A Typical Trip to MSK

When describing my doctor visits, I often add in tidbits about things I run across in the city. For my appointment yesterday, I decided to bring my son’s point and shoot camera, capture some images and write you all a story. (Note: Click on the images to enlarge them if you like).

I love my little piece of Manhattan as there always seems to be something to capture my interest. So here’s a little guided tour of a typical day on America’s most energetic island.

I start every journey at my home base, Morristown train station. The station was built in the 1930’s and has been closed for the last six months for extensive refurbishing (I can’t wait to see the results). So, we humble passengers must wait on the platform outside. Here’s the view facing west as we wait, anticipating the 12:14pm train to come around the bend.

Arriving in Penn Station, I cross Seventh Avenue onto 32nd street to take this picture of the station. A rather unimpressive site, no doubt. But, here she sits, cowering below Madison Square Garden.

 

Looking down 32nd Street towards Greeley Square (Sixth Avenue). We pass under the walkway in this shot which is at about the 8th or 10th floor. I’d love to walk over that passage someday to see what the view is like.

At Sixth Avenue, I head north past Macy’s at Herald Square, site of the big Thanksgiving Parade (sorry no picture!) where at 36th Street I pass my favorite coffee shop, Jimmy’s. Jimmy’s has great diner fare at reasonable prices.

Continuing North, as usual, I cut through Bryant Park, hoping to see a little bocce. But there is no bocce today! The courts and great lawn are covered with construction as the city is building the winter village. It seems so early! In a week or so, the park will be full of glass-sided huts for holiday shoppers and the lawn will become an ice rink full of skaters. The winter village is actually a fun spot but I really wanted to see a little bocce as the temperature is in the low 70’s.

At the back of Bryant Park is the New York Public Library.  It, too, is undergoing renovation.  How can the economy be so slow when I see all this work being done?  Here, beneath the great Lions at the library steps, is the usual collection.  From left to right: a guy who probably should be somewhere else being productive, a very confused tourist flipping through two different but very large maps, a student who likely told Mom he was at the library but is actually sleeping in that chair and finally, some typically exhausted Fifth Avenue shoppers resting their feet.

Heading east on 42^nd street, I cut through Grand Central Station on my way up the east side.  Now this is what a train station should look like! 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Inside Grand Central.  A great public space!  The ceiling is decorated with the evening sky and the zodiac signs are marked.

On my way to MSK, I stopped on

46^thstreet

to visit a friend who is a nutritionist.  We spent an hour or so talking about my diet (too many cookies, not enough vegetable juice!) and made a field trip to the local health food store.  Then, I was off to see the Onc.

Here’s the clinic at

53^rdStreet

and

3^rdAvenue

where I get all my treatment.  It looks like any other office building.  But, in fact, the interior is a hospital. They are nice enough today to park an ambulance out front just for me.  That’s unusual.  Normally, the only other sign of MSK is the shuttle that comes regularly to bring people back and forth to the main hospital on

68^th Street

.

Although I decided to walk today, as I always do when the weather is good, I stop in to photograph the entrance to the E train on 53^rd and Lexington since I’ve mentioned it before.  I was going to take a picture of the Starbucks across the street where I spend a lot of time waiting but hey, all Starbucks look alike anyway!

After my appointment, I walk back via Rockefeller Center. But, as I pass Fifth Avenue, I notice a sign in front of St. Thomas Episcopal stating that tonight is Evensong at 5:30pm. Even though it’s already 6 pm, I decide to catch the end of it. It is a very nice service with music from “The Gentlemen of the Choir”. The interior of St. Thomas is magnificent! Its stone arched ceiling must be 8 stories high! Behind the altar is an incredible carved frieze from floor to ceiling. I count at least 35 figures, each in its own pose – holding a staff, arms crossed, holding a large sword, holding a hat, turning left in prayer, etc. There must be a story for each of them.

When they do communion, I’m sorely tempted to go up just so I could get a better look at that frieze. But that’s not the right reason to take communion and I don’t want to spill the wine while gawking over the priest’s shoulder so I stay in my seat.

After church, I approach Rockefeller Center from

52^nd Street

where the big Radio City Music Hall sign marks the end of the block at

Sixth Avenue

.  My office was the building on the right, directly across from that sign.

As always, there is activity at Rock Center.  The ice rink is in full swing with plenty of skaters.  Behind them, where the large golden figure normally reclines and watches over them, there is a stage full of musicians.  The stage is framed by two large video screens.  The musicians are mostly singers and guitarists playing oddly upbeat Mexican Opera-like music for voice and Spanish guitar.  While this strange but energetic music plays, the video screens show scenes of beautiful places in Mexico, sponsored by the Mexican tourist board.

Now, normally I head back down Sixth and over to Penn Station. But since today is photo-essay day, I continue over to Seventh so that I can walk down through Times Square. After all, anyone who doesn’t get into the city much wants to see Times Square, right? Personally, I always feel like a salmon swimming upstream against a million other salmon all swimming the opposite way. But, hey, this is all about you - so I go anyway.

As I enter the square, I see a homeless guy in a doorway at 47th street with the usual cardboard handwritten sign. I normally try to read their signs and this time it really pays off. His sign reads “Homeless. Need money for BEER, DRUGS and HOOKERS (Hey, at least I’m not bustin’ you)”

I love it! I want to take his picture and give him some dough. But, since I just came from church and made my donation there, I think it bad taste to support beer, drugs and hookers just a few minutes later. So I move on.

Here’s a shot of Times Square facing South with the usual throng of people. There is a large group a young teenage girls – about 13 or 14 years old – all dolled up waiting on the sidewalk. When I approach, they all let out a big, giddy scream. But then I realize they are screaming at a passing limo (so much for my fantasy of teen idoldum). I hear that scream several more times in the few minutes I am in the Square, but it is always a false alarm. I have no idea who they are waiting for – Justin Bieber perhaps?

The lady in the striped dress here in Times Square is a reporter or host for some Asian broadcasting service.  Her crew is there on the left.  With the crowds cutting around her, the buses whizzing by and the girls’ screaming, I wonder if they are able to get any kind of audio quality of what she is saying.

After battling my way against the tide out of the southern end of the square, I make it to Penn Station at 7:15pm. I’m just in time to grab an ice tea before jumping on the 7:24 Dover Express.

So there it is, another beautiful, interesting day on my little slice of Manhattan. Come try it when you get a chance. You never know what you might find!