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2022 US Trip – Day 5 (Former Smallpox Hospital)

This former smallpox hospital is located on Roosevelt Island and it first opened in December 1856, with 100 beds for those needing to recover from the illness. The building was designed by the prolific local architect James Renwick jr and it was the first facility of its kind in the country. Although when it was constructed there was a smallpox vaccine, many immigrants from around the world came into New York ill and they needed this facility. In 1875, the institution became known as the Riverside Hospital and then in 1886 it became a home for nurses, formally known as the Home for the Nurses of the Maternity and Charity Hospital Training School.

There were northern and southern extensions added to the building in the early twentieth century, giving extra space for classrooms, laboratories and additional dormitories. However, the nursing school closed in the 1950s and most of the interior fittings were removed, although the roof was still in place in the 1960s.

It’s not in the best of condition it’s fair to say and in the 1970s there were plans to try and shore up the building to protect it. That aim was going quite well until one of the wings fell down in 2007 which wasn’t ideal and since when there has been greater impetus to fix things. Money is now being poured into the structure and it’s hoped that the ruins will be open to the public in the future, as they’re currently fenced off and inaccessible. It’s an imposing building and it certainly retains some beauty despite the fact that great chunks of it have fallen down. It feels more like a grand Victorian residence than a hospital and it has some rather lovely views over Manhattan.

Some of the structural supports that have been placed into the building to prevent any more collapsing incidents.

Some of the building is so overgrown that it’s hard to see what is still standing. The future though at least looks positive and there’s more information about the renovation work at https://www.theruin.org/. They’re treating the building as a Covid-19 memorial and it’ll be interesting to be able to walk around the ruins once they’ve stabilised them.

September 27, 2022
2022 US Trip – Day 4 (Fred Wilson Artwork in New York)

Slightly awkwardly, my first reaction to seeing this metalwork slightly impeding access in the middle of the path was one of wondering who had dumped that there. My later reactions were more favourable though when I got closer to it.

It’s actually an art installation which has been designed by the New York artist Fred Wilson which is meant to act as a representation of the incarceration of immigrants and also black people. And my reaction of impeding access was not entirely incorrect, as the artwork is meant to symbolise obstruction and the barriers that people have faced. I’m not entirely sure if this is meant to define the barriers that slaves, the black population or more migrants have had to battle against, but perhaps it’s all of them and isn’t meant to be limited.

Excuse my not very subtle shadow on the artwork…. New York Parks said in a statement:

“This sculpture will make Downtown Brooklyn’s parkland more vibrant while calling attention to important questions about barriers, justice, and freedom.”

The sculpture is in Columbus Park for a year, until 2023, and the artist and sponsors are apparently calling for feedback on the artwork and what people take from it. It all grew on me, I liked the ornamental gates and the representation that gave of wealth and privilege shutting other people out. An interesting artwork and I hope it is transferred somewhere else after 2023 so that it can still be seen.

September 26, 2022
2022 US Trip – Day 4 (Police Controlling Traffic in New York)

This situation intrigues me, look for the traffic enforcement officer in the middle of the intersection in New York. I’m honestly not sure how safe that is, but they are there to control the traffic even though there are traffic lights in operation. Apparently it’s to prevent any grid-locking issues at the intersection as the officers can refuse to let more vehicles enter the area even if their lights are green. It all looks very dangerous though, can’t they just have something like the hatched yellow lines that they have in the UK? Perhaps as I don’t own a car this actually makes a lot of sense, but it’s not a job that I fancy having.

September 26, 2022
2022 US Trip – Day 4 (Blind Tiger in New York)

I thought that I’d stay nearby to my accommodation as I was quite tired, instead of trekking back out to a brewery further away, so I went for Blind Tiger in Greenwich Village.

It was a busy bar with limited seating available, so I thought that I’d just have one beer. However, after trying to do that, I was told that there was a two drink minimum which I wasn’t entirely impressed with. Having written that though, I was happy to have two (indeed, it’s very rare that I only have one), it’s just there was a lacking of seating space, but that problem soon resolved itself.

I propped myself by the window for my first drink, a very decent fruited sour from Kings County Brewers Collective, but more on them in a later blog post as I went to their brew-tap the following day.

