Yearly Archives: 2014

I thought you might enjoy seeing exactly what the “High Line” looks like. As I explained it was an old elevated rail line that I am guessing ran from the rail yards on the west side… mid town…. to the Meat Packing district….aprox 9th-10th Ave and 12th street. this is where the meat would be brought from around the country. It was actually a pretty ugly part of NYC. It was also an area  that, once  business was over for the day, and the shops were closed, turned into a very unsavory and unsafe part of the city. When the meat businesses started to leave the area large spaces became avail, and slowly the buildings were cleaned up and were bought by very smart people who saw the value of the real estate and had vision for its’  future. Slowly as the rental costs rose though out the city, art galleries started moving into these large low rent spaces. Some of these large  empty spaces were taken over by smart business people, cleaned up and  rented out to photographers for photo shoots. They were rented out by the hour. This was great for photographers who didn’t have their own studios and the places were fully equipped to handle all needs. That’s really when I became familiar with the area…..I guess the early to mid 70’s. Slowly it became the new up and coming area with boutiques, fabulous apts, restaurants etc………….Without getting into all the details…..the High Line, which had become an abandoned and derelict eyesore was transformed into this incredible elevated walking path. Needless to say it has helped greatly in revitalizing the area, and apts on the High Line are very desirable. The photo to the upper left and middle left is the Standard Hotel where we had a beautiful suite over looking the Hudson River. The plantings along the path were designed by a man from Scandinavia. The plantings and trees are very varied…..some areas providing lovely shade, and some very open to the sun. Great thought was given to how the plantings would look with each season…even in the dead of winter. As you walk along you get the feeling of walking through living art…..the plantings,  the buildings [new and old], the art work….even the painting on some of the sides of the buildings is a feast for the eye. There is one picture I took in the collage of Jac and my reflections in a window. Did you find it? There are areas to rest, sit and “people watch”, and even eat along the way. There are even new buildings that are built over the High Line creating tunnels of shade. It’s quite wonderful to see the old buildings of NY mixed with the new architecture………and all of the new building going on is incredible. There were three fashion shoots on the High Line that day…..It was so hot we really felt badly for the models . There are many things to take photos of along the path, and you can hear people speaking in many different languages so I guess it has become quite a tourist attraction. Many of the streets are still the old cobble stone. Those visionary people who knew to invest in this seedy part of town early on…..are laughing all the way to the bank !!!! If you are in the city….it’s a wonderful place to visit any time of year….and it’s free!

The city is always an inspiring place….and the High Line adds a whole new level to things to see and be inspired by………as I said ….it’s a FEAST for the EYE! There are a few things in the photos above I want to point out. First, the photo at the bottom corner on the right is of a little white building. A model friend of Jac and me used to live there. At the time the rent was extremely reasonable. She had a great view of the rail road tracts, but that was before  the revitalization took place. Her view was of a derelict abandoned tract that was overgrown with weeds and a catch all for any debris blowing around. I must say it too had its’ own kind of beauty. She has since married and moved and I can not imagine what the rent is for her small three room apt….There was a man playing a sax [photo to the left]. He was OK, but what was funny about him was…..in the 90 degree temperature….he was playing Christmas songs….I guess he was trying to keep everyone in  a cool frame of mind. The old buildings and the new, plus all of the new construction is shown clearly in these photos. I can’t imagine what this area is going to look like in 10 years……….A new attraction has been created, but history is always evident when you see the “old tracts” which have been incorporated in the new design of the “High Line”.

