Two Ways to Commemorate Memorial Day on the Upper West Side
The Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Thanks to James for the photo.
This Memorial Day won’t have the same activities as past remembrances, but there are still ways to pay your respects.
The annual Memorial Day commemoration at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at 89th Street in Riverside Park will be a little different. This year, they will not have hundreds of people, including active service members, at the event. But the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Association plans to lay wreaths and raise the flag at the memorial at 11 a.m., and the public is invited to watch, according to Association President Peter Galasinao.
And at 7 p.m., the Cathedral of St. John the Divine at Amsterdam Avenue and 112th Street, will host a concert with the New York Philharmonic. “Outdoor seating for fully-vaccinated individuals will be available on the Cathedral’s Pulpit Green, and the performance will be livestreamed for free on NYPhil+, on the Philharmonic’s Facebook and YouTube channels, and on the Cathedral’s website and Facebook page…Registration online is suggested, but will not guarantee entry onto the Pulpit Green. Visitors are invited to begin lining up at 4pm and doors will open at 5pm. The concert will begin promptly at 7pm. For more information, please visit https://www.stjohndivine.org/
It is very sad that this monument to our nation’s heroes is rotting away. I wish there was something done about this. I know it is not cheap, but there are plenty of billionaires around town who could easily foot the bill.
Do you know that this is a monument to the soldiers and sailors of the Civil War?
While we tend to think of 20th century wars, Memorial Day, and this monument, go back to the much earlier war – America against itself.
When will our local politicians bestir themselves to provide the $20 million + to fund the repair of the Monument and begin the work?