My daughters and I had planned to meet in NYC and spent few days together after a lengthy separation, due to the prolonged Israeli/Gaza war. Both flew in from Israel and the truly emotional reunion took place during my birthday month.
Though the wintry weather was cold, it was dry and friendly enough to walk the much less congested streets, without freezing or battling the way through.
The stay at a 44th St. midtown small boutique- Iroquois Hotel (since 1902 ) was fabulous. It is located opposite the Royalton - originally opened as an elegant apartment hotel (in 1898), and right next to the Sofitel (which is mentioned in the post of my previous visit to NYC on Sept 2024 (here)
Royalton On 44th St Sofitel
49 W 44th St, New York,
The Iroquois is part of the Triumph Hotels Group which owns other small
Luxury hotels in various neighborhoods around the city.
The hotels are marked on the map below
Hotel Belleeclaire (Uper West Side)
Hotel Edison (Rockefeller Center)
Hotel Evelyn (Union Square)
Hotel Frederick .(TriBeCa) ***
As part of Triumph Group's marketing strategy to promote its 5 hotels, the group hired a private NYC Tour Company that offers free tours of the various neighborhoods where each of the hotels is located,
The Tour's meeting point is inside the hotel itself, as to lure people to explore and be enticed to book the frequented hotel, on the next visit to town.
tours@streetwisenewyork.com. +1 347 327 6063 +1 917 693 5491
StreetWise is the Private Walking tours of NY company which is hired to lead the free tours. It was created in 2011 and is led by Dan Shaki and Andrew Silverstein, specializing in "off the beaten path New York", exploring neighborhoods, and recounts history
We joined the Tri Beca Tour which was led for 1.5 hours by Andrew Silverstein Meeting point was at Hotel Frederick .
located on 95 W Broadway, corner of West Broadway & Chambers Street just moments from Greenwich Village, SoHo, the Financial District, Battery Park City, and Brooklyn.
The Frederick is New York City's longest operating hotel, The gothic revival building was built in the 1830s, and has been welcoming guests since 1845. rumored Lincoln himself may have visited there..
Now, over 150 years later, it’s been reinvented as a luxury boutique hotel offering a stylish mix of art nouveau and mid-century modern décor
After Sept 11 the city's rescue workers were housed at the hotel for its proximity to the impacted area.
This now hip neighborhood in Lower Manhattan is known for its old red brick industrial buildings, many now turned into residential loft space, trendy boutiques and restaurants.
Its name is a syllabic abbreviation of "Triangle Below Canal Street"
The area is bounded by Canal Street, West Street, Broadway, and Chambers Street.
The neighborhood began as farmland, then was a residential neighborhood in the early 19th c before becoming a mercantile area centered on produce, dry goods, and textiles, and then transitioning to artists and then actors, models and entrepreneurs.
The New York Central Railroad's freight terminal was also located on Hudson Street in Tribeca, New York City. Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt built the terminal in 1868
The Tribeca Festival, taking place in the spring. was created by actor Robert De Niro, in response to the September 11 attacks, to reinvigorate the neighborhood and downtown after the destruction caused by the terrorist attacks.
NYC City Hall which was constructed from 1803 to 1812 is situated in the Civic Center area between Broadway, Park Row, and Chambers Street. The building is the oldest city hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions.
Noticeable  Historic commercial buildings
The Red Brick architectural style follows the Amsterdam School Architectural style (1910 - 1930) which is also mentioned in my post about Holland from 2023 (here)
New York Mercantile Exchange edifice, from 1884. Federal Family style housing
Commercial Printing Iconic Odeon Restaurant Whale-Bone Company
Designed by George B. Post, it was considered one of the first skyscrapers in NYC in 1872 after outgrowing a previous space was one of the tallest structures in NYC and opened as the headquarters of Western Union in 1875
It was designed in the Neo-Grec style with Beaux-Arts influences
It is gorgeous impressive building with
amazing interior laid brickwork of the ceiling, and ornate decorative work
On 33 Thomas Street (formerly the AT&T Long Lines Building) is a 550-foot-tall (170 m) gray windowless skyscraper,Â
 which is a telephone exchange or wire center building, originally built to house telephone switching equipment with average floor high designed in the Brutalist architectural style,
The fortified looking building is a National Security Agency (NSA) mass surveillance hub
It is often described as one of the most secure buildings in America,. It was designed to be self-sufficient with its own gas and water supplies along with generation capabilities and protected from nuclear fallout for up to two weeks after a nuclear blast.
TriBeCa is also a wonderful exploration ground for kindergartners...
This quint TriBeca urban park we were taken by is located is bounded by Greenwich, Chambers, and West Streets, and has community gardens and a large playground.
It hosts many community events
It opened in April 1983 and named for the former Washington Market
It functioned as New York City's most important wholesale produce market reaching its peak between 1880 and 1910
New York City tore down the nearby, former Washington Market buildings in the 1960s when the wholesale produce industry relocated.
