New York, New York
By Horst Max Cerni
‘New York, New York is a helluva town,
The Bronx is up and the Battery is down…”So go the lyrics of the Broadway musical “On the Town".
When I first visited the “Big Apple” in the late fifties, it was referred to as the "Concrete Jungle”, but it has changed a lot, and now there are many green spaces, which are required for new buildings.
Most of us xUNICEFers have been in New York for a few days or longer. I lived in New York City about 25 years - on and off. It is said that “once you lived in New York, you are always a New Yorker.”
When I got married in 1963, we settled on East 4th Street in a railroad apartment on the first floor, Our first son, Karl, was born and so our little apartment became a family home. Then we moved to Brooklyn, first near Prospect Park where our second son Paul was born, and then to Shore Parkway in Bensonhurst, where Anneliese completed our family.
In 1973 I got transferred to Santiago and in ‘78 to Geneva.. After my home leave in 1982, we stopped over in New York for a few days and were invited to stay in the apartment of my colleague Mehr Khan Williams at Waterside Plaza. We fell in love with that area, and when I got posted to HQ the following year, we were able to find a nice apartment there at Nr.10 on the 29th floor (actually 32nd above the East River). It was amazing, because we saw the sunrise over Long Island and the Sunset over lower Manhattan - both from our living room.
On the Fourth of July we had the Macy fireworks right in front of us on the East River. Best of all, the UN International School was at the bottom, which made it very easy for Paul and Anneliese to attend classes. And I could walk to the UN along the East River, often with Tarzie Vittach who also lived in Nr.10, and passing some fancy yachts at the Water Club..
Waterside consists of four residential towers, which were built on fill-land from WWII rubble from Bristol, England, and mounted on a six acre concrete platform on the East River, with more than 2000 steel-concrete piles anchored in the bedrock. The first of over 1,400 apartments became available in 1973,
The skyline has changed quite a bit since we left NY in 1997. The World Trade Center was destroyed by terrorist attacks in 2001, and on its site a Memorial and the Freedom Tower were built, and nearby the Oculus World Trade Center Transportation Hub,
Lower Manhattan has always been my favorite part of New York with the harbor, its many boats, the Statue of Liberty, and Battery Park City with the Marina and the Winter Garden Atrium and its tall California palms. Nearby in Tribeca is the skyscraper “Jenga’ Tower, designed by Swiss architects which gives the impression of Swiss chalets stacked on top of each other.
Modern architecture fascinates me and New York has good examples. Recently, several unusual skyscrapers were built on small lots which required architects and engineers to be very creative. Some are thin and compare to a pencil. They don’t look very attractive in comparison to the classic ones like the Woolworth, the Chrysler or Empire State Buildings, although their vistas are amazing. Some have problems, though, with steadiness, One tower on Park Avenue and East 56th Street, for example, has been swaying in the wind by two meters, making chandeliers waive and wine glasses fall from the table, as well as causing cracks in some windows.
A 60 story luxury tower was built at One Seaport (161 Maiden Lane) in downtown,.The developers realized that the area was all fill land, and so they built a special concrete platform. But the weight of the tower and the strong winds made the building tilt by about 3 inches. It seems little, but there are concerns that the tower will tilt more. Construction has stopped and nobody dares to move in. The developers wanted to save millions of dollars and avoided drilling deep into the bedrock to anchor the piles.
According to the Website The Impossible Build; “This situation has not only been a financial disaster for the developers but also a significant embarrassment for the city. The leaning tower stands as a stark reminder of the complexities and risks involved in urban construction.”
We love New York, because it is so international. Many events take place throughout the year, Almost every weekend is a National Day with a parade and street festival. We walked a lot and explored the city, and we attended the concerts in Central Park, There was always a very nice atmosphere. Thousands of people many lying on blankets and often sharing a bottle of wine.
This year, the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the US Constitution featured a beautiful parade of tall ships and a big firework in lower Manhattan on the 4th of July.
In October there was a dog parade in Central Park, and on the 31st the spooky Halloween parade in Greenwich Village and beyond.
On Sunday, Nov. 1, all five boroughs were closed to vehicular traffic for the NY City Marathon with 60,000 runners and thousands of cheering spectators. One cannot just run the Marathon, but has to qualify in nine previous races and volunteer at another one. Or to be a fundraiser for a charity, which a friend of our granddaughter Nadia just did raising funds for rare cancer research..
On Thanksgiving this year, the 100th celebration of Macy’s Parade will feature 100 big balloons, and we will watch some before lunch. We will also watch the lighting of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in early December. On New Year’s eve, we stay up to watch the ball drop at Times Square, and then hear Frank Sinatra sing “New York, New York.” This was the theme song for the movie of the same name, and it will be fifty years old in 2027. It is the NY anthem, and also played at the Yankee ball games.
“Start spreading the news.
