I Left My Heart in Long Island City
One of the great places from which to view the Manhattan skyline is from the window of the N or W train as it runs through Tony Bennett's hometown.
Tony Bennett's hometown is New York City, of course, but I was referring to a specific neighborhood, Astoria, Queens, which was erroneously referred to by hopeless Long Islander Billy Crystal (and/or the script) as Bennett's "hometown" in a recent special based on Bennett's successful album of duets. Crystal referred to Bennett's youthful trips into New York (meaning Manhattan) to explore jazz venues like the ones that used to be on 52nd St., without mentioning it was a distance that could very well be walked.
Y'see, Astoria and its neighbor, Long Island City, are directly across the East River from Manhattan, bounded (more or less) to the north and south by the Triborough and Queensboro bridges. (The Queensboro is the "Feelin' Groovy" bridge.) A trip by "subway" (it's elevated in Bennettland) from Astoria to midtown takes mere minutes and, as mentioned above, gives one a perfect chance to view the skyline from the comfort of a noisy and possibly unheated train.
But as good as the view is anytime of day, it's best for people who stay out late or get up early, 'cause the look of those buildings before the sun has finished rising is close to as good as it gets.
Just a few moments later, you'll see the thrilling, not-yet-blinding reflection of orange sun on steel and glass but before that happens there's just a glow; a twinkle that gives the array of skyscrapers a twinkliness; a pixieishness that makes the structures seem light and fun.
God, it's a good way to start (or end) the day.
And though the skyline was different when Tony Bennett was a kid, it's easy to imagine that what he saw from the window as he took the train to and from his "hometown" helped instill in him the joy that's still so evident in his performances.
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25 February, 2007 @ 02:14 GMT
http://blogs.chortle.co.uk/andrewjlederer
Tony Bennett's hometown is New York City, of course, but I was referring to a specific neighborhood, Astoria, Queens, which was erroneously referred to by hopeless Long Islander Billy Crystal (and/or the script) as Bennett's "hometown" in a recent special based on Bennett's successful album of duets. Crystal referred to Bennett's youthful trips into New York (meaning Manhattan) to explore jazz venues like the ones that used to be on 52nd St., without mentioning it was a distance that could very well be walked.
Y'see, Astoria and its neighbor, Long Island City, are directly across the East River from Manhattan, bounded (more or less) to the north and south by the Triborough and Queensboro bridges. (The Queensboro is the "Feelin' Groovy" bridge.) A trip by "subway" (it's elevated in Bennettland) from Astoria to midtown takes mere minutes and, as mentioned above, gives one a perfect chance to view the skyline from the comfort of a noisy and possibly unheated train.
But as good as the view is anytime of day, it's best for people who stay out late or get up early, 'cause the look of those buildings before the sun has finished rising is close to as good as it gets.
Just a few moments later, you'll see the thrilling, not-yet-blinding reflection of orange sun on steel and glass but before that happens there's just a glow; a twinkle that gives the array of skyscrapers a twinkliness; a pixieishness that makes the structures seem light and fun.
God, it's a good way to start (or end) the day.
And though the skyline was different when Tony Bennett was a kid, it's easy to imagine that what he saw from the window as he took the train to and from his "hometown" helped instill in him the joy that's still so evident in his performances.
__________________________________
25 February, 2007 @ 02:14 GMT
http://blogs.chortle.co.uk/andrewjlederer
posted by Andrew J. Lederer at 9:33 PM
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