If you’ve ever driven along the Henry Hudson Parkway, you may have wondered about the enormous, vine-covered granite arches on the steep slope of Fort Tryon Park at the northern end of Manhattan. What appears to be the remnants of an old Roman aqueduct, like the Pont du Gard in southern France, is actually part of the most elaborate and most expensive private driveway in New York City.
Archive for March, 2013
1796: Captain Jacob Crowninshield Brings a Beer-Drinking Elephant to New York
Posted: 24th March 2013 by The Hatching Cat in Animal Attractions, Elephant TalesTags: first elephant in America, Jacob Crowninshield, John Bill Rickets, Nathaniel Hawthorne, New York History
On April 12, 1796, Captain Jacob Crowninshield arrived in New York Harbor on a trading ship called the America. On board was a two-year-old female elephant the captain had purchased in India for $450. She was the first elephant to ever come to America.
Early 1900s: When the Waldorf-Astoria Went to the Dogs
Posted: 16th March 2013 by The Hatching Cat in Dog TailsTags: John Jacob Astor, New York History, Samuel Goldengerg, Titanic, Toy Spaniel Club, Waldorf-Astoria
A True Story of Pampered Pets and Titanic Survivors In the late 19th century and early 1900s, New York City’s acclaimed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel was the site of numerous pedigree dog shows. The first French Bulldog show took place at the luxury hotel in 1898, which, according to the French Bulldog Club of America, secured the […]
1931: The Wink That Saved Pinky the Cat at the West Side Magistrates Court
Posted: 4th March 2013 by The Hatching Cat in Cats in the Mews, Featured FelinesTags: ASPCA, cat story, Frances Borrah, John H. Duncan, Midtown Community Court, West Side Magistrates Court
In the early 1900s, magistrates in New York presided over cases involving misdemeanors or violations of ordinances. On this particular day, the ordinance violation concerned a stray alley cat named Pinky, who appeared at the West Side Magistrates Court.
