Culture – Page 2 – Writing New Jersey Life

Category: Culture

“Frankly Norman: A Sketch”

On August 26, 2018

“I paint life as I would like it to be.” Norman Rockwell

Who could seem more different than Frank Sinatra and Norman Rockwell? On the surface, one might think “Fly Me to the Moon” as a song to capture their disparate public images. Both, however, were iconic artists of the twentieth century dedicated to excellence in their work, and each told stories in his own medium. At the annual New Jersey Festival of Balloons each July, when the balloons launch at dawn to Frank’s “Come Fly with Me,” his incredible voice soars along with them, still resonant with life, fresh like a Norman Rockwell “snapshot”. What seems effortless is always the result of dedication.

Frank and Norman at the studio (eBay.com)

Norman Perceval Rockwell and Francis Albert Sinatra met in at Norman’s studio in Stockbridge, Massachusetts in 1971, when Frank sat for a portrait commissioned as a gift for his family. The relocated studio is now part of a visit to Norman Rockwell Museum – The Home for American Illustration, one of the highlights on a scenic Berkshires stay.

There’s almost always a New Jersey connection wherever one goes and the same is true of the museum dedicated to Mr. Rockwell’s work in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Norman Rockwell became a tried and true New Englander and the official state artist of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, but he grew up in New York City across the Hudson River from Frank’s native Hoboken about twenty-one years earlier. An artist who came on the scene at the end of the Golden Age of Illustration, the period between the late 1800’s and post World War I, Norman was fortunate to start out at a time when talent met with opportunity. New publications in wide circulation were in need of artists. Though famous for his cheerful slices of American life, it may surprise people to know that Norman Rockwell created one of his most beloved paintings “Doctor and the Doll,” 1929, during a difficult time following a divorce. The model is actor Pop Fredericks who appears in a number of Norman’s paintings and often played the role of Ben Franklin and Santa Claus at events.

Norman lived in Stockbridge after moving there from Vermont. People know his lighter depictions of everyday life best from The Saturday Evening Post covers delivered weekly to homes across the United States from 1916 and 1963, which made his work a part of American life for five decades. Those paintings live on in reprint on calendars, greeting cards, and just about everywhere for any holiday. Norman often used local models, including his three sons, and the beautiful Berkshires for inspiration. Stockbridge residents fondly recall seeing him riding his bicycle around town. His 323 Post covers are on display in a room downstairs in the museum. Framed, they fill the four walls in a stunning tribute to Mr. Rockwell’s prolific talent and one can see why whenever his art graced the cover, the magazine had to print an additional 250,000 copies to meet customer demand. This wonderful photo shows him setting one of his models at ease, though he may have been giving direction as he often worked from photographs.

One wall of “The Saturday Evening Post” covers

Another view of the process

On the way to and from vacation – can you guess which is which?

Norman was a talent from the outset, landing a cover and a job at Boy’s Life magazine right out of high school. For years, he also provided art for the annual Boys Scouts of America calendars. His work still is everywhere and can be enjoyed here in New Jersey at Princeton’s historic Nassau Inn where one can view the “Yankee Doodle Mural”. The historic inn is neighbor to cultural resources like the Arts Council of Princeton which one can discover in walking tours through the inn or Discovering Princeton, both also noted as a thank you for longtime social media follows.

Detail from “Yankee Doodle Mural,” Nassau Inn, Princeton

A Norman Rockwell real-life happy ending happened last year in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Years ago, a young man had accidentally damaged a Rockwell painting “Taking a Break” with his pool cue during a game and apologetically purchased the work for $50. Despite the minor flaw, the family enjoyed the painting until it was stolen. Forty years later, authorities recovered it much to the family’s delight. Concerned about security as it was, alas, not painted on a wall, they sold it for a staggering $900,000.

“Triple Self-Portrait,” 1960. The helmet is a symbol of humility. Norman bought it from a Parisian antiques dealer. Thinking himself clever for getting a deal, turned out that it was a contemporary dress French fireman’s helmet.

Noted for conveying charm through humor, both Norman and Francis would likely have enjoyed the Cherry Hill story. More profoundly, they also shared similar beliefs about freedom and civil rights. This aspect of Frank’s public life is perhaps better known today than Norman’s via documentaries and televised dramas, including Mr. Sinatra’s rise to stardom as a proud Italian-American who kept his surname in the 1940’s despite advice to the contrary. “Sinatra” on the marquee was more than billing.

Star on the sidewalk outside Frank Sinatra’s former home on Monroe Street in Hoboken

Americans may experience name-recognition with Norman Rockwell’s paintings of the Four Freedoms from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Annual Message to Congress of January 6, 1941: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear. The speech did not go over as the president had hoped. Hitler’s threat seemed far away to war-weary Americans, but the wide circulation of Norman’s paintings in The Saturday Evening Post in 1943 made the ideas relatable to the public. The paintings later traveled to help sell war bonds, and their civic contribution earned Mr. Rockwell a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Gerald R. Ford. Those in the New York City area, enjoyed seeing the Four Freedoms Exhibit, which includes “The Golden Rule,” at The New-York Historical Society Museum & Library till September 1st. The exhibit is now on tour to The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI, The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum in Washington, D.C., the Mémorial de Caen in Normandy, France, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, TX, and finally back home to the Norman Rockwell Museum.

“Freedom from Want”

Setting for “Freedom from Want”: staff dining room at Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge

A painting of which both the artist and the museum is proud, “The Problem We All Live With”, 1963, is a story version of the experience of Ruby Bridges, reflective of social issues in Mr. Rockwell’s work in the 1960’s, also in the New York exhibit.

