Chronicles Continued

This is an example of a well-restored building and in this case it happens to be a theatre.  For your trivia came, this is where Hamilton first played, prior to going all gaga over on Broadway.  Tickets were affordable back then – and back then was 2015!

 

Astor Library Building*

The Public has been housed in a landmark Romanesque revival structure at 425 Lafayette Street since 1967, built between 1853 and 1881 as the Astor Library, which later merged with the Tilden and Lenox collections to become the New York Public Library. The library was built by William B. Astor, son of the library’s founder, John Jacob Astor. A German-born architect, Alexander Saeltzer, who had been the architect of the Anshe Chesed Synagogue, designed the building in Rundbogenstil style, then the prevailing style for public building in Germany. Astor funded two expansions of the building toward Astor Place, designed by Griffith Thomas (1856–1869) and Thomas Stent (1879–1881).  Both large expansions followed Saeltzer’s original design so seamlessly that an observer cannot detect that the edifice was built in three stages.

In 1920, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society purchased the building. By 1965 it was in disuse and faced demolition. The Public Theater, then the New York Shakespeare Festival, persuaded the city to purchase it for use as a theater. It was converted for theater use by Giorgio Cavaglieri between 1967 and 1976.

The building is a New York City Landmark, designated in 1965. It was one of the first buildings to be recognized as such by the newly formed Landmarks Preservation Commission of New York City, thanks to Joseph Papp’s perseverance.

*from Wikipedia

Sometimes a Broadway production can catch one completely by surprise.  The Encounter is just such a play.  It is the story of the ‘encounter’ between a National Geographic Photographer and a ‘hidden tribe’ in the Amazon jungle.  The first indications that this would be anything but normal were the headsets hanging on the back of every seat; 804 of them.  I can not begin to explain how the process worked, but as the time began to pass and one shut one’s eyes, it became engrossing.  Somewhat akin to listening to the radio.  The story is extra-ordinary, about time, our perception of it, our use of it, our definition of life and life’s values.  And my favorite subject, language.  Two hours later we were released from the grip of it, to carry away what we had heard and seen.  Was on the E train home and a couple got on, one half of whom reminded me of my professor friend T.  He caught my eye and I saw he had a playbill in his hand.  Asked him what he saw.  He held it up.  Unfortunately the three of us only had two stops to share our thoughts about the past two hours of what we had experienced watching The Encounter.

*based on a book by the same name.

Such a sweet attention-getter for the love of someone’s life.  Just blowin’ in the wind- an afternoon delight.

Rightly so, the subway repairs are made on the weekends.  One can find this information on the website listed under:  “Welcome to The Weekender
The Weekender is your guide to understanding planned service changes in effect for system maintenance and construction. Check by line or by station. Zoom in on the diagram. If a station is blinking, click to get details and travel alternatives.”

That reads so efficient and workable. In addition to this, a MTA employee goes to the affected stations and posts on the pillars 8×10 black and white signs reiterating the changes that usually begin Friday late and go until Monday early.

