Polar Bear catching z's at the Central Park Zoo,
Manhattan, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Manhattan Zoo
The Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, Kansas is not bad for a smaller sized town. The 26 acre park has over 300 animals representing over 100 different species as well as themed gardens and a number of events scheduled throughout the year. Over 100,000 visitors come to the zoo each year. The zoological park has been a popular attraction in Manhattan since the 1930's. A low admission price encourages visitors to frequent the park.
But the real zoological attraction for this post is the much more well known menagerie that can be found in Central Park in middle-upper Manhattan. The Central Park Zoo which is contained in an area of a mere 6.5 acres is far smaller than the Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, Kansas. Yet though less than a quarter the size of the Midwestern zoo, the East Coast Manhattan zoo receives ten times the yearly visitors. The zoo in Central Park also costs over three times as much to gain entrance. Though the collection of animals is diverse, many of the larger animals found in zoos with more space won't be found at this zoo. Still you can expect to find some bears, wildcats, monkeys, and an array of smaller mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects.
Manhattan's Central Park zoo was the first official zoo in New York City having been founded in the early 1860's. After the Philadelphia zoo, it was the second publicly owned zoo in the United States. Now the Central Park Zoo is part of a system of four New York City area zoos.
Personally, I have never been to any of the New York City Zoos, but I have been to a number of zoos throughout the United States. To read more about the zoos I have visited please visit my "Z" post at Wrote By Rote.
And so we come to the end of my A to Z Manhattan Project series. I hope you've enjoyed reading these posts. Don't forget to come back to this blog tomorrow, May 1st, for a special surprise version of Battle of the Bands. Remember--Manhattan covers a lot of ground though not necessarily in land area.
My A to Z Reflections Post will be on Monday May 9th.
Have you been to the Central Park Zoo or any of the New York City Zoos? Have you been to the Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, Kansas? What are some of your thoughts on zoos?
Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves. -- Henry David Thoreau
Trinity Church in Lower Manhattan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
You Are Here
If I'm in a big mall you will usually at some point find me in front of one of those maps with the "You Are Here" marker. Thank goodness that they tell me where I am when I am reading one of those things as the reason why I'm there at the map in the first place is that I don't know where I am. That's the case with most big places where I find myself attempting to navigate unfamiliar territory.
When in Manhattan if you are unfamiliar with the city you might want to run across some "You Are Here" markers now and then. A smartphone or some other device with GPS tracking can be of help. Just having a map might not be helpful to anyone challenged by map reading, but a map is certainly a good thing to have if you don't know where you are or where you are going.
This post could have been done for "X" as well--as in "X marks the spot"-- but then again there are rarely any X's to be found on the city streets just as there aren't often the display maps on the street with the "You Are Here" designation. I guess this is where the guides as described in my "W" post might come in handy.
And while we are on the subject of "You Are Here" we might consider where we are in this 7th Annual Blogging from A to Z April Challenge. This is the letter "Y" post which means there is only one more post left in my series about Manhattan. I hope you enjoyed following this series as much as I enjoyed compiling it. And I hope you had a great time if you too blogged through the alphabet with the many others who did the same.
Yes, you are here near the end of the Challenge, but there are still the A to Z events ahead like the Reflections post and the A to Z Road Trip. You can read about all of it by continuing to follow the A to Z Challenge Blog where all the details will be provided.
Tomorrow I will conclude my series with my post for Z. Wanna guess what it will be? Something famous in Manhattan perhaps? And then on Sunday May 1st I will have another post for the Battle of the Bands. This one will be a bit of a surprise with a bit of a twist. I'll include my entry for Question of the Month in this post as well. Hope you'll join me for both upcoming posts!
Do you ever refer to "You Are Here" maps? How are you about finding your way when you get lost? What is the first thing you do when you feel lost?
I have always fancied that the end of the world will be when some enormous boiler, heated to three thousand millions of atmospheric pressure, shall explode and blow up the globe. ... They [the Americans] are great boilermakers.
