May Festival……whatever is that?

Tina
https://www.etsy.com/listing/94611821/
nugents-fav-crushed-velvet-military?ref=v1_other_1



… .was my first thought as I read the letter from my old friend Gwendolyn. She was inviting me to Cincinnati to hear her daughter, Percylla, sing in their May Festival, a very large choral event.  It was 1948, and I had just returned to Pittsburgh from Louisville, after a week of festivities at the horse races, the Kentucky Derby, they called it. I was nearly exhausted, having spent many evenings drinking mint julips and hosting fund raisers, or is that “fun” raisers, at the Brown Hotel. But, Gwen was a dear old friend from Pitt, and apparently this was a special year for not only her daughter, an upcoming graduate of Cincinnati’s Conservatory of Music, but for women in general. It was the Diamond Jubilee, and a woman was to lead one of the performances (only because a man had become ill) ….and a High School teacher no less…one brave step for woman-kind! The event had taken place for decades, much to my surprise, and Archer could not believe, with my fond interest in music, that I had not heard of it….Gwen says  it’s because I’d been off gallivanting around the world too much!



So, I hopped on the Pennsy thinking…. if I wanted to, I could always hop right back on in Cincinnati and continue on to Chicago…..I knew I could have a wonderful time in Chicago. After all, I had heard much about this city, but not much about the music.

To my amazement, Cincinnati had the most beautiful train station ever, rivaling Grand Central to be sure. Gwen sent a car that took me to her home near the University. Gwen had married a watchmaker, and with her family’s backing, he had created an empire in clocks, bell towers, and other timepieces. This, and much more, was told to me by their driver, and quite the talker I might add, George, as he went on and on about “Miss V”.

More about my Cincinnati trip later, but I will say the city did remind me of the lovely river towns in Germany, with all the green hills and beer…and yes, it seemed everyone was named George!



The May Festival was performed at their “Music Hall”, a most extraordinary piece of architecture…..with the most amazing “wallwork”, and crystal chandeliers! It was not as though I had never seen such a place….the larger cities in Europe were filled with such buildings, but they were much older….I always think of our country as being so very young…and this city was quite a bit more apace with New York than I might have expected. I was quite taken with it.



The performances…..which were conducted by a New Yorker, I might add, were impeccable…all except for the one with Gwen’s daughter, Percylla. She arrived late to the performance and actually walked on stage in a gold lame dress with an amethyst tiara….and her hair as wild as a jackalope….whatever was she thinking! Everyone else was in black…..her mother said she just liked to “stand out” in a crowd…… but I know, from my conversation with the “talker” George, that she was having a bit of a fling with one of the string players and must have been in his company to the very last minute!

That aside, the event was the “bees knees” and I shall spread the word all the way to Pittsburgh!

As a side note, and mum’s the word, I heard they were having a bit of a financial problem with the festival that year, so I wired $1,000 to them upon returning home….Prys alone made the event worth that to me….....Astoria

By the by, to see my treasury in honor of Music Hall and the May Festival:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTkwNTExMDR8MjcyMjgwOTkzMg/score?ref=pr_treasury


By the by, for “what to wear” to the event, you must consider this jacket:



Charlotte
https://www.etsy.com/listing/97668571/
pink-wool-waistcoat-with-mink-collar-and

                     

By the by, I returned to Cincinnati a few more times, only once for the May Festival, but I have heard that it is still as popular and respected as ever. For more on May Festival:

http://mayfestival.com/

By the by, unfortunately the Music Hall building did not fare so well. It rather began to show its age and wear over the years; however, I am pleased to read that it is getting a complete redo (I believe they call it a facelift these days) from the bottom up!

What is and what could be….

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120312/NEWS/303130013

By the by, one of the other trips I made to Cincinnati was to document a “ghost hunt” for a book I wrote in the 1970’s. And, in addition to many underground tunnels and charming old homes, I was taken to Music Hall!

Ghosts in these halls……….

http://www.cincyghosthunters.com/

By the by, Cincinnati continues to be a leader in music, not only classical, but choral et. al. I recently read an article about an upcoming event there called the World Choir Games!

http://www.interkultur.com/competitions-festivals/world-choir-games/cincinnati-2012/

I wonder if that handsome young man, what is his name, he was in.....what is it called...a boy band?...will be there..........

