Mid-Winter Stroll

I took a walk recently and thought I’d share some of what I saw with you. This first set of photos includes a bodega, a synagogue, a piece by PhoebeNYC – one of my favorite street artists, several outdoor dining pods, and a couple of shots in Union Square Park. The last picture is of the 1856 statue of George Washington, which is the oldest statue in the collection of the New York Parks collection.

A new Krispy Kreme doughnut shop opened up on 23rd Street between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue. I stopped by (of course).

These shots in Madison Square Park include the first Shake Shack and it’s outdoor seating area, the Empire State Building, and the Met Life Building. The park, named after President James Madison, opened in 1847. The original buildings named Madison Square Garden sat alongside the park, which is where the name of the sports arena comes from. The first-ever lit pubic Christmas Tree, and certainly the first in the city, was in Madison Square Park, and there has been one there every Christmas since.

Here is the art in the 23rd Street N/R station. The collection of glass mosaics is called “Memories of Twenty-Third Street” by the artist Keith Godard. All of the people who belong to the hats at one time or another lived in the fabled Chelsea Hotel which is just a few blocks west on 23rd Street. Each hat is placed at the appropriate height for its wearer.

The hats that you see here are designed to belong to Oscar Wilde, P.T. Barnum and Tom Thumb, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Jessie Tarbox Beals, and Sarah Bernhardt.

Here is a podcast about the hat art:

http://web.mta.info/mta/aft/permanentart/permart.html?agency=nyct&line=R&artist=1&station=11

Up next is art in the Times Square subway hub.

First are several pieces of “35 Times” by Toby Buonagurio. The ceramic plaques inset in glass blocks depict various scenes and elements of NYC culture and history that are specific to Times Square.

“35 Times” is comprised of 35 unique, one of a kind sculptural ceramic reliefs created by the artist over five years. The work may be viewed in the Times Square – 42nd Street Subway Station along the 7th Avenue Passage, the 41st Street Corridor, the Broadway Mezzanine and the Subway Entrance at 42nd Street.

Here is a podcast about the artwork:

http://web.mta.info/mta/aft/permanentart/permart.html?agency=NYCT&line=A&station=5&artist=3

And lastly, we have the porcelain enamel collage “Times Square Mural” by Roy Lichtenstein, which can be seen up high on a wall of the N, Q, R, S, W, 1, 2, 3 mezzanine. The mural depicts transportation through Times Square over the course of the centuries into the future.

Here is a podcast about the artwork.

http://web.mta.info/mta/aft/permanentart/permart.html?agency=NYCT&line=A&station=5&artist=1