Midtown East, 57th Street Between Second and Third Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2010 ………………….………………….. click to enlarge

Midtown East, 57th Street Between Second and Third Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2010 ……………… ………………….. click to enlarge

This is a shot of 57th Street from Second Avenue looking west.  Has a touch of the exotic, I think.  I was imagining a sultan's palace back there.  It must be the trees, they're not your typical New York City trees, they're foreign looking, they're, well, what the heck are they?  If you type "flat topped tree" into Google, you'll discover that they are either acacia trees or they look exactly like them, and acacia trees are African.  There you go.
  



Mary Sargent © 2010 ……………….. click to enlarge

Midtown, 57th Street Between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

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

We cannot leave this block without a photo of the great Carnegie Hall. I'm not a big fan of its architecture, but inside it has such warmth and such a feeling of authenticity and history, that I'm very happy it was saved from demolition in 1960.

Last night I was talking about The Metropolitan Tower; as luck would have it, I had a doctor's appointment on East 57th Street today and afterwards walked back to the West Side via that block, this time knowing what I was looking for.

I wanted to see how the Tower was constructed – a knife-edged triangle on top of a rectangle sounded kind of clunky. But this is how it is: the triangle starts out with just one side against the west side of the rectangle smack up against The Russian Tearoom. Then as it reaches the top of the rectangle, it opens up and overlaps it and rises straight up. And there's another section toward the back which I can't explain. It's very beautiful. If you want to go see for yourself, just stand in front of the building and hold on to a sign post and lean way out and look up.

OH, and I asked some workers about the building under construction I was talking about Monday night. They said it was a Hilton Hotel building but was going to be condominiums.

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Midtown, 57th Street Between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2008 …… .. click to enlarge

This is a street level view of The Metropolitan Tower, the tall reflective building from last night's photo. As we were walking toward it, it looked as if there were a giant shimmery mural on the side of the building. If you're at all interested in architecture, you must read Carter B. Horsley's article on this building. He's quite enthusiastic and uses words to describe it like ferocious, belligerent and narrow-focused. But in a good way. Meanwhile, the AIA Guide sniffs that it is a "gross and insensitive intrusion." As for me, just slap some glass on it and I'll like it.



Mary Sargent © 2008 …… .. click to enlarge

Here's another view showing the sharp edge of the triangular tower that rises above the rectangular base. It's cozying up next to the Carnegie Hall Tower, built around the same time. The Metropolitan Tower was built in 1987 and the Carnegie Hall Tower 1986-1990. Grossly insensitive? They seem happy enough together to me. You decide.

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Midtown, 57th Street Between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

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

Construction on West 57th. Don't know if it's a big deal building going up or just a run of the mill building. Can't find it on the web and didn't check around while I was there. It might look like a nice day and it's true, the temp was in the low 40's, but it was blowing a gale. It didn't encourage checking around.

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Midtown, 57th Street Between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2008 ……… click to enlarge

We're looking across the street at the entrance to Le Parker Meridien (built in 1981), which was our destination last Tuesday morning. To quote the AIA Guide to New York City: "A 2-story vaulted colonnade of Tuscan columns leads to a skylit colonnaded atrium. Does the architect find this serious or a Post Modern jest? The hotel rooms, like the body of a 42nd Street theater, are on 56th Street."

We were there, Bill and I, on a quest to find the best breakfast in New York City. Norma's is touted as just that thing in certain circles. Click on the link for Gael Greene's panegyric. It's a breakfast all day kind of place, but do not think it is a diner. No, no, no. This is probably the Post Modern jest the AIA was referring to. It has a breakfast kind of look to it, but it is subtly luxurious. The table tops refer to formica but are not formica, that sort of thing. They brought us elongated shot glasses of an exotic smoothie as a welcome. The coffee came in a French Press and was good, and when it cooled off, they brought another at no extra charge. I had a Belgian waffle with berries (very large and heaps of very fresh berries) and Bill had an omelet filled with things I don't remember. Both were $20. It was good, luxurious and pleasant and it satisfied my curiousity so I'm glad we did it. Now it's done.

Of course, we all know there's no such thing as the best breakfast in New York City.

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