On exhibit at the museum through October 29th is “Keepers of the Flame: Parrish, Wyeth, Rockwell and the Narrative Tradition” featuring works by Maxfield Parrish and Andrew Wyeth in addition to those of Norman Rockwell. The museum also has fun events like visits from former Rockwell models, a history of hand-drawn animation from Mickey Mouse to Tom and Jerry to The Flintstones, children’s events, and lectures by the museum curators, all of which you can find via Twitter: @NRockwellMuseum.

Mr. Rockwell remembered at the Red Lion Inn

Thank you to the delightful and knowledgeable docent at the Norman Rockwell Museum for the studio tour and the fun tidbit about Frank Sinatra. Mr. Sinatra had good company in John Wayne, whose portrait the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center commissioned, and Bob Hope, Jack Benny, and Gary Cooper, years earlier. A fun anecdote about Gary Cooper from the Post writers is that he was a model for a May 1930 cover for his film “The Texan,” not a portrait but a painting-story about a cowboy actor having make-up applied on the set. Mr. Cooper, a friend of Frank Sinatra’s in the small world of Hollywood, was not only conscientious but nice to everyone on the staff and crew even as he was becoming a household name. As to where the painting is now, it could be in the collection of avid Rockwell admirer Steven Speilberg, who lived as a child in Haddon Township, New Jersey, and was one of the significant supporters behind the new museum that had outgrown the one in town due to the artist’s popularity.

Berkshire view from the studio near the Housatonic River

The museum has dedicated talented volunteers who are part of the vibrant Stockbridge community, one of whom recently performed from Shakespeare at the Red Lion Inn. For more information on this Blue Star Museum that welcomes active military members and their families, also visit: www.nrm.org. The museum photos are from a trip last summer, but we look forward to our next Berkshire visit.

(Sources: nrm.org, saturdayeveningpost.com, nyhistory.org, mccall.com, history.com, totallyhistory.com, https://sinatrafamily.com/forum/showthread.php/46529-Norman-Rockwell-s-portrait-of-Frank-Sinatra, Wiki)

Stockbridge former firehouse featured in “The New American LaFrance is Here!” a popular ad in 1971 for ATO, Inc. American-LaFrance Fire engines.

Brooks Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles

Frank Sinatra Park, Hoboken, with a spectacular view of “New York, New York,” an outdoor amphitheater for concerts, and a playing field in the “home of baseball”.

Studio with a copy of “The Golden Rule,” 1961. The original hangs in the United Nations when not on loan.

“The Marriage License,” 1954

Summer lilacs, Stockbridge

“A Sunday with the Shakers”

By Kathleen Helen Levey

On July 22, 2018

In Architecture, Culture, Travel, US History

Entry view towards the Round Stone Barn, National Historic Landmark, 1826

“Simple Gifts”

“Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free

‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,

To bow and bend we shan’t be ashamed,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come ’round right.”

by Elder Joseph Brackett, 1848

Simple gifts like friendship, community, work, nature, even dancing as “turning” marks a step in a dance tune, were aspects of Shaker life that brought those in harmonious step back to the start of the dance, the place “just right”. Composed to sound like a folk song, this tune which also served as a hymn may seem familiar as Aaron Copland used it in “Appalachian Spring”. A wide-range of performers have recorded the song or used it as part of one of their works: Jewel, Judy Collins, R.E.M., Weezer, and the Toy Dolls. Take a few minutes to listen to the version Alison Krauss and Yo-Yo Ma, who perform each season at nearby Tanglewood, and Aaron Copland’s version, and you will realize how familiar it is. (Kindly bear with a few moments of You Tube ads prior to each.)

“Hands to work, and hearts to God”

As a living history museum, Hancock Shaker Village in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, a National Historic Landmark, holds talks and demonstrations throughout the day, sharing the music, craftsmanship, and other talents of the Shaker community. If you know “Simple Gifts,” but not much about the Shakers, the community came to the United States from England in 1774 to seek religious freedom. Founder Mother Anna Lee and her followers referred to themselves as the “United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing”. The name from “Shaking Quakers” is a description, not initially flattering, given by outsiders for the members’ animated physical expression during worship when they “shook off” sin. Dance was considered a form of worship. They did not marry and referred to each other as “sister” and “brother” in their familial communities with an estimated 6,000 members from New England through Kentucky by the mid-1800. Shakers are known today for their beautiful music, architecture, and furniture.

At its height, the Hancock Shaker community had 300 residents who peacefully co-existed and contributed to the surroundings towns through their sale of hand-crafted goods and furniture: “hands to work, and hearts to God”. At the largest Shaker village in the eastern United States, visitors can see as many as 20 buildings.

“City of Peace”

The Shakers believed in gender, ethnic, and racial equality as well as education working to create a pacifist “Heaven on Earth”. At a time when orphaned children had few options for care, the community took them in and educated them without obligation to remain, though some did.

At the community’s heart was the strikingly beautiful Round Stone Barn, built in 1826 and restored in 1968. Though practical in purpose, it was a working community barn. My first thought upon seeing it through the frame of the entry gate, surprisingly, was its similarity to the Taoist Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Though from different cultures and eras, the Shakers considered work to be a form of worship and the barn as a temple may not stray in concept. The interior of the barn is a harmony of line, space, and purpose.