Official seal of Oak Ridge, Tennessee (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
X-10 Nuclear Reactor
In my post for the letter N I referred in passing to Oak Ridge, Tennessee which played a big role in the developing of the first atomic bombs during World War 2. This project, known as The Manhattan Project because it was planned out in an office in Manhattan, expanded to a number of research and development centers throughout the United States. This effort, which was one of America's most intensive projects ever, resulted in developing and producing atomic bombs within a time frame of less than three years.
In order to accommodate the R & D facilities and its employees and their families, the city of Oak Ridge was rapidly planned and built. By the end of the war in 1945, the city had grown to become the fifth largest city in Tennessee. After the war the city continued to serve as an important scientific center for the study and manufacture of nuclear materials.
A key facility at the Oak Ridge Laboratories was referred to as the X-10 Pile, the first nuclear reactor designed for continuous production. The X-10 Graphite Reactor produced the plutonium necessary for the atomic bomb. This reactor is no longer in operation after being shut down in 1963 and designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1966.
The three key nuclear facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Hanford, Washington are now the three sites of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Visitors to the park can visit museums and see the original reactors and other components of the laboratories. For security reasons the X-10 reactor and other buildings at the Tennessee site can only be visited as part of a bus tour provided by Oak Ridge National Laboratories.
Visiting all three sites would be an epic history vacation for anyone with a strong interest in atomic bomb development, but if you are near any one of these areas a visit to the one to which you are closest is highly recommended. Oak Ridge is the most accessible to the greatest population area as it sits just a short drive from the most visited National Park in the United States--The Great Smokey Mountains. The Laboratories are also a two hour drive from Nashville.
A vacation to the Great Smokies with all of the tourist activities nearby will provide memorable adventure and entertainment for adults and as well as families with children. There is literally something to please everyone.
The history of the area ranges from the time when the indigenous peoples such as the Creeks and Cherokees inhabited the land, to the time of the early European settlers, to the Civil War Era and beyond. The X-10 Reactor is just one more piece of the history that brought the United States into the Atomic Age.
Have you visited any of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park sites? Have you ever visited any nuclear power plant or other similar facility? Do you see a positive future for nuclear energy?
Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time. ~Steven Wright
"View in Wall Street from Corner of Broadway", New York. http://oldstreets.com/index.asp?letter=B (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Walking to Wall Street
In the previous post we discussed visiting Manhattan. So how to get around to see the sights in the city? If you're going a distance across town you must try the subway of course. For those who prefer not to deal with those crowds, taking a taxi can certainly be a viable method of travel, but it can also get expensive if you use them too much. These are decent ways to get where you are going and they are big city transportation modes that you probably would want to try at least once just for the experience of doing it. However, you won't see the city like you should--on the street, up close and personal.
If you want to immerse yourself among the population and have that tangible encounter with the city itself, then you need to take to the streets on foot. Yes, get the exercise and trod that pavement. You can walk on your own meandering and exploring the sights or you can join up with a walking tour guided by someone in the know. Some walking tours are free while others with a more personal touch might cost you a few bucks.
The tours might provide a more expedient way of seeing sights since the guides have the experience and know the best places to go, but if you've got the time why not hoof it on your own? Don a comfortable pair of sturdy shoes and dress suitably for the weather (as well as for the places you are going) and have fun exploring. A good city map or guidebook will be helpful to avoid wasting time, but the thrill of discovery by surprise isn't a bad way to go either. Essentially it all comes down to your time, your stamina, what exactly you hope to accomplish while in the city, and your own sense of adventure.
My last visit a few years ago was on a very hot day. We took it slow, went inside air conditioned places now and then, and stayed hydrated. The heat didn't affect me too adversely, but it did wear my wife down a bit. Still things turned out well for us. We didn't push too hard and took breaks when they were needed.
Walking is not a seasonal activity either. Inclement weather might be a deterrence, but that's what coats and umbrellas are for. Any time of year the streets will be filled with pedestrians and there are many folks who are more than happy to get you back on track if you happen to get temporarily lost.
When the question "What Does Manhattan Say to You?" was presented on this blog back in January, my cousin Tom Jackson from Tracy, California was quick to respond on Facebook with, "Capital of Finance". This as most of you probably know refers to Wall Street.
