Feasting Fancies is a special feature of Big Apple News

Feasting Fancies©
by Ralph Lupoli

Gifts to New York City

There are things in this city that are
wonderful and exciting - some are
old and some are brand new that I
consider Gifts to the people of New
York City. May I tell you about three,
I think are outstanding?

Do you know what is the oldest bar
and restaurant in New York City?
PETE’S TAVERN has been at 128
East 18th Street since 1864,
making Pete’s Tavern an official
historical landmark and the oldest
continuously operating bar and
restaurant in New York City.

Pete’s Tavern is proud of its history
and steadfastly keeps its traditions.
Even prohibition could not close
Pete’s Tavern; it was disguised as a
flower shop and became one of the
most infamous and popular
speakeasies of the era.

Today it looks just as it did when O.
Henry dined at the restaurant. The
first booth by the front door is where
he wrote the classic short story
“Gift of the Magi” in 1905 and is still
sought after by young writers.
Pete’s Tavern has been a New York
tradition for a century and a half and still serves some of the best Italian-American cuisine, great
burger and its own renowned 1864 House Ale. A visit to Pete’s Tavern will not only get you a
great lunch or dinner at prices that promise not to break the bank but the sense of history that
is Historical New York. 212-473-7676 for reservations.

Another gift to New York City is the great exhibit now appearing at The Metropolitan Museum of
Art, “The Philippe de Montebello Years Curators Celebrate Three Decades of Acquisitions”.
After 31 years as Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the acquisition of more than
84,000 works of art, Mr. de Montebello is preparing to leave for a new career in teaching.

Curators of the Museum have organized an exhibition of approximately 300 works of art
acquired during his tenure. It is a collaboration of the curators currently working in the Museum’
s 17 curatorial departments. “We wanted to create an exhibition to celebrate Philippe de
Montebello’s auspicious career by focusing on an area of spectacular achievement at the heart
of the institution: acquisitions,” said Helen C. Evans, the exhibition’s coordinator who is the
Metropolitan Museum’s Mary and Michael Jaharis Curator of Byzantine Art. “The breadth and
greatness of the works on display in the exhibit will tell multiple stories – of his stellar leadership
of the Museum’s more that 300 curators, conservators, scientists, librarians and educators; of
the excellence of the collections in representing 5,000 years of human artistic achievement
around the world; and of the Museum’s vital evolution in terms of renovating, expanding and
reinstalling galleries, developing conservation and research facilities, and enhancing visitors’
understanding and experiencing of art.”

The works of art in the exhibition were selected by each of the curatorial department heads,
working with the curatorial Director’s Council and the Museum’ Forum of Curators,
Conservators, and Scientists – the group that proposed the idea for the exhibition. The works
are displayed according to the years of acquisition and each piece must be viewed for its own
merit.

“As you tour the galleries, think, as I do, of all of the Museum’s staff – curators, conservators,
scientists, educators, designers, editors, installers, riggers, technicians, and many others – who
have worked so hard to make “The Philippe de Montebello Years” happen. It is with deep
gratitude that I accept the gift of this exhibition and welcome you to your visit here,” said
Philippe de Montebello at the close of the presentation for the exhibit. The exhibit will run until
February 1, 2009 and I urge each of you to visit this wonderful gift to New York City. Thank You!

On September 27, 2008, The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) opened its doors to its new
home at Columbus Circle. The redesigned building, formally the Huntington Hartford Museum
and then the New York City Cultural Center has been redesigned by Brad Cloepfil of Allied
Works Architecture. Allied Works’ design for the Museum’s 54,000 square foot home transforms
the 12 story building at 2 Columbus Circle into a dynamic cultural center that furthers MAD’s
institutional mission and engages the surrounding urban and natural environment. The design
maintains the scale, height and form of the original 1964 structure – one of the few freestanding
edifices in Manhattan – while dramatically opening up the once nearly windowless building to
animate MAD’s permanent collections, which thrive in natural light.

“In the pivotal location, linking Midtown Manhattan, Central Park and the Upper West Side, the
new Museum actively engages its surroundings,” said Brad Cloepfil, Principal of Allied Works
Architecture. “Our goal was to maintain the buildings iconic presence while giving it new life as a
contemporary cultural institution at the crossroads of the City. Our design opens the Museum to
natural light and weaves the building back into the street life of the neighborhood, fostering a
dialogue between the interior of the Museum and its urban environment.

Composed of fritted glass and glazed terra-cotta tile, the building’s new façade reflects both the
Museum’s craft tradition and its permanent collections. The building’s skin is tiled with
approximately 22,000 custom-made terra-cotta plates, finished in a light iridescent glaze that
subtly shifts in tone depending on time of day and perspective. The custom glaze was
developed by Allied Works in conjunction with Dutch ceramicist Christine Jetten and
internationally renowned ceramic manufacture Royal Tichelaar
Makkum. Three separate ribbons of transparent and fritted glass, each one a continuous 24
inch-wide line, weave across the façade. Developed in conjunction with and donated by
Oldcastle Glass, these ribbons of glass filter light into the gallery spaces and allow for
spectacular views of the city. The interplay between the glass and the glazed tiles creates an
elegant geometric pattern on the façade and gives the building a dynamic sculptural quality in
distinctive counterpoint to the high-rises dominating Columbus Circle.

The ribbons of glass that cut across the façade continue inside the building across the floors,
ceilings and walls of each level, creating visual connections among the galleries and providing
visitor with a unified sense of space. Glass encircles the entire ground floor, inviting a dialogue
between the Museum and its surrounding neighborhood and stretches across the ninth floor of
the building giving visitors to the Museum’s restaurant a dramatic panorama of Columbus Circle
and Central Park.

The building is named for the Chairman of the Capital Campaign Jerome Chazen. A
cornerstone of the new Museum is the Tiffany & Company Foundation Jewelry Gallery, the
nation’s first resource center and gallery dedicated exclusively to contemporary jewelry.
Located on the second floor, the center presents a rotating series of jewelry exhibitions,
features publicly accessible study storage of the Museum’s entire jewelry collection, and
provides additional resources on the history of jewelry design through MAD’s online database.
The Museum offers a robust schedule of Tiffany Gallery programs, including events in the
auditorium and the open artist studios.

The entire sixth floor of the Chazen Building is dedicated to education, marking the first time
that MAD has designated space for its education and public programming. “In our new home at
Columbus Circle we are not only able to dramatically increase access to our distinguished
permanent collection, but also enhance our education and public programming to inspire
community interaction and a greater understanding of the arts,” said Barbara Tober, Chairman
of the Board. “The new building allows us to greatly expand our reach to better serve our
growing audiences for New York City and beyond”.

Thank You for this wonderful gift that will keep on giving and teaching many to appreciate art
and beauty. I hope you all will get the chance to explore and enjoy my selection of gifts to New
York City and enjoy each one.

If you have questions or need more information please contact me at this newspaper or e-mail
me at RAskRalph@aol.com.