Round Stone Barn

Round Stone Barn interior

View of some of the other village buildings, both stately and charming

Interior views of residential buildings

For long-time admirers of Shaker furniture, seeing this and all the elegant architecture firsthand will be a pleasure. A filmmaker’s dream, the doorways provided wonderful frames to view the landscape in different ways in a play on perspective. At the Stone Barn, my friend gamely complied to reenact John Wayne’s role in “The Searchers” in an irresistibly incredible door frame that would have set John Ford’s heart alight. On a quiet June day between school groups and summer tourists, we could indulge ourselves thanks to a professional staff that reflects the welcome serenity of the original community.

Reenacting the end of “The Searchers” 🎥

The charm of the village includes friendly animals that are part of the Discovery Center for children and the working organic farm that offers monthly “farm-to-table” dining with “Food for Thought” and organic farming community farming. Sweet miniature donkeys run up to greet visitors, clearly used to people. Though traditional farmers, the Shakers embraced technology. They did not file for patents, so inventive ideas like putting gardening seeds into paper packets for distribution and creating flat brooms and circular saws cannot be traced specifically to them. Today, there are still some Shakers living in Maine.

Children can wear clothes from the period, learn to weave, milk a cow, and tend to a beehive at the Discovery Center.

The Shakers may have originated the sale of garden seeds in packets.

One of the adorable and friendly miniature donkeys. The barnyard animals are a delight for children.

Furniture-making machine shop

Newly made furniture

Beautiful and popular oval boxes

August 4th marks the annual Summer Gala. Though we actually visited last June, a revisit lends itself to mention this wonderful event that raises funds for the upkeep of this National Historic Landmark, which also features summer concerts in the Stone Barn, Shakerfest on August 18th, a Country Fair on September 29th and 30th. For more information on this site in Hancock (Pittsfield), Massachusetts, open daily 10-4 through the summer, Makers Days (crafting), recipes, premium tours for children and adults that include scary Halloween fun, online shopping, and ways to support, watch the orientation video, or also see the calendar of events. An excellent café is onsite. One tip to enjoy the visit is to wear good walking shoes as the grounds are extensive and the pathways are preserved to reflect the era. Reserve several hours to enjoy this serene and beautiful place.

(Sources: hancockshakervillage.org/, www.nps.gov/nr/travel/shaker/han.htm, Wiki)

Village entrance

View from across the street

“Hildene: Robert Lincoln and His Family”

By Kathleen Helen Levey

On July 1, 2018

In Culture, Gardening, Nature, Travel, US History

Hildene Mansion entrance with brick outline of the log cabin of Abraham Lincoln’s birth

“Hill” and “Dene (Valley)” Old English Thesaurus

Tucked away in beautiful Manchester, Vermont is Hildene, the family home of Robert Todd Lincoln, 1843-1926. The only child of Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln to live to adulthood, Robert distinguished himself as the Secretary of War for two presidents, a Minister to Great Britain, and the general counsel, president, and chairman of Pullman Railroad which made the fortune that created Hildene. Robert also served in the Civil War on the staff of General Ulysses S. Grant and was present at General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. Happily married to Mary Harlan, daughter of a US Senator, he had three children, and the atmosphere of the house reflects their harmony.

The quote most commonly attributed to the reserved Robert about his famous father is a regretful one, “During my childhood and early youth he was almost constantly away from home, attending courts or making political speeches. In 1859, when I was 16 … I went to New Hampshire to school and afterward to Harvard College, and he became president. Henceforth any great intimacy between us became impossible….” Visitors can see, however, the love for his father, even before they enter what Robert called “the family’s ancestral home” that harkens back to their English roots. A 12 by 17 feet (3.6 x 5.1 meter) outline of the Kentucky cabin where his father was born is directly in front of the entrance of the impressive 1905 Georgian Revival mansion, which along with the United States and Vermont flags signals to visitors that they are crossing a threshold of both history and the American Dream.

Full view of Hildene Mansion

The Lincoln family’s Manchester connection predates Hildene. Mary Todd, Robert, and brother Tad had spent part of the summers of 1863 and 1864 at the nearby historic Equinox Hotel to escape the heat of Washington, DC and the Civil War, where reportedly a special suite was created for a presidential stay the for the next summer. Robert later frequented the hotel’s golf course, playing on occasion with President Taft, also a guest at Hildene.

The Gilded Age mansion’s stunning floral arrangements created by volunteers and the personal touches: photos, letters, personal items, books, and teddy bears give Hildene the warmth of a lived-in home. Of the 24 rooms, 17 are open so there is a great deal to see. Some furnishings are former possessions of Mary Todd Lincoln’s family and almost everything is original to the house. A happy family lived here, and the dedicated staff and volunteers have conveyed that with thoughtful detail. The soundtrack to the visit is a rare and wonderful one with the music of a “1,000 pipe Aeolian organ”.

Family dining room

Child’s bedroom

Robert, his wife Mary, and his parents

President Lincoln’s stovepipe hat

A compelling and unexpected aspect of the visit to Hildene is an archival room dedicated to President Lincoln’s presidency “The American Ideal: Abraham Lincoln and the Second Inaugural”. President Lincoln addressed accountability and healing at the end of the Civil War so that the country might go forward. Some items on display are his stovepipe hat, Ford Theatre photos, a draft of the Emancipation Proclamation and a related diary entry of Lincoln secretary John Hay. The experience is like looking into the soul of a man and a nation. After viewing the exhibits, without exchanging words my friend and I both sat down on the room’s bench in silent reflection. Other archival material is available at the Charles Woodberry McLellan Collection of Lincolniana at Brown University, preserved in memory of graduate John Hay, for those who are interested.

