Today I cycled into Manhattan for an appointment for an otolaryngologist. It wasn't far--about 7 or 8 kilometers--and I rode even with the threat of snow squalls because I knew I could pedal there faster than the trains or buses (or a cab--or Uber, even!) could take me.
The office was located Rutherford Place, just across from Mount Sinai Hospital. The neighborhood, nestled between Irving Place and the East Village, is a real oddity in today's Manhattan: Most of the Victorian, Greek Revival and Beaux Arts tenements and townhouses are still standing and the environs aren't really gentrifying because, well, they never fell into decrepitude.
Some of those buildings, like others throughout the city, have names that are rarely, if ever, used, today. Some of the names make sense, like those of people who are famous or simply have a connection to the building or neighborhood. But there are some names are just confounding:
The US Senate? On Second Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets?
I thought of the tourists and newly-arrived expats from one place and another who walked by. Did any of them wonder whether they'd gotten off at the wrong city?
As I was about to write this, I looked for some information about the building. Turns out, that building was built along with another named for W.M. Evarts, a well-respected Senator who lived in the neighborhood. Before he became a Senator, he served as Rutherford B. Hayes' Secretary of State and Andrew Johnson's Attorney General. That meant he had the privilege of representing Johnson during his impeachment trial in 1868. That must have been interesting, to say the least!
So I guess the name makes sense. Even if I didn't learn about the history of the building, I suppose the name could have been justified in one other way: Early in the nation's history, New York City was its capital, if only for a year.
Given the demographics of the neighborhood and city, residents of the building are more likely than members of the legislative body to vote for impeaching the current president.
The office was located Rutherford Place, just across from Mount Sinai Hospital. The neighborhood, nestled between Irving Place and the East Village, is a real oddity in today's Manhattan: Most of the Victorian, Greek Revival and Beaux Arts tenements and townhouses are still standing and the environs aren't really gentrifying because, well, they never fell into decrepitude.
Some of those buildings, like others throughout the city, have names that are rarely, if ever, used, today. Some of the names make sense, like those of people who are famous or simply have a connection to the building or neighborhood. But there are some names are just confounding:
The US Senate? On Second Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets?
I thought of the tourists and newly-arrived expats from one place and another who walked by. Did any of them wonder whether they'd gotten off at the wrong city?
As I was about to write this, I looked for some information about the building. Turns out, that building was built along with another named for W.M. Evarts, a well-respected Senator who lived in the neighborhood. Before he became a Senator, he served as Rutherford B. Hayes' Secretary of State and Andrew Johnson's Attorney General. That meant he had the privilege of representing Johnson during his impeachment trial in 1868. That must have been interesting, to say the least!
So I guess the name makes sense. Even if I didn't learn about the history of the building, I suppose the name could have been justified in one other way: Early in the nation's history, New York City was its capital, if only for a year.
Given the demographics of the neighborhood and city, residents of the building are more likely than members of the legislative body to vote for impeaching the current president.
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