De Passage a New York virtual tour

[hermesgroupie]

When I realized I was going to get Princess B I thought I would try to do a De Passage a New York tour during her time with me. I tried. I really, really tried. But there wasn't enough time to do all the things I wanted to do and see with her in a week. So after, she left, I decided to pursue the tour on my own with De Passage a Tokyo in tow. It was fun shooting pics and learning new things about each neighborhood. Manhattan is diverse, with each neighborhood flavored and characterized by its inhabitants. Interestingly enough, some of these neighborhoods are only a few steps apart from each other. I guess you could consider this is a spinoff of Rose's Princess B Travel Journal thread.

 

[hermesgroupie]

First stop on our tour, Lenox Hill. Lenox Hill is the area from East 60th Street to E. 77th Street, and from Lexington Avenue to 5th Avenue. It is named after the farmer Robert Lenox, whose farm once sat on the same spot. Makes one chuckle to think that Manhattan was once farm land.

Picture 1. The Home Depot on 60th Street. NYC was the first city to have doormen in its Home Depots.
Picture 2. A branch of the New York city library at night. I love the light streaming through the windows, highlighting the stacks.

 

[hermesgroupie]

Next stop on the scarf, Sutton Place. Sutton Place, like Lenox Hill is another neighborhood in the Upper East Side. It is located in mid to upper 50's and is bordered by the East River and First Avenue. What I find most characteristic of this mostly residential neighborhood is that it is full of dead end streets with views of the East River and most of the dead ends having parks. A few of the H staff at NYC live in this area.

 

[hermesgroupie]

I hope everyone realizes I'm reading these neighborhoods off the borders of the scarf. The next neighborhood mentioned is Turtle Bay. Just south of Sutton Place, from E. 42nd Street to E. 53rd Street, and bordered by Lexington Avenue and the East River. This neighborhood got its name from the bay where the United Nations now sits. Its origins are uncertain. Some say that the bay was once really full of turtles, while others say it is derived from the Dutch word "deutal", meaning bent blade. Nevertheless, outside of the UN, this area is mostly known for being a quiet residential neighborhood, with one of its enclaves being Tudor City, across the street from the UN.

 

[H&H]

Hg love your posting and your pictures, hadn't time yet to read all of the adventures of princess B. you taught me so much about NYC... thank you. In a couple days I'll be there myself

 

[hermesgroupie]

Just south and slightly east of Turtle Bay, is Murray Hill. Murray Hill exetnds from E. 42nd Street to E. 29th Street, and from 5th Avenue to Lexington Avenue. This area is extremely active during business hours as many businesses are based here. During the weekends, it gets a little quieter because most of the area hangouts close then as they mostly cater to the business crowd. Murray Hill is named after a very prominent Quaker family that resided in that area in the 18th century. The members had contributed to the fields of business and education.

 

[hermesgroupie]

Next is Kips Bay, another mostly residential neighborhood, running from E. 23rd Street to E. 34th Street, from the East River to Third Avenue. It is named after Jacobus Kip, a farmer whose land sat on this neighborhood. The area is dominated today by New York University and its institutional buildings.

 

[pazt]

excellent thread HG! beautiful pictures!

 

[Shari]

Wow, great pictures! And is that a Helen Kaminski hat in the very first one?

 

[hermesgroupie]

Next is the upscale neighborhood of Gramercy. We had already visited this area in the Princess B thread, so excuse me if I repeat myself. The area is named after one of the few private parks remaining in the city today. You have to be a property owner in order to get keys to enter the park. The park is beautifully maintained as a result. The origins of Gramercy seem to come from the Dutch phrase "Krom mesje" or crooked little knife, after the stream that meandered through the neighborhood, meandering very much like a crooked little knife.

 

[hermesgroupie]

Wow, great pictures! And is that a Helen Kaminski hat in the very first one?

Very good. Boy, you Aussies can sure spot each other!!!

 

[hermesgroupie]

The next area named on De Passage a New York is a favorite of mine because it brings back memories of my college days as this area was a favorite hangout of mine. We are talking about the East Village. Its boundaries are E. 14th St., Houston, the East River, and Broadway. During the 60's this area saw an influx of hippies, beatniks, musicians, and artists. In order to dissociate it from the slum-ridden area of the Lower East Side, its inhabitants dubbed it the "Village". The name has stuck since. While not as glamorous as other areas of Manhattan, this area is known still for its artistic bent and, well, funkiness. The last picture, for those who know me, well..............you know how the saying goes "They always seem to return to the scene of the crime".......

 

[Shari]

^Ha ha! I actually went shopping for one today (looking forwards to summer)!

 

[hermesgroupie]

Next stop on the scarf tour, the Lower East Side. This area has always been known as a lower-class, working neighborhood usually inhabited by new immigrants to the US. It has in recent years undergone a gentrification. It is bordered by Nolita, Chinatown and the East Village.

 

[abbyroad]

Is that Jeollado on East 4th St? I used to live on that block!