Cecile and I are staying at the W Hotel overlooking Manhattan. I shot these photos of the Empire State Building last evening after dinner and early this morning. We’re here primarily to visit with my dad.
My favorite place of refuge while in town is “Devotion Yoga” on the Hudson, down the street from the hotel. The teacher, Meghan did a free flow gentle yoga class. A new addition to the Devotion yoga staff, she did a great job leading the class.
Afterwards, I met my sister and Cecile at my dad’s house. Unable to move about like he used to, we brought in take out food from “Its Greek to Me.” Dad joined us, and right after lunch a volunteer named Donna came by to administer the Holy Communion wafer, a compassionate service provided by the local Catholic Churches for people who are confined to their homes. We are so happy that dad has been able to stay in the apartment I grew up in, that is housed in a five unit building that he owns where his dedicated caregiver Marcelle has been looking after him.
Hoboken, which was founded in 1630, has a very rich history. The first ever steam-powered ferryboat began running between Hoboken and Manhattan in 1811. “The Miracle Mile,” as it's called has Native American roots. Back in the day, the Lenni Lenape Native Americans camped out here. They called the land, “Hopoghan Hackingh,” which means “Land of the Tobacco Pipe.” In 1846, the first baseball game was played featuring the New York Nine versus the Knicker-boxers.
However, I will always remember Hoboken as the place the legendary crooner Frank Sinatra was born in 1915, two years before my dad. It is also the place where the iconic mob crime drama, “On the Waterfront” was filmed in 1954, featuring Marlon Brando, Lee Cobb, Rod Steiger and Eva Marie Saint. The movie won an Academy Award.
In later years, Bruce Springsteen and Nirvana played at Maxwells Tavern, Justin Timberlake did a commercial there as well, and Eli Manning, the quarterback for the NY Giants lives in a 3000 foot condo in the Hudson Tea Building right on the Hudson River, a short drive from the Met-life Stadium in East Rutherford where the Giants play their home games.
