Turtle Bay, 43rd Street at Tudor City Place

Mary Sargent © 2009 ……….... click to enlarge

Tudor City is a large apartment complex, "a city within a city", according to its builder, Fred French, who built it in the late 20s in an area formerly filled with slums and slaughterhouses. Its boundaries are from 40th to 43rd Streets and Second Avenue to First which means that we've been in Tudor City since I crossed Second Avenue a few nights ago. In this Wikipedia article I learned that it was built on a bluff! There's my answer! (The question was why does 43rd Street overlook First Avenue.) And the reason 42nd Street goes under Tudor City is that the cliff was cut through in the late 19th Century. I can't wait to walk on First Avenue on the other side.

Since 43rd and 41st Streets dead end here and 42nd Street goes under, it is very peaceful. The first time I was here, several years ago, it was on my lunch hour, and I was just walking across 42nd Street, getting some more streets for my project (pre-blog). Suddenly I came across a set of stairs right there on the sidewalk, so up I went. It was like climbing a bean stalk and finding myself in another world. It was magical.

If you go, I recommend you go up the stairs. You won't get the same effect walking there on 41st or 43rd.



Mary Sargent © 2009 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

This is one of two parks in Tudor City. Since I was there at lunch time, there were a fair number of people in the park, but I'm guessing you could find some solitude at other times of day.



Mary Sargent © 2009 …………………….……………….. click to enlarge

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Turtle Bay, 43rd Street Between Second and First Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2009 ……... click to enlarge

This is just a quiet tree-lined street in Manhattan. With the United Nations building at one end.

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Turtle Bay, 43rd Street Between Second and First Avenues

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Mary Sargent © 2009 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

This is the entrance to the Ford Foundation building.




Mary Sargent © 2009 …….. click to enlarge

And this is the atrium inside which is open to the public during office hours. The guard agreed it was a wonderful working environment. Galinsky has information about the building.

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Turtle Bay, 43rd Street Between Third and Second Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………. click to enlarge

Continuing across 43rd Street, I was struck by this tall building with the open top. What was it for?




Mary Sargent © 2009 ………. click to enlarge

Next, at street level, even more striking and raising more questions.




Mary Sargent © 2009 ……… click to enlarge

Now, all together.

Luckily, there was a wall plaque and it read, "Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations". We are, after all, heading straight for the United Nations.

This description of the building is lifted from the Mission's web site:

PMI PREMISES
Designed by Charles Correa, a leading architect of India, the building that houses the Permanent Mission of India [PMI] has a striking personality and embodies the cultural iconography of t he country its represents. The red granite base is vividly contrasted by a grand monolithic entryway in handcrafted bronze. The granite is broken by an audacious square opening high above the entrance that has a stylized version of the Indian national flag. At the top of the building is a double-height penthouse porch, which echoes an Indian barasati. The entire structure symbolizes the timeless richness of Indian architectural forms.

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Wondering what a barasati is? From Indianexpress.com: "Barsati, in general parlance, and chaubara in typical Haryanvi meant a one-room penthouse — considered to be a romantic structure. They were airy and located at a height to make you actually feel 'on top of the world.' The importance of a barsati or a chaubara could be known and felt only during mild showers or torrential rains. These country dwellings filled the heart with awe and enjoyment."

And here is Galinsky, a site that offers " free access to exciting modern buildings and the means to explore them: photographs, descriptions and practical visitor information." This is their short article on the Indian Mission.

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Turtle Bay, 43rd Street Between Third and Second Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2009 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Tomorrow I will tell you what restaurant this is. Tonight I must sleep.
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7/24 - Did you already know? Behind that grimy exterior is the great Sushi Yasuda. The New York Times has given it 3 stars and Zagat declares it New York's best Japanese restaurant, with a food rating of 28 (one more than that of the exalted Masa, the most expensive restaurant in the city). I haven't been to either but I have my dreams.

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Turtle Bay, 43rd Street Between Lexington and Third Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………. click to enlarge

Just as the Caliente cab belongs in front of the Caliente Cab Co. Mexican Restaurant, the Elmont Glass and Architectural Metals truck belongs in front of this building.

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Turtle Bay, 43rd Street Between Lexington and Third Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2009 ……… click to enlarge





Mary Sargent © 2009 ……… click to enlarge

Last Wednesday, I was through with therapy at 11:45 (location, Upper West Side) and I was to meet FL for lunch on Tudor City Place at 2:15. That gave me enough time to do a photowalk and get a pedicure.

I took the 1 train downtown, and the 7 across to Grand Central. I wanted to walk 43rd Street from Lexington Avenue to First Avenue where it ends, and Tudor City Place in its entirety, from 43rd to 40th Street.

Midtown from noon to 1:00 is madness, with zillions of office workers out looking for lunch, and in a hurry. However, when I turned off Lexington onto 43rd Street, I was struck with . . . quietness. Yes, right there in middest midtown. Just steps from Grand Central. For some reason, there was no place to get food, so no reason to be there.

There was also not much to photograph, until I saw Saint Agnes Church being dominated by a tall severe white building. And the scene being reflected across the street.


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Times Square, 43rd Street Between Eighth and Ninth Avenues

Over two weeks ago, on April 23, Wednesday, after Cathy took me out for a birthday lunch, I took the subway to 42nd Street and walked up Ninth Avenue to 50th Street. I wanted to pick up a book I had left at Chez Napoleon on Saturday night. The book? A History of Venice. You can understand why I needed it. I was going to Venice.

Here are two photographs from 43rd Street.


Mary Sargent © 2008.......................................... click to enlarge

I was intent on the twin narrow buildings still standing in the midst of this parking lot wasteland and didn't notice the odd appearance of the baby car in the midground until I got home and saw it on the computer monitor.



Mary Sargent © 2008.......................................... click to enlarge

Note the hands of the children reaching out through their cage – I mean playground fence – waiting for their ices. The sign on the cart says Dominican Ice's, mango, cherry, tamarindo, coco, rainbow.

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