The 'Hood - Part 2 - The Beat goes on.

Before the hippies, yuppies, preppies, Gen Xers, millennials, and hipsters there was the Beat Generation.  Reeling from the effects and outcomes of WWII "Beatniks" rejected conservative values and materialism. They went on a spiritual quest to understand the human condition, and experimented with psychedelic drugs, and sexual liberation and exploration. Their searching was the precursor to the mass cultural change wrought by the boomers in the 60s and 70s.

Side Bar:  I just recalled my brother Paul, older by seven years, with his buddies in high school dressed in a beret and sporting goatees beating on bongo drums trying vainly (he's an engineer) to emulate a beatnik.  If you're old enough to remember the 50s TV show Dobie Gillis, Bob Denver (of later Gilligan's Island fame) played Maynard G. Krebs.  He also was a sanitized and satirized representation of beatniks.  Famous line was "Work?!"

Synonymous with this movement is Greenwich Village.  The name still conjures a bohemian community of writers, artists, gays, drugs, diversity, music, crime, and living on the fringe.  They settled here because rent was cheap, and drugs available.  Their names still echo today; Ginsberg, Kerouac, Boroughs; along with their written legacies: Howl, On the Road and Naked Lunch.

Howl:  Poem by Allen Ginsberg
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix, angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night, 
who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up smoking in the supernatural darkness of cold-water flats floating across the tops of cities contemplating jazz,
who......

of us didn't want to (and many of us did) get on the road in our teens or early 20s dreaming of Jack Kerouac as we barreled down a two lane highway in some remote state disconnected from family and accountability.  Who of us today don't still try and get our kids to take to the road before they settle down?

Quintessential Road Trip

Groenwijch, meaning green district in dutch, was a farming community some three miles from the port city of New Amsterdam.  The area includes the now separate neighborhood of West Village.  Like most of the original settlements, the main roads paralleled the shoreline with perpendicular roads to facilitate moving goods to and from the river.  In the 1820, the then New Yorkers escaped to Greenwich to avoid the Cholera epidemic that was sweeping the city.  

After the Cholera Epidemic many who escaped for the clean and fresh air decided to remain. They filled in the Hudson shoreline and extended the narrow twisting and turning tree-lined streets.  The charming brownstone residences of Bleeker and Perry Sts, with stoops on the sidewalk; up half level to a three-up, one-down home are archetypical of any movie setting of a New York neighborhood.  Today Greenwich's four zip codes have the most expensive home prices in the US!  

Brownstone walk-ups

Just east of 4th on Christopher St is arguably the birthplace of gay civil rights in our country; from elimination of anti-sodomy laws, to "Don't ask Don't Tell, to the "Same Sex Marrage" decision by the Supreme Court.  In 1967, in an outgrowth of the beat generation and Greenwich lifestyle, The Stonewall Inn opened as an LGBT bar in West Village. Despite payoffs by the mafia owner's there were often police raids.  In 1969 following one such raid the arrests didn't go as smoothly as planned because the Patty-wagons (Irish cops) arrived late.  Bystanders began protesting, and cheering, the arrests.  After a rough arrest of one woman the LGBT crowd went "berserk" and the scene became violent.  It took until 4:00 am to control the scene.  Within two years there were gay rights groups in every major city in the US, Canada and Australia demanding more civil rights.  General Sheridan of Civil War fame now shares his statue and park with commemorating the Stonewall Inn riots.  Ironic, considering his attitude toward another minority:  "The only good indian is a dead indian" is attributed to him.

General Sheridan Park with LGBT statues

General Sheridan looking away from the Stonewall Inn

Greenwich Village proper, located east of West Village and north of SoHo, is focused around Washington Park and New York University.  Washington Park is one of our favorites in the city. The first month here on the waning warm summer Sundays we'd grab our NYTimes, Starbucks and head for the benches.  We'd sit in the leafy shade around the splashing fountain.  Between absorbing what has to be the best newspaper in the country, we'd gaze at the inscription on the Washington Arch or be transfixed by the assortment of people: students studying, The Rock imitator practicing martial arts, or drugged out "Bagel Bun" lady discussing life on the streets with her likewise altered compatriots.  Washington Park was once a potters field to bury the indigent (there's a separate African cemetery for slaves and free blacks just recently discovered in Lower Manhattan that's now a Nat'l Park). There was also a stream running through the area that still flows in a conduit underground whose entrance is marked on a building.