A table then became available, but two of us headed for it at the same time. We soon agreed that we were happy to share that table and had a lovely chat about various matters. With my new friend guarding the table, I went to get my second drink, a very decadent (and slightly expensive) strong ale, the Firestone 19 (XIX) Anniversary Ale from the Firestone Walker Brewing Company. Suitably rich and full of flavour though, I was pleased with it although its strength (13.8% ABV) meant that I sipped at it for some time.

There was quite a cosy atmosphere in the bar, which also had some outdoors seating, and some people were vaguely watching the sport that was showing on the TV screens. I was very pleased with the two drinks that I had, and actually was quite satisfied that I was forced to stay for a second drink, but I’m still not sure that’s the best strategy. The prices weren’t unreasonable for the location and the beer choices were decent, so no complaints there. Although I didn’t have any, there was also food served here such as sandwiches, tacos, chicken wings and the like.

The bar is well reviewed on-line but I can imagine their irritation when someone left them a 1/5 review which stated “Coors Light served warm”, clearly annoying and they soon replied that the bar didn’t sell such a drink. Indeed, I would be horrified if they did, bloody Coors Light…..

September 26, 2022
2022 US Trip – Day 3 (Other Half Brewing in New York)

Obviously this blog had to veer into beer at some point and that time is now. This is Other Half Brewing, one of a number of bar set-ups that my friend Nathan recommended to visit. They were founded in Brooklyn in 2014 and although they have numerous locations now, I went to the taproom in their home area.

The very exciting draft list and I was pleased to see the 4oz pour so that I could try a number of different beers. There’s something intrinsically exciting about that board, not just with the bright colours that always appeals to me, but you can just tell they are passionate about beer from it.

The bar and off to the right is the brewery area. The staff member was helpful and engaging throughout, of course knowledgeable about the different beers that were available. It’s beautifully on-trend, but that probably isn’t a phrase they’d like, they’d just claim they’re being themselves and doing what they like doing. It is on-trend though, although they’re setting them in terms of the beer. It’s pure pleasure sitting in a venue which is helping to define the future of brewing rather than just somewhere that is going through the motions of selling beer.

Three of the six beers that I tried and I won’t go in too much detail here, it’s easier to follow me at https://untappd.com/user/julwhite. The quality was exceptional and the LAX2JFK In the Clouds Triple New England and the Double Dry Hopped Double Mosaic Daydream Imperial IPA were just incredible, pure decadence. They don’t sell much dark stuff here, but I was more than happy with their IPAs, smooth, silky and bleeding flavour out. I’m not sure the word bleeding can be used there, but I’m going to anyway as I don’t want to use the word oozing.

They don’t sell food here, but there’s a McDonald’s over the road, although other nearby food venues are also available. There’s plenty of seating inside and out, mostly on high tables inside which is just what I like. But food deserves to come second, this is one of the best breweries in the world based on Untappd scores, an average of 4.23 out of 5 from over 5 million beer reviews.

A quick photo of Smith 9th St. station on the New York Subway, although the word subway is a little ridiculous here.

I mention that because it’s nearly 27 metres above ground level and is the highest rapid transit station in the world. I find this astounding, what a breathtaking heap of structure it is. I adore it, the trains sweeping across the top of that.

This is the view over New York from the station platform.

September 25, 2022
2022 US Trip – Day 3 (Budget Accommodation in New York)

I’ve mentioned that the US is currently expensive for UK travellers due to the collapsing of the pound, so I went for a budget option at Chelsea Pods (also known as Chelsea Cabins) which is effectively a very small room within a large floor. It’s a better option than a hostel as there’s some private space, a lockable door and it’s all relatively self-contained. There’s nothing else there, other than a towel, a bin and a book which has the wi-fi password in it, but there’s access to power and wi-fi at least.

There are a few public areas for seating for those who wanted it. I had picked up a cold at some point which slightly impacted my stay in the city, but I’m pleased to report (since I’m behind writing this up) that I’ve been very brave and I’ve fully and completely recovered. That’s what craft beer and fine food does, it leads to a swift recovery.

There were no shortage of rooms on this floor, and there’s a floor for women below. I was surprised just how quiet it was, the owner provides a lovely welcome and they come and check that the rules are being followed. I heard someone on their phone being told very quickly to please go outside if they wanted to continue their conversation. I had wondered if it might be a little noisy from exuberant travellers, but as all of the cabins are for single use only and they don’t take bookings from groups, there was no party atmosphere. I liked that.

