SATURDAY: Sketch Bond

Sketch Bond

Bond?  

....

James Bond?  

......

No, ...  Bond Street

Sketch event suggested by Iris Ong

for Saturday November 4, 2017

Bond Street is 2 blocks north of Houston Street and about 2 blocks long.  An incredible amount of sketchable New York is packed into those two cobblestone streets.

As sketchers you’ll probably recognize 1-5 Bond Street near Broadway, the Robbins & Appleton Building.  This is the NoHo (North of Houston Street) location of Dick Blick.  The building itself is a prime example of the remarkable cast iron architecture that one can find throughout NoHo and up and down Broadway.

The building is both an individual New York City landmark and included within the city’s NoHo Historic District.  At street level, this building looks like many other cast-iron commercial buildings in the area, but a glance upwards reveals a striking mansard roof. Perched at the very top of the building below the central pediment is a gold clock.

24 Bond Street

24 Bond Street is the current of home of the Gene Frankel Theater.  It was also for years the home of the photographer, Robert Mapelthorpe.  Look up and you’ll see dozens of small, golden statues dancing along the wrought iron and brick. They’re a great addition to the industrial look of the rest of the area.  The statues were created and installed over several years by  Bruce Williams, an artist many people might know from Spring Studio.  Bruce is a resident of 24 Bond.


DETAILS

When and Where:   10 AM at Bond Street off Broadway.  We will spend the entire day on Bond which extends from Broadway, across Lafayette and ends at Bowery.  (see map below)

How: 
The closest subway stop is Broadway Lafayette stop on the B,D,F or M trains - walk two blocks north on Broadway.
-   You could also take the R or W to Prince Street, walking three blocks north.

Lunch:  12 Noon.  The plan is to bring or buy lunch.  We’ll eat in the streets.

Afternoon:  1:15 PM.  Continue sketching Bond.

Show and Tell:   3 PM  The social part of our day. Location to be determined.  We will share drawings, good stories and a snack, beer or wine if you're so inclined.


NOTE 
-  Bring a portable stool if you have one. It adds to your comfort and increases your sketching possibilities.
-  Dress in layers so you can adjust during the day.

Click to Enlarge

If you can’t find us

call or text Mark at 973-809-9128

There are no fees.   All drawing skill levels are welcome

Weekday Urban Sketcher Draw Can-struction

Can you draw a can? 

Can you draw many cans that are "can-structred" to look like buildings, bridges, animals and comic book characters?  Take the challenge this week as we visit a once a year phenomenon called CanStruction at Brookfield Place in lower Manhattan in the World Financial Center

Can-struction is a yearly event held in more than 25 cities around the country to raise money and draw awareness about the hunger relief efforts in this country.  Teams of design professionals compete based on a yearly theme.  The exhibits are judged on design, construction and number of cans used and are on view for only two weeks before being dismantled. The food is donated to soup kitchens in the city for use in preparing Thanksgiving meals. 

DATE: THURSDAY NOVEMBER 2 2017

START TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION:  Meet in the Palm Court in Brookfield Place on the lower level in front of Le District Market

TRANSPORTATION: E train to WTC, A, C to Chambers St, 2,3 to Park Place, N,R to Cortland St, 4,5 to Fulton Street.  Walk through the Oculus toward the Hudson River and into the Palm Court.

NOTE:  The posted destination for this week was November 1st at Newtown Creek. Due to a bad weather report we will be meeting indoors.  Since this event is open to the public starting on November 2nd, the date was changed. Hoping this is not an inconvenience to anyone. 

Please RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at raylie@verizon.net.  Looking for us? Call/text Raylie at 201-968-6387.

Bring a stool and lunch if you want but there are many food outlets in the building to purchase something.  

SATURDAY: Sketch the Queens Botanical Gardens

Queens Botanical Gardens

43-50 Main Street

Flushing NY 11354

Organized with Denise Markbreit

A Great Idea - Our Second Attempt

We got rained out last time - but the weather report says we'll have a great day

Saturday October 28th -  10 AM start time

... but join us when you can!

