Jay Street, No. 115, Brooklyn (May 22, 1936) source
I love this photo taken 78 years ago today by American photographer Berenice Abbott.
Click here to enlarge the image.
I was so happy to see the Van Leeuwen truck today! It means Summer is almost here! This ice cream company’s vegan options are the BEST in NYC. Last time I had Van Leeuwen, there were only two vegan flavors: chocolate and vanilla. Sounds boring but it was actually the most creamy, rich, and indulgent ice cream I’d had since going vegan. Now, they have 4 vegan flavors! Chocolate (Michel Cluizel), Pistachio (Hand-Picked Bronte Nuts), Banana Nut (Roasted Bananas & Candied Walnuts), and Mint Chocolate Chip (Oregon Peppermint & 72% Askinosie Chocolate Chips). Their vanilla flavor is on hiatus undergoing reformulation! I just tried the Banana Nut and am blissfully in dessert-before-dinner heaven.
Read about Van Leeuwen here and make sure to try a cup or cone next time you see the yellow truck!
Top Photo:
Work in Roadway, Blackwell’s Island Bridge (1907)
photo from The Library of Congress
Bottom Photo:
Queensboro Bridge, NYC (April 17, 2014)
photo by Carina Zimmerman
I love the top photo of men working on the Queensboro Bridge in 1907! Today, I photographed a similar view while driving across the bridge with a friend. The bridge was constructed between 1901 and 1909. When it opened in June of 1909, it was called the Blackwell’s Island Bridge in dedication to the East River Island over which the bridge travels. Blackwell’s Island is now known as Roosevelt Island and, today, the bridge can go by several names: The Queensboro Bridge, The 59th Street Bridge, or the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge (renamed in 2010). Keep reading to see the photos from 1907 and 2014 enlarged!
Happy Saturday! I keep forgetting to share my Kidz Central Station guest blogposts. Kidz Central Station is a fantastic resource for NYC parents. On the site, you can search and enroll in a wide variety of kids classes and activities. It’s easy to search by age, location, neighborhood, and type of class/activity! Click on the images or titles below and you’ll be directed to my posts on the Kidz Buzz Blog.
Left Photo:
Prince Street between Mercer Street and Greene Street (Post Office)
(1976 by Roy Colmer)
Right Photo:
Apple Store on Prince Street, NYC
(March 2014 by Carina Zimmerman)
top photo:
Unemployed and Huts, West Houston & Mercer St., Manhattan
(October 25, 1935 by Berenice Abbott)
bottom photo:
West Houston & Mercer St., NYC
(October 20, 2010 source)
(Tenements & Storefronts, Upper East Side: Manhattan- 1937 source)
(144 Bleecker Street, NYC click to enlarge)
left photo:
Mori’s Restaurant, 144 Bleecker Street, Manhattan
(November 21, 1935 by Berenice Abbott)
Carina on Bleecker, NYC
(January 17, 2014 by Katia Asthalter)
This picture was taken on January 17, 1907- 117 years ago today! The shot depicts the construction of the stacks in the main branch of the New York Public Library. After almost a decade of construction, the main building had its opening ceremony on May 23, 1911. For more history and pictures of the library under construction, read my post “Then and Now: New York Public Library“.
Pictures of the stacks in the 2010s:
Happy Birthday, Radio City Music Hall! On December 27, 1932, Radio City Music Hall opened its doors to the public! Construction began on the project in 1930 on land leased by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. His original plan was to help gentrify the neighborhood (coined the “speakeasy belt”) by building a new Metropolitan Opera House but the idea was scratched after the stock market crash of 1929 and Rockefeller instead opted to create a complex of buildings (Rockefeller Center) to attract commercial tenants. Another plan that was changed was the name of the music hall Rockefeller decided to build in this complex. Originally, the name was going to be the “International Music Hall” but was changed to “Radio City Music Hall” when the Radio Corporation of America became one of the complex’s first tenants. Working on the project along with Rockefeller were Samuel Roxy Rothafel (of the Roxy Theatre/Rockettes) and RCA chairman David Sarnoff.
