What a great idea, I thought, and then I remembered that they have been talking about using the spaces under NYC's MANY bridges for years but I just really hadn't kept pace with what had been happening --or what was planned--
Guastavino's Restaurant under the 59th Street Bridge, for instance
Guastavino's
Categories:
Venues & Event Spaces,
Caterers
[Edit]
409 E 59th St(between Sutton Pl & York Ave)
New York, NY 10022
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(212) 980-2711
- Nearest Transit Station:
- Roosevelt Island (F)Lexington Av/59 St (N, Q, R)59 St (4, 5, 6, 6X)
- Hours:
- Mon-Sun 9 am - 5 pm
31 reviews for Guastavino's
31 reviews in English
Review from Julie M.
- 47 friends
I can't really comment on anything but the decor/ambiance and staff of Guastavino's - I sang a wedding here this past September.
The architecture is absolutely gorgeous! It was definitely a beautiful venue to have a wedding. The bride and groom had separate suites. The staff seemed friendly and helpful - I especially appreciated the older gentleman that went out of his way to serve me a glass of water (I was seated out of the way for my portion of the ceremony). The only obvious negative? The bathrooms on the first floor were disgusting - tissue all over the floor, uncleaned toilets. For a place of this magnitude, you would think they could clean a bathroom correctly!
The ceremony was beautiful. Great choice!
The architecture is absolutely gorgeous! It was definitely a beautiful venue to have a wedding. The bride and groom had separate suites. The staff seemed friendly and helpful - I especially appreciated the older gentleman that went out of his way to serve me a glass of water (I was seated out of the way for my portion of the ceremony). The only obvious negative? The bathrooms on the first floor were disgusting - tissue all over the floor, uncleaned toilets. For a place of this magnitude, you would think they could clean a bathroom correctly!
The ceremony was beautiful. Great choice!
Listed in:
New York State of Mind
But this being New York City, of course there is more. This is just a sampling of what has happened so far and what is planned.
Take, for instance, the space under the Manhattan Bridge--
http://inhabitat.com/nyc/tag/work-under-the-manhattan-bridge/
Working from home has a lot of perks, but if your social skills are slowly degrading, why not take up Loosecubes on their offer to co-work under the Manhattan Bridge for free? The fast-growing company is hosting a pop-up office space in order to introduce people to the camaraderie and networking advantages of co-working - and they're even offering wifi, a few spots to juice up your gadgets, food vendors from the Brooklyn Flea, and supposedly there's a DJ and mini-golf area where you can compete for a beer. (Hey, all in day's work!) Read on to see how you can sign up!
And There is More..."Like the proposed 'Lowline" development...which now looks like this
But, according to Inhabitat.com, could become like this
New York City's High Line - the now famous abandoned train-track-turned-park - has become well known around the world as a spectacular example of urban revitalization through smart design, even inspiring copycat elevated parks. Now Manhattan is considering another abandoned train track park renovation project called "The Low Line" - this time in the Lower East Side neighborhood. The catch with this new proposal
is that the abandoned train station in question is entirely underground
(below Delancey Street) - a subterranean challenge which would require a
high-tech, innovative approach to lighting in order to facilitate plant
growth and human comfort. (Anyone who has ever been inside a NYC
subway station knows that a lot of work would be required to transform
one of these dank dark caves into a tranquil, pastoral setting). That's
why we're loving this ingenious proposal for the new Low Line underground park by architect James Ramsey, the principal of RAAD, in part with Dan Barasch of tech think tank PopTech, and a money manager, R. Boykin Curry IV, to pump natural sunlight into the subterranean space with fiberoptic cables and mirrors, somewhat like a solar tube or a sunlight transport device (which we've covered here and here on Inhabitat), allowing plants to grow and creating a serene and sunny underground urban oasis.
Finally to sum up what I know so far ( I suspect there is more, either already done or in the planning stage, but this is all I could find today)--
To repeat things a little, but there is also some other information here, --from Gadling's Undiscovered New York 2009 Article
The
bridges of New York City serve as lifelines, connecting this vast city
of islands to the people, places and goods that lie beyond. From the
iconic Brooklyn Bridge to the majestic Verrazano-Narrows Bridge,
just about anywhere you look in New York, you're bound to see one of
these graceful structures dominating the city's skyline and waterways.
But for all the time we spend looking at and walking across New York
bridges, did you ever think about what's going on underneath them?
We tend to think of the space under bridges as a symbolic "no-go" zone, a place inhabited by phantom trolls and the darker side of our imagination. But in New York, a city that is among the most dense of any on earth, all that extra space is actually being put to good use. Since they were built, the undersides of New York City bridges have been used for everything from Cold War bunkers to massive art projects. In fact, rather than being areas of marginal interest, these spaces are among the most dynamic and intriguing in all of New York.
Ready to live it up in one of New York's most elegant restaurants? How about a visit to a whimsical little lighthouse, located beneath a towering bridge? Or perhaps you'd like to hear the story of one of New York's forgotten neighborhoods, hidden beneath the zooming path of millions of cars? This week, Undiscovered New York is going "under the bridge," in search of attractions hidden from view under the city's many bridges. Check it out after the jump.
