NYC Day 18: In Which I Give Macy's Annual July 4 Fireworks a Miss

A view from the Grand Central Terminal concourse (Click on images to view full sized)

Event of The Day: Macy's July 4th Fireworks (between E 24th and E 42nd streets).
I started the day with the best of intentions. My intention being to check out a few places downtown and then head over to the East River early to get a good viewing spot for the main event of the day: Macy's July 4 Fireworks Spectacular that was due to kick off sometime after 9.30pm. However, after being out and about for a good seven to eight hours, and after alighting from a bus at Fifth Avenue and starting the long walk down 42nd street towards the river, I dropped by the restrooms below Grand Central Terminal for a relief break, and on surfacing once more to street level and seeing the stream of people pouring down the road to the East River, I decided that enough was enough, and caught an M4 bus on Madison Avenue for the return journey to Washington Heights!

Somewhere along the Hudson River Greenway, a graveyard for discarded architectural remnants.

The Fireboat was going off without the need for fireworks of the explosive kind.

I know, I know. You are probably thinking, what is the point of this guy visiting New York City if he doesn't participate in one of the most anticipated events of the year?

The answer, dear reader, or answers, are pretty simple and straightforward, so for what it's worth: I was tired, for one. Secondly, it occurred to me that a sizable portion of the half million people attending the event would be trying to squeeze into every available type of transport for the ride to their homes or hotels, and most of those would be using buses or subways, and the thought of doing this brought to mind sardines packed into hot and sweaty sardine cans. And that's assuming it didn't take an hour or more to find transport that wasn't already packed to the gills (to continue the fish metaphor). No thanks.

The amazing Starrett-LeHigh Building use to dominate the skyline at this point along the river, but it is about to be eclipsed by the massive developments currently underway at the Hudson Yards site.

The butterfly unicorn at the Pier 62 Carousel

I approach my 69th year, I have to say I have seen more than my share of fireworks, including a Macy's July 4th event -- which took place during a change of location experiment on the Hudson River in 2010. Yes, it was spectacular and over the top as these events tend to be, but I figured that apart from the change in location back to the East River, the 2017 event probably wasn't going to differ all that much from the 2010 one.

Still, the day did not go to waste. Illustrating this post are a number of photographs from my peregrinations between 14th street and 42nd street, mostly along the Hudson River bordering the Chelsea neighborhood. They include images of Chelsea Market, the High Line (although I left that much acclaimed piece of architecture after only five minutes due to the heat of the day).

The logo on the door of this stunning piece of modern architecture has just three letters, IAC, which turns out be the home of "...a leading media and Internet company." 

Just a brief glimpse inside Chelsea Market. Apart from the thousands of tourists who flood the place every day, and the New Yorkers who serve them, do any other locals actually visit this complex, I wonder?

Best of all was my meal of the day; a Reuben sandwich with pastrami, and real Australian style hot chips, not those anemic looking fries that most restaurants and fast food chains dish up nowadays. Thanks to the Star On 18 diner on the corner of 10th Avenue and West 18th Street for this surprise treat.

The Reuben sandwich is described online as "...an American hot sandwich composed of corned beef (oops), Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing, grilled between slices of rye bread." Oh well, I was offered pastrami as well as corned beef and an option and chose the pastrami.

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Tuesday 4, July | Expenses $38.00 ($49.85)

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 Any questions? Comments? Thoughts? Go on, you know you want to ask them or share them. Drop me a line via the comments box below or via my Twitter handle @jimlesses I won't bite, I promise.

Street View Comes to The High Line

I have no idea how they did it, but Google Street View has now mapped New York City’s High Line park. I’ve written before about the High Line, but to make it brief, the High Line is an elevated park that meanders above the streets along portions of some of Manhattan’s west side neighbourhoods.

Currently the High Line is about a mile long, but over time it will be extended at least another half mile or so to provide yet another unique New York experience to the millions of visitors and New Yorkers who had enjoyed promenading along its length. Last year Google donated $1 million to the High Line, so I guess it is only fitting that the company give the elevated park the Street View treatment.

The following video gives you a brief taste of the project and only adds to my desire to visit the park again on my next visit to New York City.

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You can see another video (narrated by the actor Ethan Hawke) outlining the history of the High Line here…

Walking the High Line

An article in the April 2011 edition of National Geographic magazine about New York City’s High Line ‘park’ got me reminiscing about my visit to the High Line in 2010.

The High Line is not a park in the conventional sense – it is more a raised landscape feature following the course of an old, long defunct and abandoned elevated railway line along the lower west side of Manhattan’s Chelsea district. Part park, promenade, meeting place, and sun deck, the High Line is a great example of a good idea whose time has come.

Once classed as an eyesore and slated for demolition, the High Line was saved from the scrap merchants yard, mainly as the result of the shared vision, work and enthusiasm of two men, Joshua David and Robert Hammond, who had the foresight to imagine a new life for the old El line, and who formed Friends of the High Line in 1999 to bring their vision to life.

The rest, as the saying goes, is history.

I walked the first section of the High Line back in July 2010, and thoroughly enjoyed my birds-eye view along a route that led from Gansevoort Street through the Meatpacking District, and across Tenth Avenue to West 20th Street. As you walk some 25 feet above street level your perspective of New York City changes constantly, and the walk makes for a very pleasant way to spend an hour or so people watching, sunbathing, or just relaxing on a warm summer day.

Here, narrated by the actor Ethan Hawke, is a short history of the High Line:

This week, stage two of the High Line opened, extending the route a further ten blocks north to West 30th Street. The High Line now provides unique views of the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen, and its total length now extends a full mile.

Best of all, the entire length of the High Line is wheelchair accessible with access provided by elevators located at West 14th, W 16th and W 30th Streets. A fourth elevator is currently being installed at W 23rd Street and should be operating by the end of this month.

The High Line is open daily during the park’s summer operating hours of 7:00AM to 11:00PM, and access is free.

Photographers Delight
Photographers looking for a unique perspective for their New York City images, have found the High Line to be a perfect place to capture the Big Apple in ways that, in the past, may have not been possible – or easily achieved.

Because of the generous opening hours of the High Line, setting up for early morning or late evening sunsets shots of New York’s skyline has made the High Line a popular viewing platform for local and visiting photographers.

Art, Music, Dance
A full program of art, music and dance has being scheduled for the High Line this summer, as well as regular walking tours, volunteering opportunities and more, and you can read about these via the Friend of the High Line newsletter on their website.

More information
More videos can be accessed via the Friends of The High Line YouTube page…
Friends of The High Line Org…

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