Finding Lincoln...In Queens? | Behind The Scenes

Phunsombartlert’s project at Socrates Sculpture Park

Over the weekend we took a trip to Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria, Queens, where we encountered Bundith Phunsombatlert’s piece Wayfinding: 100 NYC Public Sculptures. The site-specific project features signs of 100 public sculptures in New York City, and provides the distance and direction to each from the park. And what did we see among the New York Public Library’s lions and Astor Place’s Alamo?

It’s our Lincoln! That’s right, the bronze sculpture of Abraham Lincoln that proudly stands on our Central Park West entrance is just 2.07 miles from the Queens bank of the East River. We’re also collecting images of visitors posing with Lincoln (or Frederick Douglass, just outside of our 77th Street entrance) on Flickr, so add your photos there. Just don’t go trying to swim from Queens!

Let's Pretend It's Spring in New York

March 27, 2014

It is still so cold in New York. We had a Nor'easter Bomb yesterday and now it's still cold and dreary, so let's fantasize about the warmth and sun and color that comes in spring. Technically that's supposed to be right now, but we'll just have to dream for another week or so. The above painting shows handsomely dressed New Yorkers along 59th Street, near the Plaza Hotel and in front of the Pulitzer Fountain (funded...Read More

"Pilgrims Going to Church": Thanksgiving and the Pilgrim in Public Memory

November 21, 2017

Thanksgiving in the modern-day American consciousness often evokes images of turkeys, balloons, pumpkin pies, and, of course, the inevitable reference to the Pilgrims. More than any other Thanksgiving icon, the Pilgrim emerged as the exemplary American success story: religious refugees banned from openly practicing their brand of Protestantism and desperate to retain their English identity. Arriving on the shores of New England and facing starvation, illness, and imminent death, the Pilgrims survived their first year...Read More

When New York Wanted To Secede

January 9, 2014

Most people think of New York as the center of all that is liberal and progressive in America, with strong, Dutch-instilled values of tolerance permeating the culture. However, New York is also a place of business, and before the Civil War that meant it dealt heavily with the business of slavery. In December 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede, but on January 7, 1861, New York City Mayor Fernando Wood suggested that...Read More

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