Robin with NYTimes in Washington Park

Watching People play around the fountain with Washington Arch in Background 

 Living in our 'hood, in and around Greenwich Village, SoHo, TriBeCa, Chelsea and the Meat packing district, provides us constant "out the door" activities without ever getting on a subway or in a taxi. There are museums, retail shops, gyms, parks, people watching, and great restaurants (we prefer the local, not Michelin).  It's noisy, congested, dense (we do miss our view), but the people are very friendly and go out of their way to help.  After one month (this is posted two weeks later) we are lovin' it.  

Next Posts:  The rest of New York and Environs

Cul-chah

I thought I'd mix it up a bit so not to bore you with a series of neighborhood reviews and history.  The 'hood - Part 2 will come later.

After being here over a month now (hard to believe) one of the most striking aspects of the City is its diversity of cul-chahs.  Diversity not only between the neighborhoods but within each neighborhood.  It's truly a rich stew with peas, carrots, onions and chunks of chicken and beef in a rich gravy; more than separate food groups on a plate, each untouched by the other.  This goes back to its founding.  (Of course I have to bring a little history into it).

As you know, the Dutch founded the first european settlement on the island of Manahatta (Lenape indian name for the island) in 1609 and called it New Amsterdam.  The Dutch were arguably the greatest sea faring nation and merchants of the time.  They were not about colonized territory or seeking religious freedom, but making money.  They were the original capitalists before the term was coined (pardon the pun).  Realizing that N America was not leading to the riches the East, by 1629 the government formed a second company, the Dutch West India company, to manage their North American business venture.

The settlement was very pluralistic from the beginning.  Unlike the Pilgrims who sought religious freedom - then persecuted anyone who wasn't protestant English - the Dutch were a trading company, originally in Beaver pelt, thus the symbol on the NY state flag, and tragically slaves.  Its magnificent protected harbor with river access to the north country for trapping, and access to coastal settlements of North America, New Amsterdam traded with the world. By 1643, with a population of 500 people, less than 50% were Dutch and a jesuit priest recorded 18 different languages spoken.  (Ref. "Island at the Center of the World" for this forgotten history of the Dutch.)

Trading Beaver Pelts                                      Trading Slaves

Today over 800 languages are spoken in New York City, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world.  English is number one, but only 51% speak it at home.  Spanish, Chinese and Russian come in at second, third and fourth respectively.

Another interesting aspect of this diversity is the stew vs food group analogy.  With few exceptions, no neighborhood is homogeneous.  In the high rent districts of Upper East and West Sides you will see a cross section of peoples and income groups.  Likewise in the low rent districts of lower East Side or the Bronx you have hispanic, blacks, asians and eastern european intermingling.  While there certainly are enclaves of nationalities seeking familiarity and support as they transition into a new world, there is always a some mix of others to adapt to.  On another blog we'll explore some of these unique enclaves.

I think a result of the intermingling and adaptation is New York City's crime rate.  New York City doesn't even make it onto the top 100 cities in America over 25,000 in terms of violent crime per capita.  (Detroit, MI; Oakland, CA; St. Louis, MO; Memphis, TN: Stockton, CA top in that order).  Most of the world's large international cities (Chicago, LA, London, Paris, Berlin) minorities are still confined to financial and social ghettos that limit interaction and increase prejudice. Thus intolerance - one root of crime.

Festival of San Gennaro in Little Italy 

Whites, Blacks, Asians, Arabs and others marched in the Italian Parade

Gotta Love It

The 'hood - Part 1

After settling in, our first two weeks here were filled walking and exploring our neighborhood; from Greenwich Village to the north down to the Financial District (FiDi) in Lower Manhattan, from the Meat Packing District on the Hudson to the Lower East Side on the East River.

As some of you know, I have this compulsive habit to record things.  Like a diary, but more graphic and statistical.  It started when I was 16 and my brother and I drove 9000 miles cross country; from San Francisco, CA to his job in Montclair, N.J. via Canada, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Mexico, New Orleans, and Natchez.  To track our progress I highlighted each highway and county road on my Rand McNally Road atlas.  I continued this for all my driving trips around the US over the decades and now have a very dog-eared, but colorful atlas of all 50 states.  When I started traveling internationally, I saved each boarding pass and recorded each flight, to/from destination, and air miles (over 2 million of them). Each location marked with a pin on a world map, and road marked on a European Atlas.  So without thinking, when we started walking NYC I marked our path on a map to be sure we took a new route if possible each time.

