NYC – Enjoy art while you exercise during the corona outbreak.
Not everything is of-limits in New York City. Take for instance, a several-block stretch of the Bowery (street). from 1st street to 7th street. In the lower east side there have been many businesses that cannot open and have covered their windows with plywood. Thankfully, a group of artists decided to create some very interesting and colorful murals.
Artist, Sono Kuwayama decided to start a movement to “freshen up” the neighborhood. There are no restrictions on the subject matter; however, there is some input from the store owners. She hopes that it will be tangible artifact from this epidemic period.
Turtle Bay is a neighborhood in New York City, on the east side of Midtown Manhattan. It extends between 41st and 53rd Streets, and eastward from Lexington. Its most famous site is the United Nations and Tutor City.
My reason to visit, was the newly painted murals (5) in this neighborhood. They are sponsored by a labor group and the over-all title is Social Change
Substitue for one I couln’t find
Future at Work
Youth Emplyment
Gender Equality
Turtle Bay almost feels like a different world: peaceful, uncrowded, and filled with brownstones and smaller brick buildings rather than skyscrapers. Much of the residential architecture is from the 1920s, often featuring basic Italian antecedents, stucco walls again bricks or tile.
Mid Town, Turtle Bay, is an interesting place to visit and walk.
Two buildings in Turtle Bay are the Seamen’s Churches of Sweden and Norway, which have hidden cafes inside that are open to the public though the organizations themselves primarily serve the expatriate community.
Seamen’s Church
It might look like a gated building front on East 49th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, but this between-buildings passageway, now known as Amster Yard, goes all the way back to 1830 or earlier. On this site, the stagecoach to Boston began its route on a now-vanished road called the Eastern Post Road. It has been rebuilt with an art gallery and a charming back garden. The complex remains open to the public on weekdays, except when there is a private event. (Spanish Cultural Center)
Then there is Beekman Place, also just a few blocks long. Its prewar co-ops nuzzle town houses with dormered windows jutting from their top floors.
Fun facts
As a non historical curiosity, the Hammarskjöld Plaza (Second Avenue and Forty-Sixth Street ) is the very center of the imaginary multiverse formed by all of the stories written by Stephen King, as described in his “The Dark Tower” series of books. It is actually the place that “keeps all those universes working”. So it is an interesting touristic point for the fans.
Number 227 – 247 East 48th Street and 236-246 East 49th Streets are famous remodeled brownstones which surround a private common garden and are the former homes of Dorothy Thompson, Katharine Hepburn, Stephen Sondheim, Maggie Smith and Tyrone Power
This area is right on top of the United Nations Building.
Every year, during May, Jane’s Walks organization puts together free walks throughout the boroughs of New York City. One that caught my eye was a walk in the northern Manhattan neighborhood of Hamilton Heights and Washington heights. It is a project that is attempting to create 314 murals of endangered birds. It is called the Audubon Mural Project.
This was a walk I wasn’t sure I was going to do. However, I am always looking to go for a walk, so I went! However, there were so many people who had the same idea that I created my own walk.
Most of my walk was from west 144th Street to west 158th Street along Broadway. I may have missed some along the way but I have included a web site, at the bottom, that does a great job of showing off the murals.
First the area in question is in section of Manhattan that is old and which has a rich cultural diverse population. Broadway is a typical city street with shops of all kinds along the way
Many of the buildings on the side streets are filled with very nice brownstone buildings while Broadway has a mix of apartment buildings.
The most well-known section is around west 155th Street. Here is the famous Trinity graveyard where many well know dignitaries are buried.
John Audubon Ed Koch Clement Moore Jerry Orbach
Also, a fabulous museum at the Audubon Terrace – Hispanic Society of America should not be missed. It is now closed for renovation but something to be put on your future visit to NYC.
If you are coming to NYC for the first time, this is a walk that I recommend you take virtually. This is far from the normal tourist areas and the placements of the birds are somewhat hard to find. The web site below is excellent and will show much more than this brief look at the murals.
This web site has a better view of the birds. Click here
It is always fun to visit Little Italy and China Town. I find that every new trip brings with it unexpected things to see and do. Also, I often find places I have missed during my last trip.
My Blog tries to provide you encourage you to get out and walk…
while the images of NYC hopefully helps you to find what is in your neighborhood.
Have you looked lately?
Little Italy Murals
Little Italy and the surrounding area is coming alive with views of art that ranges in scale, style, and intention. While often somewhat hidden there is a good mix of commissioned and illegal works that can be found. Recently, several new murals have been painted on Mulberry Street. I encourage you to take a stroll down Mulberry Street, a weekend Pedestrian Mall, it is a wonderful experience as it is the heart of Little Italy.
The following two are hard to miss. I leave any feelings about these to myself but my grandson thinks they look like “ugly” babies.
Everywhere you go in New York there seems to be something new. New York City has some insane architecture that already give its skyline artistic merit. My answer to the question is that street art, decorating all extremities from roofs to bodegas to subway tunnels, really keeps our City covered in color and maintains its artistic integrity.
I remember coming to the city in the late 1960s and looking at some near the east village. Now, there is no need to look for graffiti in NYC; it will find you.
She hasn’t been the only artist painting more local artists have joined in to help.
by all of the stories written by Stephen King, as described in his “The Dark Tower” series of books. It is actually the place that “keeps all those universes working”. So it is an interesting touristic point for the fans.
Just Looking Around - with ThomBradley 