On the walk toward the Hudson River the Suyvessant High School on 345 Chambers St, can't be missed.at this current location, since 1992.
Stuyvesant High School is a co-ed, public, college-preparatory, specialized high school, commonly referred to among its students, faculty and alumni as "Stuy",. It specializes in developing talent in math, science and technology..
Established in 1904 initially as an all-boys school, starting in 1934, admission for all applicants was contingent on passing an entrance examination.
By the Hudson River the View of NJ across
Battery Park City
The park beside the Hudson River with lawns, gardens, public artwork & a playground. is named in honor of Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, who signed the Battery Park City Authority Act in 1968, establishing Battery Park City for generations of New Yorkeres.to enjoy
The adorable animals sculptures at the playground are of Tom Otterness -
an American sculptor ,one of America's most prolific public artists.
Otterness's works adorn parks, plazas, subway stations, libraries, courthouses and museums, around the world,
His style is often described as cartoonish cheerful, whimsical but also political
The Real World, 1992 -Tom Otterness
Teardrop Park is a 1.8-acre public delightful park, in Battery Park City , near the site of the World Trade Center. which has transcended its small size and shady, mid-block location to become a beloved community resource. which we enjoyed walking through.
The park's design was coordinated with that of four surrounding apartment buildings in ways that keep it from feeling constricted.
Bold man-made boulders topography, imaginative water features, dramatic material choices, and lush plantings, both conducive for active play and quiet contemplation amid intricately choreographed views, forms the enchanting .landscape,
It was designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, a NYC landscape architecture firm. The park includes art designed for it by American visual artist Ann Hamilton
at the Rockefeller Park
Opened at 2002 the Irish Hunger Memorial is a 0.5-acre park at the corner of Vesey Street and North End Avenue in the Battery Park City, and across from a down town Hilton Hotel
The memorial is dedicated to raising awareness of the Great Irish Hunger, referred to as An Gorta Mór in Irish, in which over one million starved to death between 1845 and 1852.
In the decade after 1845, over 900,000 Irish emigrants entered the port of New York so that by 1855 Irish-born New Yorkeres comprised almost one third of the city's population.
Landscaped with stones, soil, and native vegetation transported from the western coast of Ireland — with stones from every Irish county. form its special design.
The tour-guide also walked us through one of most NYC luxury upscale Hilton Hotel
102 North End Ave,
Situated just few walking minutes from the city’s most iconic attractions, including One World Trade Observatory, Tribeca, Greenwich Village, SoHo, and Wall Street. makes it a grand location.
Stylish Interior and over 2,000 unique pieces of contemporary artwork are spread throughout the hotel., and exterior Panoramic views of the Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty, make this hotel's stay very inspiring experience.
Sol LeWitt’s extraordinary "Loopy Doopy" (Blue and Purple) -huge wall art piece dominates the hotel's rooftop bar,
The walking tour ended at :
An iconic destination,of an European fill, shopping center and office building complex, designed by Argentinan architect César Pelli[ (built 1983 to 1988) It is located in the Battery Park City neighborhood, across West Street from the World Trade Center, and overlooks the Hudson River.
During the September 11 attacks in 2001, debris severely damaged the lobby and lower floors' granite cladding and glass. It has since been fully restored
The small North Cove Marina on the Hudson River at the Brookfield Plaza
   +++++++++++
The other StreetWise guided tour we took, was with another guide- Sonia.
The tour was initiated from the Iroquois Hotel  and covered 44th st , Bryant Park, and the main branch of the Public Libaray at 476 Fifth Ave and 42nd St
the Beaux-Arts landmark building
(all mentioned in a previous post),
The current exhibit visited at the Liberary - A Century of The New Yorker
The American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry, was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for The New York Times.
 1925 - 2025
This yearlong exhibition thorough out Feb, 21/2026 brings to life the people, stories, and ideas that made The New Yorker.
The New Yorker's fact checking operation is legendary
Last stop of that tour was at the
stunning building of the midtown commuter rail terminal
located at 42nd St. and Park Ave .
Grand Central- one of the world's ten most-visited tourist attractions, is the southern terminus of the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem, Hudson and New Haven Lines, serving the northern parts of the New York metropolitan area.
Opened in 1913 it has housed since an art gallery, an art school, a newsreel movie theater, a rail history museum, and countless temporary exhibitions.
The terminal's Main Concourse is often used as a meeting place, and is especially featured in films and television.
Its lavish Beaux-Arts design incorporates numerous works of art.
In 1967 and after the historic Pennsylvania Station had been demolished to the regrets of many NewYorkers, the contributing activism work of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
lead to a decision ensuring the Terminal’s safety, when a Landmarks Preservation Commission, designated Grand Central Terminal as National Historic Landmark, for its distinctive architecture and interior designs, subjected to the established protection of the law. (more History)
Other Sights on Midtown Streets
Across from the Terminal 2 grey inflated mice, customarily symbolically utilized by various Worker Unions, in protest against compromising employment's condition, were positioned in full view on the sidewalk. These 2 were shaming
Empire State Realty Trust
which is one of the largest commercial Real Estate agency in New York, also owning the Empire State Building.