Guastavino'sBridges
provide a way to get past obstacles to travel elsewhere. But we might
want to revise that assumption, especially when it comes to Guastavino's a restaurant conveniently nestled beneath the Manhattan side of the Queensboro Bridge.
As you walk into this elegant restaurant on 59th Street, a frequent
setting for banquets and weddings, you're immediately confronted by the
size of the cavernous space. Visitors can settle in with a nice
cocktail, taking the time to gaze up in wonder at the series of vaulted
ceilings supported by towering pillars of rock. It's like stumbling into
the grotto of some forgotten medieval castle, hidden in plain view.
The Little Red Lighthouse
The George Washington Bridge is another of New York's busiest arteries, pumping Manhattan commuters back and forth on their way to New Jersey across the Hudson River. Those not intimidated by the bridge's hustle and bustle might want to take a look down below, where they'll be greeted by the strange sight of the Little Red Lighthouse. This iconic lighthouse was first built back in 1880, when it was installed along the banks of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. By 1921, it had been moved to its present location along the shores of the Hudson, where it helped sailors navigate their way up the river to points north. Today it has become the de facto symbol of Manhattan's Fort Washington Park, where it now greets the area's joggers and bikers on their daily routes.
DUMBOForget about the elephant in the Disney movie, New York has a DUMBO of its own. This neighborhood, whose name stands for "Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass," is literally surrounded on all sides by bridges, with
both the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge passing directly
overhead. The result of this infrastructure decision is that DUMBO feels
like a neighborhood kept under wraps, bursting with great bars,
restaurants and shopping that most visitors pass right by as they drive
overhead. Start your visit with an authentic taco at Hecho in Dumbo before taking a look at some of the area's great stores like record store Halcyon, powerHouse Books or Japanese toy store Zakka. Finish your trip with a stop at Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park.
Finally to sum up what I know so far ( I suspect there is more, either already done or in the planning stage, but this is all I could find today)--
To repeat things a little, but there is also some other information here, --from Gadling's Undiscovered New York 2009 Article
Undiscovered New York: Under the bridge
The
bridges of New York City serve as lifelines, connecting this vast city
of islands to the people, places and goods that lie beyond. From the
iconic Brooklyn Bridge to the majestic Verrazano-Narrows Bridge,
just about anywhere you look in New York, you're bound to see one of
these graceful structures dominating the city's skyline and waterways.
But for all the time we spend looking at and walking across New York
bridges, did you ever think about what's going on underneath them?We tend to think of the space under bridges as a symbolic "no-go" zone, a place inhabited by phantom trolls and the darker side of our imagination. But in New York, a city that is among the most dense of any on earth, all that extra space is actually being put to good use. Since they were built, the undersides of New York City bridges have been used for everything from Cold War bunkers to massive art projects. In fact, rather than being areas of marginal interest, these spaces are among the most dynamic and intriguing in all of New York.
Ready to live it up in one of New York's most elegant restaurants? How about a visit to a whimsical little lighthouse, located beneath a towering bridge? Or perhaps you'd like to hear the story of one of New York's forgotten neighborhoods, hidden beneath the zooming path of millions of cars? This week, Undiscovered New York is going "under the bridge," in search of attractions hidden from view under the city's many bridges. Check it out after the jump.
Guastavino'sBridges
provide a way to get past obstacles to travel elsewhere. But we might
want to revise that assumption, especially when it comes to Guastavino's a restaurant conveniently nestled beneath the Manhattan side of the Queensboro Bridge.
As you walk into this elegant restaurant on 59th Street, a frequent
setting for banquets and weddings, you're immediately confronted by the
size of the cavernous space. Visitors can settle in with a nice
cocktail, taking the time to gaze up in wonder at the series of vaulted
ceilings supported by towering pillars of rock. It's like stumbling into
the grotto of some forgotten medieval castle, hidden in plain view.The Little Red Lighthouse
The George Washington Bridge is another of New York's busiest arteries, pumping Manhattan commuters back and forth on their way to New Jersey across the Hudson River. Those not intimidated by the bridge's hustle and bustle might want to take a look down below, where they'll be greeted by the strange sight of the Little Red Lighthouse. This iconic lighthouse was first built back in 1880, when it was installed along the banks of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. By 1921, it had been moved to its present location along the shores of the Hudson, where it helped sailors navigate their way up the river to points north. Today it has become the de facto symbol of Manhattan's Fort Washington Park, where it now greets the area's joggers and bikers on their daily routes.
DUMBOForget about the elephant in the Disney movie, New York has a DUMBO of its own. This neighborhood, whose name stands for "Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass," is literally surrounded on all sides by bridges, with
both the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge passing directly
overhead. The result of this infrastructure decision is that DUMBO feels
like a neighborhood kept under wraps, bursting with great bars,
restaurants and shopping that most visitors pass right by as they drive
overhead. Start your visit with an authentic taco at Hecho in Dumbo before taking a look at some of the area's great stores like record store Halcyon, powerHouse Books or Japanese toy store Zakka. Finish your trip with a stop at Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park.
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