Independence Day, then and now

the statue of George III at Battery Park (lower Manhattan) being pulled down
view of Empire State Building and fireworks


and at a mall not too far from you
and on Fifth Avenue before it was a shopping mall


6 comments:

  1. Fred you seem a little down! Are you wishing for the Independence days of old? I didn't know there was a time when 5th avenue was not about shopping.

    I hope you are having fun today! Normal day here, no fun grill-outs or anything, MrBP working and I've been watching The Daily Show episodes from this last week, while eating salad, not very festive I must say.

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Dani, I was remembering shopping trips with Mom, when there was one lovely department store and designer store after another on 5th, instead of just a few, surrounded by what I consider mall stores, e.g. Abercrombie, Juicy, or low-end places like H&M. And then - well, I was fooling around on the computer, cleaning up bookmarks, and came across my greatX3-grandfather who served with the 4th New York Heavy Artillery at Gettysburg (he achieved what every soldier prays for, he came home), and wondered whether sales and shopping are the best way to mark Independence Day. Maybe yes?

      I think the Daily Show is very festive!

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  2. Hi wellfedfred! I hope you did end up having an enjoyable July 4th holiday! Your childhood memories of shopping trips with your mom in NYC sound wonderful! Have you lived there your entire life?

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  3. Hi, FFM, thanks, hope you and family had a great Fourth! Well, like so many other things in life, yes and no to everything... shopping with mom was fun when the salesladies had cookies, candy and books to distract irritable little kids while mom was "fitted." And of course at Christmas, Easter, back-to-school - felt like festivals. I squirmed as a teen when she and her favorite saleslady turned stuff inside out to check the construction, or riffled through the sale racks first to see what wasn't selling, although now of course I value the lessons - like so many other things in life, again. One of mom's favorite stores was Bonwit Teller, which had its own perfume, light dry floral with NO vanilla. Another was Henri Bendel, which has never recovered from being acquired by The Limited and turned into a glorified souvenir shop. Like many New Yorkers, my parents moved around as employment and the economy required when sis and I were small, never more than a few miles away, always circling back.

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