Map of walks in first two weeks

To our NW is Chelsea and the Meat Packing district.  Chelsea was originally (after early settlement as an estate and then vacation property) a multi-family residential district with english style row houses.  It evolved into manufacturing in the nineteenth century with good access to the harbor on the Hudson and retained some residential as tenements for the Irish workers.  Most famously here was the  Nabisco Baking Co. (NBC) and it was here that the Oreo cookie was created.  The NBC building has become the famous Chelsea Market - a repurposed multi-use building with office and a food court on the main level.  This is not a food court of fast food like a shopping mall, but upper end deli and specialty foods.  Great place to shop, though a bit far, and expensive, for us for regular groceries.

Chelsea Market

To transfer goods to and from the industrial area of Chelsea after the civil war an elevated freight railroad was built along the shore to deliver goods from the harbor or other cities to the mid level of the manufacturing buildings reducing congestion at the street level.  In the early/mid twentieth century the area fell into disuse as manufacturing declined, and the railroad was abandoned.  After years debating whether to tear it out and redevelop it, community activists petitioned to save the elevated railroad and turn it into a park - the Highline - completed in 2009, is now being expanded.  It it the organizing feature around which new multi-family high-rises are being developed.  The same design firm that did the Highline designed Seattle's new Waterfront to replace the Viaduct.  James Corner Field Operations of NYC.

Visiting Friends Aaron and Kate on the Highline

View down on Highline from the Whitney with new Residential built over.

At the south end of the Highline is the new Whitney Museum of American Art.  A fantastic modern building with fabulous collection that displays how Americans at first emulated the European tradition and over time broke away into their own distinctive style.  Interestingly, the Whitney also broke away from the location of the more european focused museums on Museum Mile on the Upper East side (to be discussed later) to this revitalized Meat Packing district. We look forward to multiple visits to this great institution.

Whitney Museum and end of Highline in Meat Packing District

Next Post:  The 'hood Part 2

Cast-Iron District

I know I said "The 'hood", which I consider larger than SoHo, would be the next post.  However, first I want to dive deeper into our immediate neighborhood, the Cast-Iron District.  Almost all of SoHo is included in the SoHo Cast Iron Historic District of NYC, and it's on the National Register of Historic Places and a designated National Landmark. It contains the largest collection of cast iron buildings in the world, over 250.

SoHo is so-named because it is South of Houston St.  That's pronounced How-ston, unlike the Texas city of Hu-ston.  Houston is a dividing line in NYC because south of here the street layout is from the pre-revolutionary war Dutch/British settlements of New Amsterdam and New York.  At that time forts, streams, bogs, farmland and estates forced roads to follow the path of least resistance; they contoured around bogs, paralleled shorelines, and followed old indian trails (Broadway is an indian trail from Lower Manhattan to Massachusetts ).

New Amsterdam

Recognizing that the island of Manhattan was going to continue growing as a port of trade between N America and the world, civic leaders laid out future development in a grid north of Houston to meet the expanding population.  They numbered east/west streets starting with - you guessed it - First Street; and continued to 225th at Marble Hill on the northern tip of the Island (which is actually no longer on Manhattan - but that's a later story).

New York Gridded for the future

By the mid 19th century farmland was replaced by middle class residential for merchants and tradesman.  Continued development added commercial buildings including hotels, theaters, entertainment, and brothels (I guess another form of entertainment).  With the more lively and unsavory character, the residential population moved north again, to Gramercy Park among other developments.  As the residents moved out, light manufacturing moved in - still small scale 18th and early 19th century wood framed buildings.  After the civil war large-scale manufacturing moved in as part of the industrial revolution.  Textiles, storage of dry goods, and sweatshops were the primary industries.  This required new construction techniques to create large floor plates with tall windows for lots of daylight. Remember, there was no electricity so all work must be done by daylight; and it was no longer piece meal at home, but an industry where people "went to work" 12-7-365.

Cast-Iron was a new construction material (though its use is from 15th century China).  It was strong for its weight and size.  In buildings it allowed for multi-story construction, longer spans for open floor space, and tall windows for lots of light.  It was also assumed to be fire-proof, which turned out magnificently false.  Not only did it's low melting point lose strength and buckle when heated, but when subjected to cold water from a fireman, the heated iron shattered.  Whoops.  However, it did have other remarkable benefits for construction.  It is castable, malleable, machinable, and wear resistant.

During the 19th century Neo-classicism/Beaux Art (think the US Capital) and Romanesque revival (think Pioneer square) were the popular architectural styles of the time. The elaborate facades of those designs (cornices, columns, corbels, lintels, and bas relief panels), were carved from stone such as marble, limestone, sandstone etc. and hung on the exterior of the steel frame.  Extremely labor intensive.  Casting the iron into moulds allowed designers and owners a great deal of flexibility to create such ornamentation at a fraction of the cost.