The Standard Hotel I guess would be considered one of the newer  “Boutique Hotels”. It is very modern, and is in a great location if you want to be in this area……This is for people who have a “down town” sensibility. It is definitely not for the “up town crowd”…….Jac and I are definitely more down town people…….where the life style is more relaxed and casual. There are lots of cafes and restaurants that have out door seating in the summer intermingled with boutiques and galleries. Jac wanted to go to Warby Parker , an eyeglass store which is known for their unbelievably low prices……she got three pair……she was happy…..I was happy…you can order on line and be happy too……LOL

Our evening celebrations started with drinks at the roof top bar at the Standard………the view was spectacular to say the least. Unfortunately, a storm was brewing so the sky was ominous and there was no sunset to be seen. It was only 6:30pm and already the place was packed. We went on to mid town to the theater district to see Neil Patrick Harris in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”…….he and another actor won well deserved Tony awards! I wouldn’t say the show is for everyone, but Jac and I thought it was terrific. We sat in the very first row center orchestra on the isle…….The usher told us we should have brought umbrellas? OH OH…what was that about????All I will say is water does play a role in the show. At one point N.P.H. came down into the audience dressed in HIGH DRAG stepped on the arms of a chair and started doing squats over one of the guys heads in the audience…..everyone laughed !…..I was glad it wasn’t me!!!!………..Then………he came over to me….Okay my turn…..he took off my glasses….stuck out his tongue and licked the lenses…ICK!!!..That ended wearing my glasses for the night…..It was a good thing we were in the FIRST ROW!!!……………….Then on to INDOCHINE…for a wonderful dinner, and we bumped into some friends that we hadn’t seen in a long time…then onto another hotel roof bar, the Gansevoort in the Meat Packing district,  for a night cap where we ended the evening……………..Do I have a great wife or what!!!!

Thank you all for all of your Birthday wishes! ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………..Jac planned a wonderful Birthday for me starting on the eve of the 22nd with a fabulous dinner and Birthday cake…” The girls” were a big part of the celebration and “sang” a resounding version of Happy Birthday to me. I really should record them and put it on YOU TUBE! On the 23rd we went to NYC and checked into the Standard Hotel in the Meat Packing district…..way down town on the West side. It’s a very edgy hip area with lots of stores, restaurants, and art galleries. We had a wonderful two room suite on the 17th floor and it had huge floor to ceiling, wall to wall windows…..a bit scary when you stood very close. After checking in, we took a walk on the “High Line”. If you are not familiar with what that is….it used to be an elevated railroad track that went for miles along the West side many many years ago. It wasn’t used and much of it fell to disrepair with weeds and garbage collecting for years. It was going to be torn down, but conservationists  had another plan for this track. It was their plan to revitalize this elevated track and turn it into a walking path with plantings, trees, benches, art and many points of interest…….They convinced the necessary people and now NYC has another site to see and it is fantastic! We walked the whole thing going and coming! A derelict eyesore was turned into a unique thing of beauty. One thing that we were both struck with was the amount of building being done down town…….Everywhere you look another building is going up….mostly luxury apt. buildings….and the rents and condos have sky rocketed. I used to go to the Meat Packing district years ago when there was nothing there except real meat packers. You could actually smell the meat in the streets. They are all long gone. There are still some buildings with the old  platforms  the meat was shipped in and out from with hooks hanging from the ceilings. A lot of fashion photographer studios were down there because the rents were cheap and the lofts were BIG. Industria Studio, which was one of the first and most famous studios, is still there. I spent many days there supervising my ad campaign fashion shoots for Anne Klein and the divisions………..Back to the hotel for a brief rest…..then up to the Roof Bar for a drink before theater…..the view of the Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty was amazing…..we went up at 6pm and the place was packed!…….We left for the theater at 7pm and we saw Neil Patrick Harris in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”. He won the Tony award and he and the show were terrific……Then at 10pm we were off to one of my favorite restaurant in NYC…….INDOCHINE………Again, when we arrived  at 10:20 it was packed. We saw people we know, so that is always fun…..In a big city like NY….you never think you will bump into some one you know. David Cohen is a well know hat designer and he started telling me how his mother is a Linea Lady, and how he buys so much Linea for her he has become a Linea Lady too! We all had a good laugh. Jac was wearing two of the new red torsade  necklaces and David said he already bought it for his mother!!……after dinner….back to the hotel for a midnight drink on the roof….still packed with people…..I guess our bed times are different…actually, I do remember when my schedule was the same as theirs….LOL …..Today we had a lovely breakfast outside at the Standard Grill…..did a little shopping and headed home……….it was a wonderful Birthday celebration….thanks to my Jac!