PHOTO: Queens, NYC
Tag Archives: NYC
EXPLORE: A Great NYC Landmark From Rock History (2 different events)
We had a nice breakfast down on Elizabeth Street this morning with friends, and then all decided to walk over and see a NYC Rock History landmark. Two different pieces of rock history happened here at 96 and 98 St. Marks Place.
FIRST, in 1975 these two buildings became the album cover for Led Zepplin’s Physical Graffiti album. Here is how they look today to my camera:
The “Led Zeppelin buildings” on St. Marks Place as they look in 2013. © jim cutler
Here is the album cover from 1975. To make the photo square for an album cover the artist removed an entire floor.
The album cover from Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti, designed by Peter Corriston.
My picture from today shows that the building actually has 5 floors:
The actual building has 5 floors. © jim cutler
The SECOND event from Rock History that took place here: The Rolling Stones used the steps of 96 St. Marks for their “Waiting On a Friend” video. That’s Mick Jagger and Peter Tosh (front left) on the steps.
96 St. Marks Place with Mick Jagger and Peter Tosh from the Rolling Stones video for “Waiting on a Friend”
Here are those same steps today:
The same steps as they look today. © jim cutler
The song has been a favorite since I saw the video debut on Saturday Night Live. Again, the same location at St. Marks Place. Here’s the video (directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg who also made the Beatles “Let It Be” movie):
By the way, breakfast with friends this morning was at “Lovely Day” on Elizabeth Street in Nolita. Great strawberry & banana pancakes. Mimosas and Stumptown coffee. Good service, too. I haven’t blogged in a week because the Boston Bombings really effected us. Dawn and I worked the Finish Line at the Marathon for our Boston radio station for a lot of years. Today was a nice step back into the light.
UPDATE- More reading: Candid photos taken during the making of “Waiting on a Friend” at this link: http://www.iorr.org/talk/read.php?1,598709,598709
PHOTO: Lighting Up the Clouds
PHOTO: 5th Avenue at East 63rd
PHOTO: General Assembly of the United Nations
Touring the UN in New York is always interesting. When I was very young I had an old broken “Viewmaster” and one disk, “The U.N. in 3D”. I’ve been there several times but it’s still thrilling to see those scenes in person. An ear piece at each station allow delegates to listen to voice translations in their choice of languages. Delegates signal their countries’ votes for or against a resolution, or their decision to abstain from a vote, by pressing green, red or yellow buttons on the tables in front of them.
PHOTO: Brooklyn Bridge Tower
PHOTO: Imagine
John Lennon Memorial, Central Park, Strawberry Fields Section, NYC
PHOTO: Water Street, Manhattan
Water Street between Peck Slip and Beekman, NYC
Water Street, between Peck Slip and Beekman, NYC, jim cutler
EXPLORE: A GHOST SUBWAY STATION – CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC
Fifteen of us explored a ghost NYC subway station that’s been closed to the public since 1945. From 1904, millions of people traveled from here until it was closed 68 years ago. My family recently joined the NYC MTA Transit Museum. They allow a very small group to tour this “Jewel In the Crown”, the closed Old City Hall Subway Station. It’s located directly below Old City Hall, not far from the current City Hall/Brooklyn Bridge station. The old station’s _curved_platform is unusual but accommodated the original shorter subway cars of 1904. By the 1940′s the curved platform presented a huge problem for the new longer cars. Because of the 100% curved station, today’s subway car-doors don’t even get close to the platform. I won’t give away too many wonderful details about the architecture, the masonry, wonderful arches, original brass fixtures, skylights, the amazing story behind how it was built and who designed it. For that, please join the NYC MTA Transit Museum. (http://www.mta.info/mta/museum/) It’s well worth it and admission supports the great work of the Transit Museum. This is a wonderful experience for urban explorers. Special thanks to Luz at the Museum. Below are my photos mixed in with originals from the US National Archives.
1947 – City Hall Mosaic on the platform – (US National Archives)
Today – City Hall Mosaic on the platform (jim cutler)
1947 – Stairs leading from platform up to Mezzanine – (US National Archives)
Today – Stairs Leading to Mezzanine
October 27th, 1904 – Old City Hall Station – Ceremonial Opening – Mayor George B. McClellan operates the first train using a silver Tiffany controller.
This is how it looks today – Old City Hall Station, NYC (jim cutler)
1949 – Right side of Old City Hall Station NYC shown 4 years after closing (US National Archives)
Postcard – Old CIty Hall Station, NYC
Today. Right side of Old City Hall Station, NYC. (jim cutler)
Postcard. Old City Hall Station, NYC.
Today. Visiting with 15 other urban explorers. Old City Hall station. (Jim Cutler)
1930 – Mezzanine with oak panel Change booths up the stairs from the platform – (US National Archives)
The ticket rotunda today. The wooden booths were removed long ago. (jim cutler)
Mezzanine in 1946. The station had been closed permanently the year before. The ticket booths dismantled. (US National Archives)
Fifteen of us in the ticket rotunda The oak booths once lined the back wall. (jim cutler)
Arched roof of the beautiful mezzanine. (jim cutler)
1946 – The left side of the platform. By 1945, the station and it’s curved track was closed. (US National Archives)
Today – The left side of the Old City hall Station. The curved platform design would doom the station. (jim cutler)
Notice the huge gap between the platform and the train doors due to the all curved design. Several trains pass thru on a turnaround loop, but they haven’t stopped here in 67 years. This train is in motion passing though. The special train that brought us here featured a long gangplank to get us over the gap. (jim cutler)
Today – One more look at the detail in the mezzanine ceiling and skylight. (jim cutler)
Today – Connecting stairs from the mezzanine down to the platform. Old City Hall Station. (jim cutler)
1948 – Arch above stairs leading from the platform up to the mezzanine. Old City Hall Station, NYC (US National Archives)
Today – Arch above stairs leading from the platform up to the mezzanine. Old City Hall Station, NYC (jim cutler)
Today – Notice these two smudge marks I have circled in red in my photo, appear in the 1947 photo below! (jim cutler)
1947 – Notice the two smudge marks I have circled with red in in this 1947 photo, appear in my photo from this year, above. (This black and white image from US National Archives)
The station map. The newer nearby Brooklyn Bridge station also doomed the Old City Hall Station.
WORLD FAMOUS APOLLO THEATER
Legendary Apollo Theater, 125th Street, Harlem, New York City built in 1913. It started as a “Whites-only” burlesque house. By 1934 it was lavishly renovated, named Apollo and became the pre-eminent showplace of African-American talent. Since 1934, Monday night’s are still “Amateur Nights” showcasing new talent. Quoting Wikipedia: The Apollo launched the careers of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Jackson 5, Patti LaBelle,Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Ben E. King, Mariah Carey, The Isley Brothers, Lauryn Hill, Sarah Vaughan, Jazmine Sullivan, Ne-Yo, and many others. Since 1999 the theater has been owned by the City of New York.
