New York State of Mind : The Making Of
In the mid 1970's, when New York City was on the verge of economic collapse, one might have expected an artist to write a song about the once-great city’s imminent demise. Instead, Billy Joel wrote "New York State of Mind," a love letter expressing his passion for the city. In this equally challenging time, we realized that this song was precisely the rally cry that New York needs. And so, with Billy’s support and approval, we set out to create an all-new recording and music video that we hope will inspire, lift the spirits of New Yorkers, and motivate them toward civic action.
Anais Reno
The Locations
Birdland
The Steinway Factory
Coney Island Pier
Birdland Jazz Club, named after iconic saxophone player Charlie “Bird” Parker, opened its doors in 1949. In its many decades of operation, Birdland has been home to iconic headliners including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, and Quincy Jones. Birdland remains one of the most famous jazz clubs in the world.
Coney Island Pier
The Steinway Factory
Coney Island Pier
Coney Island was a farming community until the 1880's when developers envisioned a seaside resort and hotels were built. Soon, railroads connected the area to the City and beyond with the idea that this could become a posh summer resort like Saratoga, with race courses, fancy hotels and restaurants. Needless to say, it has changed quite a bit over time to be a world-famous amusement park with The Cyclone, the world's first rollercoaster still fully functioning today. And of course the iconic Wonder Wheel, designed and built by by Charles Hermann in 1920, designated an official New York City landmark in 1989, and still as popular as ever today.
The Steinway Factory
The Steinway Factory
The Steinway Factory
Steinway & Sons was founded in 1853 by German immigrant Henry Engelhard Steinway in a Manhattan loft on Varick Street. Eventually, they moved the factory from Manhattan to Queens Astoria Queens to an area which came to be known as "Steinway Village." Every single piano made in the Steinway Factory is hand crafted and takes at least 9 months.The STEINWAY has become the choice of ninety-eight percent of concert pianists, none of whom are compensated to endorse the instrument.
Russ & Daughters
Russ & Daughters
The Steinway Factory
For over 100 years, Russ & Daughters has been an integral part of the history of New York City and Jewish food. Joel Russ, an immigrant from Poland, opened the store in 1914 on Orchard Street, but moved to its current location on Houston Street in 1920. Having no sons, Joel Russ required his three lovely daughters — Hattie, Ida, and Anne — to work in the store from the time they were teenagers. In 1935, he made his daughters full partners and changed the name to Russ & Daughters, a bold and controversial move. Russ & Daughters expanded with the opening of a store in The Jewish Museum in 2015 , and in Brooklyn at the Navy Yard in 2019. Visit their site to learn more.
Brooklyn Museum
Russ & Daughters
Brooklyn Museum
With roots extending back to 1823, the Brooklyn Museum is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States with an encyclopedic collection representing more than 5,500 years of artistic creativity. The Brooklyn Museum is both a leading cultural institution and a community museum dedicated to serving a wide-ranging audience. Located in the heart of Brooklyn, the Museum welcomes and celebrates the diversity of its home borough and city.
Red Hook Winery
Russ & Daughters
Brooklyn Museum
Founded in 2008 by Mark Snyder, The Red Hook Winery aims to uncover and highlight the best vineyard sites in New York state. All Red Hook Wine is produced from grape to bottle at our winery on Pier 41. Winemaker Christopher Nicolson and consulting winemakers Robert Foley and Abe Schoener aim to produce wines that reflect the climate, geology, and viticulture that make New York unlike any other growing region in the world. The Tasting Room at The Red Hook Winery boasts amazing views of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan across the sparkling East River and offers all 150 labels of Red Hook Wine as well as by the glass and tasting flights. Visit their site for more info.
Ed Sullivan Theater
Maimonides Park/Brooklyn Cyclones Stadium
La Casita De Chema / Rincon Criollo
The Ed Sullivan Theater has been used as a venue for live and taped CBS broadcasts since 1936. It is historically known as the home of The Ed Sullivan Show and the The Beatles' debut performance in the United States.Since 1993, it has been home to CBS' late night talk show, The Late Show. CBS began using the theater during David Letterman's tenure as host, and Stephen Colbert retained it when he took over the show in 2015. It is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the interior has been designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
La Casita De Chema / Rincon Criollo
Maimonides Park/Brooklyn Cyclones Stadium
La Casita De Chema / Rincon Criollo
La Casita de Chema, officially known as the Centro Cultural Rincón Criollo, on Brook Ave. at 157th St., is one of the oldest casitas in the city. For two generations, La Casita de Chema has been a breeding ground for Puerto Rican musicians and a place for community members to practice and share in the music.
Maimonides Park/Brooklyn Cyclones Stadium
Maimonides Park/Brooklyn Cyclones Stadium
Maimonides Park/Brooklyn Cyclones Stadium
The stadium opened in 2001 with a capacity of 6,500. The opening of the park, and the Cyclones' permanent move there from their prior temporary home in Queens, marked the return of professional baseball to Brooklyn for the first time since MLB's Brooklyn Dodgers had played their last game at Ebbets Field in 1957 before moving to California. Demand for Cyclones tickets was so great that the team added 1,000 seats in a right-field bleacher pavilion within three weeks after the park opened.
Open Jar Studios
Columbia University
Maimonides Park/Brooklyn Cyclones Stadium
Open Jar Studios is home to the largest studios in New York City, for rehearsals, auditions, classes and support offices for theatre, dance, and film productions of all sizes. 21 column-free rehearsal studios overlook Times Square across two full floors located on the corner of Broadway and 48th Street. In addition to rehearsal space, Open Jar Studios is home to The Open Jar Institute. The institute is now in its 17th year, providing training and instruction for aspiring artists and professionals. Visit their site to learn more.
Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University is one of the world's most distinguished schools and center of research. Located in Manhattan, the University capitalizes on its NYC location by connecting its research and teaching to the vast resources of the city. The University draws students and faculty from around the world creating a diverse environment and strategic relationships with countries at all over the world.Visit their site to learn more.
Grand Army Plaza
Columbia University
Columbia University
Grand Army Plaza, located in Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn, was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux as a grand entrance to the Prospect Park. In 1926, the plaza, previously known as Prospect Park Plaza, was renamed Grand Army Plaza to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the foundation of the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army and other military services who served in the American Civil War. Today, it is a central NYC subway station stop and is home to one of the city's largest farmer's markets.
Tom's Restaurant
Times Square/Midtown
Times Square/Midtown
Tom’s Restaurant is a family-owned restaurant that has been proudly serving since the 1940s located on the corner of Broadway and West 112th Street in New York. The restaurant inspired Suzanne Vega’s 1987 song "Tom’s Diner," and reached iconic status when the exterior of the building was used in "Seinfeld" to establish the local diner where Jerry and friends regularly met.
Times Square/Midtown
Times Square/Midtown
Times Square/Midtown
Spanning from West 42nd Street to West 47th Street, Times Square is a major tourist and commercial destination in midtown Manhattan. Times Square is the center of NYC’s Theatre District, and is home to 39 Broadway theatres. Approximately 50 million people visit Times Square every year.
Times Square/Midtown