One of the places any Manhattan walking tour should include is a visit to Wall Street. Centrally located with many other sights worth seeing nearby, Manhattan is the iconic financial hub of not just the United States, but the world. There are several interesting walking tours that include visits to the New York Stock Exchange, Ground Zero, and many other fascinating sites that are educational, interesting, and fun.
Going to visit Manhattan? Bring your walking shoes and be prepared to get some exercise as you get an intimate look at Manhattan while mingling with those who live and work in the city. There are bus tours and horse-drawn carriage rides as well that will provide a good look at the Manhattan tourist sights, but there's nothing quite like walking those bustling streets.
Do you enjoy walking tours? Would you rather tour on your own or with a knowledgeable guide? Are there any walking tours in Manhattan or elsewhere that you have taken that you would recommend to readers here?
I did have an opportunity to visit Manhattan a few years ago, had no idea what to expect, will never forget the wonderful experience!--Gail M Baugniet - Author
The Empire State Building. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Visiting Manhattan
After reading some of my Manhattan themed A to Z posts some of you might be a bit more interested in visiting the island city of the New York Metropolitan Area. Many of you indicated your desire to do so in comments made in my original post that asked "What Does Manhattan Say to You?". In this current post I'll be presenting some of what a few of you said on the topic of "visiting Manhattan".
When I hear "Manhattan," I think of NYC in the fall of 1984 when I was there for computer software training. I had never been to NYC before, and I had a little time off from work, so I went to the top of one of the World Trade Center towers. I will never forget that day, and I will probably never go up in a building that tall again.
I never made it to the top of the World Trade Center myself, but sure wish I could have had that experience. Patricia, you experienced a bit of history so at least you have that memory.
I have never been there. I do remember my dad talking about going through there when he was in the army. He was going to West Germany and in the 60's they took a truck to New York and got on a boat to go over there. He said it was dirty and smelled. Garbage laying all over.
Ruth, my dad never talked about going to Manhattan although a few years ago--over 20 years after his death--I found an old photo of him and some buddies on a night out in NYC, a story to which I referred in my post Drinking and Manhattan. Maybe your dad had the unfortunate circumstance of being in Manhattan during one of their infamous garbage strikes. Then again maybe it was just the times and the places they were in.
A frequent visitor to my blog who does not have a blog himself but comments under the blog handle of Sheboyganboy VI told his own interesting Manhattan story: What comes to mind first is the borough of New York City. Not the drink, since I don't drink! I've been to Manhattan twice, once earlier this year for a touristy visit that included restaurants, jazz clubs down in Greenwich Village, Central Park, and the Metropolitan opera. The music was great... the glitz and crowds, not so much. But I'd say what comes to my memories first is my 1st trip there in 1974 when I was 19 years old. Four girls, my room mate and I made a cross-country trip from San Diego to Boston and back, which included a one-day jaunt into Manhattan. By the time we got to NYC we had picked up another girl, also. We had two vehicles: a 1968 VW Beetle, and my dad's propane powered pickup truck. As we were heading for the Holland Tunnel we saw a sign that said propane bottles were not allowed in the tunnel. Since I was carrying 200 gallons (!!!) of propane, we had to park the truck on a side street and ALL SEVEN of us piled into the VW and made the trip thru the tunnel for an afternoon of visiting Manhattan. The only person without a girl on their lap was the driver! It was a "trip," man! That sounds like a "hippie excursion". What a memory! Those were the days my friend.
Bish Denhamprovided her own story from back in the day: When I think of Manhattan I almost immediately remember the time I spent there in the summer of 1967. For a teenager from a tiny island, it was awesome. Went to the Empire State Building, the Cloisters, Lincoln Center, took the ferry to Staten Island, drank "virgin" drinks at Cafe Wha? and listened to a band - who knows who? Friends and I stood on a street corner, stared up and pointed until we had a crowd around. Ate at my first Greek restaurant. Saw an off Broadway show about Jelly Roll Morton. It was noisy and dirty and the smog was so thick that from the top of Empire State Building the streets below were almost invisible. I have pictures. It was the time of my life. Except for one brief overnight on my way to somewhere else, I've never been back. Though if I had the opportunity/money, I just might. What a fantastic memory, Bish. I can imagine how exciting it must have been for you to have spent a summer there as a teen. Manhattan has a lure, but it can be an expensive destination. I hope you can return one day. One More Before We Go... Finally, from the blog Forty, c'est Fantastique !with the author's permission I'm reprinting here the blog post she wrote in response to my Manhattan question. It's too good not to include here.
