I’ve traveled a lot this summer: to Croatia, where hubby and I biked up multiple, and very challenging, hills; Amsterdam, where, ironically, we did no biking at all; the Berkshires – biking again, also eating at our favorite Italian restaurant and sampling Chardonnay at our favorite winery with a view;…
I went to visit the goats this weekend.
I am so thrilled to share the news that the Victorian Society in America has chosen Heaven on the Hudson: Mansions, Monuments, and Marvels of Riverside Park as a recipient of its 2023 Book Award, "in recognition of its important contribution to the study of art and architecture in the Victorian era." Thank you, Victorian Society!
337 Riverside Drive reigns over Riverside Drive from 106th Street, the northernmost corner of a block termed "Paris on the Hudson" for its exquisite design. Also known as River Mansion, the red-brick beauty with distinctive limestone ornamentation at the entrance door and windows boasts 8,550 square feet.
Cyrus Clark. Egbert Ludovicus Viele. William R. Martin. Andrew Haswell Green. And, of course, Frederick Law Olmsted. These 19th century "social influencers" were the powers behind Riverside Park and Riverside Drive -- or at least, the initial versions of them.
The Amiable Child monument is one of my favorite locations in all of Riverside Park – and yet, one of the saddest.
Who really designed Riverside Park? The answer may surprise you!
To say the last week or so of September was a memorable one is an understatement.
Monday, Sept. 26: Did an interview about Heaven on the Hudson: Mansions, Monuments, and Marvels of Riverside Park with WFUV radio—my first radio interview for the book. Likely airdate: November. And Book Culture, our local bookstore, ran a Q&A with me on their blog.
I love Riverside Park – and Riverside Drive. I love the broad swath of green that serves as my lush and lovely front yard, the glorious view of the Hudson beyond it, the hawks that soar high and mighty past my window. My book, Heaven on the Hudson: Mansions, Monuments, and Marvels of Riverside Park, is a love letter to the neighborhood I call my own.