When I learned I would be alone for Thanksgiving, I thought of my friend, Paula, who lives in Manhattan. She, also, would likely be alone. So, why not spend the day together? Paula is a New York City tour guide, so is a very knowledgeable person with whom to wander around the city.
The weather was glorious, that day, so we decided to take a walking tour. We began by strolling up First Avenue to the United Nations Headquarters between 42nd and 48th Streets. The UN complex, comprised of the elegant Secretariat tower, domed General Assembly building, and a Conference building, is an example of a committee project that worked! The complex was designed by an architectural committee that included Le Corbusier, Oscar Niemeyer, Sir Howard Robertson, and the firm of Harrison and Abramovitz.After appreciating the simple elegance of the UN Secretariat skyscraper, we wandered across 42nd Street to Lexington Avenue. En route, we paused to admire Kuwait's UN mission building, impatiens that were still blooming vigorously, the tops of the Tudor City apartment complex, the indoor garden of the Ford Foundation building, the Christmas windows in the Pfizer building, and the Art Deco frieze of the Daily News building. (Pictures of all these are on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/rtroth/sets/72157622886774024/).
Located at Lexington and 42nd, the Chrysler Building is quintessential Art Deco architecture, and one of the many unmistakeable images of New York City. It's graceful spire can be glimpsed from many parts of the city. Because Thanksgiving Day is an official holiday, the Chrysler Building was closed, and we could not wander around, but we were able to see the lovely lobby, with its beautifully paneled walls, inlaid elevator door designs, and painted ceiling. I usually expect New York skyscrapers to be large inside, no matter how slender they appear from the outside. However, the Chrysler Building is very compact; the steel girders and arches are able to support its weight, without the need for great width.
By this time, our feet were getting tired, so we boarded a downtown bus, and rode South to Cooper Square (Third Avenue, between 6th and 7th Streets). The red brick Great Hall of the Cooper Union was the site of one of Abraham Lincoln's earliest campaign speeches, in February 1860. This speech has been dubbed "the speech that made Lincoln President." You can read all about this landmark speech, in Harold Holzer's Lincoln Prize-winning book:After appreciating both the old and the new Cooper Union buildings, we wandered down The Bowery, past the Village Voice, to Houston Street, then West on Houston, past the Merchant's House, the classic Crate & Barrel store, and University Plaza (with its tall Picasso sculpture), to the Angelika Cinemas. Paula shared a lot of background information about all of the buildings we admired. But the Angelika Cinemas was our primary destination: showing there was the newly released "Me and Orson Welles," with Zac Efron ("Me") and Christian McKay ("Orson Welles").
I don't get out to see movies, very often, so it's really important that the movies I choose be of interest to me and well done. This was both. Ostensibly, "Me and Orson Welles" tells the story of a high school drama student's first Broadway experience, in Welles's 1937 production of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," at the Mercury Theater. In fact, it's a wonderful glimpse into Welles's personality and the Depression-era theater world. I thought McKay's performance was outstanding, and his resemblance to the young Orson Welles was uncanny. We both enjoyed this movie - and the popcorn!
Houston Street is at the northern edge of Chinatown, so, after the movie, we sauntered South into Chinatown, in search of sustenance. "Chinese food on Thanksgiving Day?" you protest, with a shudder. Yep, Chinese food on Thanksgiving Day. We wandered along the main streets of the area, peeking at the menus of a variety of restaurants. Many we shunned because of prices, others, because of long lines. Finally, on a side street, we discovered "our" restaurant, which promised "Authentic Sichuan Cuisine."
There were lots of yummy-sounding items on the menu. For those who are less adventurous, the menu included a section labeled "American Chinese Food"! Because I'm allergic to wheat, I always select very simple dishes, and have them prepared without soy sauce. As a result, "my" Chinese food looks a bit "anemic," to others. Egg drop soup is a safe choice, and the sauteed chicken with asparagus was delicious.
By this time, it was fairly late in the evening, so we walked over to Canal Street and The Bowery, which is right at the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge, and caught an uptown bus to Third Avenue and 34th Street. Paula had bought some pumpkin pie (See? Thanksgiving food!) and ice cream, so we had dessert and tea at her apartment - a lovely, relaxing way to end a glorious day.