One glimpse of this skyline, photo taken from Central Park, and anyone will know where you are. Hundreds of songs have been written about this city, hundreds of movies made there, millions of people have walked its streets, and been captured by its sense of adventure. It is the original “melting pot” where so many cultures can be found in one place.
It is the city that represents the US to the people of most other countries…tell anyone in a different country that you are from the US and they’ll say, “Oh! You know New York!” Up until a few weeks ago I’d have said, “No. I’ve never been there.” But now, I can say I have been there. There there, and not just “Airport” there. My husband and I visited Manhattan. One and a half days there, and he is wondering if we could move there. Who knows? Tout est possible! But no, I’m not packing up just yet
I mentioned already in a previous post that we saw a Broadway Musical that weekend, with the aid of the beloved “Two-fer” tickets. This post is kind of a “Two-fer” too, in fact it is almost a “Three-fer” because it fits in with both the Thursday and Friday versions of The Bee’s “Love is in da Blog.” For “Traveling Thursday” it is a place I think I am falling in love with. For Friday, it is a “Blog Love.” I really have a hard time choosing a “favorite blog!” So I’m not going to say this is my favorite, just that it isa favorite, and the one that is on my mind tonight. So, because I am sort of writing this in response to a question that Arlee Bird asked on his blog “Tossing It Out” — namely, “What Does Manhattan Say to You?” my “Blog love” is going out to Arlee this week. For those of you who don’t know, he is the mastermind behind the “A to Z April Challenge” which really got Forty, C’est Fantastique off the ground. I’m gearing up for my 3rd time doing this challenge in 2016! Arlee “Tosses Out” all kinds of interesting topics on his blog! I don’t always get involved, but I do read silently from my email box, and when a topic strikes a chord with me I just jump in! I love that Arlee really engages in conversation with his readers who comment. He’s thoughtful. He loves music and hosts a “BoTB” post on his site. I really don’t know how he does all of it. In any case, I highly recommend making a trip to his site to see what he “tosses out.”
So to answer his question (and I hope it isn’t too late!)
What does Manhattan say to me?
After a long flight, we walked, wide-eyed, out of the airport, searching for the metro, or a bus, some way to reach Manhattan. After a short search, we found ourselves on a bus, where we were able to figure out, with the help of a native New Yorker, the system by which one buys a Metro card and uses it to get a little ticket for the bus, which no longer accepts cash. You have to get a metro card and then use that at a kiosk to get a ticket. The lady in question did not have enough money on her Metro card for the ticket, and since the bus driver didn’t take cash, she gave us cash and we ran to a kiosk at the next stop and used our brand new metro card to get her a ticket. Then she told us some cool things to do and see in the city, and I have stashed that advice away for next time we go, because with just a day and a half we really had to choose one or two things. We rode the bus until the end of its line and then switched to the train. I’m not sure that was the most efficient, but we did end up at Times Square, which was just a couple blocks from our hotel.
We got off the train and said, “Hello, Manhattan.” Manhattan said “Hello! You’re going to have a fabulous time.” The lady at the hotel desk sang the word, “fabulous.” She said, I can find you a fabulous restaurant, and she did! We had a very nice seafood dinner, not too far away from the hotel, and we walked around Times Square and gawked at the lights. Funny thing, but Manhattan does say to me that it is somehow okay to be a “tourist” there. It’s okay to stop and gawk at the skyscrapers whilst the real New Yorkers walk around you like water flows around pebbles in a stream. It’s a much different feeling than say, San Francisco or Paris or Dublin. In those cities, I felt a desire to “blend in” and hide my tourist status. In Manhattan, I didn’t find that to be necessary, even when we encroached upon a somewhat more “local” bagel shop. There was a pleasant mix there of locals and tourists. And the bagel was fantastic. They say it’s the water. You think?
