Burnett Memorial Fountain, Central Park

The web page for the proposed Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Woman Suffrage Movement Monument states that the proposed sculpture  will be the first figurative piece in Central Park to depict…

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Capitalist Christmas 2017

My annual survey of amazing goods and decorations in Manhattan. You can't escape the Greeks (and why would you want to?) The windows you shouldn't miss are at Louis Vuitton…

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Guest Post: Zenos Frudakis and Quent Cordair On Public Sculptures

I posted my thoughts on the removal of sculptures back in September, as "Politics and Portrait Sculptures." At around the same time Bill de Blasio formed the Mayoral Advisory Commission on…

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Central Park: The Early Years

Central Park: The Early Years is now available in print and as a Kindle ebook from Amazon, in print from Barnes & Noble, and via Ingram with standard discounts for booksellers…

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Carving Out an Unlikely Writing Niche

Some of my greatest inspiration and encouragement has come from hearing how other writers carved out their niches — so here’s why I’ve been writing about outdoor sculptures in New York City…

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Giovanni da Verrazzano, by Ettore Ximenes

This essay is adapted from Chapter 3 of Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan: A Historical Guide. I’ve kept cross-references to other chapters in the book. Outdoor Monuments has been “translated” into a fabulous app that…

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“Be like the bird …” (Victor Hugo)

“The Bird,” by Victor Hugo Be like the bird, who Pausing in his flight On limb too slight Feels it give way beneath him Yet sings Knowing he has wings.…

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Wrought Iron in New York

One of the things I love about New York is the way protection, in the form of gates, window guards, fences, etc., has been made gorgeous. Here are some of…

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