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| The full moon before Tuesday morning's lunar eclipse. 1:27 AM. Photo: JH. |
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| Wednesday, April 16, 2014.We’ve had a flurry of beautiful Spring days in New York with lots of sunshine and sudden bursts of Nature to charm us out of the winter doldrums. |
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| Monday the first pears blossomed, overnight, some ahead of others according to their relationship to the Sun. The temperature was hovering around the low 70s, high 60s. The pear trees in New York are one of the highlights of the season. Then late yesterday afternoon it began to rain, and by mid-evening, it was coming down and so was the temperature, said to be heading for the low 30s by the wee hours. |
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| The first pears to blossom in the neighborhood was the row along Henderson Place on the northwest corner of East 86th Street and East End Avenue. They’re in the direct course of the Sunrise. These brick houses were built by a businessman named Henderson in the early 1880s. This part of New York was sparsely settled in those days. Gracie Mansion -- now The Mayor’s Residence -- was across the road, built eighty years before in 1799. It was originally a country place when the city was way down at the tip of Manhattan. The road was known as Avenue B on the grid back then (the straight line of the grid resuming about 79th Street). |
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| Mr. Henderson, according to Christopher Gray, the always fascinating architectural historian of the New York Times, intended the houses to be for “persons of moderate means.” The middle class lived in townhouses in those days, many of which were rentals. The working poor lived in tenements. The wealthier citizens lived in townhouses which sometimes were mansions. East End Avenue which was then Avenue B was almost an outpost from the center of the city. Henderson built 32 houses. The architects were Lamb & Rich, who designed Sagamore Hill in Long Island, the now famous country house of Theodore Roosevelt. The complex is, according to Christopher Gray, “one of their signature works, on which they called on all the charming details in their portfolio and lavished them on the complex.” One hundred and thirty years later, Mr. Henderson’s inspiration retains its charm, and is even more beautiful while the pears are flowering. As you can see by the photograph which was taken Monday afternoon, it’s not an outpost from the city anymore. Although by nightfall it’s far from the city’s bustle. |
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| The city has been noticeably quieter during the past two days of the Passover Holiday. So there is very little to report. I went to dinner with an old friend on Monday night and the restaurant was quiet. I did get a surprise gift from Victoria Amory, whose picture you may have seen on the NYSD over the years both here and in Palm Beach. Victoria, who is a gracious and friendly lady, is also a chef, a foodie and an industrious entrepreneur. She and her husband divide their time between Greenwich, Southampton and Palm Beach with a lot of ole Manhattan thrown into the mix. But mainly I think, Victoria’s heart (and imagination) is in the kitchen. This little gift she sent me comes as an “introduction” to her “condiment collection” which is debuting at my Saturday afternoon favorite food emporium, Zabar’s over on Broadway and 80th Street. The collection includes three creative ketchups, two peppery piri piris, and one romesco sauce, an aged sherry vinegar and roasted garlic-infused Sherry Ketchup and a Red Chili Piri Piri sauce. I’m one of those people who makes dinner when I’m home. Nothing fancy; just easy and practical, chicken, pasta, meatloaf, chicken, some vegetables and a salad maybe. This collection is a great way of putting a little variety into the everyday menu. |
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| PS. It snowed tonight (as the weatherman forecast) for about fifteen minutes, even coming down like a storm, but turned to moisture as soon as it hit the ground; maybe the gentle farewell from Old Man Winter. |
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Contact DPC here. |