By the by, for more on the glorious Brown Hotel in Louisville,

http://www.brownhotel.com

By the by, to go back to the beginning and catch up to all of Astoria's adventures go to: http://buttonbroadmemoirs.blogspot.com/2012/02/on-this-my-100th-birthday.html                                                                                                                                                     

June 25, 1951..........

Felicity

....Archer and I decided to join friends, Beatrice and Gerard, in Colorado. Beatrice and I had met years earlier and become lifelong friends. She was living in the wilderness of Oregon with her trapper husband, the son of Veronique, a descendant of Marie Antoinette, and Atian, a native American. Gerard was in town to participate in a “Rocky Mountain Rendezvous”, and we were also here to celebrate Archer’s 40^th birthday.We had a keen interest in the mountains (I, mostly to photograph them and Archer enjoyed anything to challenge himself). Archer would hike, climb and fly fish, while I took my camera equipment and took off in search of wildlife. We decided to stay at the Stanley, a fine and  immense hotel near the entrance to the park.

We checked in and were assigned to room 217. With a day to explore before Bea arrived, and without even unpacking, we turned in early to get a good nights sleep. When we awakened we found not only a hot, steamy breakfast awaiting us, but our bags had been unpacked and our belongings put away as well! We gingerly gathered up the food to “go” and stopped by the desk to thank them for the wonderful hospitality. Interestingly, they told us no one had delivered any kind of service to our room….what room was that again? Room 217………………….there was a hush amongst the staff and they all walked away………astoria

By the by, appropriate attire:

        

Josephine

https://www.etsy.com/listing/92394356/
russian-inspired-slit-sided-walking-coat

                        

Josephine

https://www.etsy.com/listing/92394356/
russian-inspired-slit-sided-walking-coat

Felicity

https://www.etsy.com/listing/94357588/
camel-hair-jacket-with-fur-cuffs-vintage

By the by, the Stanley is the hotel featured in the movie, The Shining…..as in the history of the real hotel, strange things happened in one of the rooms, and ghosts of children appeared on the 4^th floor. For a reminder of The Shining, see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cb3ik6zP2I

By the by, for more on the Stanley and it’s haunted history, visit: http://stanleyhotel.com/

By the by, for  more on Rocky Mountain Rendezvous,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountain_Rendezvous

By the by, background on Beatrice: It was while waiting for a train in Grand Central Station that I met Beatrice. I was on my way to Philly and she was going west. Both trains had been delayed due to flooding, so we struck up a chat. I’ll never forget her exquisite green eyes……they sparkled like gems, and she was quite stunning in a big, swing coat and fur pillbox hat. She was on her way to the Pacific Northwest to marry a man she hardly knew. She met him quite by chance, and it was love at first site….he, a trapper, and she a showgirl. As adventurous as my life had become, I still found myself envying her “joi de vivre”!

By the by, more on art in Estes Park:

http://www.estesarts.com/Gallery/Legends4.html

By the by, to go back to the beginning and catch up to all of Astoria's adventures go to: http://buttonbroadmemoirs.blogspot.com/2012/02/on-this-my-100th-birthday.html

I’ll never forget summers at ShadyBrook....

Olive

…..a vacation resort in the Catskills. Our family would spend the entire season there (Father would come and go; he could never leave the button factory for very long). We had the cutest cottage, and the activities kept us quite busy….there was the lake, with water skiing and diving from the wooden platforms….there were board games in the common area, and enormous bonfires at night. And my favorite…..the dance lessons. I was young, and of course had a huge crush on the lead dance instructor, Johnny. Father didn’t approve of him because he was much older than I, but I couldn’t stay away….after all, he called me “Baby”. We danced so well together that we won the contest at the end of the summer, fell in love, got married and lived happily ever after. “No, I might be old, but I am not senile! I know that was “Dirty Dancing”! (what’s the point in telling stories if one can’t have a little fun!)"......But we did have great times! And instead of dancing with Johnny, I fell in love with photography!  I had countless afternoons to roam the estate and practice taking pictures of flora and fauna….they even had a darkroom. That passion turned out to be one of the greatest joys of my life. I carted my camera equipment around the world and never looked back………. astoria

This is me around 1929

By the by, every time I see Dirty Dancing, the movie, especially the scene with the final dance, I get the same tingly feeling I did at ShadyBrook.....I hear the music, smell the forest and dream of falling in love.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpmILPAcRQo

<><><><><><><><>

Olivia
https://www.etsy.com/listing/94362188/
plaid-tweed-jacket-embellished-with

By the by, alas, it was time to return to
school and back to typing class! I might have worn this:


or this:

Olive
https://www.etsy.com/listing/94360977/
whimsical-jacket-with-vintage-parasol

By the by, to go back to the beginning and catch up to all of Astoria's adventures, go to:
http://buttonbroadmemoirs.blogspot.com/2012/02/on-this-my-100th-birthday.html

“Are you sure we aren’t in Russia?”

Adele

.....I asked father. Since I had never been past the Atlantic Ocean, I had no idea what I’d find there, but it could not have been much different from what we wandered into at Brighton Beach. People speaking in foreign tongues, signs in another language….better yet in another alphabet altogether (I later found it was Cyrillic). No one spoke English at all. It was fascinating and exciting! I wandered into one of the many fur shops and tried on huge, full length furs with hoods….I know now that there was probably no place near Pittsburgh where one could wear such a coat. But, later in my life I would find many destinations to appreciate such a coat! Like the Nordic countries, the South Pole, and even Alaska…..

I did not purchase a coat that trip, but I will always remember the fun I had dreaming of doing so…..astoria

By the by, check out my Russian-inspired coat:

Josephine
http://www.etsy.com/listing/92394356/
russian-inspired-slit-sided-walking-coat

By the by, I never again visited Brighton Beach…..but in the very short time I was there, I felt a true sense of community. The people were kind and the welcome was warm. I recently came across other people's memoirs of Brighton Beach and found them heartwarming.
The world is one big community now, but there really is no place like one’s home:

http://www.brightonbeach.com/Brighton_Memoirs.html

Adele

By the by, I just read in a mag that Adele, the grammy-winning singer, just purchased a $3.1 million Brighton beach home! I thought that was so very exciting to be near Coney Island and all....but alas Archer corrected me.....it must be the Brighton beach in England! After all, the article also said that it was only a five minute commute to her boyfriend's office, and that would be a quick skip across the ocean. Silly me! I suppose that means she'll be leaving her haunted mansion!

Adele

By the by, check out my fabulous black brocade coat, Adele, a tribute to Adele! at: http://www.etsy.com/listing/95296748/black-brocade-walking-coat-with-vintage

By the by, to go back to the beginning and catch up to all of Astoria's adventures: http://buttonbroadmemoirs.blogspot.com/2012/02/on-this-my-100th-birthday.html

In need of nourishment.....

Willow

.... father and I strolled along contemplating the gastronomic offerings the vendors displayed. We finally settled on a couple of Coney Island’s finest frankfurters and topped them off with (of all things) sauerkraut! They were deliciously wonderful……and called “hot dogs”. I can see why!

 As we strolled the boardwalk, we realized that we could possibly work a little business into our sojourn. So we decided to stay for the evening at the Hotel Brighton. It was only a short walk away and would allow us to spend the next day shopping at the Russian furriers we knew to inhabit Brighton Beach.

Willow
https://www.etsy.com/listing/97678088/
purple-woolsilk-jacket-with-vintage

By the by, interestingly, the Brighton Hotel had been moved up the beach before we got there…..that’s right…. “after a series of winter storms threatened to swamp the hotel, a plan was developed to move it in one piece 520 feet further inland by placing railroad track and 112 railroad flat cars under the building and using six steam locomotives to pull it away from the sea. Engineered by B.C. Miller, the move was begun on April 2, 1888 and continued for the next nine days, being the largest building move of the 19th century.” (according to Wikipedia). Tell that at the next ladies luncheon!.....astoria

        By the by, luncheon attire:

Ruby
https://www.etsy.com/listing/97671511/
cashmere-retro-jackie-jacket-with-fur

By the by, to go back to the beginning and catch up to all of Astoria's adventures go to:
http://buttonbroadmemoirs.blogspot.com/2012/02/on-this-my-100th-birthday.html

Beyond the rides...........

....we saw the most extraordinary people one had ever laid eyes on…they were human oddities, and rather pitiful creatures, some called “freaks.”