The Queens Botanical Garden is an oasis in a dense and bustling urban setting. It's a place where people, plants and culture coexist and are celebrated.

Owned by the City of New York and located in the Northeast corner of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, QBG began as a five acre exhibit for the 1939 Worlds Fair and has grown to its current thirty nine acres by 1961. The Wedding Garden is almost in constant use for photo shoots and ceremonies and the large water features are innovative and sustainable.

Come and explore bee hives, woodlands, vegetable gardens, 

watch tai chi practitioners 

and glimpse the urban sprawl of Flushing 

just beyond the gates.

DETAILS:

There is a modest admission fee - $6 / $4 seniors/students

      Ample parking at 42-80 Crommelin Ave @$6 per car.

Arrive:  10 AM.  Coming later?  Bring the phone numbers (see below)

Lunch at 12:00:  Bring lunch.

Afternoon:  Sketching the Garden

Show and Tell:  Details to be determined on site.  Opportunity to share drawings, talk and socialize.

NOTES:
-   Plenty of benches but a stool could be helpful.
-   Public bathrooms are clean and there is ample shade.


TRAVEL

7 train to Flushing Main Street, Q 44SBS or Q20A or walk 8 blocks south on Main Street

LIRR Port Washington Branch to Main Street ( see above)
LIE x23

If you can’t find us

call or text Mark at 973-809-9128

or Denise at 516-263-4818  

There are no fees.   All drawing skill levels are welcome.

Weekday Urban Sketchers Visit Haunted Houses

84 West 3rd Street

Are you ready for Halloween? Do you have your scary costume and candy corn ready for next week? To get in the mood we will visit a number of houses in Greenwich Village that are thought  to be haunted.   Once occupied by the likes of Edgar Allen Poe and Mark Twain, some of these houses have multiple ghosts that have appeared to many residents over the years.  So bring your disappearing ink and join in the fun.

Here is a link to the article with a map,  listing 13 of the most haunted houses in the city. https://ny.curbed.com/maps/the-13-most-haunted-buildings-in-new-york-city

Gay Street

West 10th Street

We will be visiting 4 in the following order:

# 6  12 Gay Street, only one block long but one of the most picturesque in the city, was once a speak easy and is home to  the Gay Street Phantom

#5  14 West 10th Street is reported to have as many as 14 ghosts, giving it the title of House of Death.

#10 85 West 3rd Street, where Edgar Allen Poe wrote the Cask of Amontillado.  Supposedly he still haunts the house.

#11 84 West 3rd Street, just across the street from Poe's house was once a firehouse it is haunted by Fireman Schwartz who hung himself after learning of his wife's affair.  The building also was a speak easy and now Anderson Cooper lives there, but he isn't a ghost. 

DATE: THURSDAY October 26, 2017.

START TIME: 10:00 AM

LOCATION:  We will meet at 12 Gay St and spend about one hour, then move on to 14 West 10th Street. We will break for lunch in Washington Square Park about 12:30 and then at 1:30 move to West 3rd Street.

TRANSPORTATION:  A, B, C, D, E, F, M trains to West 4th St.  Walk 3 blocks north on 6th Ave. Turn left on Waverly Place and then right on Gay St.  (see the map on the attached article)

Please RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at raylie@verizon.net.  Looking for us? Text/call Raylie at 201-979-6387.  Bring a stool and lunch or purchase it from one of the shops along the route.

SATURDAY: Sketching the Trade

Would You Trade NYC?

The Day Dutch New Amsterdam, Became English Manhattan

The Dyckman Farmhouse

Many thanks to Leslie Sim for organizing this event

On Saturday October 21 New York City Urban Sketchers will help celebrate one of the most important events in New York’s history.  In 1667, 350 years ago, under the Treaty of Breda, the Dutch secured a worldwide monopoly on nutmeg by trading New Amsterdam (Manhattan) to the English.  The NYC sketchers will spend the day sketching at the Dyckman Farmhouse, an old Dutch Farmhouse located on Broadway, while their counterparts in Indonesia are sketching on the Spice Island.  (Yes!  There is a farm house located on Broadway in NYC!)