One of the drawbacks is that I had to climb five sets of stairs every time and there’s no lift. There is a breakfast provided which is very basic, but I didn’t try that as it started a little later in the morning and I was able to get free food in New York anyway (legally I’d add, I didn’t pinch it).

I’d stay here again if I was in New York as it was reasonably priced, it was clean and I felt it relatively comfortable. The owner had put me at one end of the floor relatively near to a window, so that kept things quite cool which helped. They did provide ear plugs as there is outside traffic noise, but I quite like listening to the sounds of the city and didn’t need them. It’s designed to be a place to sleep rather than a comfortable place to relax and contemplate the world, an objective that it meets.

Obviously it would have been nice for stay in a decadent hotel in New York, but the average room rate on Manhattan for just an average room was over £250 per night, and I was able to stay in this cabin for £130 for the three nights combined. Given its central location, that worked perfectly for me and I liked their business set-up and model.

September 25, 2022
2022 US Trip – Day 3 (Resonating Bodies)

Something a little different, this is a pair of bronze sculptures designed by the British artist Tony Cragg. They’re located at one of the entrances to Battery Park which is located at the southern tip of Manhattan. My friend Nathan might remember that we saw Cragg’s artwork Mean Average in Bonn a couple of years ago, although I didn’t really understand that one.

At the rear is a tuba and in the foreground is a lute, with the New York parks authority noting:

“This playful work is based on the concept that all physical bodies, including ourselves, are constantly enveloped by various energy forms from heat, light, sound, and gravity to magnetic waves, x-waves, even radio and TV signals.”

It’s quite a nice metaphor in this busy part of the city and one of the great things about New York is the energy that is all around.

September 25, 2022
2022 US Trip – Day 3 (Photos from Battery Park)

This post is just photos from when I was standing at Battery Park looking out over the Hudson River onto New Jersey and over to the Statue of Liberty. It was a lovely half an hour of sitting there wondering about all the people who sailed into the city over the last few hundred years.

As an aside, I’ve always liked this photo of the head of the Statue of Liberty which was put on display at the World Fair in Paris in 1878. My visit to the statue on Liberty Island is pre-blog (there was such a time…) but I liked looking it at afar from Battery Park. Very calm and peaceful. Although if I had been sitting in the same place on 15 January 2009, I would have watched flight US Airways Flight 1549 land into the river here, a remarkable event now immortalised in the film Sully.

September 25, 2022
2022 US Trip – Day 3 (Freedom Tower)

I adore this building, which is formally known as the One World Trade Center, but which I’m calling by its informal name of the Freedom Tower. It’s the replacement for the Twin Towers which were destroyed on 9/11 and it stands 1,776 feet in height, a nod towards the year of the Declaration of Independence. A lot of the tower’s height is from the spire, with the observation deck being at the same height as the tower destroyed in 2001, standing at 1,368 feet.

I think it’s majestic and I remember visiting this site whilst they were still constructing it being in awe of its height and glimmering effect. There’s an interesting article at https://untappedcities.com/2014/11/04/the-nyc-that-never-was-1-wtc-and-the-competition-for-the-world-trade-center-site/ which shows some of the other designs which were drawn up for this site, but I personally think that they picked the best one.

September 25, 2022
2022 US Trip – Day 4 (McChicken Biscuit)

I had a wait of around thirty minutes before Bronx Zoo opened and I wasn’t sure how to fill that time until I saw that God had put a McDonald’s near the entrance, so I went there to sit with my laptop. As can be seen, this McDonald’s at 1101 E Tremont Avenue sits underneath the rail line they plonked here a century ago.

I don’t really like McDonald’s breakfasts in the main, but I noticed that they had a McChicken biscuit and I’m a big believer of when in a country, get local food, and for this trip I define that as American fast food. This was delicious and nutritious (perhaps not scientifically) with the tender chicken being just what I needed as a breakfast snack. That Fanta, which I note is the correct bright orange colour whilst the UK one seems to be ever more watery, costs 99 cents for an unlimited amount. It’s easy and cheap to stay hydrated in the United States…..

As for whether I needed to write a blog post just because I had a McDonald’s menu item that I hadn’t had before, then yes, yes I do…… I should probably get out more.

September 25, 2022