The New York Times - USA (2020-07-26)

6 REMB THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, JULY 26, 2020

The woman behind the “I Love New York”
campaign is leaving New York — for now.
Mary Wells Lawrence, who became one
of the most successful women in advertis-
ing during a long and storied career, has re-
located to London and is now selling her
main residence on the Upper East Side. Her
ubiquitous New York slogan (stylized with
a heart designed by Milton Glaser) helped
burnish the city’s tarnished image in the fi-
nancial crisis of the 1970s.
The asking price for her 4,920-square-
foot duplex on the 38th and 39th floors of 515
Park Avenue is $27.95 million, according to
the listing brokers, Steven Cohen of Doug-
las Elliman Real Estate and Paddy Dring of
Knight Frank. The sale includes a storage
unit, as well as a 717-square-foot two-bed-
room apartment and a 270-square-foot stu-
dio on the third floor, both of which were
used as staff quarters. (Monthly carrying
costs for the three units are $25,292.)
Ms. Lawrence, 92, who was born in Ohio
but spent many of her years in Manhattan,
says she will always love New York, which
she considers her adopted city, and won’t
rule out an eventual return. “When I creat-
ed the ‘I Love New York’ campaign, it was-
n’t just advertising,” she said, “it was for
real. I’ll be back.”
For now, though, she said she was long
overdue for a change of scenery. “I’m an
older person who wants to have different
experiences,” Ms. Lawrence, who is cur-
rently working on a second book, said from
her new “theatrical modern” duplex apart-
ment on the north side of Hyde Park. “I’ve
done a lot of different things in my life, but
never for fun.”
Ms. Lawrence co-founded the Wells Rich
Greene advertising agency in the
mid-1960s, becoming the first woman chief
executive of a company listed on the New
York Stock Exchange. There, she oversaw
some of the most memorable ads of the 20th
century. In addition to the New York City
campaign, they included the “Plop plop, fizz
fizz” jingle for Alka-Seltzer and the “Trust
the Midas Touch” and “Flick Your Bic” slo-
gans. Last month she received the presti-
gious Cannes Lions lifetime achievement
award for her creativity, becoming the first
female recipient.
Ms. Lawrence, who has had numerous
homes around the world over the years,
bought the Park Avenue apartments for
nearly $18.8 million in 2005, about three

years after the death of her husband, Har-

ding L. Lawrence, who was chairman and

chief executive of Braniff International Air-

ways and once an advertising client. By

then, her ad agency had long been shut-

tered, having ceased operations in 1998 af-

ter a sale to Boulet Dru Dupuy Petit.

It was at the New York duplex, she said,

where she felt a special connection to the

city, surrounded by sweeping views of Park

Avenue, Central Park and Midtown Man-

hattan. “It was so New York, that apart-

ment,” she said, and because of its loftlike

layout, was “very easy to have friends there

and entertain.” Ms. Lawrence hosted par-

ties there with “presidents, corporate

heads, people in the theater and Holly-

wood” in attendance, though she declined to

name any of them.

The home’s lower level, which includes

the entertaining space, is entered through a

private elevator bank that leads to a spa-

cious central gallery. A double-height float-

ing staircase of steel, glass and wood — “a

piece of art onto itself,” Mr. Cohen said —

separates the formal dining area from the

large corner living room, which measures

30 by 20 feet and is anchored by a wood-

burning fireplace. The uncluttered open

space comfortably fits a Yamaha grand pi-

ano (no, Ms. Lawrence doesn’t play), along

with contemporary furnishings by Billy

Baldwin, a favorite interior designer who

died in 1983.

Off the dining area is a windowed eat-in

kitchen outfitted with a center island, stain-

less-steel countertops and appliances,

custom walnut cabinets and a butler’s

pantry. And beyond the living room is a li-

brary with floor-to-ceiling, rift-sawn white

oak bookshelves. There is also a powder

room off the gallery.

There are four bedrooms upstairs, each

with an en suite bath. The 23-by-14-foot

main suite features a roomy walk-in closet

and a spalike bathroom of honed granite

and marble with a separate soaking tub.

