Manhattan: East Side

   I started my day by taking the A Train to Columbus Circle and headed down West 59th Street to Fifth Avenue. The Circle was completed in 1905.  Columbus Circle, named for Christopher Columbus, is a major landmark located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue, Broadway, Central Park South and Central Park West.  It is the point from which all official distances from New York City are measured.  The monument of Christopher Columbus, which sits in the center of the circle, was erected in 1892 in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the great explorer's voyage to the Americas.  http://www.aviewoncities.com/nyc/columbuscircle.htm

   I walked into The Plaza Hotel, where one of my favorite chid hood movies was filmed, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.  The Plaza Hotel I have seen many times while visiting Manhattan.  Architect Henry J. Hardenbergh has long been admired for his skill in manipulating the details of its French Renaissance design.  Those details include high roofs, dormers, and rounded corner turnings to create a harmonious whole.  The Plaza is famous for its guests as for its site with views of Central Park and Fifth Avenue, and its luxury.  In the past two decades the hotel has changed ownership several times and has recently undergone a $400 million renovation and the conversion of some of its rooms to condos.
   Across the street I stopped at the Famous Apple Store on Fifth Avenue. Its the only Apple Store in the world open twenty four hour and its entrance is a distinctive glass cube.  http://www.limac.org/5th_Ave_store/site-history.html

   Next to the Apple Store is F.A.O Schwarz was founded in 1862 under the name Toy Bazaar by German immigrant Frederick August Otto Schwarz, in Baltimore, where he and his brothers retailed toys from a fancy goods store.  In 1931, the store moved from west 23rd Street to the corner of 58th Street and Fifth Avenue.  The toy store became well known for its unique plush toys and memorable environment and that the philosophy that a store should be an experience for its customers.  http://www.nyctourist.com/faoschwarz1.htm
   The Next stop was The Dakota.  The Dakota was built between the years 1880 and 1884.  The apartment complex is believed to have been given its name because the upper west side of Manhattan seemed, at the time, as remote as the Dakota Territory.  The architecture of the Dakota can best be described as North German Renaissance, the exterior has boasting high gables, balustrades, terracotta spandrels and panels.  The Dakota has also attracted the rich and famous, ever since opening in the late 19th Century.  Famous residents have included Judy Garland, Connie Chung, Leonard Bernstein and Paul Simon.  John Lennon and Yoko Ono lived here until his death in 1980, Ono still lives at the Dakota apartments.  http://www.aviewoncities.com/nyc/dakota.htm
   After The Dakota, I went to Strawberry Fields which is a 2.5 acre near Central Park.  The name is honor to John Lennon, the songwriter, singer, and member of the Beatles, who was assassinated in the courtyard of the nearby Dakota Apartments.  "Strawberry Fields Forever", one of John Lennon's most popular songs.  Strawberry fields opened in 1985, the site is now one of the most popular destinations for visitors, a shrine where fans from all over the world leave flowers and other tokens of remembrance.

   I headed up Fifth Avenue to The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The Met, is the largest, most comprehensive art museum in the world.  Its collections include more than two million objects, whose range includes the whole world and the entire sweep of human civilization.  Every year more than five million people visit.














The last stop was Grand Central Station (My topic for Paper #1).  Remains one of the world's great railroad stations, and enduring symbol of the city.