NYC Life: NYC Santa, Stroll Fifth Ave., Wonderland, New Year’s Eve, and More
We’re sharing a great piece of history on how the modern-day Santa Claus was created right here in NYC in the 1800s. Tomorrow is a great day to see the holiday sights along Fifth Avenue with no traffic. If you’re looking for some great ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve, Sandi Durell has some terrific suggestions. There’s a winter wonderland at South Street Seaport. Our roving photographer has captured the designs of Dorothy Liebes at the Cooper Hewitt Museum. And our Broadway Babe is back with some great entertaining finds.
Sunday. Stroll Fifth Avenue Traffic Free
It’s Open Street Sunday and Fifth Avenue will be closed to vehicles from 49th Street to 59th Street. So it’s a great day to stroll and view all the holiday windows, and the tree at Rock. You will also be able to enjoy a range of performances and other forms of entertainment on multiple stages, along with street activations. Food and beverage vendors will also serve the area, and public seating will be provided.
Santa Claus was Invented in NYC in the 1800s…
Ever the New Yorker, Santa catches the trolly to Bloomingdales! The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library, NYPL Digital Collections
There’s a fascinating article at 6SqFt about how modern-day Santa Claus was created in the 1800s by NYC artists and writers. According to the article, “Saint Nicholas arrived in New York with the Dutch and became the Patron Saint of New York City in the early 19th century, but Santa, as we know him, is a hometown boy. New York’s writers and artists were the first to depict the modern Santa Claus, transforming the figure of Dutch lore into a cheerful holiday hero. The illustrious Claus gained his sleigh in Chelsea and his red suit on Franklin Square. With a little help from the likes of Washington Irving, Clement Clarke Moore, and Thomas Nast, jolly old St. Nick became the merriest man in Manhattan. Read more.
A Magical Wonderland at the South Street Seaport
At Pier 15 you will find Santa’s Winter Wonderland, a whimsical waterfront Holiday installation along with dining and entertainment options surrounded by Christmas trees, games, and activities for kids and adults alike! You can also reserve seating in an illuminated Heated Glasshouse and indulge in a curated holiday menu. And don’t forget to finish off with Santa’s Famous Make your own Smores! GET THE DETAILS.
Roving at the Cooper Hewitt Museum
Our roving photographer, Nicole Freezer Rubens takes us ona tour of “A Dark, A Light: The Designs of Dorothy Liebes” at the Cooper Hewitt Museum through February 4th, which explores the wide breadth and career of a textile designer whose influence impacted fashion, interior design, industrial design and film.
Nicole writes:
While in college to become a teacher, she bought a loom and taught herself how to weave. With studios in San Francisco and New York, Liebes rose to become a cutting edge textile designer and a shrewd business woman, operating from 1930 to 1972. As one can see through the comprehensive exhibit, she used bright colors, rich textures and lots of lurex and synthetic materials to make her creations shine, and establish her style, coined the “Liebes look”.
The museum itself is a great moody setting in contrast to her vivacious approach. Once the mansion of Andrew Carnegie, the grand Georgian building is an intriguing backdrop for a design museum. The intricate carvings that abound are as detailed as the combination of patterns and threads used in Liebes fabrics.
I always enjoy spending time inside this unique museum. Discovering this female powerhouse creative and the influence she had, convinced me that Dorothy Liebes would have been one awesome tomato!
~Nicole Freezer Rubens is the author of poetry/photo book, “The Long Pause and the Short Breath.” Follow her on https://www.instagram.com/nfrconsult/
What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?
If you’re ready to get out of your PJ’s, Sandi Durell has a variety of exciting events in NYC to celebrate the arrival of 2024. Watch the fireworks from a boat or head to one of the many venues hosting live entertainment from the likes of Mark Nadler, Marilyn Maye, Lorna Luft and even a Taylor Switch disco party. There’s something for everyone to dance the night away and welcome the new year with joy and excitement. READ ON.
Broadway Babe’s Picks: Kismet, She Loves Me, Joan Rivers, Frank Sinatra
Our Broadway babe, Randie Levine-Miller, has come up with some nostalgic treasures. She’s come up with a 1958 TV version of the hit musical, “Kismet”, as well as a BBC-TV production of the charming musical, “She Loves Me”. There is a hilarious segment from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson trading barbs with Joan Rivers; and a charming interview from 1956, with Edward R. Murrow, interviewing Frank Sinatra. WATCH THE VIDEOS.
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