The Urban Sketcher chapters in both Indonesia and New York City are coordinating a joint “sketch crawl”, to commemorate this historic event.

BACKGROUND AND DETAILS
In 17th Century, nutmeg was a valuable trading commodity due to its perceived medicinal qualities. At the time the spice island of Rhun, part of the Molucca Archipelago in the Banda Sea was the only place on earth that had nutmeg. 

There is a main road on Rhun named Manhattan Street, where Urban Sketchers Indonesia plan to sketch while the NY Chapter will be sketching at the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum in Inwood New York, the oldest remaining Dutch farmhouse on Manhattan Island.

This is the first time two of the Urban Sketchers chapters have coordinated a joint sketching event.  We are excited to be commemorating this, largely forgotten but extremely important historic event. Sketchers and art lovers are invited to participate. 

SPECIAL:
We’ve worked out a Sketch Swap with the Indonesian Urban Sketchers.  This is totally voluntary.  If you’d like to participate you’ll need to give one of your sketches to Leslie.  We’re sending the NYC sketches to Indonesia and in return we’re getting an equal number of drawings back.  There must be an equal number of drawings sent and received. Leslie will be keeping a sign-up sheet so be sure to let her know you want to participate.

TRAVEL:
Dyckman Farmhouse, 4881 Broadway, New York City

By Subway:
The A Train to Dyckman Street Subway Station
Head northeast on Broadway toward Cumming St. Destination will be on the right  (see map)

Long Island Railroad:
Because of construction please check the LIRR timetables for the weekend.  http://web.mta.info/supplemental/lirr/postavenuebridgeinstallation.htm


SOCIAL MEDIA
Please post your sketches using the following hashtags:

#TreatyofBredaSketchCrawl  <--- hashtag="" main="" nbsp="" p="">     
Also: 
     #nycurbansketchers  

     #Manhattan_RhunSketchwalks

     #urbansketchers 

     #bandafestival 

     #malukusketchwalk 

     #spiceTrailSketch

     #uskindonesia

     #indonesiasketchers

     #reconnectHistory

A tour will be provided of the museum when we arrive. We hope to have an historian Justin Rivers join us in the afternoon for an informal talk about the fascinating details of this event.


DETAILS

What:  We’re participating in an International Sketchcrawl partnering with Urban Sketchers Indonesia

Where:  Dyckman Farmhouse, 4881 Broadway, New York City

When:  Start time is 10 AM. We’ll be there the whole day

How:  See Travel info above and map below

Lunch:  We’ll gather together to have lunch at noon. Bring your own food or rely on the many restaurants and food stores in Inwood.

Afternoon:  1 PM - Back to sketching

Show and Tell:  3 PM  The social part of our day.  3:00 PM at the Inwood Bar and Grill, 4892 Broadway (b/t 207th St & 204th St) where we will share drawings, good stories and a snack, beer or wine if you're so inclined.

NOTE  -  Bring a portable stool if you have one. It adds to your comfort and increases your sketching possibilities.

click to enlarge

If you can’t find us

call or text Mark at 973-809-9128

There are no fees.   All drawing skill levels are welcome

Weekday Urban Sketchers at Long Island City Courthouse

The Long Island City Courthouse is a beautiful Beaux Arts style building constructed in 1874 and renovated after a fire in 1904. Constructed of stone, ceramic tile, limestone and metal, it was once considered the most important building in Queens and designated a NYC landmark in 1974. It stands facing bustling Court Square and a grove of birch trees in front of the Citicorp building. 

In the morning we will sketch the courthouse and have lunch by the fountain in the front of the building. In the afternoon we will move across the street to sketch in the birch grove.