Well, last Saturday, needed the E to JFK.  Went to W14th Street where the E regularly runs.  [Forgot to check the Weekender]  Arrive to signs saying that the E will not be stopping here, but running on the F line and to go to W4th Street to board.  Well, you have to know is that the A/C also stop at W4th Street and will be coming through this station, W14 Street,  so I cross over to another platform  to catch a downtown train to W4th.  Arrive at W4th and the 8×10 black and white signs say catch the E on the F line – lower tracks.  Go to lower tracks where more 8×10 bl/white papers say: E stops here.  Indeed on the F line.  Wait for E.  5 minutes.  An F train comes, I go to stand where the conductor will look out and as I get there, the train pulls away, I call out,”Will the E stop here?”  There is so much noise, she shrugs her shoulders and bending her elbows with palms showing, leaves the station.  Looking about I see a number of folks with suitcases and the’ look of travel’ in their eyes.  One traveler comes to chat.  He is trying to explain he did not want to tell the conductor where he was going when she asked in response to his question: ‘Does the E train stop here”.  It is, says he, none of her business where he is going.  I tried but thought the better of it to explain to him there was a method to her madness, but he was so bent on discussing the privacy issue, I turned away.  One minute later, I hear one of those vague announcements over the PA system.  These PA system announcements are usually sounding if they are a foreign language.  This one seems to be saying, “The E train is stopping on the upper level”.  I listen again and that i what I hear.  So with less than a smile on my face, I lug my baggage back up the two flights of stairs to the original track and platform on which the E should stop.  I position myself by the zebra-hanging-board- where I know the conductor will shake a finger and jut out his/her head.  I see NO 8X10 SIGNS that the E will stop here.  Only that the E is running on the F track [ from whence I came].  A C train arrives, and before the conductor can shake a finger, I am asking him about the E train and does it come on this track or is it as the sign says, lower level.  He starts to say something, pauses and then says ” The plan has changed and is cancelled. There is no construction on the E track, the train is running as usual”.  Wide eyed, I repeat his words: “The E trains are running as scheduled and will come on this track.”  As the trains pulls away -the average stop is 15 seconds- he says yes.  i look around and no others from the lower level bearing suitcases have joined me.  Three minutes later the E train does arrive, on the E track and without incident we carry on to JFK.  I did not have the opportunity to save the entire lower level.  If you don’t hear/understand English you were snap out of luck to make your plane on Saturday.

and she did not know how the seatbelt on the airplane worked.  This was a first for me.  I thought by now, every person who has ever been in a car… but no… she was seated next to me, and wanted ‘out’ and had no idea how to ‘flip the buckle’.

than scaring the bejezus out of immature college boys. Thanks to training, I can lower my voice and project it to the rear wall of a mid-sized theatre.  So when the illegal partying boys – fools enough to open a window onto the street allowing me to see in, light a joint I enter the door of my building.  In reaction to my knocking on the door of unit #1 with majestic authority, the occupants inside immediately stopped talking and hold their collective breaths.  You could cut the air.  I wait to see if someone will stir and open the door.  No movement.  In a voice to make a director weep, “This is a smoke-free building.  Put out the smokes or we call the cops.”  Beat. A penitent male voice answers  “Sorry, I didn’t know”.  “Put it out now,” i reply, “Or the cops come.”  “it’s out.” says the small voice.  Beat.  I continue, “You do know this unit, this apartment, is under police surveillance, the police can show up at anytime!” [This is true there is a code violation and an illegal Airbnb being operated out of this unit and the police show up at random to issue the renter a violation ticket.]  Small male voice, “I’m sorry i didn’t know.”  “Well, it’s true,”  I reply, then add,  “There is a whole lot more you don’t know!”  Silence. I wait.  Silence. Quietly I turn away and tip-toe up the stairs to my apartment.  From a not too deeply hidden place, arises a contented chuckle.  We LOL’s  find joy in the most unlikely of places!

Since then, have heard the closing of doors as the party of males moves on to a place where there is less likelihood perhaps of a police raid.  This weekend is the welcoming of new students to the NYU campus.

As I walked on the sidewalk on 8th Avenue I studiously avoided the ‘doors-in-the-sidewalk by stepping on the vertical edge of each side. The sidewalk was sufficiently crowded that i could not avoid the closed doors altogether.  As i thoughtfully avoided the third one, a male voice beside me said ‘Did you see the post of the door that opened?’  i’ laughed and replied that I had indeed read about the man in Brooklyn who was killed by stepping on a closed-door and it open inward, and he fell to his death.  “Yes,” he said, ” I thought so.”  And then he asked me if I knew that the manhole covers in the street, can blow off unexpectedly due to built up pressure under the road. ‘Great”, I said, “Something else to worry about”.

…why you don’t know what you’re eating and what you can do about it”.* This is the latest read on the food industry and for your health, a ‘must read’.  Americans would be quite skinny if they quit eating all the foods that are not ‘real’. Someone said-not this author- one should only shop the periphery in the supermarket,  never the middle of the store. I must confess a bias in the book, when the author speaks to the blended wines bottled and sold.  I agree with his comment completely.

*by Larry Olmstead