The mansion with its history and charm are only part of the Hildene visit. Beyond the splendid French parterre garden is a jaw-dropping view of the Battenkill Valley. Frederick Todd, an apprentice of Frederick Law Olmsted of Central Park renown, planned the Hoyt Formal Garden “to resemble a stained-glass Romanesque cathedral window” according to the design of daughter Jessie Lincoln as a surprise for her mother. Peonies are a garden highlight with more than 1,000 blooming in mid-June. In the front of the house, the observatory, though not large, has a remarkable and restored refracting telescope, state-of-the-art in Robert’s day, which enabled the stargazer and fellow astronomy enthusiasts to take advantage of fine hilltop views in a clear night sky.

Hoyt Formal Garden with peonies in full bloom and the dramatic Battenkill Valley backdrop

Partial view of Battenkill Valley

Hildene peonies

The welcome Vermont respite of Hildene was a true getaway for the Lincoln family who left their Chicago home base and sometimes stayed for as long as eight months, and it was here that Robert passed away on July 26, 1926. Of Robert, his loving wife Mary wrote that he “was a personage, made his own history, independently (underlined 5 times) of his great father, and should have his own place ‘in the sun.'” This quote is from a request for his burial in Arlington National Cemetery where both she and their son Jack, Abraham Lincoln II, who died at 16, were laid to rest. Robert’s last public appearance was on his father’s behalf in 1926 at the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial where both the Second Inaugural Address and the Gettysburg Address are inscribed.

The last Lincoln family member to reside at Hildene was Robert’s granddaughter Peggy Beckwith who made the estate more self-sufficient, which one can see today with the goat and cheese-making farm. The 412-acre estate, which still retains its original cutting and kitchen garden, is ideally situated between the Green Mountains and Taconic Mountains. In addition to the farm, Hildene offers wonderful hiking trails for those who wish to enjoy nature along with history. The house reflects the different periods of residence, Peggy’s, upstairs, and Robert’s, downstairs. After Peggy’s death in 1975 and a pending sale to developers, The Friends of Hildene fought to save the estate.

“Sunbeam” Pullman Palace Car

Part of the “Many Voices” Timeline of the experiences of the Pullman Porters

A 1903 Pullman Palace railroad car, the Sunbeam, came to Hildene after a national search and a meticulous restoration process. The luxurious sleeper car, used by President McKinley, reporters for Theodore Roosevelt’s 1912 campaign, and a part of FDR’s funeral train is 75 feet long vs. today’s 60. A timeline “Many Voices” begins with the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, which links directly to the hiring of the first Pullman porters who were freed slaves after the Civil War through the Civil Rights Movement in 1963. The long view of history is that the job of porter offered opportunity, social exposure, and income, which led to the creation of an African-American middle class and respect for the porters within their communities. Access to newspapers through travel provided information for family and friends on jobs and conditions in the North. The day-to-day reality was that it was a difficult job with sometimes discouraging anonymity and little room to advance. The informative staff offer in-depth information about the period and Friends of Hildene notes the website of the Vermont African American Heritage Trail for those who are interested in learning more about similar historical sights.

One aspect of New Jersey history for regular readers connects Robert to Jersey City where Edwin Booth, the most famous and distinguished stage actor in the country and founder of The Players in New York City, saved his life. Changing trains in the early 1860’s, the 17 year old Robert, pushed in the crowd, fell between the platform and a departing train. Edwin pulled him up, not knowing who he was. Robert gratefully recounted the incident to Colonel Adam Badeau on General Grant’s staff who sent a letter of thanks to the famous actor. Edwin, ironically, was traveling with John T. Ford, owner of Ford’s Theatre. After President Lincoln’s assassination in 1865 by Edwin’s younger brother John, when Robert was by his father’s bedside when he passed, the letter reportedly gave Edwin comfort.

Replica of casts of Abraham Lincoln’s hands shortly after receiving the presidential nomination in 1860. Cast by sculptor Leonard Wells Volk, these are the models for President Lincoln’s hands in almost all well-known statues of him. His right hand is slightly swollen from shaking hands of well-wishers.

Walking around the estate is a pleasure, but there are also trams for visitors. For an accessibility guide, tour arrangements for the visually impaired, group tour reservations, archive tour, lectures and events, and ways to support, visit Hildene. The lovely grounds with an event tent make it a popular place for weddings and other celebrations. As of early 2022: The estate, which includes the home, garden, Pullman Car, Hildene Farm & Goat Dairy, Dene Farm (a high school sustainability program), and twelve miles of walking trails, is open daily from Thursday-Monday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 except Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, the 24th-26th. Admission is $23 for adults, $6 for children (6-16). Children under 6 and members are free. Daily 45-minute guided home tours are at 11 a.m. with an additional $7.50 fee. Please register ahead by writing tours@hildene.org or calling (802) 362-1788. A fun note: enjoy cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on the trails from mid-December to mid-March, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. with a preview of the grounds.

Thank you to the staff, volunteers, and Friends of Hildene for a wonderful visit.

(Sources: Hildene.org, EquinoxHotel.com, Biography.com: quote, historynet.com, VermontHistory.org, Smithsonian.com, Telegram.com, NewEngland.com/newsarticles/Lincoln, Wiki)

Hoyt Formal Garden view from second floor

Garden view of Hildene home

“Central Park: A Template of Beauty”

By Kathleen Helen Levey

On May 6, 2018

In Architecture, Art, Culture, Gardening, Lifestyle, Park, Travel, US History

Spring ambience, Cherry Hill

“…there is…a pleasure common, constant and universal to all town parks…in other words, a sense of enlarged freedom is to all, at times, the most certain and the most valuable gratification afforded by the park”. Frederick Law Olmsted

The sounds of Central Park: birds singing, children laughing, musicians playing, and water trickling are all the melody of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux’s harmonious vision of the park. Their artful landscape design draws one into a retreat with nature that inspires painterly artists and sculptors alike. More recent tunes like those of the Delacorte Clock and the Carousel have added to the park’s charm.

