What do you love about old New York? Miss El Morocco or the Stork Club? Spend your afternoons at the Frick House? Like to while away the hours at The Cloisters? Share the wealth...

-- Sara Astruc (saraastruc@aol.com), July 13, 2000

Answers

I'm absolutely fascinated by the architectural details -- the carvings on the stones of buildings, or the wood frames of doorways. You can look at a perfectly hideous building that needs to have its stone cleaned and still see beautiful work. The *gargoyles,* even, are amazing.

No one seems to pay attention, though; the pollution just eats away at everything. Sad.

-- roe (metrocake@yahoo.com), July 13, 2000.

The cloisters, yes, Flemish tapestries and quiet, Gregorian chants, hmmm. And talk about hotels, The Chelsea Hotel, bohemia at its best. Mark Twain, Thomas Wolfe, William Burroughs Dylan Thomas, Claes Oldenburg, The Warhol people, Sid Viscious... all stayed there. And it shows, you can feel it.

-- Bob van Pelt (bob@lackadays.com), July 13, 2000.

It is all secret to me, I have never been there. If my wish could be granted, I would wish to be taken to all the wonderful spots - Art Galleries for instance and all the other places that a New Yorker would know intimately. I would want to be with Metrocake on the architectural exploration of the old facets of the Gem called "the Big Apple." Where did that phrase originate ?

-- Denver doug (ionoi@webtv.net), July 13, 2000.

The Oyster Bar in Grand Central, The Harvard Club and Gramercy Park are the first places that come to mind. There is such a rich history here, and I am terrified that it is gradually being demolished by Donald Trump, only to be replaced with the gaudy trappings of the newly rich.

-- Sarah (scampbell@frankfurtbalkind.com), July 13, 2000.

Sara thanks for the great Algonquin website! I've been to NYC 5 times, and the last 4 I've stayed at the Algonquin. Its a fabulous hotel, and the historical magic is wonderful.

Now I'm all "homesick" for the Algonquin.

*sigh*

Shelagh

-- Shelagh (shelagh.england@ag.gov.bc.ca), July 13, 2000.

The Ingres portrait of the Comtesse d'Haussonville (I hope I got that right) at the Frick. The knish factory in the Village whose name escapes me, where my great-grandfather used to take my grandfather when he was a little boy. The 42nd Street library. Gotham Books. Central Park - all of it. And one special pleasure denied to most folks who aren't natural scientists, poking around in the back of the collections at the Museum of Natural History.

-- Jessica (jesst@brown.edu), July 13, 2000.

Central Park, at night, during a snow storm, a street vendor hot knish ( w/ mustard)& a cream soda, the view driving over the 59th Street Bridge back into the city, the Mysterious Bookshop(56th, I think), St. Jean the Baptist RC Church( 75th & Lex), although it's no longer around - Maxwell Plum's, Stuyvesant town, Delancy St., The Pink Teacup (Grove St.), brunch at the boathouse in Central Park, 6th Ave flea markets, I could go on and on and on.........

-- Leslle (mylula@aol.com), July 14, 2000.

The Hispanic Museum on 155th street - near where Nat'l Geographic had its old HQ 'til recently. Grand, quiet and the most precious treasures and beautiful Goya....

-- Julia (lekia99@aol.com), July 15, 2000.

I miss the rat-to- human ratio . . .

-- matt (pms485@hotmail.com), July 15, 2000.

The Hungarian pastry shop opposite St. John the Divine. I used to meet my friend Sue there for coffee every Saturday morning. I miss that like hell.

The New York Public Library, where I used to wait in line for Infotrac machines in a room that smelled like a homeless shelter.

Town Hall, where I obsessively followed the concerts of the Cosmopolitan Symphony Orchestra, which was made up of young conservatory graduates and run by a rich widow I met while volunteering on the only successful campaign I ever worked on (Dinkins '88 or whenever).

All-night diners, and the peculiar conversations you could hear at 3 in the morning. Skyscrapers in the fog. The Dominican Day parade. Vin Scelsa's Sunday night radio shows. Subway tokens as currency. Steam coming out of the sidewalks. Reading September magazine issues at the beginning of August, and parts of the Sunday New York Times on Friday night. Feeling ahead of it all because of this.

-- Diana (diana@alum.mit.edu), July 21, 2000.

The Korean deli on the corner -- every corner. Peach roses and lo mein

-- Nancy Birnes (turret@mediaone.net), July 24, 2000.

Oh my, The Hungarian Pastry Shop! YES! Used to hang there all the time too (and I wasn't even a Columbia student), playing chess and sipping coffee, chess, coffee, book, chess, coffee, book. What do you mean, job?

-- Bob van Pelt (bob@lackadays.com), July 24, 2000.

Tea & Sympathy for a full British breakfast, 108 Greenwich Ave. My favorite photojournalism bookstore, "A Photographers Place" 133 Mercer, SoHo. Kelly & Ping for Thai food, 127 Greene St., SoHo. Christ Church United Methodist at 520 Park Ave. (half the choir sings in the opera, the soloist is the minister's wife, the acoustics are amazing off the high stone walls). Any cup of coffee in the greek blue paper cup off any corner wagon. FAO Schwarz the week before Thanksgiving when the Christmas shopping gets really serious, as in shoving and grabbing. Also, the cheesy Santa and reindeer atop the Radio City Music Hall street sign. God, I miss New York.

-- Donald (donaldwinslow@yahoo.com), July 27, 2000.

... and also, I think the rat-to-human ratio should be included as part of the nightly weather television broadcast. "Today's high, 72, tonight's low, 54, humidity currently 64%, the pollen count is 70, the barometer is rising, and the rat ratio is 9 to 1...." True New Yorkers would appreciate knowing...

-- Donald (donaldwinslow@yahoo.com), July 27, 2000.

Ugh. Rats. I've only seen one, down in the subway, waddling down the tracks.

Leslle: Stay out of Central Park at night!!!

-- Sara Astruc (astruc@astruc.com), July 28, 2000.

This forum is closed! Visit ThreeWay Action to post!

-- Sara Astruc (astruc@astruc.com), September 10, 2000.

Old Penn Station...

-- Slushie (Sluhie@slush.com), November 03, 2000.

I miss new york. all of it...nights in west village. parties in meatpacking district. afternoons in southstreet seaport. weekends in central park...everything!

-- Ana (ana@katapult.hr), June 14, 2004.