Throughout the apartment are high ceil-

ings, wide-plank oak floors and numerous

oversize windows. “You have light coming

in from all directions,” Mr. Cohen said.

The 43-story, limestone tower on the cor-

ner of 515 Park Avenue and 60th Street con-

tains 35 apartments. The building, devel-

oped by Zeckendorf Development and com-

pleted in 2000, offers numerous amenities,

including a catering kitchen, fitness center

and wine cellar storage.

Notable building residents have included

the Broadway producer-director Hal Prince

(who bought his unit from L. A. Reid, the

record producer and former judge on “The

X Factor” TV show); Jon S. Corzine, the for-

mer governor of New Jersey; and Christo-

pher H. Browne, the former managing di-

rector of the mutual fund company Tweedy,

Browne (whose estate reportedly sold his

home to Alice Walton, an heir to the Wal-

mart fortune).

Mary Wells Lawrence leaves

for London, but her famous

slogan will always stay here.

DAVID DUPUY OF DAVID DUPUY STUDIOS

‘When I created the

“I Love New York”

campaign, it wasn’t just

advertising.’

Exclusive

She Still Loves the Big City, Though She’s Selling Her Big Place

By VIVIAN MARINO

Clockwise from top, the double-height

staircase of Mary Wells Lawrence’s Upper East

Side apartment; one of its Manhattan views;

one of the four bedrooms; and the living room,

which has a wood-burning fireplace.

TOP, ABOVE AND BELOW, ZOE WETHERALL OF VHT STUDIOS

As soon as I get used to the towering stacks
of fragrant peaches and plump berries at
the farmers’ market, the summer season
comes to an end, and they’re gone. It always
seems to go by in the blink of an eye.
A few pieces of equipment make it possi-
ble to cheat the laws of nature and preserve
peak-season summer produce so it can be
enjoyed long after the growing season is

over. Nothing fights off my winter blues
more than savoring flavorful peaches dur-
ing those cold, gray months.
If the word preservingconjures images of
toiling over Mason jars in a sweltering
kitchen, don’t fret. There are plenty of ways
to safely preserve food that are less labor
intensive than home canning or fermenting.
Whether you want to turn berries into fruit
leather, dry slices of apples and mangoes, or
freeze a bumper crop of tomatoes, here’s the
best gear for preserving food at home, no
matter your skill level.

A Dehydrator
If you want to make fruit leathers, dry
berries to plop in your morning cereal or en-
sure that the herbs from your garden don’t
go to waste, you’ll want a dehydrator. Al-
though you can use your oven in a pinch, it
can be hard to keep it at the sub-200-degree
Fahrenheit temperatures necessary for
drying. A dehydrator, which pushes hot air
at a controlled temperature through several
trays of food, is more efficient and consis-
tent.
Keep in mind that although the actual de-
hydrating process is mostly hands-off, pre-
paring food for drying can be hard work,
since you’ll need to clean, peel and slice a
mountain of produce to get a decent yield.
Dehydrators are also bulky, so they’re not
ideal for small kitchens.
However, avid gardeners, hunters or any-
one who regularly buys fresh produce in
bulk at farm stands will benefit from the
Nesco FD-1018A Gardenmaster Dehydra-

tor (about $110), which holds eight trays of

food. In our tests it dried everything evenly

without needing to be monitored or re-

arranged to achieve even drying.

We also recommend the Samson Silent 6-

Tray Dehydrator (about $115), which auto-

matically shuts off and can accommodate

larger items like flowers. However, this

model requires you to shuffle the trays mid-

way through drying.

A Vacuum Sealer

Vacuum-sealing is one of the fastest and

easiest ways to store fruit and vegetables at

peak ripeness, whether you’re refrigerating

or freezing. It can also help dried fruit and

nuts stay fresh longer in the pantry. The

seal removes most of the oxygen around the

food, slowing deterioration caused by aero-

bic bacterial growth. It also protects

produce from freezer burn, so that those

berries, peaches and nectarines still taste

fresh when baked in a pie months later.

