Pit Stop: Something Sweet

The road ways is a new feature, a set of “shorties” and mini-breaks that are quick, close ways to take a break without leaving home, because you don’t always have to venture far to get away…

We’re not sure exactly who Melissa is, but that isn’t stopping us from calling her out new best friend. Anyone who bakes as she does would have to be. In the city where the cupcake craze began, and where it’s gone hog wild, folks tell themselves apart by their cupcake allegiances (we know some Magnolia folks, but we happen to be Sugar Sweet girls ourselves), so it didn’t seem like there was room on the block for yet another cupcake.

Enter Melissa, whose pint-sized booth, Baked by Melissa, has been sending Soho shoppers into a frenzy. We’re talking lines down Spring Street like you’ve never seen them (and that’s saying something for Spring Street). Oddly enough, these folks aren’t the usual grumpy, hate-being-stuck-in-crowds people you’re likely to see on New York streets. Why? Because they know that what’s up ahead is cupcake bliss, in flavors from traditional red velvet to fun varieties like peanut butter and jelly and smores.

The best part? These are not just cupcakes but bite-size bits of goodness that solve the sweet lover’s dilemma: which should I taste? At around the size of a ping pong ball and just a dollar a pop, your wallet, and your tummy, can afford to try them all. And why shouldn’t you. We now think of Spring Street as an itty bitty path to heaven.

Baked by Melissa
Spring Street between Mercer and Broadway
Hours: Open daily from 11 am until 8 pm

 

“Da Bronx” Part 1: Woodlawn Cemetery

We’re still waiting for spring to, well, spring. The few teases over the past couple weeks have only made the remaining chill of winter that much harder to bear. But if you, like us, are craving a little warmth, go out and get it. We did. In fact, we went all the way to the Bronx (gasp!) for it. And we weren’t disappointed.

Woodlawn Cemetery

We started out the day at Woodlawn Cemetery, where it turned out a dreary day added a little to the ambiance. Established in 1863, Woodlawn is 400 acres of lush lawns and stunning architectural feats that often don’t feel like mere memorials. Woolworth rests there, in good company with Mr. Macy, Mr. Julliard and Irving Berlin. Woman’s Rights activist Susan B. Anthony also has a large memorial for herself, along with many family members, but perhaps the most impressive is jazz great Duke Ellington, whose family plot is large but understated. Marked by Flanked by two simple crosses, the gravestones rest in the shade of a large, lovely tree, and a silence both peaceful and ironic given the Duke’s life of music.

There is something very calming about the cemetery, and, not surprisingly, something a little eerie about it as well. But eerie in a good way. We both enjoyed the cit of history we acquired: looking back at century-old graves and knowing, however weather-worn they are, these names still survive. It’s an interesting look at society and how we memorialize, and the sculptures that interspersed with ornate mausoleums and simpy headstones were nothing short of moving.

The folks at Woodlawn are incredibly nice. They were setting up for a discussion in the chapel when we stopped in, and took the time to draw us a route so that we could traverse the whole cemetery and not miss any of the VIPs (we happily agreed that Mr. Robert Moses was “too far away” to visit).

It was a lovely, peaceful afternoon, but we both agreed that very soon it will be even lovelier, and the folks at Woodlawn seem to agree. They have a whole array of events planned for April and May, from walking tours to concerts.

If you Go…

Webster Avenue & E. 233rd Street (Main Gate)
Phone: (718) 920-0500
Toll Free: (877) 496-6352

Hours: 8 am until 5:30 pm daily, with shorter holiday hours. Click here for complete information.

Maps are available at the entrance.

Take the 4 to Woodlawn or the 2 or 5 to 233rd St.

 

Underground Brooklyn: Uncovering the Historic Tunnel

That there is a manhole in the center of the crosswalk at the intersection of Atlantic Ave. and Court St. in Brooklyn is nothing surprising. That is probably the most used manhole in all of New York is a little more interesting…

Beneath the surface of this stretch of street lies a cavernous underground train tunnel built in 1844, the world’s oldest subway tunnel. In 1979 Bob Diamond went on a quest for this tunnel and was told by countless  “experts” that it did not exist (or was filled with water, poisonous gas or giant man-eating rats). Turns out, experts sometimes get it wrong. One day, in the office of an MTA official, Diamond asked if there were any files that were not looked at. He was presented with an old trunk, and after the lock was broken, found that the trunk held the deed for Brooklyn between the Dutch and the Canarsee Indians and an old map labeled “Atlantic Avenue Tunnel.”

After this discovery of the tunnel, Diamond founded the Brooklyn Historical Railway Station and has been giving tours every since. Over the course of an hour and a half underground, he tells a complete history of the tunnel and the story of his discovery. He’s thorough, witty and intensely knowledgeable, and his passion for the project is contagious.

The tunnel is an original branch of the Long Island Railroad, built at the behest of Cornelius Vanderbilt, at first above ground in the 1830s to connect the Erie Canal to Boston and then moved underground after a series of pedestrian accidents slowed down the train’s connections with the canal. The tunnel closed in 1861, but did not fade into obscurity just yet. For years to come it would be the stimulus of much lore, rumored to be the Goonies-esque treasure trove of river pirates (we looked for one-eyed Willie), a dumping ground for dead bodies and the hideout of German saboteurs, to name just a few.

Then in 1979 a young college student named Bob Diamond heard a press release on the radio about The Cosgrove Report, a book about the Lincoln assassination that claimed the missing link to the conspiracy theory could be found in the lost pages of John Wilkes Booth’s diary, which were buried in a locomotive somewhere in a subway tunnel under Brooklyn. Nine months of research later, Mr. Diamond found the entrance to the tunnel underneath that manhole.

End of story? Not even close. The tour ends at a jagged wall, behind which Mr. Diamond believes is the lost locomotive, if only we could get to it. There is new hope, though, in the form of Trey Nelson of Hungry Man Entertainment, who is working on a documentary about the tunnel and its secrets. It’s a film as much about the past as it is about the future, hopefully a means to finally get the city to open up that wall and see what’s behind it. Mr. Diamond’s hopes for the future? A Brooklyn trolley that would run on one side of the tunnel while the tours continue on the other. We’re hoping for that too.

Additional Information…

Curious Expeditions: check out this very cool article with great photos of the tunnel.

New York Underground: a fascinating book about “what lies beneath” New York; check out Chapter 15.

For Trip Planning:

• Tours usually take place once per month on Sundays, though it’s looking like they may start happening more often. Click here to see when the next tour will be.
• Groups meet at Atlantic Avenue and Court Street. You’ll know you’re in the right place by the long line alongside Trader Joe’s.
• Reservations are required. Call 718.941.3160 to make a reservation.
• Tickets are $15, cash only.
• Wear sneakers or boots, preferably something you don’t mind getting muddy. Since it’s dank and a little chilly, bring a light jacket, and a flashlight if you have one.