They were just off the boardwalk. We descended into a world of darkness and bizarre images. I gripped father’s hand as we walked ever so carefully. There was a woman there with a long flowing beard, and children joined at the waist called “Siamese Twins.” There was also this tortured soul called the “Snake Girl” whose body seemed to dwindle down to a tail resembling a snake.

While I was amazed, I was also appalled. I wanted to look away but could not, until our descent into the bizarre world came to an abrupt halt as daylight blissfully assaulted our eyes again.....astoria  

By the by, to go back to the beginning and catch up to all of Astoria's adventures go to:
http://buttonbroadmemoirs.blogspot.com/2012/02/on-this-my-100th-birthday.html

Coney Island actually dates back to 1609.....

Florence

....when Henry Hudson landed on the shore in his exploration of New York Bay and the Hudson River.

It was purchased according to historians for “15 fathoms of wampum, two guns, and three pounds of powder.” What do you suppose a fathom of wampum looks like? Such a small price to pay for such a place of wonderment!

The “Wonder Wheel” that lead me here, opened in 1920, and was built by a man named Charles Herman.

                                                         By the by, city attire:

Florence
https://www.etsy.com/listing/91159653/
embellished-verdigris-colored-jacket

                                                                   
I had never seen “roller coasters” before but I found them tantalizing and frightening at the same time! The first one here was called the “Thunderbolt” and opened well before my time, in 1925. It was followed by one called the “Cyclone” in 1928. With a little research I found that these creations had ties back to the Russian community that settled right next door in Brighton Beach. Our “coasters” really began in St. Petersburg Russia in the 17^th century and were called “Russian Mountains.” They were ice hills that upper class Russians went sliding down for fun! Even Catherine II was a fan of them................astoria       

                                                                         

                                                                            

By the by, I visited Coney Island again when I was older. It was much quieter and rather sad. There was a haunting

beauty to the place, even then, and now I understand there

is a resurgence of interest in it.  I find it captured best in a book you can find at:

http://coneyisland40years.com/photo-gallery/

By the by, to go back to the beginning and catch up to all of Astoria's adventures go to:

http://buttonbroadmemoirs.blogspot.com/2012/02/on-this-my-100th-birthday.html

Since it was our first time in New York together.....

....we needed to take a day off and just go exploring for the sake of fun, and oh what fun we had!
How could anyone spend time in this city, thinking of fun and not go to Coney Island!

I had never been to an “amusement park” and really didn’t know what to expect so this was bound to be quite the adventure.

 We got up early and made our way to the wonderful underground trains they call subways. We had to catch just the right train, on just the right platform at just the right time. It all seemed awfully confusing for me, but father had done this sort of thing before, so I tried my best to learn from his example.

Francis
https://www.etsy.com/listing/93236013/
rich-wine-colored-skirt-suit-with

  The BMT Brighton Line train came roaring and rumbling up to the platform at what seemed tremendous speed, but managed to stop in just the right place for us to get on board.

 After a rather exciting ride, both above and below ground we exited into the bright sunlight of the train station, shared by both Coney Island and Brighton Beach......astoria

                               By the by, travel attire:

Wonderwheel

As we left the station I could already see the amazing ferris wheel that marked the skyline as Coney Island......astoria

                                                       

By the by, to go back to the beginning and catch up to all of Astoria's adventures go to:

http://buttonbroadmemoirs.blogspot.com/2012/02/on-this-my-100th-birthday.html

There was a small string quartet ......

Rosemary

.... playing in one corner of the dining room all through dinner. Father kept asking if I wanted to dance and while I certainly felt like I was floating on air, I told him no, content to sit at our white linen table and simply watch the evening unfold around us.

It's hard to imagine that all the kitchen workers at this place were unionized. We have always tried to take good care of our employees especially during these tough times, but occasionally there is a rumble of a union coming into our shops as well. I suppose it's quite a different world in New York, and much harder to do right by your workers, but I hope the union organizers stay away from our dear button business for many years to come!

The food was delightful, the deserts divine, and planning our days out with father was great fun. Every time I looked at one of the grand couples walking in, I imagined each and every button on their glorious coats and dresses had come from our family business! Little things truly do add up! A button here, a button there, and before you know it you have a button empire!

