NYC Life: St. Pat Parade, Theater, Real Estate, Cherry Blossoms, and more
Another one of our grand traditions in NYC is the St. Patrick’s Parade next week, where everyone in is Irish. Our roving photographer is in Vinegar Hill in Brooklyn, once settled by the Irish and nicknamed Irishtown. In the market for a new pad? Check out this $175 million (you read that right) penthouse. There’s a powerful theater experience just in time for Easter. The cherry blossoms are about to spring into spring. And Valerie Smaldone has the scoop on a wonderful non-profit for kids to experience theater—Only Make Believe. And check out the latest on our Renewal Summit.
Get your tickets now for the this inspiring all day event of speakers, panels, exhibitors, and connecting with other fabulous Tomatoes. GET THE DETAILS.
March 17. St. Patrick’s Day Parade
The parade starts at 11 am and will march up Fifth Avenue from 44th street to 59th street. The very first parade was in 1762, fourteen years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It was then and remain so now, that the wearing of the green is a source of pride. At that time the wearing of the green was banned in Ireland. So wear some green, sing an Irish ditty and pop into an Irish pub, which fortunately we have no shortage of in NYC. Get more details.
April 6-22. A Profound Theatrical Experience
Easter is coming, and so is the unusual solo performance of *mark. Actor and Jesuit, George Drance, Artist in Residence at Fordham University, performs the Gospel of Mark in its entirety at Theatre 315 in Manhattan in April, assuming the role of storyteller. Mark is the oldest Gospel, created during what was a risky time to stand up against oppression. Dynamic and timely!
This production features original music composed by internationally acclaimed, award-winning composer Elizabeth Swados. Actor George Drance will again perform the role of the storyteller. James Martin SJ called the production “moving, creative, exciting, challenging, profound.” The production is directed by Jackie Lucid.
Mark is the oldest of the four Gospels, and it had an early tradition of being performed aloud from start to finish. It was finally written down during Nero’s brutal persecution of the followers of “the Way.” Reciting the Gospel gave courage to this community of quiet rebels whose radical compassion threatened the Empire’s status quo. Today it is rare for an audience to hear this gospel performed in its totality, or to experience it with the immediacy of that dangerous period of oppression. In his contemporary solo performance, Drance reclaims the urgency of these words as they might have been first spoken.
Tickets are available at Eventbrite: tinyurl.com/36h7rzdt
Roving In Vinegar Hill
Our roving photographer as captured a unique neighborhood. She writes:
Vinegar Hill in Brooklyn, named after the Irish uprising in 1798, once settled by the Irish and nicknamed Irishtown, was later settled by artists. Today it is a cozy 6 block area changing quickly but still maintaining that colorful bohemian vibe. This historic district with Belgian block streets sprouting Greek Revival, Italianate Style brick row houses with a Federal Style element, is distinctive with an interesting personality.
Abutting Vinegar Hill is Dumbo, the busier, older industrial cousin, decades into its gentrification and famous for its waterfront Jane’s Carousel.
The developing feel of these neighborhoods combines old and new, vibrant and gritty, industrial and residential. The views of the Manhattan skyline and the 3 bridges that connect the boroughs are spectacular.
My daughter recently moved and just became a Brooklynite! I am excited to watch her grow with her new evolving, quirky neighborhood and to have an excuse to visit Brooklyn even more often.
Nicole Freezer Rubens is the author of “The Long Pause and the Short Breath.” Follow her on Instagram@nfrconsult
A Home in the Sky
Last week we shared photos of a duplex apartment next to MoMA that is $65 million. Well apparently that is now the low-rent district. Check out this duplex in the world’s tallest residential building. According to 6SqFT it has nearly 13,000 square feet with seven bedrooms and eight baths with windows on all four sides with views of just about everything.
A private elevator shuttles you between floors. There’s a private reception gallery, a foyer, and a separate main gallery. There is a grand salon wrapped in glass on three sides, framed by a 27-foot double-height ceiling, gleaming chevron-patterned hardwood floors, and tall columns. Read more.
Don’t Miss the Cherry Blossoms
Spring in Central Park New York City. The Yoshino Cherry trees are blooming by The Lake on Upper West Side of Manhattan. USA
Rumor has it that the Cherry Blossom trees in and around NYC are starting to bloom. They’ve been spotting sprouting their blooms in Central Park (on the west side of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir) and at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Check out Time Out’s list of the best places to view them, including Little Island!
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The tomato behind The Three Tomatoes.
Cheryl Benton, aka the “head tomato” is founder and publisher of The Three Tomatoes, a digital lifestyle magazine for “women who aren’t kids”. Having lived and worked for many years in New York City, the land of size zero twenty-somethings, she was truly starting to feel like an invisible woman. She created The Three Tomatoes just for the fun of it as the antidote for invisibility and sent it to 60 friends. Today she has thousands of friends and is chief cheerleader for smart, savvy women who want to live their lives fully at every age and every stage. She is the author of the novel, "Can You See Us Now?" and co-author of a humorous books of quips, "Martini Wisdom." Because she's lived a long time, her full bio won't fit here. If you want the "blah, blah, blah", read more. www.thethreetomatoes.com/about-the-head-tomato