I’m leaving today
I want to be a part of it
New York, New York.
If I can make it there,
I make it anywhere
It’s up to you
New York, New York.”
We consider New York our hometown since we started our family there, and now our two sons and families live in Queens, while our granddaughter Nadia studies at Columbia University and lives in Harlem. They regularly share their adventures with us via WhatsApp, and so we stay connected.
Most of us xUNICEFers have been in New York for a few days or longer. I lived in New York City about 25 years - on and off. It is said that “once you lived in New York, you are always a New Yorker.”
When I got married in 1963, we settled on East 4th Street in a railroad apartment on the first floor, Our first son, Karl, was born and so our little apartment became a family home. Then we moved to Brooklyn, first near Prospect Park where our second son Paul was born, and then to Shore Parkway in Bensonhurst, where Anneliese completed our family.
In 1973 I got transferred to Santiago and in ‘78 to Geneva.. After my home leave in 1982, we stopped over in New York for a few days and were invited to stay in the apartment of my colleague Mehr Khan Williams at Waterside Plaza. We fell in love with that area, and when I got posted to HQ the following year, we were able to find a nice apartment there at Nr.10 on the 29th floor (actually 32nd above the East River). It was amazing, because we saw the sunrise over Long Island and the Sunset over lower Manhattan - both from our living room.
On the Fourth of July we had the Macy fireworks right in front of us on the East River. Best of all, the UN International School was at the bottom, which made it very easy for Paul and Anneliese to attend classes. And I could walk to the UN along the East River, often with Tarzie Vittach who also lived in Nr.10, and passing some fancy yachts at the Water Club..
Waterside consists of four residential towers, which were built on fill-land from WWII rubble from Bristol, England, and mounted on a six acre concrete platform on the East River, with more than 2000 steel-concrete piles anchored in the bedrock. The first of over 1,400 apartments became available in 1973,
The skyline has changed quite a bit since we left NY in 1997. The World Trade Center was destroyed by terrorist attacks in 2001, and on its site a Memorial and the Freedom Tower were built, and nearby the Oculus World Trade Center Transportation Hub,
Lower Manhattan has always been my favorite part of New York with the harbor, its many boats, the Statue of Liberty, and Battery Park City with the Marina and the Winter Garden Atrium and its tall California palms. Nearby in Tribeca is the skyscraper “Jenga’ Tower, designed by Swiss architects which gives the impression of Swiss chalets stacked on top of each other.
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A 60 story luxury tower was built at One Seaport (161 Maiden Lane) in downtown,.The developers realized that the area was all fill land, and so they built a special concrete platform. But the weight of the tower and the strong winds made the building tilt by about 3 inches. It seems little, but there are concerns that the tower will tilt more. Construction has stopped and nobody dares to move in. The developers wanted to save millions of dollars and avoided drilling deep into the bedrock to anchor the piles.
According to the Website The Impossible Build; “This situation has not only been a financial disaster for the developers but also a significant embarrassment for the city. The leaning tower stands as a stark reminder of the complexities and risks involved in urban construction.”
We love New York, because it is so international. Many events take place throughout the year, Almost every weekend is a National Day with a parade and street festival. We walked a lot and explored the city, and we attended the concerts in Central Park, There was always a very nice atmosphere. Thousands of people many lying on blankets and often sharing a bottle of wine.
This year, the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the US Constitution featured a beautiful parade of tall ships and a big firework in lower Manhattan on the 4th of July.
In October there was a dog parade in Central Park, and on the 31st the spooky Halloween parade in Greenwich Village and beyond.
On Sunday, Nov. 1, all five boroughs were closed to vehicular traffic for the NY City Marathon with 60,000 runners and thousands of cheering spectators. One cannot just run the Marathon, but has to qualify in nine previous races and volunteer at another one. Or to be a fundraiser for a charity, which a friend of our granddaughter Nadia just did raising funds for rare cancer research..
On Thanksgiving this year, the 100th celebration of Macy’s Parade will feature 100 big balloons, and we will watch some before lunch. We will also watch the lighting of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in early December. On New Year’s eve, we stay up to watch the ball drop at Times Square, and then hear Frank Sinatra sing “New York, New York.” This was the theme song for the movie of the same name, and it will be fifty years old in 2027. It is the NY anthem, and also played at the Yankee ball games.
“Start spreading the news.
I’m leaving today
I want to be a part of it
New York, New York.
If I can make it there,
I make it anywhere
It’s up to you
New York, New York.”
We consider New York our hometown since we started our family there, and now our two sons and families live in Queens, while our granddaughter Nadia studies at Columbia University and lives in Harlem. They regularly share their adventures with us via WhatsApp, and so we stay connected.
A wonderful love letter to New York Horst, and some family history too. I’m glad you made the time to write so many interesting stories. Bill Hetzer
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