DATE:  THURSDAY, October 19, 2017

TIME: 10:30 am

LOCATION:  Long Island City Courthouse, 25-10 Court Square, Long Island City, NY 11101. We will meet by the fountain in front of the courthouse.

TRANSPORTATION: 7, G, E or M trains to Court Square, Queens. If taking the 7 train from Manhattan, exit the platform at Court Square near the back of the train and continue down the escalator to the left, as if going to the G, E or M trains. Walk along two long corridors, one with a moving sidewalk, until you get to the exit for Court Square and 44^th Drive. Take the escalator to the left. You will emerge from the station into the birch grove. Across Jackson Avenue is the Long Island City Courthouse.

Bring a stool if you like, although there is a lot of seating in front of the courthouse and in the birch grove. Also you can bring lunch or buy from outdoor vendors on 45^th Avenue across from the courthouse.

Please RSVP to Alan Wernicke at alanwernicke@yahoo.com.  If you are coming late, or cannot find us, call or text Alan at 917-685-5748.

SUNDAY: Sketch Green-Wood

Green-Wood Cemetery

     Green-Wood is 478 spectacular acres of hills, valleys, glacial ponds and paths, throughout which exists one of the largest outdoor collections of 19th- and 20th-century statuary and mausoleums. Green Wood is filled with century-and-a-half-old trees providing a peaceful oasis to visitors, as well as its more that a half million permanent residents, including Leonard Bernstein, Boss Tweed, Charles Ebbets, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Horace Greeley, Civil War generals, baseball legends, politicians, artists, entertainers and inventors.

 
 A magnet for history buffs and bird watchers (home to Brooklyn’s Green Parrot population, … really!).  Green-Wood is also a Revolutionary War historic site - the Battle of Long Island was fought in 1776 across what are now its grounds. 

 Founded in 1838 Green-Wood Cemetery soon developed an international reputation for its magnificent beauty.  By 1860, Green-Wood was rivaling Niagara Falls as the country’s greatest tourist attraction.  Green-Wood’s popularity helped inspire the creation of public parks, including New York City’s Central and Prospect Parks.



DETAILS

Sketch by Janice Pullicino

When:  Sunday, October 15, 2017.  Meet at the front gate at 10 AM

Where: Green-Wood Cemetery, 500 25th Street and Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn We will meet just outside the main gate where we’ll start sketching.  (see map below)
                   
Lunch: 12:00 Noon - With cooperative weather we’ll eat outdoors, meeting near the front gate. Bring your own or walk across the street to Baked In Brooklyn Bakery Store. In addition to baked goods they make sandwiches.

Photo:  Joan Tavolott 

Afternoon:  1 PM - Back sketching.

Show and Tell:  Meet at 2:30 PM for a walk to Greenwood Park, 555 7th Ave, (bet 20th and 19th Sts.)  This is a 15 minute walk to a beer garden where we will share drawings, good stories and a beer, snack or wine if you're so inclined.



TRANSPORTATION:

By Subway:  Easily accessible by subway, the R train to Brooklyn’s, 25 St Station, walk up 1 block.  (see map)

By Car:  25 St & 5th Ave, Brooklyn - Free parking is available anywhere inside the High Gothic Victorian Main Gate  (which was created by the same people who created Trinity Church on Wall St)

NOTES:

-  Bring a portable stool if you have one. It adds to your comfort and increases your sketching possibilities.

Click to Enlarge

If you can’t find us

call or text Mark at 973-809-9128

There are no fees.   All drawing skill levels are welcome

Weekday Urban Sketchers at Columbus Circle

On the traditional Columbus Day, October 12th, join us for an exploration of the part of the city named for this explorer: Columbus Circle. Included in the original plans for Central Park, dates back to a time when this area was nothing but farms, it is now considered the geographic center of NYC.   The area will offer us lots of opportunities to sketch some of NYC's icons: the stature of Columbus, the southwest entrance to Central Park,  #2 Columbus Circle, the "either-love-it-or-hate-it" building that now houses the Museum of Art and Design and the nexus of roadways that meet at the circle. 

