Conservatory Gardens

Posted on April 11, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

Riding through Central Park on a perfectly glorious Easter weekend would have been joy enough, but even though I was heading north with the expectation of finding the Conservatory Gardens, the first sight of the valley filled with pink and white blossoms was nevertheless breathtaking. Lasseter himself could not have been more dazzled. Sean & I have been regular visitors these past few weeks, enjoying the first of the magnolias and the daffodils, now the cherry blossom, and in a couple of weeks the tulips in the French garden – all 21,000 of them, will be showing themselves off. So if you are thinking of adopting a permanent garden bench for yourself ( like a good friend of mine is ) , this haven in the Park would be an excellent choice. Apart from the $7,500, all you need do is think of the words you want inscribed on the bronze plaque….

 

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Hot Cross Buns

Posted on April 8, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

The bakers of New York turned out a bun bonanza just in time for Easter. I had been despairing in the preceding weeks of even finding a slightly spiced fruity treat, but maybe the bakers were doing my buns a favor by tightening the window of indulgence. Amy’s can always be relied on to provide wholesome and ‘old-fashioned’ goodies including HCB’s, and their bunny bread was a bit of fun. But Eataly overcooked theirs, Eli Zabar used candied peel that looks pretty but still tastes like candied peel, and Balthazar only baked theirs on the weekends, so I missed that option altogether. So it was up to Le Pain Quotidien  – a Brussels born artisanal bakery, to set the standard this year. Their buns were heavy with fruit, moist and just small enough to get away with eating pre-Good Friday. But be warned, their pastries are delicious and they also do an excellent raisin and walnut bread all year round…..

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Macy’s Flower Show

Posted on April 6, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

By the time the Macy’s flower show starts, I am usually in a state of trepidation after months of gardening withdrawal in a frozen floral environment. The flower show has always been a joyous promise of things to come, a horticultural heaven woven in and around the handbags and harberdashery of Macy’s ground floor. But this year it was the complete opposite. The Spring had exploded early with such color and energy that the city was already full of blossoms. It was a pleasure just to wander around and follow the bees. So I wondered if it was even worth walking the couple of blocks over to Macys. Added to that the renovations in the main entrance of the store which relegated the flower show to a large tent in Herald Square. What would Cundall do? No question, I had to go. The intense volume of plants on display equated with the speed of the queue pushing past and the stress of the tech guys trying to keep the tent’s atmosphere under control. What a feat. There were waterfalls, fully fruiting papaya trees, sculptures and swaths of colour. It really was very clever, an inspiration for gardening on my terrace. Not to mention, I realized as I stumbled out past Macy’s windows, what I should wear with the gloves….

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Afternoon Tea at The Crosby

Posted on March 29, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

Who would have thought you could enjoy such a proper – and stylish –  afternoon tea in the middle of Manhattan…?! The Crosby Hotel is just around the corner from the Balthazar and Moma design center in the downtown Soho neighborhood. So it’s in the heart of all that is hip and groovy. But the hotel, while full of quirky art and appointments, has a sublime Britishness about it. A portrait of the Queen peered over my shoulder as afternoon tea was served and she would have approved. The scones were hot and the champagne was perfectly chilled. Finger sandwiches were dainty and the berry tarts, with crumb-less crust, were delicate and delicious. The staff were chipper and professional, and the warm hospitality made the ‘secret service’ style of other hotels, with suits whispering into their shirt sleeves, seem rather naff. If you stay at the hotel you can take afternoon tea in the library – which would have been reason enough to move in even without the private cinema downstairs. What a wonderful hotel – and not a corgi in sight!

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Gracie Mansion

Posted on March 25, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

I’ve just found a perfect spot to live! Only thing is that you can’t buy it, and you have to run for mayor to even be considered for a front door key. The location is spectacular, on the upper east side right on the river and surrounded by parkland. Gracie Mansion would be the home of Mayor Bloomberg, except that he said no-one should actually live there, it should be for the city to use for special occasions. So I have notified the appropriate people of my birthday and I’ll wait for the invitation to arrive. In the meanwhile, here is a shot from the garden….

