Hell's Kitchen, 34th Street Between Eleventh and Tenth Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

It's hard to make her out because she's cleverly camouflaged, but if you look very carefully, you'll be able to see a woman leaning against the stairs. Hint: her back is turned to us.

See map.

Hell's Kitchen, 34th Street Between Eleventh and Tenth Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Free of our burdens, we stolled across 34th Street and here, just off 11th Avenue, was this darling courtyard. How great to be able to keep your bike outside and protected. It's enough to make you want to live all the way over here.

The gate was ajar, so I stepped inside to get some bike shots ... ... . ......... And suddenly, a FLOCK of women swooped in and disappeared inside 545 West 34th Street.


Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Hell's Kitchen, 34th Street Between Eleventh and Twelfth Avenues

So we're pretty much caught up. These photos were taken less than a week ago, last Wednesday, when I went down to the Javits Convention Center to help Flying Lady pack up her booth in the National Stationery Show. She has a brand new company selling note cards and if you go to her website, you can see her photography and some of mine, as well (but you've already seen mine).

Her guy, Geoff, came to haul her stuff off, leaving us free to go in search of something to eat. These are taken at the side of the Center as we wait for him.



Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

You can tell, just from the look of these guys, that it's a gorgeous day, can't you?


Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

This is just one tiny corner of the Javits Center. That is one huge place.


See map.

Upper East Side, 60th Street Between Lexington and Third Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

The final shot in this little walk.

Upper East Side, 60th Street Between Lexington and Third Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Here is the appealing little Subway Inn and just a few doors down is a Subway sandwich shop. Mere coincidence, you say?




Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Lexington Avenue Between 59th and 60th Streets

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Another truck photo! I must say, I'm fond of them. The full name printed on the side of the truck is Force Transfer, which sounds oddly threatening.

Upper East Side, Lexington Avenue Between 59th and 60th Streets

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

And now for something completely different – A week ago last Tuesday, March 15, at lunchtime, I took the subway 3 stops up, got off at 59th Street and walked the rectangle of Lexington, 60th, 2nd Avenue and 59th. Nice, short, doable lunchtime walk, lovely weather. Bloomingdale's windows were filled with fuchia and red and pink frothy fabrics and ribbons.

Chinatown, Baxter Street Between Worth and Canal Streets

All-ee all-ee in-come free! Boy, am I happy to be back. These are the last photographs from the Chinatown walk on May 9. That's over two weeks ago, so I'm breaking the rule of one a night, wouldn't be the first time, because I want you to see all of these shots before we get up to date.



Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

This is Columbus Park on Baxter Street between Worth Street and Hogan Place. It was originally called Mulberry Bend Park and could as easily have been called Baxter Bend Park because it lies between the two streets, both of which bend.


Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Columbus Park between Hogan and Bayard Streets. Before this was a park, it was the site of the worst tenements in New York, according to Jacob Riis. Due to Riis's efforts the tenements were torn down in the 1890's and replaced with Mulberry Bend Park. In 1911 it was renamed Columbus Park in honor of the place where "the first footsteps of our Italian citizens were trod."



Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Canal Street at Baxter. No history here, just a Chinatown cart where the vendor is frying little cakes in a pan with circular depressions.

Bad DSL Line

This is what's going on, short story version. My DSL line is not working. For it to work again, a technician must come to my apartment to fix it. I will have to be there. They give you a day and say they will be there between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Some heated words on my part. Nevertheless, as my boss loves to say, it is what it is.

Given these conditions, next THURSday, is when someone is coming. No, they don't work weekends.

My DSL provider: Verizon

I'm posting this from the office, in case you wondered. But can't do photos from here.

Anyway, please don't forget me; check back Thursday night for a new photo.

Maybe this is god's way of giving me time to clean up my apartment.

Civic Center, Centre Street Between Hogan and Worth Streets

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Doorway to big government building. The lettering above the door says "New York State Building." That's all I know. And she ain't talkin.

See map.

Civic Center, Centre Street Between White and Hogan Streets

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

I turned on Canal Street and walked South on Centre Street. We're not in Chinatown anymore. We're in that area called Civic Center, which can most easily be defined as being those streets that contain nothing but big government buildings, mainly courts. This is the Detention Center if I read my map correctly, and the white sign on the building directs law enforcement personnel to follow certain procedures with their firearms.

I was taking shots of this building when I noticed a woman waiting for me to finish. She didn't want her picture taken, she told me, so I lowered my camera and she walked past, then stopped and stared at where I was shooting. What are you taking a picture OF, she asked. She was weaving, a bit intoxicated, and smiling. I explained about the color and the shapes and how you could look at it as if it were a painting. She just smiled and shook her head as if to say, go figure. I must say, people did seem more reluctant to have their pictures taken here than anywhere else I've been.

See map.

Chinatown, Canal Street Between Centre and Baxter Streets

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge



See map.