Columbus Circle

Monument to USS Maine at entrance to Central Park

Bring your stool so you can move to a spot to capture just what you want in the scene. Bring lunch or purchase it in any of the outlets in the area.

DATE: THURSDAY October 12, 2017

START TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION:  COLUMBUS CIRCE 

Note: We will meet on the north east side of the circle in front of the entrance to Central Park by the Monument to the USS Maine, whose sinking in Havana's harbor in 1898 started the Spanish American War. 

TRANSPORTATION: A, B,C, D train to  59th ST/ Columbus Circle Station

Please RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at raylie@verizon.net.  Looking for us? Call/text Raylie at 201-978-6387.

SUNDAY: Sketch the Queens Botanical Gardens

Queens Botanical Gardens

43-50 Main Street

Flushing NY 11354

Hosted by Denise Markbreit

Sunday October 8 10 AM start time....but join us when you can!

The Queens Botanical Garden is an oasis in a dense and bustling urban setting. It's a place where people, plants and culture coexist and are celebrated.

Owned by the City of New York and located in the Northeast corner of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, QBG began as a five acre exhibit for the 1939 Worlds Fair and has grown to its current thirty nine acres by 1961. The Wedding Garden is almost in constant use for photo shoots and ceremonies and the large water features are innovative and sustainable.

Come and explore bee hives, woodlands, vegetable gardens, 

watch tai chi practitioners 

and glimpse the urban sprawl of Flushing 

just beyond the gates.

DETAILS:

The garden offers free admission on Sundays from 9-11 am.
$6 thereafter/$4 seniors/students

Ample parking at 42-80 Crommelin Ave @$6 per car.

Arrive:  10 AM.  Coming later?  Bring the phone number (see below)

Lunch at 12:00:  Bring lunch.

Afternoon:  Sketching the Garden

Show and Tell:  Details to be determined on site.  Opportunity to share drawings, talk and socialize.

NOTES:
-   Plenty of benches but a stool could be helpful.
-   Public bathrooms are clean and there is ample shade.


TRAVEL

7 train to Flushing Main Street, Q 44SBS or Q20A or walk 8 blocks south on Main Street

LIRR Port Washington Branch to Main Street ( see above)
LIE x23

If you can’t find us

call or text Denise at 516-263-4818  

There are no fees.   All drawing skill levels are welcome.

Weekday Urban Sketchers at Hamilton Grange and City College 

Alexander Hamilton built a summer home in upper Manhattan that is still there today. Named The Grange after his grandfathers estate in Scotland, he lived there for only 2 years before being killed in a duel by Aaron Burr.  This piece of American history is now located in St. Nicholas Park in Harlem. Owned by the National Parks Service it is open to the public for tours.We will be sketching the building from the park. Participants are welcome to go to the museum or take a tour on their own.  

Hamilton Grange

Sitting on a bluff above The Grange are the gothic buildings of City College's uptown campus. Our afternoon will be spent trying to capture the ornamentation of these buildings. 

City College

DATE: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2017

START TIME: 10:30 AM 

LOCATION: HAMILTON GRANGE 

                       414 West 141 St Street

TRANSPORTATION:  Two Options: 

1.  Take the #1 train to the West 137th Street stop on Broadway. Go North to 141st Street and make a right. Walk East towards Hamilton Terrace. The Grange is located at the intersection of West 141st Street and Hamilton Terrace.  

2. Take the A, B, C, or D train to the West 145th Street stop on St. Nicholas Avenue. Go south to 141st Street.Make a right onto 141st Street. Go west one block to Hamilton Terrace.

If you are driving, please visit the web site https://www.nps.gov/hagr/planyourvisit/directions.htm for information on where to park.

Please RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at raylie@verizon.net.  Looking for us? Call/text Raylie at 201-978-6387