New York is elegant and refined, but at the same time it is loud and gaudy. It is Prada and Louis Vuitton, and it is also tourist shops. It is classic high-heeled pumps, but yet it is also brightly colored Converse. And “puffy down jackets.” Lots of puffy down jackets. I’m glad that at least our jackets fit in a little bit I’m not really sure why this is a trend all of a sudden. Marty McFly would be proud.
We went walking around Times Square on a Friday night, and a couple asked us to take their picture. Then, they offered to take one of us. Why not? They asked where we were from, and we told them, then asked them the same question. They told us they were locals, just out for a date night while their kids were with family. Isn’t that great? To go to one of the most touristy places in your own city just for fun? They looked really happy, too.
So what did we ask Manhattan? We asked it to show us some of its glamour and some of its traditions. It happily complied, and we came home happy, having seen the “Home Alone 2” Christmas tree, the skaters at Central Park, horse-drawn carriages, beautiful homes that we could never even dream of living in, Times Square, and a Broadway Musical. We ate NY bagels, NY pizza, and NY cheesecake. My husband even had one of those hotdogs from a street vendor. We rode a bus and a subway, and we rode in a NY cab. We looked in the windows of some designer stores that we didn’t dare set a foot into. We truly began to understand the French expression lèche-vitrines, which literally translates as “licking the windows” but really just means “window shopping.” Somehow the French expression is more descriptive! We walked (according to FitBit) eleven miles. It was glorious. So in the end, what did Manhattan say to me? It said, “Come back soon!” I can hardly wait!
Do you have a story to tell about your own Manhattan visit? Are you planning a Manhattan visit anytime soon? What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about visiting Manhattan?
In a similar vein Patricia at Patricia's Placesaid, "Manhattan...cavernous, lonely, restless. Those are first words that came to mind."
It's funny how such a busy populated place can feel "lonely". It's the story of modern society in many ways. So many films set in Manhattan explore that sense of alienation that leaves many with a sense of being lost in a gritty world where few people seem to care about anyone else. This is the serious side of the human condition in a big city such as Manhattan.
A New York state of mind can be many things to many people, but for those who have lived there most or all of their lives to think of New York when they are away from it is not unlike Dorothy in Oz thinking back on her Kansas home. For others who come to New York for the first time or for a return visit, their mindset might be one of excitement or apprehension. Some are dazzled while others are bewildered. Some go to the city with hope in their heart while others cautiously trod the streets with fear or sadness in their hearts.
Being a city of so many people, Manhattan is a place of a myriad of emotions. Ups and downs to go along with the skyscrapers and subways. There's someone for everyone and sometimes no one when you need someone the most. Plenty to see and do and you don't always have to have a lot of money to enjoy it all, but having money in the city sure makes life easier. Homeless or poor in Manhattan is not what you want to be, yet there are plenty of people who seem to subsist this way on the city streets.
Stepping out onto the busy sidewalks during the height of the work day and you might get carried away like being caught up in the white water rapids rushing through a deep canyon. You fight the current to find a safe haven to keep yourself from going under. On the sidelines you watch the flow of the river of humanity. Look up to see the hard concrete and steel walls that rise upward.
This is indeed an urban canyon. A place that ebbs and flows, quickens and slows, but ultimately never stands still. "Who are all these people," the stranger to the city might wonder and yet that stranger remains a stranger. We are all alone together in this cavernous cacophony of the city. Lonely while never alone. Manhattan holds you in its insouciant grasp.
Have you ever been lost in a city? Have you ever felt lost in a crowd? What do you do to pull yourself out of feeling lonely?
I think of Chase Manhattan ... Stephen Tremp's hero in his trilogy ... Breakthrough .... and also the land of high-rises ...
Like Hilary this was one of the first things I thought of as well. Stephen Tremp was one of my earliest blogging friends and the first blogger whose book I read. Did I like Breakthrough? In a word--yes. You can read more at my Amazon review (if you visit please click that the review was "helpful") or read my Tossing It Out review.
Breakthrough is the first book in a trilogy that includes Openingand Escalation. This is an action packed series that has wormholes, international intrigue, and some interesting spiritual speculation. I highly recommend Tremp's trilogy. For more information visit Stephen Tremp's blog.