Delacorte Clock

Happy park goers at Cherry Hill

The National Historic Landmark in the heart of Manhattan began with a city competition in 1857. The prize went Frederick Law Olmsted, park superintendent, and Calvert Vaux, an English-born architect. The philosophy of Frederick Law Olmsted, considered the father of American landscape design, was to create parks that instilled a feeling of community within cities. His parks included not just fields, but diverse recreation for wide appeal. Olmsted’s principles of landscape design visually drew in park goers to varied landscape themes that brought a sense of tranquility. Calvert Vaux, co-architect of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History, implemented their aesthetic vision of Central Park, to render landscape into art. With this principle in mind, Vaux designed Bethesda Terrace and the park’s iconic bridges.

Cherry blossoms on Pilgrim Hill

Some fun facts about the park: A stroll through the two and a half miles (4 km) from north to south in the park represents traveling from the city, containing landmarks, to the wooded countryside of New York state. Walking all the way around the park’s 843 acres (341 hectares) is a six-mile (9.6 km) trip. Topsoil brought in from New Jersey and Long Island helped create the rolling landscapes of the park. Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux created harmonious oases throughout the city, including Manhattan’s Riverside Park and Morningside Park and Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, Fort Greene Park, Carroll Park, and Herbert Von King Park. Frederick designed parks in Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, and the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, the grounds of the US Capitol, and Mount Royal Park in Canada. Together with Calvert, he created a plan to protect the natural beauty of Niagara Falls.

Cherry Hill

San Remo Building

The Olmsted-Vaux design

Olmsted and Vaux in the Garden State

With the success of Central Park, other commissions for Olmsted and Vaux followed, including nearby Newark, New Jersey. Branch Brook Park, envisioned by Frederick, was the park of our childhood. Cherry blossom season meant family poses in Easter best beneath branches of flower petals that gently caressed our newly bared arms in the spring sunshine. The breeze carried the crunch of crinoline, the jingle of the ice cream truck, and the rustling of robes as proud graduates also posed beneath swaying blossom branches. The flowering cherry trees were and are the special occasion trees for New Jerseyans, spring in itself celebratory after a long winter. Caroline Bamberger Fuld, who shared the Olmsted-Vaux vision, brought the trees from Japan and nurtured them on her own Orange estate before having them planted in the Newark-Belleville park.

Of the parks and grounds throughout New Jersey attributed to Frederick Law Olmsted and his sons, John Charles and Frederick, Jr., known professionally as the Olmsted Brothers, the Twombly-Vanderbilt Estate, now Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Florham Campus, Madison, The Lawrenceville School campus, and Cadwalader Park, Trenton, Frederick personally designed. Verona Park, Maplewood Memorial Park, Anderson Park, Montclair, and Warinanco Park, Roselle and Elizabeth were projects carried out by the Olmsted firm. Among the private residences Calvert Vaux planned, the Wisner Estate in Summit, now Reeves-Reed Arboretum on the National and State Registers of Historic Places, is where visitors enjoy scenic walks and gardens. If the rare person does not recognize the names of Olmsted and Vaux at Garden State stops, the mention of Central Park sparks immediate admiration.

Central Park and Verona Park with the Olmsted design that draws us in: curving paths, a varied landscape of rolling hills, playing fields, meadows, and water.

Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Hennessey Hall, the former Twombly-Vanderbilt Mansion in Madison

Wisner House and daffodils on the Bowl, Reeves-Reed Arboretum in Summit

A Lifelong Park

Central Park is a park for our lifetime. The exploration of the big rock by the American Museum of Natural History marked our first family visit, the site summited again on a field trip with young classmates. The late 70’s brought James Taylor and his concert for Sheep Meadow, which may be news to my mother-reader. On city excursions with girlfriends, the 80’s had the fun of JFK, Jr. sightings whether he was tossing a football, throwing a Frisbee, or doing pretty much anything in a boyish way. A walk through the park on visits back to the States in the 90’s felt like officially coming home. The anchor was not only the park’s beauty, but people in harmony with nature in a way that seemed unique by being both within and away from the city.

West 72nd Street entrance

A few years into the new millennium came the unexpected thrill of living in New York City, and the park, a former destination, was now a neighbor. Cozily tucked into a living space, I appreciated Frederick Law Olmsted’s vision of a place for everyone to go and feel free. At one point, I was fortunate enough to walk through the park to go to work, which meant that I arrived with a smile for others and returned home with cares left in green fields. If I completed enough work on Saturday, the reward was a Sunday morning spent in the park, reading the papers by the Conservatory Water, applauding the nearby roller skate dancers in warm weather or the sledders on Cedar Hill in cold, or dropping by the Met or the 92nd Street Y to meet friends in a bounty of good fortune. We all have memories like these with more to come thanks to the Central Park Conservancy, dedicated staff, and volunteers.

People travel the world for bucket list experiences, but there is nothing like passing beneath a fragrant canopy of delicate flowers. The cherry blossoms have given turn to the crab apple blooms in the symphony of spring in Central Park. Welcome spring with a walk in the park.

Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” by Jose de Creeft, commissioned by George Delacorte

Monument to John Lennon, gift of the City of Naples, designed by Bruce Kelly; Strawberry Fields commissioned by Yoko Ono

Cyclists everywhere enjoying spring

Cascading blossoms

Vibrant spring colors

Every view is like a movie still (throwback to last spring)

(Sources: centralparknyc.org, olmsted.org, fredericklawolmsted.com, centralpark.com, nycgovparks.org, nytimes.com, smithsonian.com, branchbrookpark.org, tclf.org, ci.columbia.edu, biography.com, eyeofthedaygdc.com, nps.gov, neh.gov, metmuseum.org, amnh.org, modernfarmer.com, aoc.gov)

“Center Stage in Center City: The Philadelphia Flower Show”

By Kathleen Helen Levey

On March 9, 2018

In Culture, Gardening, Lifestyle, Travel

“Inventory: Rain & the River” by Stacy Levy part of The Delaware River Watershed exhibit funded by the William Penn Foundation

Misty rainforest and tropical orchids

“Everyone loves flowers.” Coming up from the subway at the Jefferson Station to the Philadelphia Convention Center, one encounters not only vendors but cordial wisdom in that warm, Philadelphia way. Crossing the second threshold into the tropical rainforest of the 2018 Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Flower Show “Wonders of Water” with its 25-foot waterfall and abundant orchids, the exclamations of delight are universal. The exhibit explores the life-giving miracle of water from the tropics to traditional gardens to desert landscapes and ways in which we do, and can, value it.

Dramatic waterfall entrance to the tropical rainforest

For dedicated gardeners and designers, there are the competitions, state-of-the-art of classes, and demonstrations throughout the day and an array of industry vendors. For all, there is beauty, exhibition tours, fun shopping, the Garden Tea, Make and Take Crafts, the enticing travel hub, and a wonderful atmosphere. To date, New Jersey native Martha Stewart and Smokey Robinson have made appearances, the latter confirming the long-held belief that singing to plants make them thrive. Today and tomorrow Bravo TV Chef Fabio Viviani stops by. Events have a broad appeal: tonight is the innovative Yappy Hour from 6-9 and a not-to-be-missed Family Day on Sunday with crafts and photos stops. The show helps support the community garden mission of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, which has gardens and sociable go-to’s throughout Philadelphia, along with its nearby Meadowbrook Farm anchor, all supporting “neighborhood greening”.

Crowd-pleasing tulips

The “Butterflies Live!” exhibit in the adjacent Grand Hall Concourse is like a toasty warm, indoor camp out with friendly Monarchs flitting about in a netted area supervised with timed visits and worth the modest extra entrance fee. A fun tidbit from a staff member is that butterflies have taste buds underneath and should be attracted to the sugar-dipped Q-tips visitors have. Perhaps having had a sugar surfeit by afternoon, even more entertainingly, the Monarchs landed everywhere, on visitors’ hair, shoulders, and arms. The sensation of their fluttering is like a flower petal in motion.

Angel on the shoulder

Outside the Convention Center is another world of delights, whether enjoying views of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts jewel box museum and city hall or shopping on Market Street and sightseeing at the Liberty Bell. This visit also brought singing sparrows at the center door, though when a friend saw their video, he kidded, “That’s nice, but the Philadelphia Eagles are the birds to watch.”

After enjoying the spring song, or snow song, as it turned out, it was impossible to resist the pleasure of walking around the city. Flower show goodwill emanated from the Convention Center in the form of smiling visitors chatting with each other while carrying tissue-wrapped bouquets of colorful flowers and pussy willow branches. Philly has the city hustle and bustle, but also an endearing charm in that it feels like a big town. Twin Yorkies charming passers-by from an open car window, the local regulars bargaining alongside browsing tourists at Reading Terminal, people smiling on the street (’tis true)…. Warm exchanges with people confirm the appeal with each visit and bring back memories of living there. With so much to see, hoping for a day and not a dash, this time by car, on the next trip in the spring that will come, much to the delight of everyone.

Never too many tulips

Bucks County prize-winning display with landmark Stokes Mill and orchids

Prize-winning calla lilies in miniature

The arts, floral and painterly

Sponsor Subaru exhibit representing Camden, New Jersey, location of their new HQ

For your indoor spring, you can find information on the “Wonders of Water” Flower Show that runs through Sunday on PHS Gardening’s show website: theflowershow.com. PHS Gardening membership includes flower show tickets reflective of the type of membership, which may be helpful to know when purchasing tickets. For more on PHS Gardening and Meadowbrook Farm, open April through September in Jenkintown, visit PHSGardening.org and Meadowbrookfarm.org. For upcoming Pennsylvania Convention Center events, visit paconvention.com. Happy weekend. 🌺

Splendid orchids everywhere

Charming exhibit prompted choruses of “Yellow Submarine” from passers-by

Dogwood blossoms bringing in spring

“Holiday Light Spectacular at Turtle Back Zoo”

By Kathleen Helen Levey

On November 19, 2017

In Culture, Family, Lifestyle, Travel

Carousel house welcome

If happiness is perspective, the soaring view from atop a father’s shoulders is a wonderful way to think of the world. Like many fortunate children, it was a first memory from Turtle Back Zoo where it is a joy to see such memories made today at events like Holiday Light Spectacular.

View from Savanna Cafe deck on another visit

The light display is free, as is the parking, and open to the public. From the time one turns onto Northfield Avenue and sees the dazzling lights along the South Mountain Recreation Complex entrance, it is clear that it will be quite a show. At the actual zoo entrance, a cheerful costumed Frosty the Snowman and Turtle greet visitors as the carols regale from loudspeakers. The first sign you will see, however, is the invitation to stop at the green tent to make a donation of canned or boxed food, unwrapped toys, or gently used coats to the Community Food Bank.

