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Soldiers’, Sailors’, Marines’, and Airmen’s Club

April 17, 2008

This morning, there was an underground explosion at 39th Street and Lexington Avenue. Not a big one, but enough to remind people of last year’s steampipe explosion. They evacuated four buildings, at least temporarily.

But it did remind me that I was in the area a few days ago and took a few pictures of one of the local institutions: The Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen’s Club at 37th Street and Lexington Avenue.

I really like their plaques.  Below are two that I grabbed photos of.

The plaque below says that it is open to veterans of all US forces and its allies.

It’s a pretty nice looking place in a good location, but I haven’t been inside.  My family served, not me…

-H

Categories: Manhattan, Mid-town, Wanderings

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Nice View of the Empire State Building

April 16, 2008

I was walking along 2nd Avenue the other day and looked up to see a rather nice view of the Empire State Building.  Took a quick pic to capture it.  I guess all that I can say is that I liked the framing of the building and the clouds.  The two buildings framing the Empire State are much, much smaller (half the size at most)than the Empire State Building; but I was closer to them.  That’s emphasized by the fact that the top of the Empire State Building is slightly obscured by the lowhanging cloud.

Just a nice picture for a quick post.

(Oh yeah, I still hate the new WordPress editing software! This post took about ten attempts to get right. I started it a day ago and it appears they had server problems and wouldn’t let me upload the picture. I know, I know: server problems aren’t the same as editor problems; but I ascribe all problems to the editor. I’m just in that mood, still mourning the loss of a known editor for a new one…despite the fact that the old one was pretty bad, too.)

-H

Categories: Manhattan, Mid-town, Wanderings

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CBS Blackrock Building

April 9, 2008

I was wandering on 53rd Street and spotted the words “CBS” above a doorway.  I looked more closely and found that I was at the famed “Blackrock” building.

 20080323-cbs-01-plaque.jpg

The plaque reads:  CBS Building – The CBS Building (1961-1964 is one of the country’s great examples of modern architecture.  It was the last completed work designed by master architect Eero Saarinen, whose goal was to build “the simplest skyscraper in New York.”  Unlike the steel-cage office building typical at the time, the CBS Building was the first postwar reinforced concrete skyscraper.  Sheathed in Canadian black granite with gray-tinted vision glass, the 38-story tower, nicknamed Blackrock, rises 490 feet without setbacks.  Constructed as the headquarters of one of America’s legendary radio and television networks, the CBS Building was commissioned by William S. Palyey, founder and chairman of CBS.

The building is really located on Sixth Avenue.

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The side doors:

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The more interesting part of the building is its isolation from other buildings.  Most skyscrapers like this are abutted to other buildings.  But Blackrock has a open area with tables and the like in the back, and it is one block wide.

20080323-cbs-05.jpg

-H

Categories: Manhattan, Mid-town, Wanderings

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2008 Tartan Day Parade Part 2

April 7, 2008

Yesterday’s post was fraught with new software editor problems. Today’s run looks a little smoother, but only a little.

And this only distracts from relating a pretty good parade. Not a great parade, but a pretty good’un.

The next group to show up was alumni the University of St. Andrew, founded in 1413. They looked like recent graduates with none being close to 600 years old.

Another clan, this time the Bruce Clan, came; but was combined with the Tri-County Pipe Band. I don’t know which three counties, though. But the Clan Bruce provided Scotland with two kings.

The next group was the Longelly Tartan Army. They was armed! Well, not really, but the old clans were often war-like.

The next pictures were from the highlight of the parade. The dogs. Not all of them were Scotties, though. In truth, not even a majority were. But a Highland Terrier is a Scot notwithstanding.

Other than Scotties, or other Scot terriers; few things say Scottish more than the next picture. A very fine lad. Family will remember the days that I had such a color to my own hair. (Aye, there’s a bit o’ the Scot in me.)

Okay, enough of the interlude. Bring on more dogs!

