West Side Snapshots
Delia Ephron, author/screenwriter, gave a workshop to Hewitt School students during the annual Wellness Symposium on April 16th.
2 Photos The West Side Community Garden’s Annual Tulip Festival featured more than 30 varieties of tulips in a kaleidoscope of colors and variations. The garden, which is open every day of the year, weather permitting, is located between 89th and 90th Streets between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues. Photos by Andrew Schwartz 23 Photos Young and old alike paraded up and down Fifth Avenue for the Annual Easter Bonnet Parade on April 4th. Photos by Andrew Schwartz 17 Photos After two years of renovations, the St. Agnes Library welcomed back the public on February 11 and celebrated its grand reopening with a ribbon cutting ceremony as well as free entertainment and programs for kids and adults. In attendence for the festivities was Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Congressman Jerry Nadler and Councilwoman Gale Brewer. Photos by Jori Klein
2 Photos A New Subterranean Way - Views of the massive cavern for the new 34th Street Station that will be part of the Number 7 subway extension at the Hudson Yards in Manhattan. The $2.1 billion project, funded by the City and managed by the MTA, is the first subway expansion in decades. In December, the second of two tunnel boring machines reached the southern wall of the 34th Street Station cavern after mining a combined 2,900 feet from their starting point at 26th Street under 11th Avenue. The machines are now drilling tunnels north of 34th Street towards 42nd Street. The new extension will help to connect to the Hudson Yards vicinity. Photos by Andrew Schwartz 13 Photos A Circus For All the Senses – During the touch session of the Big Apple Circus’s “Circus of the Senses”, a special performance presented without charge to metro area children who have vision and hearing impairments, young audience members with sight impairments got a chance to handle some of the props, feel the fabric of the costumes and meet some of the performers both two and four legged. Photos by Andrew Schwartz 12 Photos After the snowstorm had passed, children and adults of all ages descended onto Cedar Hill inside Central Park for a fun filled day of sledding. Photos by Andrew Schwartz 29 Photos Return of the Butterflies - Inside the American Museum of Natural History’s butterfly conservatory. The conservatory, which houses up to 500 iridescent butterflies along with lush foliage and blooming tropical flowers, is open through May 31, 2010. Photos by Andrew Schwartz 14 Photos Clown on a Wire - Bello Nock, star of this year’s Big Apple Circus, skywalks along a wire suspended between the David H. Koch Theater and the roof of Avery Fischer Hall in Lincoln Center. The Big Apple Circus returns to Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park from Oct. 22 to Jan. 18. Photos by Andrew Schwartz
14 Photos Photos from Rafael Nadal versus Fernando Gonzalez match at the US Open. Photos by Andrew Schwartz 19 Photos Photos from Rafael Nadal versus Gael Monfils match at the US Open. Photos by Andrew Schwartz 25 Photos Some action shots from Rafael Nadal versus Nicolas Almagro at the US Open on September 6th. Photos by Andrew Schwartz 16 Photos Photos of the action at the US Open featuring Roger Federer, Lleyton Hewitt, Andy Roddick, Melanie Oudin and Maria Sharapova from September 5th. Photos by Andrew Schwartz 27 Photos Photos of Rafael Nadal, Venus Williams, Kim Clijsters and Kirsten Flipkens in action at the US Open on September 4th. Photos by Andrew Schwartz 36 Photos Summer Hula Hoopla - Lenny Wilkens, aka Lenny Hoops teaches park goers how to hula hoop in Central Park. Photos by Andrew Schwartz 4 Photos Action From the US Open - Photos of Roger Federer and Serena Williams during night session play inside Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open on September 2nd. Photos by Andrew Schwartz 31 Photos Opening Night at the US Open - With opening ceremonies that saluted people who give back to the community, the US Open officially began its march the crown the best players in tennis. The festivities featured US Open champion Andre Agassi, soccer’s Mia Hamm, quarterback Doug Flutie and former San Antonio Spurs center David Robinson. At the ceremonies, Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The O’Jays performed and Grammy winner Rob Thomas sang the national anthem. In competition, Venus Williams faced off against Russian Vera Dushevina and Andy Roddick saw action against Bjorn Phau of Germany. Both Williams and Roddick advanced. Photos by Andrew Schwartz
41 Photos After the Storm - Parks workers used all types of tools from chainsaws to wood chippers along Riverside Drive and inside Riverside Park to remove fallen trees and broken limbs damaged from the strong storm that struck the upper west side on August 18th. The park lost approximately 65 tress to the storm. 14 Photos Awakening Dragons In Central Park - Dignitaries from the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival along with New York City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepee in Central Park came together to bless the boats and dot the eyes of the dragon heads to celebrate the upcoming festival. The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival features the tradition of Dragon Boat Racing in colorful, custom made teak boats featuring a color dragon head at the front and dragon tail at the rear. The boats are piloted by up to 20 crewmen, including 18 paddlers, a drummer and steersperson. The annual festival in it 19th year takes place on Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Saturday August 8th and Sunday August 9th. 11 Photos Whale of a Cleaning Job-
After two years of dust build-up, the American Museum of Natural History’s blue whale wasn’t looking very blue. Armed with a vacuum, Rodolfo Valencia cleaned the surface of the 94-foot-long whale, which is sculpted in fiberglass and polyurethane and weighs 21,000 pounds.
