Top 50 Greatest NYC Movies — #14
The Clock (dir. Vincente Minelli, 1945)
By rights, this romantic drama should have been filmed on location. But, with World War II still winding down, the studio didn’t find this feasible so Minelli recreated the entire city (including a replica of Penn Station) entirely on the back lot and with rear projection. The one-day romance between Robert Walker and Judy Garland is a tour of New York, featuring a native showing a visitor around, falling in love in the process. We follow them on a double-decker bus ride, a visit to the Central Park Zoo, a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and a meeting at the titular clock in the Astor Hotel. This closely echoes the popular “meet-up” spot for real-life couples of the time: under the clock at the Biltmore Hotel.
It Happened Today in New York City
On August 12, 1790, Congress met at Federal Hall in New York City for the last time. Thanks to an agreement between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, New York was forgiven its Revolutionary War debt in exchange for giving up its status as the capital city of the new nation. The next meeting of Congress was in Philadelphia, where it remained for a decade, before the establishing of a new capital city on a swamp at the banks of the Potomac River, where it remains to this day.
Quotable NYC
“New York attracts the most talented people in the world in the arts and professions. It also attracts them in other fields. Even the bums are talented.” — Edmund Love
New York Is… Views
In a town of tall towers, waterfront vistas, islands and hills, there are countless spots from which to enjoy a great view. Whether you visit a tried-and-true observation deck like the top of the Empire State Building, a revived classic like Top of the Rock, or a new kid in town like One World Observatory, don’t miss the chance to see the city from above. And remember to check out the windows and terraces of any place you visit, to see a view that could be the city’s best kept secret. Enjoy the view!
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
August 9 is the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Pronounced by the UN in 1994, the holiday calls attention to the plights of indigenous peoples, many of whom have land upon which others have settled. Here in New York, long a bastion of radical reinvention and social uproar, the holiday is seen as a more peaceful and multicultural alternative to October’s Columbus Day. Much has been made of the plight of the Lenape, Mohicans, Algonquins, Minettas, Iroquois, and Canarsies, among others, on the islands of New York.
Top 50 Greatest NYC Movies — #15
Shaft (dir. Gordon Parks, 1971)
Harlem during its darkest and most drug-infested war years (two decades before its brilliant “second renaissance” of the 1990’s) is shown very effectively in Parks’ famous “Blaxploitation” detective flick, starring Richard Roundtree. But many forget that much of the film is also set in Greenwich Village, with its climax beginning at the historic Caffé Reggio. The film’s exceptional signature style adds spice to a tight but standard police procedural and its legendary score by Isaac Hayes (who became the first black artist to win an Oscar in a non-acting category) matches its rhythm perfectly to the beat and pulse of the city.
Top 50 Greatest NYC Movies — #16
Shadows (dir. John Cassavetes, 1959)
This landmark of independent cinema, largely improvised and shot with a handheld camera, deals fearlessly with taboo subjects and styles, much in keeping with the daring nature of the city on the verge of the 60’s. Following three siblings and their relationship with the “beat scene” of 1959 Gotham, we see a time when the city’s most ordinary citizens faithfully consumed its cultural offerings in a way that mostly visitors do today: art museums, literary parties, jazz clubs, etc. Coupled with the quickly radicalizing racial politics of the time, this metropolitan odyssey feels as fresh and experimental now as upon its release.
It Happened Today in New York City
On August 6, 1930, Joseph Force Crater, an Associate Justice of the New York Supreme Court, ducked into a taxi cab on West 45th Street after an elegant dinner with friends, rode west on 45th Street, and disappeared without a trace. He was never seen again. Though rumors had spread that Tammany Hall bought his appointment to the bench, and he is known to have been with his mistress, rather than his wife, on that fateful night, neither of these has ever led to a definitive explanation for his disappearance. He was declared legally dead nine years later, and has gone down in history as “the Missingest Man in New York”.
ANSWER:
Pelham Bay Park
Congratulations to Marie France Lefebvre for getting the correct answer first!
QUESTION:
The Bartow-Pell Mansion and its estate is completely surrounded by what Bronx park?
Beautiful New York 
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