It’s best to freeze moist fruit and produce

on baking sheets before vacuum-sealing, to

prevent any liquid from being sucked into

the vacuum chamber, which can damage

the machine.

The Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer

ANVS01-US00 (about $80) is one of the qui-

etest models I’ve tested, and it creates se-

cure seals that can withstand months in the

freezer. The Anova’s narrow shape also

makes it easy to store in a drawer, which is

especially convenient in my tiny kitchen.

Baking Sheets

As we noted above, the best way to freeze

produce, such as whole peeled tomatoes,

peach slices, bananas, berries or peas, is to

spread it out in a single layer on a baking

sheet. After it’s frozen, you can vacuum-seal

or bag the ingredients loose, so they don’t

end up as a solid brick in your freezer. If you

plan to freeze produce with a high water

content, it’s best to first line the baking

sheets with parchment paper, to prevent

sticking.

I’ve been using the sturdy Nordic Ware

Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker’s

Half Sheet (about $12) in my kitchen for

years. It’s also available in quarter-sheet

and eighth-sheet sizes, which I find handy

for small-scale baking or freezing tasks.

A Wide Pan

Unless you regularly make preserves,

there’s no need to spend a fortune on a de-

luxe jam pan (a wide pan designed to en-

courage evaporation when cooking jams

and jellies). Any large pan that’s a couple of

inches deep — like the Tramontina

Gourmet 3-Quart Deep Saute Pan (about

$65) — can be used for making jam.

I’ve been cooking with Tramontina cook-

ware in the Wirecutter test kitchen for over

four years, and its fully clad tri-ply con-

struction evenly distributes heat, making

the pan less prone to hot spots. The deep

sauté pan is a versatile piece of cookware

that can be used for a lot more than making

jam. It’s great for everything from braising

to shallow pan-frying.

Pro tip: When you’re making preserves

that have thicker consistencies, like apple

butter, a splatter screen will help keep your

stovetop clean and prevent your arms and

face from getting sprayed with hot fruit

while you’re stirring.

Mason Jars

To safely can jam, fruit and vegetables at

home using a water-bath canner (a lidded

pot that’s large enough to cover jars by at

least one inch of boiling water), you’ll need

to pick up some Mason jars. They come in a

variety of sizes, and their three-part con-

struction — a glass jar, a lid with a sealing

compound and a screw band — is designed

to safely preserve food.

Though canning food is often time-con-

suming, it’s rewarding because it allows

you to customize flavors to your liking. If

you’re new to home canning, or you need a

refresher, refer to the National Center for

Home Food Preservation’s website before

you begin, to avoid the risk of food-borne ill-

ness.

If you’re not planning to do water-bath

canning, Mason jars can still be used for

countertop fermenting or making your own

liqueurs, like limoncello.

A Blender

A blender may not seem like an obvious

piece of equipment for preserving, but it’s

the only tool that can make silky smooth

purées for fruit leather or fruit butters. It’s

also handy for other purées like pesto,

which you can pour into ice cube trays and

freeze. The cubes can be bagged or vacuum-

sealed, then used for individual portions lat-

er.

The best blender we’ve tested is the Vita-

mix 5200, which is a favorite in many pro-

fessional kitchens and juice bars. At about

$440, the Vitamix is expensive, but its pow-

erful motor purées thick mixtures that most

blenders can’t handle, and it’s backed by an

impressive seven-year warranty. A cheaper

option, like the KitchenAid 5-Speed Dia-

mond Blender, isn’t as powerful but will get

the job done.

Preserving the Taste of Summer All Year Round

Drying and storing fruits and

vegetables can be easier than

you think, even for beginners.

Above, some of the devices

you’ll need to preserve produce

for use long after the hot

weather ends.

EVAN SUNG FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Do you want to fight the

winter blues? Then plan

ahead now.

By MICHAEL SULLIVAN

WIRECUTTER

.......................................................................................
This list is adapted from Wirecutter, the New
York Times company that reviews and recom-
mends products.