Old buildings were rejuvenated with new cast-iron facades, and new construction made ample us of the material.  Along with a limitation on the building height (a future discussion) created a remarkable consistency in the architecture of the neighborhood.

Next Post:  The 'hood.

Settling In

Our first week in New York City was finding the things you need when living in, not just visiting, a place.  Grocery store, cleaners, hardware store, subway stops, local bar - all the essentials.  When asked where we live, I soon learned that one doesn't say "we live in New York", or "New York City".  How out-of-towner.  New York City is made up of five boroughs:  Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.  At minimum you say "we live in Manhattan".  But residents in these boroughs are intensely loyal to their 'hood.  To the informed you'd say "we live in SOHO".

It's always interesting to understand how others see things so differently, or how we see things differently, due to upbringing or training.  As our kids have noted, we can't seem to go anywhere without assessing the design or planning.  (thus none will be architects).  We knew it was going to be a funky artist loft.  But as we settled in, besides the eclectic furniture (that's being polite) and the oddly shaped open space, we thought that the furniture layout made no sense - even for the untrained.  The living furniture was split into two separate areas, with an old tube TV on a stand in the middle of the space.  And the dining room table, with its potpourri of chairs, was the focal point in the prime seating location taking up about 1/3 of the space.

View from Entry with one seating area by kitchen

Dining table and second seating area at far wall

After a couple days having our sensibilities challenged we were unable to resist; we started moving things around.  The dining table moved back near the kitchen counter and defined by a couple columns and art on the wall.  The seating furniture was consolidated and moved to the corner by the window, and the TV was moved up against a wall freeing up the center of the space. This also freed up space for a piano to rent. We then added a desk and a couple chairs by the window.  Ahh.  Sensibility restored.

New layout with Seating in Corner, Dining in foreground, and Desk against window.

To make it feel like ours, we moved the owners excess clothes out of our closet into a spare room, relocated art work, and reorganized the kitchen contents to make it functional - though it's still a bit of a challenge.  How a 5'-4" Chinese woman could cook on a counter that's 3'-6" is beyond us.  It's even high for Bill.

As Robin settled into her new office a couple blocks away, we decided that entertaining some of her potential clients in our loft would be fun.  With the rearrangement, the space could accommodate dinner for 10 or a large-group cocktail party.  However, the assortment dining chairs were really just too funky.  We like the "artist space", but there had to be some consistency somewhere. (like I said - architects!)  So we met with the owner and showed the rearrangement and explained we'd like to either rent dining chairs, or we'd pay half that cost to contribute to new ones.  She was very accommodating and together we went through web sites and mutually selected what the artistic and loft sensibilities required and our mutual budget.  She also explained the "odd" furniture arrangement we found.  As an artist, good light is critical.  That necessitated moving the dining table (her work surface) to be closest to the windows and everything else followed.  Priorities.  There's always a story behind the story.

After the first week we feel settled in - and felt like New Yahkers.  Next post:  The 'hood.

Loft in SOHO

How do you move to NYC for four months?  Having made the decision in 2012 there was not much to do until we got closer to our departure date.  This past January, I started looking through guide books, discussed previous visits with Robin, and did some web searches about areas.  We're more into experiencing neighborhoods, history, and "out-the-door" lifestyle than being close to museums and theaters since public transit is so good.  So we narrowed our search to the southern, oldest, end of Manhattan - from 14th Ave south.  This includes some classic areas with great restaurants, galleries, and walking streets:  Chelsea, Union Square, Washington Square, Greenwich, West Village, SOHO, TriBeCa, East Side, Lower East Side, Little Italy, NoLiIta, China Town.

We started with AirBnB, which has a nice section explaining neighborhoods.  Through that we eliminated Union Square and Washington Square as either too far north or too student oriented.  Also eliminated China town, Little Italy, NoLiIta as too ethnic specific. Then checked out VBRO, some corporate housing firms, and finally New York Habitat, who cater to mostly european long stay visitors.  I looked at over 100 units and narrowed it down to 15 to whom I sent a request for more information.  Many were beautiful, but WAY out of our price range (15k - 30k/month - no joke), or so small that even for four months we couldn't do it at this age.  (literally 10' wide and maybe 5' of kitchen counter - total) with one window.

