When my cousin moved from Chicago to the Upper West Side in May 2017, I took her for a walking tour of what our beautiful neighborhood had to offer. It’s strange because I only remember one particular stop on this journey, the Boat Basin in Riverside Park. A can’t-miss no matter what.
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“This is a great date spot,” I remarked, stating the obvious, but I was in tour guide mode so I was doing my best to call it all out.
We got drinks at the Boat Basin Café and then made our way to the railing, past the grand stone archways, gazing out over the ships in the marina on the Hudson, and beyond. Beautiful day. If I had known then that the Boat Basin Café would close in 2 years (2019), I may very well have said we should wait for a table so we could cherish it longer.
Which brings me to one of my favorite memories at the Boat Basin. It took place during the pandemic at a time when vaccinations had been going on for a little while. I was walking north along the walking/bike path and took the side steps up the Boat Basin to the ‘Café level’ where it used to operate. To my surprise, I came across a group of friends who had set up a pot luck dinner by the railing overlooking the water. They brought tables and chairs, candles; the whole nine yards for a feast. I relished that idea of creative companionship considering the circumstances. Marvelous.
Another interesting happening that I witnessed at the Boat Basin took place after midnight several years ago. I was enjoying Riverside Parks splendor, seemingly all by myself, when it dawned on me that it was getting close to past curfew at 1am and I wasn’t looking to get my second ticket for being in a park after hours. I was once again traveling north along the walking/bike path, so naturally I took my favorite cut up to the street, through the Boat Basin.
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As I got towards that railing overlooking the water and turned right, looking into the café area, I noticed a strange light further out in the distance where the gazebo would be set up. The light was moving around a lot too. This was out of the ordinary and as I walked slowly closer to the light I could hear someone yelling.
My curiosity piqued, I proceeded on and discovered a man in what appeared to be an intense business negotiation. I’m not sure what that business was, but the man on the Boat Basin stage was the seller and was possibly looking to hit his end of quarter quota and needed to close this particular deal to do it.
He seemed to have enough rapport with the person on the other end of the line, and that someone had enough familiarity with what they were selling that there was hope for this call to end well.
Why they chose this particular spot at this particular time, I’ll never know. I’ve seen this kind of thing in the park before; it’s usually a mix of having a little privacy and being in a strong position, like on top of a stage. Always be closing, even at 1am.
With so many changes to the Boar Basin of late, what I’m missing right now is seeing the boats docked in the marina. I had a dream that dates back to my High School days in the early 2000s. I dreamt that someday I would write a book titled, “How I Bought the Boat and Wrote the Book.” The book would essentially detail how I earned enough money to buy the boat. The book would be written at sea and delivered upon my return.
When I moved to the Upper West Side in early 2010 I remember seeing the marina at the Boat Basin and my dream came back to me. “That’s where I’ll dock Jenny 13,” I joked with myself.
Forrest Gump had 12 Jenny’s. I performed a 1-man show of Forrest Gump for my 5th grade talent show, jumping back and forth between characters but that’s a story for another time.
There’s a whole lot of check boxes that need to get ticked before I can even think about this boat again. And no, I won’t skip number 13 because it’s supposedly unlucky if you were wondering. Okay, moonage daydream time is over, the story must go on.
I wish all the boat captains the safest of travels on their voyage, however long or short it will take them to dock again.
As NYC Parks prepares construction for a new marina in 2023, I hope I see you captains again.
I also have fond memories of the boat basin. I wonder how many people remember that back in the day, the original set and costume designers for, “Saturday Night Live” called one of the boats, “home” for many years. I know that over time everything changes. It is not always for the best. I think and I hope some of my neighbors will agree with me that most of this is due to our elected city and state officials. I couldn’t be more serious when I suggest that the next time you vote remember all of the unfortunate changes that have and will continue to happen to our beloved city. Please give some thought if you continue to vote for every candidate from one of the two large political parties nothing will change and everything will get worse. Just as race, religion and personal safety doesn’t know greed, corruption and intelligence New York City will continue to become just like a village in any third world country. I pray that it doesn’t.
I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Griffin. My having two PH Ds doesn’t make me any different than any of the people that also live on the Upper West Side. I am also finding the prices for everything are getting outrageously expensive. I can no longer afford to have a car. I have always been concerned about being healthy and being conscious about the environment, but long ago I gave up on having a car when the price for a garage got as expensive as renting a one bedroom apartment. I remember their being a charming patisserie and cafe on west 72nd Street called, “Eclair,” I also have fond memories of “The Famous Dairy Restaurant” that was also on west 72nd Street but on the south side almost to West End Avenue. A little further west on 72nd Street was a Chinese restaurant cleverly named, “The Good Earth.” I also have fond memories of Chiterella’s when they were just a fish store. The Fairway expanded into their original space. Being a music lover, I was friendly with Joe Chiterella. He may have been the “black sheep” of the family, but being the head of the wardrobe for City Opera was quite a prestigious job, in my opinion. I wonder how many people actually remember City Opera? For that matter how many remember that there once was a “State Theater” in Lincoln Center?
