what about the plastic animals?

Say No to Drugs and Violence

I've been wanting to take a picture of this mural for a long time.  The gate to the community garden was open Saturday afternoon so I ran in for a quick shot.

I don't know if the mural has any specific connection to the violent and drug-ridden history of the street.  The mural is on 116th St. just west of Frederick Douglass.  If you've seen the movie American Gangster or read this article in New York, you'll know the corner as being where Frank Lucas would sit in his beat-up car to observe his million dollar a day heroin sales.

The corner is much quieter today.  There is a bank branch, a halal deli, a bodega and an auto repair shop.  Around the corner on Frederick Douglass is a small wine store.  I hadn't been there before.  The small selection of wines were reasonably priced and the woman that was working there was very friendly.

Olive Oil and Citrus Cake

This one turned out good!  My contribution to a Saturday night dinner party was this olive oil and citrus cake.

Involves Cooking, but Otherwise Unrelated:  Rachelle cooks Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with root beer.

Unrelated but Might Eventually Involve Cooking:  Beautiful Maryland Chicken:  1920

The cake recipe from Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts follows:

Lower Left

Marie posted a lovely photo of a shapely tree last month.   I liked it so much I tried to copy it.  I couldn't find a comparable shape but I like this square tree. 

Most of the trees in the city have put out buds.  Greenery is soon to follow, should it ever warm up.  Maybe in April, which is MillionTreesNYC month.  MillionTreesNYC is a program to plant a million trees across the city over the next decade.

Three Months On

Three months on the kitchen counter and the tomato is still holding its own.  It's a bit wrinkly, and I had to dust it, but the skin is still firm and unbroken.  No mushiness, odors, or other signs of rot to this tomato.  Do you think a science museum or the Smithsonian would be interested in a donation?

Last month's update.

Lenox Towers

Quiz time:  Name two elected officials that live here.

Hamilton Grange on the Move

Current home

Future home?

Hamilton Grange, Alexander Hamilton's farmhouse from 1802 until he was killed by Aaron Burr in an 1804 duel, is about to move.  Or not.  You see, this is one of those complicated New York real estate stories.

Hamilton, perhaps Columbia University's (then King's College) most important graduate, co-author of the Federalist Papers, founder of the Bank of New York, first Secretary of the Treasury, all-around hot-head, and scandalous adulterer, had this federal style house built on his 32-acre estate.  In 1889 the house was bought by St. Luke's Episcopal Church and moved two blocks to its present location.  As you can see it is hemmed in by the church on the right and an apartment building on the left.  The original entranceway and wraparound porch were removed.

In 1962, the National Park Service became the owner of the house.  In the early 1990s a plan was put in place to move the house down the block into St. Nicholas Park.  After many years funding was allocated and the house's new foundation is being prepared in the park.

Here's the catch.  The original orientation of the house was to have the front face southwest.  Were the grange to face southwest in the park the front entrance would be staring at the side of a cliff and the back of a City College building.  The Park Service decided to rotate the house so the front points northeast, toward 141st St.

The reorientation has some historic preservationists upset.  Last week the local Community Board voted to oppose the move.  I'm not sure how much sway that decision has with the city and National Park Service.

I Just Want Plain Black Iced Tea

The bottle was filled to the top but I did not spill any of this tea.  It, the not spilling, was the highlight of my day.  That and falling asleep from 11:30 in the morning until 2:30 this afternoon.

If I may use this space for an open letter to mass-producers and sellers of iced tea:

Dear Mass-producers and Sellers of Iced Tea,

I would like to buy plain black iced tea.
I do not want mango in my tea.
I do not want pomegranate in my tea.
I do not want blueberry in my tea.
I do not want raspberry in my tea.
I do not want lemon in my tea.
I do not want lemonade in my tea.
I do not want 30g or more of high fructose corn syrup in my tea.
When you add high fructose corn syrup to teas with magical anti-oxidant-containing fruits in them, the immeasurably tiny health benefit of the magical anti-oxidant is vastly overwhelmed by the known detrimental effects of excessive sugar. 
Unless I am eating barbecue or fried chicken I do not want more than a hint of sugar in my tea.
I do not want black currant in my tea.
I do not want acai in my tea.
I do not want peach in my tea.
I do not want strawberry in my tea.
I do not want tangerine in my tea.
When out for a walk I get really tired of going into deli after deli after bodega looking for plain black iced tea.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Someone who thinks finding plain black ice tea in a store should be easy not difficult

Holes Along the East River Bike Path

The bike/pedestrian path along the East River south of 120th St. deteriorated rather badly over the winter.  There's been small holes cordoned off the past couple of years but these are giant festering wounds. 

Over the past several years the city has been steadily extending the bike paths along the East, Hudson and Harlem Rivers.  Someday bicyclists and walkers will be able to more or less circumnavigate the island along the paths.  With completed sections in this state of disrepair I can't imagine that day will arrive anytime soon.

Two Views of 5th on the Park

Looking west from beyond Pleasant Ave on 120th St.

From atop the outcropping in Marcus Garvey Park

Although still under construction, 5th on the Park, the 28-story apartment building at Fifth Avenue and 120th Street is now a dominating presence on the local skyline.  It's taller than the fire watch tower in Marcus Garvey Park!

East River Plaza Rises

The East River Fortress Plaza is taking shape at the east end of 116th St.  It is a vertical big box suburban mall from Forest City Ratner that is scheduled to open this summer with a Home Depot, Best Buy, Target and 1248 parking spaces.  The most distinguishing architectural feature of the building is the swell swirly parking ramp. 

With easy on/off access to the FDR Drive via 116th St the mall is meant for commuters not the community.  There's also no street presence to the retail shops.  116th St. is all parking garage, 119th is the back of Home Depot.  I guess you could walk in on 117th or 118th but otherwise it looks like it will be much easier to enter the building by driving than walking. 

Oh, it'll be nice to have a Target close-by, and the shopping by commuters means tax revenue for the city instead of Westchester or Connecticut but the neighborhood surrounding the mall was barely an afterthought.