Frederick Douglass Sculpture and Water Wall — Attraction in New York

Animated expressions danced across their faces, each person with a story of their own. Coffee forgotten, he sat at the table with notebook open, pen in hand, observing the diners. His fingers drummed lightly on a novel, the dust jacket glossy and gleaming in its freshly minted state. An elderly man, he had sparse white hair which sprouted luxuriously above his ears, bushy white eyebrows, and a prominent nose that supported a small pair of silver framed glasses. He was dressed in comfortable, if somewhat-shabby clothing and his shoes had seen better days. now and again the fingers topped and his eyebrows drew together. ! galvanized into action, he wrote rapidly in his notebook, his lips moving in sync. He"d fre#uently glances up as if to check that he"d got it all, then turns the page and waits. He seemed to be in a world of his own, and yet he was watching the world. $ continued to lurk in the shadows watching him and longed to know%&inally he rose, collected his belongings, pushed the chair neatly under the table, and shuffled past me, unaware of my presence.$ took his seat, opened my notebook and...

One need only read the words written by this great American to fully appreciate why we honor him with a Circle, Boulevard and even the city's oldest public housing development on nearby West 114 Street. The Circle, refurbished after years of neglect, has indeed become a skateboarder's paradise but that is a good thing if it brings attention to the location. Maybe it is time we put Douglass' likeness on a coin or bill. Hard to believe that for many years the Ninth Avenue Elevated train cast its dark shadow over this intersection, the eastern leg of the "suicide curve." With the NE corner of the intersection now finished, the Circle on Central Park's NW corner is now new...

The scene at the Frederick Douglass traffic circle is bright with sunlight and replete with the energy of incessant traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian. At the same time, one can sit on a bench at the northwest corner of Central Park and enjoy the shade of overhanging branches and foliage. A perfect reading spot, where one can feel alone and yet part of the City's action...