West Harlem, 125th Street Between Old Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue

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

This man was tooling along in his motorized wheelchair with his dog trotting along beside him, making a nice picture in and of itself, when blam! here's these girls with their fabulous clothes, and of course, he stopped. You can see why.


Here they are, walking away.


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


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West Harlem, 125th Street Between Old Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue

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

I'm just a sucker for windows like this. If you'd like to see the entire building, go here.


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West Harlem, 125th Street Between Old Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue

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

Yes, there is an Old Broadway, two short blocks long, and there will come a day when you will see it. For now you can see it on the map, just to the left of the star.

West Harlem, Broadway between 125th and 124th Streets

This is the photograph that Blogger wouldn't let me post last night.


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

This Deli Grocery is underneath the roof shown in last night's photo.

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West Harlem, 125th Street looking east

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

Although I had my photograph for the evening last night (see last night's post), it seemed like a good idea to have a few more, so I dragged myself out for a walk after work. I got off the subway at West 125th Street where it's elevated for one stop and walked 125th Street east to St. Nicholas where I took the A train the rest of the way home. It wasn't so hard. The evening was warm, it was still light, there were people on the street, but not crowds like midtown, so I basically went for an evening stroll from one subway stop to another.

This is taken from the elevated platform looking up 125th street to the east. You can see the small old buildings on the north side of the street with businesses on the ground floors and big apartment houses on the south side with landscaping around them. That was pretty much the way it was for the whole walk.

For more views from the platform and stairs, go here.

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Inwood, 215th Street Subway Stop

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

This morning, it was like this: I was out of current photographs and had to get some today. I had had X-treme insomnia last night and was semi-comotose, longing for my bed. But here I was at the subway stop, on my way to work, toting my camera, staring blearily across the tracks. I managed to focus (my eyes) and there it was: my photograph for tonight.

Now all I had to do was get through the day.

Note: you won't see what I saw unless you enlarge it.

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Morningside Heights, Grounds of Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Amsterdam Avenue at 111th Street

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

The things you see when you're just walking around with your camera. I saw this gorgeous thing as I was walking back to the Biblical garden.

And here's a few more shots.


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




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




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


For more about the peacocks, go here.

When I got to the garden, every bench was taken, so I didn't linger. No photographs.

Morningside Heights, Amsterdam Avenue at 111th Street

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

Here's the top of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine from 111th Street. You'll have to wait until I walk 112th Street for a full frontal shot. As you can see, the cathedral is still being built. It was begun in 1892 and it is still being built. As you might imagine, there were some setbacks along the way. For the full story go here.


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

I walked onto the grounds, looking for a little garden way in the back that I remember from when I lived here. I'd come here sometimes and be the only one here. Then on September 11, 2002, Luka and I sat in the garden while inside they were reading the names of all those who died in the terror attack the year before.

Here's the side of the cathedral.

Morningside Heights, Amsterdam Avenue at 111th Street

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

Here 111th Street stops at Amsterdam Avenue and here we have this, uh, sculpture called the Peace Fountain. I've never seen anything look more unlike a peace fountain than this monstrosity. From the website Sacred Destinations: The Peace Fountain depicts the struggle of good and evil. The forces of good, embodied in the figure of the archangel Michael, triumph by decapitating Satan, whose head hangs from one side.

Decapitation for peace! There's a rallying cry.

Morningside Heights, 111th Street Between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue

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

Leafy.

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Morningside Heights, 111th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam

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

The only street, I mean block, I walked, on Sunday, was 111th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam. I used to live around the corner on 110th Street and I don't remember ever walking on this block – and therein lies its charm. There's no reason to walk there unless you live there. And hardly any reason to drive there because it ends at Amsterdam where the grounds of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine block it. So here's this lovely, leafy, quiet residential block right off Broadway where the action is and the subway is and, of course, where the Westside Supermarket is. Oh, if only I had millions.

Go here to see a couple of long shots, both looking east.

I'm showing you this shot because it's the only time I've ever seen razor wire look good.

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Upper West Side, Broadway between 110th and 111th Streets

My plan for Sunday was to get up early and go all the way downtown to the Financial District, a new district for this blog, about time, and get back home before the rains came at noon. However, I had killer insomnia Saturday night, got up late, left the house about 2, in the hottest part of the day, the rain rescheduled for 4 o'clock, and went only to 110th Street, ho hum.

BUT. When I got off the subway and looked across the street, I was overcome with joy. Westside Supermarket is back!! After 3 long years of only D'Agostino which closes at midnight or 11:00 and has inferior groceries, the much missed open 24 hours-a-day Westside has reopened. It looks disappointingly slick in its brand new high rise apartment building, but who's complaining?

I know this photograph means nothing to you, most of you, and I know it's not even a good photograph or an interesting photograph, but I have to post it. Whenever I'm filled with bitterness as yet another corner store closes, to be replaced by a bank branch, I'll return here and know that dreams can still come true.


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

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Inwood, 215th Street at Broadway

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

Now we're up to date – this shot was taken yesterday. I was heading downtown, but I couldn't resist this truck on my way to the subway. The sign on its door says Cee Cee Candy, 410 West 219th Street. If you will consult your Manhattan street maps, you will see that 219th Street is about ½ inch long. I vow that before the summer is over, I'm going to track down Cee Cee Candy.