Â
Â
On 5th Ave
The extravaganza building's look of the new Louis Vuitton's Flagship Store
Luna Luna at the Shed - a Pop Art Amusement Park
From November 20, 2024 – March 16, 2025. at the Shed - cultural center in Hudson Yards,
A spectacular most enjoyable art fantasy exhibition for the entire family, showcasing carnival attractions and performances by visionary artists.
This interactive exhibition that blurs the lines between theater and visual art.,
was most delightful
 Artist André Heller, is the brainchild of Luna Luna, which first opened 37 years ago in 1987 in Hamburg, Germany- the world’s first art amusement park with rides, games, and attractions, as a spectacular fairground
The colorful, riotous whimsical fun house of carnival attractions is the work of visionary artists of the 20th c including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Sonia Delaunay, Keith Haring, David Hockney, Salvador Dali, Roy Lichtenstein, and more.
Although there are several stunning carousals, they are only to be viewed not for ride
By a twist of fate, the park’s treasures were sealed in 44 shipping containers and forgotten in storage in Texas for 36 years until now,. With a blockbuster showing in Los Angeles in December 2023, Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy resurrected these artworks, to audiences’ delight. also now in NYC
My daughters restated their sisterhood life commitments and love ,to each other in a farcical "church" ceremony , Las Vegas style, conducted masterfully , by an eccentric exhibition's staffers, to the cheering delight of the witnessing participating audience.
Another exhibit seen at the Shad
"The Gates "- At the Shed Feb 12-March 23
Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates and Unrealized Projects for NYC
The artistic couple is noted for their large scale,site-specific environmental installations, often large landmarks and landscape elements wrapped in fabric, including the Wrapped Reichstag, The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Running Fence in California, and The Gates in New York City's Central Park
The Gates, Central Park, New York, 1979–2005, refers to the time elapsed between the year of the artists' initial proposal and the year the artists were allowed to proceed, having received permission from the newly elected mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.
The exhibition includes photographs and some modular artifacts.
Theater worth seeing:
Purpose - A Great Play
From the Tony Award-winning playwright of Appropriate - Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by the two-time Tony Award-winning Phylicia Rashad comes Purpose.
For decades, the influential Jasper family has been a pillar of Black American Politics: civil rights leaders, pastors and congressmen. But like all families, there are cracks and secrets just under the surface. When the youngest son Nazareth returns home with an uninvited friend in tow, the family is forced into a reckoning with itself, its faith and the legacies of Black political power and familial duty. Spirited, hilarious and filled with intrigue, PURPOSE is an epic family drama from we enjoyed very much.
Oh Mary (play) Liberation (play) Redwood (Musical)
Wacky hilarious comedy OK comedy on women condition Tragedy,.Tree and healing
I am not. a fan of musicals and could do with-out the ones ( ("Redwood' and "Outsiders") my daughters wished to see, however the plays I saw I fully recommend,  Â
Birth-Day Lunch
My amazing daughters , totally supersized me when inviting for lunch my wonderful women relatives and friends, to celebrate my Birthday month at this heavenly Parisian Patisserie
Laduree - Soho
 398 W Broadway. 646) 392-7868
Thank you Keren and Inbal from the bottom of my heart, for conceiving this thoughtful secret celebratory idea, and for executing it so masterfully.
And thank you dear Arline, Judy, Eva Sabrina and Josh for making the time and joining, from near and far to celebrate with me, this rear and special occasion, of "cutting the bread and cake" at such a lovely decadent place.
Thank you all for the good wishes, cards and wonderful stories and memories, you so kindly shared , from when our life's paths have crossed, intertwined, and left an endearing hallmark.
I love you all very much and will treasure this gathering for many years to come.
Other Food Places Sampled
15 W 44th St, (212) 336-5454
The girls made sure that at every dinner the celebratory moment was ignited by BT candle's blowing , as well as dessert sampling , to a point that I started running-out of wishes...but was mega=fueled with sugar-overdose..
Kellari - Greek Taverna - Mid Town
19West 44th St. (212) 221-0144
Lunch with my beloved Cousin Victor
Osteria De LaBlanco - Italian good place, Mid -Town
22 East 49th St
127 West 43rd Street . (212) 675-9794
Friedmanns- Very Good Breakfest Place -Up -Town
50 West 72St
++++++++++++++++++++++
Dessert Heaven
When this spectacular week and the precious time spent together, in NYC was sadly, too soon, over, the unplanned four hours Bus Ride (Tripper Elit Service)
from NYC to Washington DC with my daughter Keren, was actually very convenient.. but this unexpected trip is another, whole complicated saga by itself.....to be kept as a mystery....
I landed back at the West Coast on March 4th, after a nightmare AA flight back from Dc via Dallas, that involved diversion, air turbulence and departure's delays... Boy.. I was glad to make it back safely home ... but that seems not to be for long....
THE END