the Rainbow Grill restaurant and bar lounge. Fortunately, after almost a twenty-year wait, someone was clever enough to reopen the Observatory: "Top of the Rock".


"SOUTH - Empire State and Twin Towers"


"SOUTHEAST - PAN AM and Chrysler"


"EAST - East River, PAN AM, and Helmsley Tower"


"NORTH - Central Park"


"TRIO, with unknown tourist. Her husband took the photo..."