Endangered species carousel in carousel house

The zoo is immediately festive and fun with a menorah and Kwanzaa kinara ready to add to the celebration. Some animals are on view like the barn pets, and the train and carousel also charm for free. Pony rides are available for $2.00. Photo stations with themes from Peanuts to polar bears to penguins to How the Grinch Stole Christmas throughout the zoo are ideal for creating holiday cards or Snap Chatting (with the Mom & Dad filter), added holiday features. S’more stations ($4.50 for a kit) at the new Savanna Café gave a ski lodge. This is a delightful way to start the season.

Follow the leader on the boa and s’mores fire pits

What was different this year was the crowd. The visitors are always in good spirits, the staff, always welcoming. When we went to the zoo as children, we fed the deer, admired the wandering peacocks, played with the turtles, rode on the children’s train (whose whistle still thrills), and ate sandwiches at the wooden picnic tables. We thought it out-of-this-world fun. All of those things are still there and, impressively, more like the African Adventure, Outback Aviary, Treetop Adventure Course, and Mini Golf, but Friday night’s mood of the visitors, the friendliness and quiet joy around the s’mores fire pits, reminded me of the zoo of years ago. It was a happiness infused with gratitude. People were taking photos, but enjoying each other’s company even more, sparked by the delight that the animals bring.

Taking care at Turtle Back Zoo

Princeton’s Mary Chapin Carpenter wrote a beautiful song “Bells Are Ringing” from Come Darkness, Come Light about the essence of Christmas, and though the happy, flickering lights and the holly-jolly are at Holiday Light Spectacular in abundance, the underlying spirit of Christmas is at the zoo more so this year.

Some visitor notes: The winter hours are 10-3:30 daily, and stroller rental ($7) is available during hours. The zoo is wheelchair accessible. The grounds are hilly, so bring good walking shoes. (Lunch hour walkers have been onto this great aspect for years.) Now it is safer to let the zookeepers feed the animals. If you want to visit the zoo before the light show, you can ice skate at Codey Arena or have a bite until the show starts at 5 at wonderful places in the area. For more on the zoo and events, visit Turtle Back Zoo and South Mountain Recreation Complex.

Thank you to the zoo for another dazzling Holiday Light Spectacular and hope to visit again before it ends on January 1st!

“Swans in Winter”

By Kathleen Helen Levey

On November 19, 2017

In Culture, Family, Lifestyle, Park, Travel

Swan paddle boats at South Mountain Reservation

The wonderful swan paddle boats from South Mountain Reservation move from the reservoir above to storage below in the winter. Though completely still, perspective transforms them.

At the holidays, we look both back and forward. While preparing for this year, we think of our Uncle Ray, a comedy writer and a Laurel and Hardy fan with whom we watched the warm-hearted “March of the Wooden Soldiers” every Thanksgiving morning, a family tradition. A little bit of silly for a rainy Sunday…. Make it a #SundayFunday with a trip to the Holiday Light Spectacular at Turtle Back Zoo, tonight from 5-9. As for the swans, they will return to the water in the spring, but the Regatta Playground at the dock is delightful, free, and open now as is the Holiday Light Spectacular: South Mountain Recreation Complex.

“March of the Wooden Soldiers”

New Jersey’s Jack Nicholson

Ingmar Bergman

“Sleeping Beauty”

South Mountain Reservation

“Margate Marvel, Lucy the Elephant”

By Kathleen Helen Levey

On November 7, 2017

In Architecture, Culture, Lifestyle, Park, STEM, Travel

Charm as defined is “the power or quality of giving delight or causing admiration”. Margate City with its beautiful beaches, serene marinas, downtown shops, fun and fine dining, stunning and historic architecture is certainly elegant, but its charm is what makes it unique. The warm welcome to visitors is the delight that makes one return. A centerpiece of that charm is Lucy the Elephant.

Lucy the Elephant, the unique and “oldest roadside attraction in the US,” noted in People Magazine last summer, began as a real estate promotion, but became a beloved New Jersey and national icon. Lucy is the vision of Philadelphia entrepreneur James Lafferty, Jr.., son of parents from Dublin. In what was then South Atlantic City, comprised of undeveloped sandy land and shoreline, he envisioned this “novelty architecture” made of wood and tin, the result of his combined talents as an engineer and an inventor. To protect his idea, Mr. Lafferty applied for, and received a patent for Lucy, legally considered an invention. William Free, a Philadelphia architect, brought Mr. Lafferty’s vision to life in 1882.

Ingenuously, people can climb the stairs and peek through her eyes that are ship-like portholes, then ascend to the howdah and enjoy spectacular views of this year-round seaside city with its lively downtown. The remarkable central room was Mr. Lafferty’s office from where he sold the nearby real estate parcels, and the howdah served as an impressive podium for auctions.

Visitors may not know that Lucy was one sibling of triplets. After completing his work in Margate, Mr. Lafferty developed land similarly in Cape May, and then Coney Island. Lucy’s sister promotional elephants suffered demolishing and fire, making Lucy’s preservation all the more important. Over the years, Lucy had numerous roles including “…restaurant, ice cream parlor, tavern and private home”.