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Spring in Central Park

Posted on March 25, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

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Home made heaven

Posted on March 25, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

This has got to be a first for New York! A cafe on Fifth Avenue overlooking Central Park with good coffee and home made cakes. The Heavenly Rest Stop is part of The Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest at 5th and 90th and is definitely worth stopping for. Ironically we had just filled our souls with the sight of Magnolia blossom in the nearby Conservatory Gardens, and then decided it was time for some physical nourishment as well. So the church hit the spot with coffee and real apple crumble. Buttery, caramelized cinnamon apples that by sheer proximity, had to be good for you. Apparently everything offered by the cafe is home made and Sean is already planning next time for the lemon tart. So when you hear the church bells on Sunday, don’t hesitate!

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American Academy of Arts and Letters

Posted on March 24, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

There are private clubs and members-only institutions all over new York, but I think none could be as austere as the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The Academy is a society of writers, musicians, artists and architects and was founded in 1904 with Mark Twain as one of it’s original 7 members. Since then many famous people – Arthur Miller, John Steinbeck, etc – have been part of the Academy, being nominated and then becoming nominators of their famous peers.

While I am not a frequenter of exclusive clubs with lots of polished timber, leather chairs and mainly male members, I was intrigued to be in the same space that so many literary giants had filled. I actually sat in the same chair that Henry James occupied when he was in residence. This was more a novelty than an inspiration, but I did enjoy seeing the handwritten notes of Mark Twain that Nancy, my host and archivist of the Academy, had collated for me. Reading how proud he felt at writing 4,000 words a day made the man so real. Not that there is any doubt about the humanity of even the most elite artists. Meryl Streep is a current member of the Academy, and apparently whenever it is known she will be attending meetings, there is a rush of requests to be seated next to her….

Gracing the walls of the exhibition space were paintings by a past member and impressionist painter called Childe Hassam. He is most widely know for his paintings of flags ( Obama has one ) but left his entire collection of work to the Academy on the proviso that they gradually sell it to buy the work of young aspiring artists. I was impressed by his egoless egalitarianism, and even though the Academy thrives on a rich endowment, the focus on art rather than money turned into a spirited conversation between Nancy and I about politics. Maybe it was the spirit of artists past that called to us or maybe it was those who have yet to get their name on the back of a club chair….

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St Patrick’s Day

Posted on March 24, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

St Patrick’s day in New York is a lot like new year’s eve – only it’s green! While the religious and cultural significance of the day is certainly celebrated with Gaelic masses, Irish Catholic pride and by the ( originally irish ) members of the 69th battalion, it’s phenomenal just how many people take to the streets to party.  But when a Jewish Mayor leads a parade in America in front of tens of thousands of green-clad New Yorkers and declares that everyone is Irish today, there is definitely cause for a drink!

Sean & I were lucky enough to gain access through the parade barricades on 42nd street, where only journalists, the NYPD and secret service people were permitted. This gave us a fantastic opportunity not only to film, but to really feel part of the experience. Imagine being in the middle of an almost deserted Fifth Avenue with a centered green line running all the way uptown, brass bands and bagpipes tuning in behind us, and a few thousand people all wearing green and waving Irish flags… Of course there would be corn beef and cabbage to follow – as has become our tradition at the Lexington Street Armory, but for now there was some marching to do. As always, it was a great day for the Irish!

On to the Armory and the home of the fighting 69th !

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Pier 15 – life after the old fish markets

Posted on March 15, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

The downtown east river waterfront is looking suddenly very stylish with the unveiling of Pier 15. For ages the area has been a bottleneck of tourists and street vendors with scaffolding and bike diversions making for a rocky road around the ocean end of the island. But no more! The boards have been taken down to reveal a new Brooklyn facing pier not unlike the modern architectural design of the High Line. Lots of metal, wood and glass open up the space with attractive user-friendly features, like a grassy park area on the top level and benches cut into the railing to provide thoughtful perspectives out to the water. Bringing in the locals is a state-of-the-art dog run under the FDR ( complete with a fake tree for real relief !) The pathway going south to the heliport is all open grids so you can see the waves below. There is still work to be done to connect this to the Ferry Ports, but it won’t be long and we will be able to ride our bikes down the east side and easily connect to the Governor Island Ferry. AND there is now a subway station in front of the Staten Island ferry. I am sure this didn’t exist before. So you can jump on the red 1 line at Times Square and go all the way to the end. Take a picnic just in case the refreshment installation hasn’t opened up by then!

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