New York City Off The Beaten Path Tips by Dabs

Gramercy Park-81 Irving Place

At the corner of Irving Place and East 19th Street, you'll find this 14 story apartment building designed by George Pelham, decorated with fabulous terra-cotta gargoyles. It was built in 1929-1930.

Our tour passed by this building without a mention but I went back to take a closer look because of my affection for gargoyles, this building had a number of very fine ones including the impish fellow in the attached photo.

Gramercy Park

I did a walking tour with Big Onion tours of the Union Square/Gramercy Park area.

Gramercy Park is the only private city park remaining in New York City. If you live on the square surrounding the park you get a key to the gates, if not you get to be like me and peer at the park through the wrought iron fence.

From the 1850s-1870s, Gramercy Park was a fashionable place to live. After the elevated railroad was placed nearby in 1878, it lost a bit of it's status but in the 1980s, it once again became a fashionable place to live, home to celebrities although our guide didn't tell us which ones, I guess academics aren't concerned with such things!

For some more photos and info see the travelogue.

Union Square

Union Square, a hangout for drug dealers and the homeless during the 1960s and 70s, has been cleaned up and renovated, the square lined with shops and restaurants and home to a Greenmarket several days a week. During the holiday season, there is also one of the city's Christmas markets in the square.

The accompanying picture is of a statue of George Washington's triumphant return to New York City on November 25, 1783, said to be the finest equestrian statue in the country.

The Big Onion tour of Union Square and Gramercy Park started here, you can find more pictures in my travelogue.

Metropolitan Life Tower

The Metropolitan Life Tower was built in 1909, replacing the Singer Building as the tallest building in the world until 1913 when the Woolworth Building, also in NYC, surpassed it.

It was built as the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company headquarters and modeled on the campanile at St. Mark's Square in Venice. It recently had a $30 million facelift and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Located near Madison Square on Madison Avenue between 23rd and 24th Streets.

Apellate Division Courthouse

Near Madison Square, at 25th and Madison, is this impressive building housing the Apellate Division Courthouse.

Madison Square

I came across Madison Square (not to be confused with Madison Square Garden where the Knicks play although the original Madison Square Garden was located here) on my way from my hotel to Union Square, it's located between Broadway & Madison and 23rd & 26th Streets.

According to the attached website, the park until recently was crime ridden and neglected but it has been restored and was rededicated in 2001 and is now a lovely park.

The statue in the attached photo is of William Seward, New York's Governor and a US Senator best known for "Seward's Folly", the purchase of Alaska.

Website: http://www.madisonsquarepark.org