9 Photos Educators Who Make All the Difference.
Earlier this week, nearly 200 parents, students, principals, colleagues and other friends and family members came out to salute the 2009 Blackboard Award “Teachers of the Year.” The June 8 cocktail reception and awards presentation—-marked by tears, laughter and many rounds of applause—-was held at Fordham University Law School, on West 62nd Street. Kevin Sheekey, deputy mayor for government affairs, served as the evening’s host, along with New York Family editor Eric Messinger.
The Teacher Awards grew out of Manhattan Media’s Blackboard Awards for Schools, an education series created eight years ago to highlight the many success stories in New York City’s diverse school system. Four years ago, the company launched a separate issue and event for teachers, to honor a handful of educators whose work so often goes unrecognized. To the city’s parents, and especially the city’s children, these teachers are heroes, and their inspiration can last a lifetime.
Out of the more than 400 nominations that were submitted, Manhattan Media selected 20 individuals to honor in person at the awards ceremony and in a special section of Our Town and West Side Spirit newspapers, published June 4. We hope the event and Blackboard Awards issue gives these outstanding educators just a little bit of the “thanks” they deserve.
In his welcoming remarks, Father Joseph McShane, president of Fordham University, praised the “unsung heroes of the city” who nurture students from preschool to high school and beyond.
“You dream dreams for them before they know how to articulate what those dreams are,” McShane said.
Council Members Gale Brewer and David Yassky both presented awards at the event, along with Richard Farkas, vice president for middle schools for the United Federation of Teachers.
The event was sponsored by Manhattan Media, The United Federation of Teachers, the City University of New York and Fordham University. 23 Photos All along Fifth Avenue New Yorkers gathered to celebrate Easter Sunday with the annual Easter Bonnet Parade. 12 Photos Students from PS 167 along with members of the Learning Through an Expanded Art Program (LEAP NYC) pose with the head of what will be a giant piggy bank. The piggy bank, when finished and combined with the body and tail, will be 14 feet tall, 22.5 feet long and six feet wide. The bank will be submited to The Guinness Book of World Records. 6 Photos With schools closed due to snow, New Yorkers took the slops of Cedar Hill in Central Park. 8 Photos Members of the Professional Bull Riders brought their brand of bull riding to the arena of Madison Square Garden. Part professional wrestling meets rodeo, the show mixes a little more showmanship with the traditional rules of rodeo bull riding. As with any bull riding competition, riders must remain on the bull for a full 8 seconds for their ride to count. And with bulls with names like Federal Officer, One Eyed Willie and Booger Butt, the cowboys have their work cut out for them. Photos by Andrew Schwartz 14 Photos If New Years Eve revelers in Times Square had one thing in common, it was their eye wear. Photos by Andrew Schwartz 92 Photos Tubists of all ages with tubas of all shape and sizes lined up under the great Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center to perform in their annual concert. Featuring hundreds of tenor and bass tuba players, this concert marks its 34th year for the event which started in 1974. Photos by Andrew Schwartz 18 Photos The Big Apple Circus’s intimate one-ring venue returned to Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park with a new show, “Play On!”, centered around a line from Shakespeare (“If music be the food of love, play on!”). The show features acts with a little something for everyone, including clowns, horses, jugglers and performances high above the ring. The circus is in town through Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009. Photos by Andrew Schwartz 28 Photos Photos By Andrew Schwartz 16 Photos
