Proclaiming their eternal love on an ancient outcropping of the Hartland formation at Pelham Bay Park
The former waterfront entrance to some old estate in Pelham Bay Park?
This "massive salvaged limestone sculpture" once "adorned a temple-like niche in Rice Stadium", a recreational facility built in the early 1920s here in Pelham Bay Park as a gift from Julia Rice (she of Society for the Suppression of Unnecessary Noise fame) in honor of her late husband Isaac. The crumbling stadium was deemed a safety hazard and demolished in 1989, but the American Boy was rescued, restored, and reinstalled near a new running track in the park. The original plaque on the statue read as follows:
YOUTH IS ENTITLED TO FREEDOM
THE FUTURE OF CIVILIZATION DEPENDS
UPON OUR CHILDREN. IT IS
ESSENTIAL IF WE CAN HOPE FOR HUMAN
PROGRESS, THAT CHILDREN SHOULD BE
UNFETTERED BY THE DOMINATION
AND THE CONVENTIONS OF THE PAST.
WE OWE TO YOUTH AN UNTRAMMELED
HAPPINESS GUIDED BUT NOT STULTIFIED
BY STERN OBEDIENCE TO RIGID
RULES SET DOWN BY THEIR ELDERS.
THE PROPER SPIRIT OF PLAY MUST BE
ENCOURAGED; IT IS THE NATURAL
INSTINCT OF THE YOUNG.
HEALTHY CLEAN MIND IN A STRONG
CLEAN BODY IS THE IDEAL
FOR WHICH WE SHOULD STRIVE.
John is one of about 250 relic hunters issued metal detector permits by the Parks Department each year. (Here's a terrific article about metal detecting in city parks.) In addition to this ring, he found several other items today, including a 1944 Mercury dime and an 1898 Indian Head penny. He was very enthusiastic about answering my questions and encouraged me to take up the hobby, telling me it's a great way to meet girls!
Seen by relatively few people, thanks to its out-of-the-way location in Pelham Bay Park, this soaring World War I memorial is one of the city's most striking monuments. Here's a beautiful close-up of Winged Victory at the top of the column, and here's a shot of the inscription at its base.
at Co-op City and the Northeast Corridor rail bridge
This mile-long inlet was the site of the 1964 US Olympic rowing trials, and, as you can see, it's still a popular spot with the oar-bearing crowd.
