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| The architecture! |
We headed off on a meetup walk described as....
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| The flea market |
We'll start by eating lunch at Brooklyn
Flea, a huge indoor market in a beautiful, historic building in
downtown. The market offers the same top food vendors, serving many
interesting cuisines, that we sampled last summer at Smorgasburg in
Williamsburg. After lunch we'll walk to DUMBO, where we'll visit the
up-and-coming art galleries and walk through Brooklyn Bridge Park, the
city's newest, featuring spectacular views of lower Manhattan, lovely
promenades and paths along the water, and Jane's Carousel, a full-size,
meticulously restored 1922 merry-go-round with exquisitely carved and
painted horses, housed in a shimmering glass pavillion.
Here are some of the shots of our tour.
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| One Hanson Place is the place for the Flea Market |
We caught the subway to Court Street... my local knowledge of the R
train came in handy as Ron (the organizer) was telling the 40 of us to
get the N or R to Court Street. The N doesn't go to Court St so some
people ahead of him may have jumped on an N but luckily he was able to
let them all know before we got to the platform. we did all start to
pile out at Jay St as he said it was two stops...I don't think anyone
got stuck off the train at the wrong stop.
We walked along Montague Street and down to the waterfront and the views of Manhattan- obviously many had not been there as they were quite gobsmacked by the views!
This is the place I take people on "my tours".
It was a beautiful day.
J
ane's Carousel is a completely restored historic
Carousel made by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company (PTC #61) in 1922. It
is a classic 3-row machine with 48 exquisitely carved horses, and 2
superb chariots. The wood carvings, often attributed to John Zalar and
Frank Carretta, are among the finest of their kind. In addition, the
scenery panels, rounding boards, crests, center pole and platform are
all original to the Carousel. It was the first Carousel to be placed on
the National Register of Historic Places.
Jane's Carousel is now open in Brooklyn Bridge Park,
in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn, where it is magically set on the East
River, between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. The Carousel is
housed in a spectacular Pavilion designed by Pritzker Prize winning
French architect Jean Nouvel.
The Carousel and the Nouvel commissioned Pavilion are a gift from the Walentas family to the people of the City of New York.
After the ride on the carousel (others not me) we walked through the streets of DUMBO.
The next few days they are going to be filming "Elementary" there. I really like that show!
All the walking around always requires "loo stops" and some with local knowledge suggested Gleason's Gym. My research tells us...
Gleason's is a boxing gym located on the Brooklyn waterfront. Since 1937, when the gym was founded in the Bronx, boxers with their eyes on Olympic glory or a shot at the title have been training at Gleason's. Fighters who trained at the gym include Jake LaMotta, Roberto Durán, Benny "Kid" Paret, Gerry Cooney, and Mike Tyson. Before his first title fight against Sonny Liston, Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, also trained at Gleason's. (Only three of those names are familiar to me!)
The gym was founded by Peter Gagliardi, a former welterweight, who changed his name to Bobby Gleason. (Why?!)
It moved to Manhattan and then to Brooklyn. Gleason's is now owned by Bruce Silverglade.
Gleason's is reminiscent of the time when New York was the center of
the boxing universe, when there were dozens of serious gyms in the city
and when big fights were often held in Madison Square Garden.
Now Gleason's is among the last of a breed. It manages to stay open by
permitting average joes—men and women—to train side by side with
professional boxers, and stages "White Collar Boxing" events that cater to this clientele.
What we saw when we were there was....
There is also a wrestling school called the World of Unpredictable Wrestling run by WWE Hall of Fame member Johnny Rodz.There is a sign on the wall at Gleason's, posting an invitation from
the poet Virgil: "Now whoever has courage, and a strong and collected
spirit in his breast, let him come forth, lace up his gloves, and put up
his hands."
The first and only wrestling event I am going to methinks! Gosh it was noisy and reminiscent of yard duty! All those little boys who don't know how to get along or testing their acting skills and strength. Even the guys watching starting to act out the wrestling moves... they never grow up!
Out in the fresh air and walking along the streets glimpses of Manhattan skyline across industrial Brooklyn.
The cobbled streets had us wibble wobbling along.
The beautiful Chrysler Building soaring above the power station.
The rail lines, used to bring products to the factories, are still embedded in the roads.
One of the many art exhibits that were closed.
A disappointing number of galleries no longer exist but some really interesting looking shops... must go back!