Chinatown, Lafayette Street at Canal

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Last Wednesday, my day off, I first went downtown to see my doctor about my continuing sciatica. For those of you unfamililar with this ailment, it involves the sciatic nerve which runs down your back, butt and leg, all the way down. And when you have sciatica, you can have pain anywhere or everywhere that nerve runs. Luckily, at this point, mine is only affecting my calf and foot and my walking, which is sometimes a limp, sometimes a hobble, and never fast. Not a good condition for someone trying to walk all the streets in Manhattan. But it WILL go away at some point and I will be a very happy girl.

After the doctor visit, I took the subway to Canal Street so I could visit the Chinese grocery store, Kam Man, on Canal Street at Mulberry. Took the long way around, walked down Centre Street, across Worth, back up Baxter to Canal and finally to Mulberry. It was a nice day, high 60's and sunny. Here's the beginning.

See map.

Washington Heights, Broadway Between 192nd and 193rd Streets

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

See map.

Washington Heights, Broadway Between Fairview Avenue and 192nd Street

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

I have to backtrack a bit tonight. Somehow, I skipped over this one; it should have come right before I turned onto West 192nd Street last Tuesday; in fact you can see the beginning of this fence in Monday's post.

See map.

Washington Heights, Broadway Between Fairview Avenue and 192nd Street

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Now, as for the guava sandwich I mentioned earlier, I had it at the Dona Carmen Bakery Cafe shown above (with the dark red canopy). It was just guava paste between two cookies, a little sweet to have with your Spanish coffee; the most exciting thing about it was the name.

Hudson Heights, Bennett Avenue at 192nd Street

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

I haven't had map talk for a while, but now it's time. 192nd Street is just too ridiculous to ignore. I hope you all have Manhattan street maps because the link below is not adequate to this discussion; it doesn't bother to number the streets past 189th. But if that's all you have, you can at least get an idea of the leap the street takes.

192nd runs west from Audubon Avenue stopping abruptly at Wadsworth Avenue, a mere two blocks long. IF 192nd continued, it would cross Wadsworth Terrace, Fairview Avenue, Broadway Terrace and finally Broadway. But it doesn't. Nevertheless, three blocks up from where it would cross Broadway IF it continued, there is a half block street which ends abruptly at Bennett Avenue and it is named 192nd Street.

You just have to wonder who was in charge of naming streets.

And wait till I get to 193rd.

This photograph is looking at the west side of Bennett Avenue from 192nd Street. Here are a couple of photographs from last September from a different perspective.

See map.

Washington Heights, Broadway Between Fairview Avenue and 192nd Street

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge


See map.

Washington Heights, Fairview Avenue between Fort George Hill and Broadway

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Here we are, almost to Broadway. Back to normalcy.



Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge


See map.

Washington Heights, Fairview Avenue between Fort George Hill and Broadway

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

If you will remember, I am walking downhill, while Wadsworth Terrace where these buildings face is going up. Thus the wall at the base is necessary. This is simple, right? Now look what happens:




Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

As the roads continued to diverge and the distance between the bottom of the building and the road increased, they put the buildings on stilts! Must've run out of concrete and stones. Below are two more photos.






Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

I just stood there photographing in amazement; meanwhile plenty of local citizens passed by without a glance. One does get used to things.

Washington Heights, Fairview Avenue between Fort George Hill and Broadway

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Isn't this remarkable? Am I too easily impressed?

I'm still on Fairview, walking down to Broadway on the right, but this street heading up is Wadsworth Terrace. This is the narrow building I said keep your eye on last night.

Okay, as I keep walking down, we're going to see the back side of these buildings. Just you wait.

See map.

Washington Heights, Fairview Avenue between Fort George Hill and Broadway

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

And now the descent. This is Fairview Avenue plunging back to Broadway and passing through some unusual sights, as you will see in the next few nights. Keep your eye on the narrow building on the left.

Naming New York says: This street does indeed afford a fair view as it winds its way down from the heights of Fort George Avenue.

See map.

Washington Heights, Fort George Hill between Dyckman Street and Fairview Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

This is pretty much the top of Fort George Hill looking back. It just doesn't seem like Manhattan to me. More like some wooded road in Virginia. If you take away the people on the sidewalk. And the apartment buildings at the bottom.

This information from Naming New York: In 1776, the American rebel forces erected a fort on Laurel Hill located approximately where today's Audubon and Fort George Avenues intersect. The British captured it and named it Fort George in honor of their king.

The Hill part of the name you can figure out for yourself.

Washington Heights, Fort George Hill between Dyckman Street and Fairview Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

This is looking back toward Dyckman. And this is a commercial car wash I just walked by. Commercial in the sense of a money making venture, complete with sign advertising hand washing and sidewalk chairs for the customers.

Across the street is Highbridge Park, which runs from Dyckman all the way to 155th Street.

See map.