The name “Lucy” is from a little girl, the daughter of one of those subsequent owner who named her, affectionately, as children do. Lucy stands six-stories high in Josephine Harron Park, named after one of the local Save Lucy Committee members who kept the beloved icon from being demolished in the 1960’s after it had become “dilapidated”. The committee raised money to have her moved after The Elephant Hotel it was promoting was torn down. Lucy was restored, and in 1976, she became a National Historic Landmark in celebration of the Bicentennial.

Summer fun with Lucy includes watching the Fourth of July fireworks nearby on Huntington Beach as well as celebrating at her annual birthday party, the 136th being held today till 8 p.m. Though her actual birthday is July 20th, tradition has it that the celebration is the following Saturday, so more can join in events like playing miniature golf, climbing a Velcro wall, and of course, enjoying birthday cake.

Lucy is open year-round with no charge for the park, but her surprising interior, “Lucy movie,” and sky-high views are one-of-a-kind and not to be missed on an informative tour. Plus, you will help keep her looking runway ready. Admission and the tour are $8.50 for adults and $4.00 for children (3-12). Children under two may enter for free. US military with ID’s may receive complimentary tours. Summer hours are Monday-Saturday 10-8, Sunday 10-5. Guided tours for Lucy are every 30 minutes, and the last tour is 30 minutes before closing.

If you are planning a visit, Lucy the Elephant and her Margate home are minutes from Atlantic City, near a grille and a gift shop (with an online store) with adorable items. The proceeds also support her ongoing preservation as does an annual “Holiday in NYC Raffle” in early November . For anyone thinking outside the box for entertaining, the celebrity’s “people” note that she is available for events, which also support her upkeep. For inquires, please call: (267) 973-1938. After a visit, stay around for the friendly smiles, swimming and surfing, downtown fun, a farmer’s market, or Thrilling Thursday free family movies on the beach.

For more information about visiting, volunteering, or touring with a group, call: (609) 823-6473 or write: info@lucytheelephant.org and for Margate events Margate Has More. Too cute, Lucy has her own Facebook page and an Instagram account complete with “steppin’ out” pedicure photos @lucytheelephant, still trendy 136 years later.

“Clicking at the Clark”

By Kathleen Helen Levey

On November 7, 2017

In Art, Culture, Lifestyle, Museum, Travel

Original gallery by Daniel Deverell Perry

Our first trip together to the Clark Art Institute was like the soft-focus idyll of its Renoirs. We pulled into Williamstown, Massachusetts, resplendent on a fall day. Dressed for the occasion with blazer and sundress, respectively, we reviewed the guide, mapped out our route and dreamily strolled and sighed with admiration among the premiere artworks of the French Impressionists. We discussed each other’s favorites, which led to conversations about other trips, other art, and finally, the getting-to-know each other memories, which this visit would become much like Renoir’s depictions of families and friends.

The George Inness trip took us into the landscape of the world. Weekend excursions sometimes call for sightseeing selection and, on a trip the following summer, the focus was Mount Greylock, which is part of happy, boyhood camping memories for my friend and was indeed wonderful to visit. Wistful, however, at the thought of passing by incredible art without a nod of respect, somewhat like going through town without at least a call to a local friend, our usual easy give and take resulted in a compromise regarding The Clark – a twenty minute stop. In sneakers, shorts, and having adopted the Jersey Shore penchant for tee shirt collecting, a Stephen Crane House tee shirt, which in New England elicited the occasional thumbs up and playful shouts of “Denny Crane!” the William Shatner character from “Boston Legal,” I raced past works by Sargent, Remington, Turner, Hokusai, Madrazo, Cassatt, della Francesca, and Degas to find the New Jersey paintings by George Inness and Winslow Homer, undertaking with abandon the sacrilege of photographing paintings for social media when time for note-taking and creative photos was out of the question. Dashed out, returned to the car, and with a nod to my friend who was studying the map, noted, “Fifteen”.

The June return was our unrushed Alma-Tadema savoring of details having had a winter preview of his work by Clark curators at New York City’s The National Arts Club . Revisiting art museums allows us all to get off the bucket list treadmill, look around, and enjoy talking with people. Like taking in a Berkshire sunset on the beautiful Clark grounds, the art is different every time we view it. As a place of growth, The Clark literally changes with new artworks, buildings, and exhibitions. The cinematic painter Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema created a splendid music room for Gilded Age magnate Henry Marquand and the first-time restoration of its highlights is all about the exquisite design that created not only an impressive, but a serene space, much like the museum, for family and guests to enjoy.

Visitors can view the art of Alma-Tadema in “Orchestrating Elegance” this summer, as well as exhibits: “Picasso: Encounters,” Helen Frankenthaler “As in Nature” and “No Rules,” 17th century Dutch artists “An Inner World,” the Thomas Schutte Crystal, and Community Access to the Arts (CATA) “I Am Part of Art” with the Lunder Center at Stone Hill, art “drawing attention to the ability within disability”. If you have not been to The Clark think about wandering from the route this summer, or revisiting for a new view. The Clark (clarkart.org) is part of a consortium with The Williams College Museum of Art (wcma.williams.edu) and MASS MoCA (massmoca.org) in nearby North Adams, both of which we look forward to visiting.

Writing New Jersey Life

People and places of New Jersey…with some travels.

Category: Culture

“Frankly Norman: A Sketch”

“A Sunday with the Shakers”

“Hildene: Robert Lincoln and His Family”

“Central Park: A Template of Beauty”

“Center Stage in Center City: The Philadelphia Flower Show”

“Holiday Light Spectacular at Turtle Back Zoo”

“Swans in Winter”

“Margate Marvel, Lucy the Elephant”

“Clicking at the Clark”

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