Literature and Arts (#atozchallenge)

 The author of this image is me, David Shankbone. Taken 6 August 2006. The Bowery Poetry Club on The Bowery, New York City. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Manhattan:  Literature and Arts

        When I asked the question What does Manhattan say to you?, many of the comments mentioned references to things related to literature and the arts in general.   This is what first comes to my mind as well.  I've seen so many movies and television shows that take place in Manhattan and heard songs inspired by the city, as well as knowing about the many creative people who have come from or made their names in this famous New York borough.

        Woody Allen practically made a career making movies that take place in Manhattan.  Greenwich  Village has long been a bohemian center of the arts that nurtured many greats of music, literature, and all other art forms.  In an earlier post we already looked at Broadway and the Bowery--both centers of theater both highbrow and the more plebeian.  And we mustn't forget the many museums, galleries, and bastions of education in the arts.   Manhattan is brimming with creativity in all artistic forms.
     

   Jan Morrison...I would like to sit in the Algonquin and have a martini with Dorothy Parker.      

        Jan's reference to the legendary daily Round Table luncheon at the Algonquin hotel is one that many writers might fantasize about.  That heyday is long gone, but many writers still find their own forums and social gatherings.   Then there are the conferences and other events that draw writers from throughout the continent and even the world.  One upcoming conference that is a yearly event is the Writer's Digest Annual Conference, where writers can hobnob with other writers as well as agents, publishers, and others connected to the world of literary arts.

Other Voices on Manhattan

Michele Truhlik said:  

        When I hear the word Manhattan, the first thing I think about is Sex and the City. I love how the city was portrayed in that show and how it was a character in the story just as much as any of the actors. When I see Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte meeting up for breakfast to talk about their love lives or glamming up for a night out on the town, I so want to live there, even if for a short time.

       I've only been to Manhattan a few times but I remember fondly the times that I was there. I remember being shell-shocked at the sheer number of people on the streets when I emerged from Grand Central Station. I remember walking through Central Park.

      When I hear Manhattan, I think of the night I spent laughing my ass off in a comedy club as the comedians poked fun at New Yorkers (especially the cab drivers) and flirting with the drummer there. I remember seeing Angela Lansbury in Sweeney Todd on Broadway. I remember going to Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn and bar-hopping. That was the night I met the guy who was the baby featured in a classic TV commercial (which I can't think of right this second).

      I can see why Manhattan is often referred to as the greatest city in the world. It has a lure that calls me sometimes...and one of these days I just may answer that call...    Michele at Angels Bark

      Sheena-kay Graham came up with another idea:  "Have not heard Manhattan in a long time. Just thought some place in America. Then I thought deeper and came up with Dr. Manhattan from Watchmen. Jamaicans are deep like that."   That certainly works for me though I'm not familiar with the character or the graphic novel series.  

Manhattan and the Movies

       Loni Townsend said the same thing as many others similarly expressed:  

The first thing that comes to my mind is: Movies. That's the only way I've experienced Manhattan myself.

       That's the closest some of us will ever get to visiting Manhattan and actually it's not a bad way to see the city up close and in a greater depth than we might ever see by going there in person.  Loni, you're probably in a majority as the many people who have actually been to Manhattan are likely vastly outnumbered by those who have only experienced the city vicariously through movies and media.

        Karen Walker added her own personal story along with an astute observation:

      I was born in NYC, so Manhattan was just one of the five boroughs making up the city I lived in. But as I grew up, Manhattan became the magical place where stars appeared on Broadway. Where lights twinkled as brightly as the stars in the sky. Where high finance ruled the world from Wall Street. People think Manhattan is New York City. Woody Allen's movies helped form this perception. They never take place in Queens or Brooklyn or the Bronx or Staten Island.

       For some a specific movie comes to mind when thinking about the metropolis on the New York island.   "Muppets Take Manhattan!" was the response of  L. Diane Wolfe. 

        Others might think of a particular image often seen in movies where Manhattan is the setting.  G. B. Miller expresses one that might be most common for many of us in this generation:

      Manhattan...Hmmm...considering the last time I was in NY State was some eight or nine years ago and the last time I was in NYC was my sophomore year of high school, Manhattan doesn't really mean that much to me. Except I get a strong dose of sadness whenever I see old t.v. shows that feature the WTC in the opening montage (i.e. Barney Miller and the Billy Ray Cyrus show called "Doc").      I Are Writer!

      I've known that sadness on more than one occasion. Most recently it was when I watched the film The Walk which was about the tightrope walker who crossed between the towers on a cable strung illegally between the towers.  My eyes welled with tears at the end of that film as I considered 9/11 and what had been lost on that day.  There are so many times that we see those towers in films and television shows.  Seeing them is like seeing an old photo of a lost loved one.

Just Thinking on Manhattan

       Here are a few other thoughts on Manhattan:

        Debbie at Doglady's Den reflected,  

Manhattan, borough of New York City: Sophisticated, urban, Broadway, skyscrapers, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Eva Gabor (from "Green Acres": ♫ New York is where I'd rather stay. I get allergic smelling hay. I just adore a penthouse view. Dah-ling I love you but give me Park Avenue. ♫)I've never been there, but it's on the bucket list.

         Then one more introspection from diedre Knight:

Black ties and pillbox hats with matching handbags. Delicious aromas wafting from nearly every doorway, Publishers, Symphonies and Art Galleries. Always busy, lots of pomp. :-) But that was long ago.

          So I leave you now with a bit of Manhattan music suggested by Jemima Pett.  Here is the fabulous Manhattan Transfer singing about that legendary Manhattan jazz club Birdland.

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     More Manhattan inspired music tomorrow in a new Battle of the Bands presentation.  Be sure to come back and vote on your favorite selection.

         What other artsy Manhattan thoughts that come to your mind?   Have you visited any of the museums in Manhattan?    Have you ever or do you plan on attending the Writer's Digest Annual Conference?   

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