Jewel
https://www.etsy.com/listing/94778746/
elegant-black-velvet-waist-coat-with

After dinner we strolled around the lobby a bit, then walked out to watch the carriages and cars come and go from the entrance. Eventually we returned to our rooms, tired, sated, ready for a good nights sleep before the adventure really began in the morning.....astoria


By the by, dinner attire:

Rosemary
https://www.etsy.com/listing/94781222/
shimmery-dressy-jacket-with-robins-egg

By the by, to go back to the beginning and catch up to all of Astoria's adventures go to: http://buttonbroadmemoirs.blogspot.com/2012/02/on-this-my-100th-birthday.html

Oh the view...........

....as I descended the staircase. People in all their finery. It was hard to imagine we were in the midst of what would be called "The Great Depression." It seemed the entire lobby was in motion. Father and I decided rather than going out and dealing with New York at night, after our long ride, we'd simply do dinner at the hotel's restaurant. Such a restaurant it was! Of course in that day, and especially in a place like the Waldorf, everyone dressed for dinner. In the entrance to the restaurant we were almost overcome with the smells of the fabulous dinner delights that awaited us.


I must say I felt a certain special connection to the hotel and all the grandeur, simply due to the connection of our names. John Jacob Astor built the original hotel, and of course named it after the Astoria community in Oregon where his family had made their fortune in the fur trade. While there certainly was no direct connection to my being named Astoria, I did feel a little bit of a special connection to all that I saw!...........astoria


By the by, what to wear to dinner?

Tina
https://www.etsy.com/listing/94611821/
nugents-fav-crushed-velvet-military

By the by, to go back to the beginning and catch up to all of Astoria's adventures go to:
http://buttonbroadmemoirs.blogspot.com/2012/02/on-this-my-100th-birthday.html

We managed to somehow secure our luggage.......

Astrid

.... and find the entrance where father and I piled into a cab and headed for our rooms at the fabulous Waldorf Astoria. Father had told me so many times about his honeymoon trip to the Waldorf with mother, I was breathless to finally see my namesake.

Astrid
https://www.etsy.com/listing/94779478/
cashmere-short-sage-green-swing-coat

Nothing I had seen, or done, or read about could have compared to New York. The streets of Pittsburgh even during the evening rush were no match for an average hour on the streets of this city. Traffic, people, shops, police officers everywhere, whizzing by until we stopped outside the legendary hotel.

It towered above me, straining my neck just to look up and take it all in! The entrance was absolutely grand. Marble, staircases, the chandeliers, again people everywhere. I could see the white linen tables of the restaurant stretching out for what seemed a city block, all the uniformed staff, I wondered how they could ever run a business so huge?

Our rooms were extraordinary, each bedroom done in a different style. The bathtub called to me after the long train ride, and fresh air circulated throughout! I wondered how could they manage this?

Father and I decided to rest a while and get cleaned up, then dress for dinner, my first evening in New York awaited....astoria








By the by, to go back to the beginning and catch up to all of Astoria's adventures go to:
http://buttonbroadmemoirs.blogspot.com/2012/02/on-this-my-100th-birthday.html

The actual train ride..............

Vivian

.... to New York, on the Pennsy (that’s what everyone called the Pennsylvania Railroad) was rather un-eventful. It took somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 some hours as I remember. I watched the world go by the car windows wanting occasionally to reach out and grab a moment that went streaming by as the whistle blew, but all I could do was watch and wonder what I was missing as a cloud of steam moved in to obstruct my view.

Meals were spent of course in the dining car, with everyone dressed appropriately, trying to eat soup or sip tea as the train rocked back and forth. Anticipation fueled my sleeplessness!

We came clattering into the amazing insanity that was Grand Central Station. Oh, but the cacophony that surrounded us! It seemed everyone was moving in different directions, grabbing things, shouting, the noise of trains pulling in and pulling out. I wanted to simply stop and stare, trying to absorb it all, but that was not to be; there were places to go and much more to try and comprehend.

Vivian
https://www.etsy.com/listing/92395511/
asymmetrical-jacket-with-vintage-fur?ref=v1_other_2

By the by, I still remember the brown tweed suit I wore. It had a  wonderful fur collar and made me look much more mature. After all, I planned to be taken very seriously:















By the by, to go back to the beginning and catch up to all of Astoria's adventures go to:
http://buttonbroadmemoirs.blogspot.com/2012/02/on-this-my-100th-birthday.html