An American Songline

Journeys in Vintage Music with Cecelia Otto

Manhattan

New York Wrap Up

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It’s my last night here in New York City, and the time has flown. This experience in New York was an amazing start to this trip, but there’s 13 more states to go and there’s a lot left to see and experience.

For those of you that do not know, the Lincoln Highway is not very long in New York (around a mile). It starts in Times Square and heads West on 42nd street. Because it’s such a narrow strip and there’s much to see  in that short distance, I walked this strip of the road so I could get some better pictures.

Here’s some photo highlights of my walk:

View of one side of Times Square from the 22nd floor.
This is just one part of the Lincoln Highway display that  Jerry Peppers (New York State director) has. Look at the business card-you may recognize it from somewhere! :)
This is me sitting at Jerry’s Desk-you can see Times Square behind me.
Fun with the Naked Cowboy-a famous and long standing performer in Times Square.
New York Director Jerry Peppers poses with the post that will eventually mark the Eastern Terminus of the Lincoln Highway. For those of you who have seen “A Ride Along the Lincoln Highway”, this is the same poster he used for that documentary.
Here’s me with the Eastern Terminus Sign.
This Lamp Post on 42nd Street marks the start of the Lincoln Highway.
Here’s a great photo of Jerry and I. A big thank you to him for all of his support on this tour so far. He’s a great guy, and if you are in the area and want to learn about the Lincoln, definitely reach out to him!
Jerry was nice enough to give me this turn-by-turn guide to drive the Lincoln in both New York and New Jersey. Where GPS fails, paper succeeds.
Right off 42nd Street and along the Lincoln, the New Amsterdam Theatre was an important theatre in this country during the 20’s and 30’s.
Love this old sign for the Lincoln Tunnel (modern detour for the highway, originally ferries shuttled cars back and forth on 42nd Street).
View from Pier 83, the pier that originally shuttled the cars from New York to New Jersey 100 years ago. Today the pier has boats that do sightseeing tours.
Found this place dating back to 1909 within a block of the Lincoln Highway. Empire coffee and Tea has great stuff-go check then out!
Found this building along 42nd Street that looks like it could be from a century ago. It was dwarfed by all of the new high rise buildings surrounding it.
I took dozens of pictures in Times Square, but this one at dusk was one of the best pictures. It was amazing to watch the square change from day to night.

I’ll be heading to Princeton, NJ tomorrow, and plan to take more photos as I go along the way.  Stay tuned for more updates, and keep spreading the word!

First Performance April 13th: New York City

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Yesterday’s kickoff performance in Manhattan was a great success. I had a few nerves of course, but overall the experience was exhilarating. I want to thank everyone who came out and supported me. Your laughter and participation in the sing-along was awesome!

Today was pretty much a recovery day for me. After traveling for two days on Wednesday and Thursday, rehearsal on Friday, and performance Saturday, I needed a small break to relax before getting back at it again. Dan flew back home this morning, and I’ve enjoyed my day relaxing with my old friends Mark and Michelle, taking in the view of the city from their window:

View of Manhattan from Brooklyn. You can see the Brooklyn bridge in this picture as well as the bottom of the Manhattan Bridge at the top of the photo.

What’s on deck for the next couple days? I plan on getting some pictures of the one mile stretch of the Lincoln Highway here in New York and sharing those with you all, as well as anything else that comes to mind in on my journey. I’ve got 13 more states to go, so keep spreading the word! There’s no turning back now on this project, and I’m glad to have you all along for the ride.

Until then, keep following your Songlines wherever they take you, and I hope to see you on the road!

Song of the week: “Manhattan”

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For those of you new to the Lincoln Highway’s history, the Eastern Terminus of the highway is in Times Square in New York City. Whether drivers were heading eastbound or westbound, this little part of New York made a big impact on all of their journeys.

“Garrick Gaieties” was a musical revue that gave Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart there first commercial success in 1925. This revue parodied topics of the day, and was so popular two more shows followed this revue in 1926 and 1930. This team went on to write many memorable songs together including:  “My Funny Valentine“, “The Lady is a Tramp“, “Falling in Love with Love“, and “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered“.

Today’s piece is an instrumental version of “Manhattan”, the biggest hit from the first revue and part of the “Great American Songbook” (there’s a few different links to various non-profits that are trying to preserve the songs on the Wikipedia page I linked to).

I love the pictures that accompany this version, and the orchestra does a great job. I’m so impressed by this recording, and I hope you will enjoy it too!