With Teigan now living in NYC we asked her to visit four places we narrowed it down to.  One in a mid-rise in Chelsea with a lot of light but near Penn station; one on the Lower East Side but kinda gritty 'hood; one very small unit at a busy intersection in West Village - noisy; and a funky loft in SOHO.  After a conference call with Teigan we decided on the loft brokered by NY Habitat.  Funky furniture, kinda worn, but a two bedroom with large kitchen and fabulous 14' ceilings and full glass wall.  Being from the PNW, light is critical.  And... Cast Iron Historic District - great for a couple of obsessive architects.










Our early morning taxi with extra baggage and check in went smoothly, as did our arrival and transit from Newark to SOHO.

The owner is a sweet asian woman/artist who lives in the building with her film maker husband and their kids.  They are asset rich having moved here decades before SOHO became popular, but cash poor both being artists.

Next blog: Settling In 

Bite of the Big Apple

Hi All,

It's been a while since our 2014 Australia trip blog.  Our good intentions to share our exploration seemed to fall by the way of living in the moment (besides we still aren't comfortable with posting our daily lives aka Facebook).  However, since then we've continue this next phase of the journey with Robin expanding her business, Guild 13, and Bill being active on a couple of non-profit boards, learning the US legal system (not fun), while his flying lessons stopped and started due to their travel.

After Australia in Sept 14 we went to Rome with our daughter Teigan, then on to Turkey where Robin's partner Brad joined us.

Efes, Turkey with Teigan, Robin, Brad and Bill

Bill took a trek to Patagonia in January 15 with good buddy Mark.  They did the 10-day circuit around the Torres del Paine massif in Chile, which including the W-trek.  Of course, it's a shame to travel that far and only hike, so beforehand we stopped in Santiago, Chile for three days and flew to Mendoza, Argentina.  From there they drove to the 9,000' pass at the border and viewed Aconcagua, the highest peak in the western hemisphere for a short day hike and returned for a wine tour of the Malbec region the next day.  Have to say - fabulous wines and scenery - and not all nature.  After the trek they went to Lima, Peru with an impressive Gold Museum.  Machu Picchu was just too much additional time - and Robin would have killed Bill if he'd done so.

                                           















                                            Mark, Bill, and Bill (New York friend from trek)

In March 15 we took Connor, Teigan, and Brynne to Paris for Robin's big Six-Ohhhh and then the two of us continued on to Belgium (See the movie "In Brugge" - hilariously dark), Luxembourg, and Iceland (freezing cold).

                                           















                                                                The Clan at the Louvre

Shortly after in May Robin and Bill had a three week romp in the Balkans - the last week Bill's sister Linda joined them.  They traveled to under-explored Slovenia for hiking in the Julian Alps and discovered lost WWI history; basked along the beautiful Croatia coastline with 2000 years of great history; wept and marveled at tragic Bosnia Herzegovina with their conflict and redemption; and whizzed through developing Montenegro - well worth another trip.  This made 61 countries visited by Bill's by his 61 year.

                                             















                                                       Mostar Bridge, Bosnia Hertzegovina

In June we had a delightful visit to Chicago for Bill's sister's 50th anniversary (that's right 50th - she met my brother-in-law to be Bill at the age of 16) and his 70th birthday.  Great time showing the girls my hometown and celebrating this milestone.

                           
                             Lake Michigan Shoreline from the Top of John Hancock Tower

And then a trip for all the Holt/Henry's to Lake Tahoe for Robin's nephew's wedding.  Very well organized, and the weather held for us to take some beautiful hikes in the High Sierras and then celebrate Christian and Aaron's wedding vows outdoors.  Tears all around from the ceremony.  And you gotta love Christian's new last name.  "Christian Lord".  Jesus! - that alone makes the match perfect.  oops.  But all that's so much recent history.

Bill is revitalizing this blog because our current adventure will probably influence how we continue this Third Phase in years to come.  Sept 1, we moved to New York City for four months.  How did that happen you ask?

For the past 15 years either Bill or Robin traveled to NYC for an annual Hotel Investment conference at the distinctly awful Marriott Marquis hotel in the distinctly touristy Times Square.  Two years ago after Bill stopped attending Robin continued while still at Callison.  At that time we decided to stay at the Hilton in Battery Park in the historic and a more residential area.  We had a great time.  Bill suggested "I don't want to move to NYC, but I'd love to live here - for a while.  When your non-compete at Callison is over why don't we spend a fall season here as a life experiment.  You can do Business Development and we will see how we like living for a time in other cities keeping Seattle as our base. So it began to ferment.  Then, as it happened, a year later our daughter Teigan moved here adding another benefit of our trial.  So this is the year.  We'll keep you posted how it goes.

                                                      Robin in our SOHO Loft Apt.