Change the "e" for a "u" in Stephen's last name and you get Trump as in Donald Trump. Hope Stephen Tremp doesn't mind sharing blog space with Donald Trump, but when thinking of Manhattan these days it's hard not to have Donald Trump come to mind. After all, over the past year anyone who hadn't previously heard of Donald Trump has heard of him now. Donald Trump has been a huge force in shaping the direction and image of modern Manhattan as well as politics.
Like him or not, the Donald is everywhere so he might as well make an appearance in my Manhattan themed April A to Z series. Trump has his Manhattan Tower along with many other buildings throughout the city and the world. The Donald first announced his presidential bid from his golden Trump Tower setting from where many of his interviews have taken place.
Most of you have probably already heard his life story of starting out in Queens under the guidance of his father who was a real estate developer. Early on Donald had his eye set on Manhattan as his promised land. He achieved the success he sought in Manhattan and made a name maybe bigger than he ever imagined. On the other hand, the man has an ego as big as the city so maybe he did see this run for president of the United States in his mind's eye all along. Whether it's a matter of brilliant strategy, successful visualization, or whatever the case might be--Donald Trump could potentially be the next President of the United States of America and Trump Towers could be the second White House except it will be gold.
We'll have to see where this story takes us. As it is now, this presidential campaign of 2016 for both tickets has been one crazy ride that I don't think even the most imaginative writer could have come up with and if they had written this story before it actually happened everyone would have said, "Ridiculous! A story like this could never happen!"
The thing is, it has happened and seems to be getting crazier than ever. But as they say, truth is stranger than fiction. And this story doesn't even involve wormholes. Not yet at least. If wormholes do become a part of the upcoming chapters I don't guess I'll be all that surprised.
This photo depicts Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Have you read any of Stephen Tremp's Breakthrough trilogy? Have you been following the presidential campaigns very closely? Where do you see it all going? Where would you go if you could transport yourself through a wormhole?
"This man sells the greatest soup you have ever eaten, and he is the meanest man in America. I feel very strongly about this, Becky; it's not just about the soup." from Sleepless in Seattle. "No soup for you!" The Original Soup Nazi Man The Seinfeld Show
Soup Gordon Shaw, a friend from back in my junior high school days, in response to my question "What Does Manhattan Say to You?" posted on Facebook that Manhattan makes him think of "Manhattan clam chowder--A very good soup which is not so easy to find anymore."
Curious about Gordon's declaration about this soup I decided to find a place where I could try it since to my recollection I had never eaten Manhattan style clam chowder. I've always enjoyed the creamy white New England style clam chowder which I'll frequently buy in the canned varieties. I've also had the white chowder in several different restaurants. I was aware that the Manhattan style chowder had a tomato based broth, but knew little beyond that.
So I began my quest to find a restaurant in the Los Angeles area that served Manhattan style clam chowder. As one one typically does these days, I searched on the internet. A few restaurant locations serving that style of chowder were listed, but none very close to me and I was not about to drive across Los Angeles for a bowl of soup. So I decided to just get some canned Manhattan Chowder.
Again this was not the easiest task. Maybe it's a seasonal thing. Or maybe Manhattan Chowder is not a big seller in my area. Finally I did locate two brands at my local Ralph's Market. There was no Campbell's to be found, but I did locate the Progresso (19 oz) Traditional Manhattan Clam Chowder Soup on sale at Ralph's for $1.99. It was essentially like a tasty traditional vegetable soup. The soup had nice clam chunks and a denser broth with vegetables. It was not too bad, but I wasn't overwhelmingly excited about the soup either.
I also purchased the Bookbinder's Manhattan Clam Chowder (10.5 oz) for $3.99 at Ralph's. To me this brand was too tart tasting and not as hearty as Progresso. This version seemed skimpy on the clams with not as good a quality of clams as the Progresso brand.
My final verdict is that I'm not a big fan of Manhattan Style Clam Chowder. Maybe it's better as a cold weather soup. And I'd imagine it would be better if more of a home made style and not canned. Maybe it would be best if I went to Manhattan to get a bowl, but I assure you that if I wasn't willing to go across town to get a bowl of soup I wouldn't be willing to go across country to get a bowl of soup either.
