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By Donna Mae Moose Kendrick
Heading the wishlist for my fall trip to New York was seeing the historic, restored Jane’s Carousel, which just opened in September in the DUMBO section
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The merry-go-round was built in 1922, originally among the attractions at an amusement park in Youngstown, Ohio. Brooklyn resident Jane Walentas purchased the decaying carousel in 1984, and began the process of restoring it, scraping away decades of paint by hand with an Xacto knife, to reveal the original carvings, color palette and designs.
I had been reading about the process of restoration for months and was so excited to know that it would be up and running when I arrived in New York. Charles and I decided to go first thing Saturday morning. The night
Jane’s Carousel is housed in a spectacular glass pavilion designed by Pritzker Prize-winning French architect Jean Nouvel. The walls act as accordion panels, which can be pulled back in warmer weather, opening the entire carousel to the summer air.
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There was a sign at the entrance that said, “Pony up/$2 to ride.” I was more
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The ride began and the music surrounded us from the perfectly restored calliope as we went round and round and up and down. The view of the river, the bridges and the park magically spun around us. The ride was only a few minutes long, but I felt like I was transported to a simpler time when all that mattered was the moment.
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