Scotties, red-haired lads, and then more pipers. The Tartan Day Parade had ’em all.

Following with more of a tartan dog.

The crowd was actually pretty good.

And the parade participants came from all over. The Greenock “branch” came from the Mississippi Gulf Coast. “Greenock” is apparently an alternate word for Glasgow.

And alumni from Carnagie-Mellon also marched.

But, this is the Tartan Day Parade. We need more bagpipers! It’s been about three groups since we had pipers!

Next, a contingent from the Duchess County Scottish Society.

Followed by more bagpipers.

An interesting break in the groupings: a group carrying the caber. (That’s the log that Scottish athletes toss to go end over end.) The group with the caber (not the group carrying it) stopped and then with a roar took off in a quick dash up the street.

A group called The New Celtic Dancers showed and did a dance. Very enjoyable.

And they were followed by the Clan Buchanan.

The end of the parade came with the Clan MacFarlane.

This post took me at least four times the time that it used to take, plus I had to cut it short and couldn’t write it in the manner I prefer. I hate this new software editor that WordPress provides. I hope that I can make it a more streamlined process, but I’m not optimistic.

-H

Categories: Manhattan, Mid-town, Parades

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2008 Tartan Day Parade

April 6, 2008

I got a one-day notice of the 2008 Scottish Day parade, or the Tartan Day Parade, or whatever you wanna call it.  (That’s better than the notice I got for the Greek Parade – about 4 hours notice from my doorman.)

The Tartan Day Parade is always a fun one, but generally a small one.  This year proved no different, but I guess I didn’t have as much fun as last year when I spotted a dog I knew in the parade (or rather, his owner spotted me and came over).

The NYC Events Calendar did have the parade on its website so I knew when and where.  It was in the usual spot:  Sixth Avenue.  The parade starts at about 47th Street and goes up to 58/59th.  All-in-all it is a small parade with the distinction of having more bagpipers than per marcher than any other parade.

Sixth Avenue in that area is what most people think Manhattan looks like everywhere, but it is a special sort of view.

 

(This is gonna be odd.  WordPress has a new editor and I’m already having trouble with it.)

The parade started out just about right on time.  Good for them.  Of course, being good Scots they know their timepieces and all sorts of other mechanical contraptions.  Here’s the parade leader, one of those new fangled Model A carriages.

(This new WordPress editor is going to drive me crazy!  It could take days to finish this post!)

The United States Naval Academy at Annapolis provided the first set of bagpipers.

 

(This editor is horrid!!!!!!  Okay, I mean the software editor is horrid!!!!!! I’m going to have to try something else.)

The Parade’s Grand Marshal was in the next group.

(I hate this new software! This is just a pain! I can see the picture (which gives me the visual clue of whether the Grand Marshal is walking or riding) or I can see the picture’s name (which tells me the picture is of the Grand Marshal). But I can’t do both without switching between editing views. This is absurd.)

More bagpipers.

The St. Andrews Society of New Jersey.

The Caledonian Club bagpipers.

More bagpipers.

The Scottish-American Foundation.

This group has the banner proclaiming “The Gathering – Edinburgh.”

I rather liked this group’s name. They are the Local 608 Carpenters pipe and drum group. Yeah, a bunch of carpenters from one of the local NY unions.

The Clans did show up. First, Clan Currie.

Then Clan Durie.

Then, Clan Gunn. Their banner said they were the “discoverers of America.”  Apparently, they’ve got some strong Viking links in that Clan.  Well, those Vikings were pretty far ranging.

Clan Gordon provided some bagpipes.

Folks, this new editor is going to kill me. It is almost as if they’ve designed it to prevent my type of posting. I can’t see what I’m posting, it puts it into the wrong spot each and every time. I like to “tell the story” between pictures, but it won’t let me do that on the fly, instead I have to post the pictures and then write the text. I presume I’m doing something wrong; at least I hope so. I can’t blog with this editor.

-H

Categories: Events, Manhattan, Mid-town, Parades

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