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Washington Heights, Broadway at 173rd Street; Broadway at 172nd Street

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




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

Now to wrap it up, two corner stores on consecutive blocks on Broadway; the first at 173rd Street, the second at 172nd.

Washington Heights, Broadway at 175th Street

To remind you, it was hot and muggy and I had a headache. And now it's about 2 in the afternoon, and I'm hungry and hot and I've been walking longer than I planned because the A train was down. El Conde Steak House across the street from Rev. Ike's looked dark and cool and inviting. . .


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

You know how pork has gotten dry and flavorless since they started breeding hogs lean? El Conde has some secret source, I guess, because I had a plate of pork and beans and rice that made me remember why I used to like pork. Mighty fine. Not to mention cheap.

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Washington Heights, Broadway at 175th Street

I turned down Ft. Washington Avenue and walked to 175th Street and then over to Broadway. I have now walked all of Fort Washington Ave except one block, thank god. It is probably the most boring street in all of Manhattan. Sure enough, as soon as I walked over to Broadway, things picked up; the first thing I saw was this jaw dropping building, Christ United, Rev. Ike. A little research revealed it was built as the Loew's 175th movie theater in 1930.



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



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

Here's a detail. This was a movie theater. Compare to, say, Film Forum.



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

And here's a shot from the side of the building. As you can see from the first shot, the street at the side is closed off for a festive looking market called La Plaza de las Americas. However, attendance was sparse and the merchandise was ordinary.


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Washington Heights, 179th Street Between Pinehurst and Ft. Washington Avenues

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

Now here's a classic scene: beautiful fabric hanging outside a city window.

Both last night's and tonight's shots are not of the street, but looking into courtyards from the street.

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Washington Heights, 179th Street Between Cabrini Boulevard and Pinehurst Avenue

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

At 179th Street, Cabrini abruptly ends as it runs into the entrance (or exit) to the George Washington Bridge. In the first block of 179th Street, I saw these boys though the lattice work of a metal gate. I took a shot and then they noticed me and ran over and opened the gate for me. I came in and stood on a side platform to shoot some more photographs of them and then I thanked them and left and shut the gate which locked behind me. If you'd like to see them in the initial shots as they ran to let me in, click here. I don't know why they did it unless they were just being polite. Aren't they beautiful?

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Washington Heights, Cabrini Boulevard between 181st and 180th Streets

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




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




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

I'm breaking the rules and posting three photographs tonight because I have to fit a lot of photographs in before next Saturday because by that time it will be more than 2 weeks since they were taken, and that rule overrides the one photograph rule. (But you knew that.) Also, I love these three and they go together well. This is probably my favorite kind of photograph. And even you folks who object to trucks and cars have got to love this little cutie.

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Washington Heights, Cabrini Boulevard at 181st Street

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

This is at the beginning of my walk, Saturday, June 2. It was hot and muggy and I had a headache, so it wasn't thrilling and delightful, as usual, it was just a workaday walk, slogging along, doing my job, and getting some good shots. It's just my job.

We're back up in Washington Heights, which is not at all like SoHo, but it has its charms. I had just had my hair cut on 181st Street and decided to walk down Cabrini and over to Ft. Washington, then Broadway to the subway at 169.

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SoHo, West Broadway Between Prince and Houston Streets

Let me apologize on behalf of Verizon, my incompetent DSL provider. I have been out of service since Thursday night because there was a big problem and they were reconnecting people one at a time. Obviously, I wasn't high on their list. That's Verizon. V-E-R-I-Z-O-N.



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

I'm going to have to catch up again, leave out some shots, but I did want to show you this one before we leave SoHo.

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SoHo, West Broadway Between Prince and Houston Streets

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

This is the sight that caused us to haul our cameras out. Not just the sculpture based on the famous 1932 photo, but the crazy pink wall they're facing. For more information about the sculpture and sculptor go here.

You say you want to see the front? Okay, here's a partial view.

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

SoHo, West Broadway at Prince Street

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

A week ago Saturday, May 26, FL and I went to Pearl Paint on Canal Street and then we walked up through SoHo and had dinner at the Cupping Room Café which was lovely and uncrowded because this was Memorial Day weekend and half the city was somewhere else, bless their travelin' hearts. And then we strolled up West Broadway, thinking about an iced cappuccino. It was a summery evening, my favorite kind of evening, with the delicious feeling of breezes on my skin and feeling warm and cool at the same time.

We had our cameras with us because I'd asked her to photograph me reading in the subway, but we weren't shooting in the streets, just strolling. We got to the block between Prince and Houston, looked at each other and took our cameras out. You'll see why tomorrow night. Tonight this is one of the shots I took first to establish where we were. Not that this one does. You have to be able to read the street signs.

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Hell's Kitchen, 33rd Street Between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues

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

There's the starkness of the streets (see yesterday) and then there's this. I'm thinking this would make a good jigsaw puzzle.

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Hell's Kitchen, 33rd Street Between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues

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

Continuing the walk of May 23.

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Hell's Kitchen, Tenth Avenue Between 34th and 33rd Streets

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

Twenty years ago, our hero would have been standing here, looking moodily into the distance with a cigarette in his mouth. Now it's a cell phone. There's just no romance anymore.

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

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

And across the street from subtle lady is this rather more dramatic scene (relatively). Birches in New York? I didn't know.

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