I may not have been on the neighborhood when all of these great things and events happened. I live a few blocks south of west 72nd Street and have always thought that I live on the UWS. I am now told that I don’t live there but in something called Lincoln Square? To my thinking Lincoln Square was several movie theaters that were on Broadway somewhere in the west 60’s. I have though lived in the area long enough to be shocked by all of the empty store fronts on Broadway. I think it says something when even the Banana Republic closes. In college I wrote a paper about the city and I wonder how many people know that Lincoln Center was not named for our former POTUS Abraham Lincoln? It was name because of a man named Lincoln Kirstein. He was a brilliant Jewish man who had the foresight to bring George Balanchine to the USA and started City Ballet, that also performed in what was the “State Theater.” I wonder how many people even know the name of Phillip Johnson? He was the architect who designed what was the “State Theater.”
What is the evidence that Lincoln Center was named for Lincoln Kirstein — as opposed to Lincoln Square (which may or may not have been named, in 1906, for President Lincoln)? Yours is not the usual account.
I’m pleased JMS asked me to clarify myself. If you went to MoMA, before the pandemic you might have seen an exhibition about Mr. Kirstien (1907- 1986). He was very important to that Museum. You might also find it interesting that in 1927, Grace Vanderbilt Whitney, approached the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with her then collection of 500 modern art paintings and offered them with an endowment to the Met Museum. The head of the museum looked at Mrs. Whitney’s collection and basically told her, “No thanks. We already have plenty of ugly paintings like yours in the basement.” Perhaps you have been to Hartford, Connecticut or know that the Wadsworth Atheneum is located there. Charles Austin was made head of that institution at about the same time Mrs. Whitney’s paintings were turned down by the Met Museum. Austin took what was a repository for Hudson valley area artists’ paintings and turned it into the first museum in the country to own a Caravaggio painting as well as being competitive with MoMA in acquiring modern art. Mr Austin (who was known as Chick Austin) was able to get the Museum to build a new wing that had a Broadway Theater size auditorium in it. Mr. Austin took credit for designing the new wing. It was an accomplishment to have done that back in those days. Austin was a friend of both Mies van Der Rohe and Le Courbusier. I would think that they might have made suggestions. Even so, I think it was a remarkable accomplishment for then or any other era. Gertrude Stein (an American who lived in Paris for a time with her brother, Leo) wrote an opera with Virgil Thompson. It premiered in that auditorium in Hartford. If you did some research you’d see the then first night audience (such as Henry and Claire Booth Luce) in cars and limousines going there to see the opera, “Four Saints in Three Acts.” It needed some work. I believe it was more than four saints to start with and eventually it had a full Afro- American cast. It was such a success it was immediately moved to Broadway and had about a five month run. Of course Lincoln Kirstein was also a friend of Mr. Austin. He first brought Mr. Balanchine to Hartford to start the first American school for ballet. I guess Hartford wasn’t ready to have a school of ballet there. Mr. Kirsten then brought George Balanchine to NYC. It took Lincoln Kirstein a while to raise funds for Mr. Balanchine’s school. It also took time making a company of ballet dancers. It might also be interesting that a fledgling dance company, “Ballet Theater” was also having a number of problems. They had to share some of their dancers with Mr. Kirstein’s project. Obviously “Ballet Theater” became “American Ballet Theater” and uses the Metropolitan Opera house when it performs in NYC. While the then “State Theater” was home to “City Opera” it was also home for “City Ballet.” I hope that helps explain things. If not please feel free to ask me more or for further clarification.
Thanks for responding! Kirstien was certainly a fascinating character.
So you’re saying the adjacency of Lincoln Square is purely coincidental? And why wasn’t it “Kirstien Center”? It would have avoided the ambiguity, but perhaps they were they taking advantage of the adjacency in opting for Kirstien’s given name — a deliberate double meaning?
Ms Joahson, Personally I think you’re a very smart young woman. I’m sure you know that Vera Zorina was the first Mrs Balanchine in the USA, but who was the brilliant ballet dancer that appeared in a revival of “On You Toes” that featured Lara Teeter and Christine Andreas. I am not referring to the revival of “Oklahoma!” that featured the two along with Lawrence Giuttard, Mary Wicks and Christine Ebersole that played the Palace Theater. Could you please help me with the answer?
Ms Marrs, I’m only too happy to answer that question for you. The dancer was Natalie Markarova (who was an American Ballet Theater discovery and Prima Ballerina) prior to her appearing in the 1983 Revival of Rogers and Hart’s “On Your Toes.” It also featured Dina Merrill, George S. Irving and Betty Ann Grove. It was originally directed by George Abbott (or Mr. Abbott if you actually knew him). Donald Saddler adapted some of Mr. Balanchine’s original choreography to suit the stage of the Virginia Theater. He was assisted by the former director of “City Ballet” Peter Martins. That was easy. If there is any further questions about Lincoln Center, City Opera, City Ballet. Lincoln Kirstien, MoMA, the Met Museum, the Wadsworth Athenaum, Henry and/or Claire Booth Luce, Richard Rogers, Laurence Hart or anything, I’d be happy to answer and/or clarify any question.