Seinfeld
Thinking of soup in Manhattan my thoughts go to the Soup Nazi episode of The Seinfeld Show. The character was based on an actual soup restaurant owner who apparently took his soup very seriously. Al Yeganehis the owner of The Original Soup Man restaurant in Manhattan. Initially offended by the Seinfeld episode, the Soup Man has used his fame to establish a chain of Soup Man restaurants throughout the U.S. and Canada. The Seinfeld Show epitomizes Manhattan lifestyle as most episodes take place exclusively in Manhattan with only occasional forays outside the city. The show has continued in regular syndication since ending its nine season run in 1998. If you can't live in Manhattan, you can always watch Seinfeld and get kind of a feel for living there. Subways Taxicabs and subways are probably what comes to mind for most of us when we think of transportation in Manhattan. There are tons of cars on the streets, but it's not cheap keeping a car if you live in Manhattan. And parking can be difficult to find and expensive when you do find it. Taking the subway can be fast and relatively inexpensive. Of course the subways can be uncomfortably crowded a certain times of the day, but it's Manhattan. It's a crowded place! If you've gone into a Subway sandwich restaurant you might have noticed the stylized maps of the Manhattan subway system as part of the wall decor. Now this decor might be getting phased out in favor of different designs that seem more upscale. Traditionally Subway restaurants have been mostly a carry-out establishment with little eye appeal, but now they are apparently taking the Panera philosophy of keeping customers in store for dining. There are many great sandwich shops in Manhattan and subs seem to go hand in hand with the big city concept of carry-out food. As one of the largest restaurant franchises in the world, naturally there are many Subway restaurants in Manhattan. The most popular sandwich at Subway is the Italian BMT which originally stood for "Brooklyn Manhattan Transit" but now has been changed to stand for "Bigger, meatier, tastier". Ironically, despite the association with Manhattan and the subway transit system, the Subway restaurant chain began in Bridgeport, Connecticut. What do you think of Manhattan style clam chowder? Have you ever had soup from the Original Soup Nazi Man? What is your favorite sandwich shop? ********************* Battle of the Band Results
Manhattan
My Battle of Friday April 15th was between versions of the Rogers and Hart classic song "Manhattan" as performed by pianist Carmen Cavallaro and Merv Griffin with the Freddy Martin Orchestra.
As some of you mentioned in comments, the recording by the Freddy Martin Orchestra with game show maven Merv Griffin doing the vocals sounded like something from the 30's or 40's. In fact, I researched rather extensively to be sure there had not been an error in dating this piece, but all indications show that indeed this was from 1952. I love this style, this sound--everything about the recording is very appealing to me and to most of you as well.
However there was an elegant high class society style a la Eddie Duchin in the piano playing of Carmen Cavallaro. This is a style that I also like a great deal. I went back and forth on this pairing as both recordings offer something that appeals to me. In the end though I decided to go with Carmen Cavallaro's version of the song. His was the version that initially captivated me the most and the one I kept going back to. My vote goes to pianist, but that vote did not help Cavallaro win the Battle.
Final Vote Tally:
Carmen Cavallaro 9
Merv Griffin 16
Be sure to come back on May 1st for my next Battle. It's going to be a bit of a sly one as we transition from A to Z into the regular blogging schedule. *******************
Bonus
S: SEISMIC CRIMES
Today
is the release of Chrys Fey's first novel!
An Internal Affairs Investigator was murdered and his
brother, Donovan Goldwyn, was framed. Now Donovan is desperate to prove his
innocence. And the one person who can do that is the woman who saved him from a
deadly hurricane—Beth Kennedy. From the moment their fates intertwined, passion
consumed him. He wants her in his arms. More, he wants her by his side in his
darkest moments.
Beth Kennedy may not know everything about Donovan, but she
can’t deny what she feels for him. It’s her love for him that pushes her to do
whatever she has to do to help him get justice, including putting herself in a
criminal’s crosshairs.
When a tip reveals the killer's
location, they travel to California, but then an earthquake of catastrophic
proportions separates them. As aftershocks roll the land, Beth and Donovan have
to endure dangerous conditions while trying to find their way back to one
another. Will they reunite and find the killer, or will they lose everything?
