It has been a complicated week politically.
And still like many other of life’s moments in time, there is a plus if we look closely.
Allowing myself the liberty of avoiding the rhetoric and rancor, two lovely memories emerged from the constant 24/7 tv coverage.
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The first was a glimpse of the crowd at a rally in the Bronx for one of the two contenders in the political arena.
Immediately I remembered how alien the Bronx was for those of us living in Hells Kitchen during my youth. Uptown had the aura of an unknown territory. The NYC I knew had little guilt or prejudice at that point in time (or perhaps that was how I perceived it) but also allowed the indulgence of neighborhood allegiance and parish loyalty.
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Until one magical night with a group of friends I crossed the great divide and sat in the now extinct Lewisohn Stadium.
The Doric-colonnaded amphitheater was built between Amsterdam and Convent Avenues, from 136th to 138th Streets. It opened in 1915, with a seating capacity of 8,000 and was demolished in 1973.
On a spring night I sat on a stone bench when the moon was bright and listened to the grandeur of Ezio Pinza singing the lyrics of “Some Enchanted Evening.”
The amphitheater was crowded, and yet the crowd was silent. There were no banners nor voices raised in support or disagreement. It was just another glorious never forgotten moment in our once beloved city.
Later this week after a historic and controversial verdict, the TV coverage predominately focused on Trump Tower perched on a corner of the city’s famed Fifth Avenue
Again I returned to a time when the celebrated location on the “right side” of the Park was an oasis for we who dared to visit.
The window displays (a few still in view, Chanel) allowed young dreams to fester and hopes to become reality. In a few cases fairytales even came true.
So while, yes, it has been a difficult and divisive week for our country and primarily, New Yorkers, it allowed a small pocket of magical yesterdays to be momentarily retrieved.
And although history will undoubtedly record this week’s conflicted TV coverage, I will be simply grateful for the two moments of memory it restored.
