Upper West Side, Amsterdam Avenue at 84th Street

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………….…………… ………………….. click to enlarge


Ah.  Le Pain Quotidien across the street.  I bet they have hot coffee.  Yes, they do, you can sit at their communal table, get yourself a latte, it comes in a bowl like in Paris, and you pay, um, with tax and tip, you pay $5.00.  Bit steep, but I had to have it.  The bowls are good for warming your hands.

And this, my friends, is the end of this walk, as I went straight home after this.  Who knows if I will get out tomorrow?  Not I.  I can't shake this cold and if it's bad outside, I'm staying inside.  We'll see.

Upper West Side, 84th Street Between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………….…………… ………………….. click to enlarge

This is the playground next to the Sarah Anderson Elementary School, and that boy is making it hard for you to believe my claim that I was getting really cold.  But I was!  He's more active than I was.  In fact, I was standing still.  Anyway, whether you believe me or not, I was on the lookout for hot coffee and a place to sit down.

Upper West Side, 84th Street Between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………….…………… ………………….. click to enlarge

So the building we saw last night with no windows is P.S. 9, Sarah Anderson Elementary School.  I thought I would just complain about the architecture and leave it at that, but I discovered there is much to know about this school.  I was entraced to see that the Wikipedia article (follow the above link) has a lengthy discussion of the architecture (wouldn't you know it was built in the 1960's).  It also states that before this block was razed in preparation for building this school and the Louis D. Brandeis High School across the street (see below), it was known as "The Worst Block in New York."  As for who Sarah Anderson was, she was a single mother of 3 children, and a "beloved school paraprofessional" for whom the school was named when she died in 1981 at the age of 59.


Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………….…………… ………………….. click to enlarge

The Louis D. Brandeis High School.  Quick, who was Louis Brandeis?  U.S. Supreme Court Justice from 1916-1939, and,

as Justice William O. Douglas wrote, “Brandeis was a militant crusader for social justice whoever his opponent might be. He was dangerous not only because of his brilliance, his arithmetic, his courage. He was dangerous because he was incorruptible. . . [and] the fears of the Establishment were greater because Brandeis was the first Jew to be named to the Court."

Upper West Side, Columbus Avenue at 84th Street

X


Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………….……...……… ………………….. click to enlarge

I'm standing on the corner, waiting to cross Columbus Avenue, so that's the northwest corner we're looking at, from 84th Street, looking up to 85th.  Below, you will see what's on the southwest corner.  But this isn't a bad looking block, right?


Now:




Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………..….…………… ………………….. click to enlarge

Ugh!  What were they thinking?  And wait till you see what it is.  Tomorrow night, after I cross the street.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned how Verizon won't transmit email with hyperlinks in it, remember?  At the time, I wasn't thinking about how that meant that I wouldn't get notification of comments left on this blog because Blogger includes a link. 

That means that I would never see comments left on older posts.

Now Verizon has backed down because yesterday I started getting the notifications again.  One of them was a link to a comment on a December 2007 post.  And by a fortunate coincidence, there was another one on that same post that was sent the week before, which I never saw and probably never would have.  From someone who used to live there asking me a question!

So if anyone is wondering why I haven't answered their comment, that's why.  Send it again.  And curse Verizon.

Upper West Side, 84th Street Between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2010 ………………….…………… ………………….. click to enlarge

Yes, there are brownstones and townhouses on this block, too.  Can you spot the two identical buildings?  Well, almost identical; I think there've been a couple of changes over time.  Hint:  they're not next to each other.

Upper West Side, 84th Street Between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2009 ……… ………………….. click to enlarge

This, my friends, is a church, the Church of St Matthew and St Timothy.  Now, why would anyone make a church look like this?  Because it was built in the 60s is why.  For some reason, architechture was just butt ugly in the 60s, without meaning to be.  Lincoln Center is maybe the saddest example of the architecture of this misguided decade.  We spent a lot of money to make this big impressive art center and ended up with a bunch of godawfullooking buildings that make you cringe to enter them.  Hard to explain. 

Upper West Side, 84th Street Between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………….                    … ………………….. click to enlarge

Now, walking back to Broadway on 84th Street, we see Rodeph Sholom Day School; it's around the corner from the synagogue and might even back up to it.  This is one of three locations for the day school; this one is for pre-kindergarten through first grade.  Imagine being in first grade and being top dog!  Looking down at all those babies.  When I was in first grade, that was the absolute bottom.  We looked up to the mighty sixth graders.

See map.

Upper West Side, 83rd Street at Central Park West

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………….…………… ……..…………….. click to enlarge

Looking to the east there, at Central Park West, we see a slab of Manhattan schist, pronounced just as it's spelled, to rhyme with list.  To schist we owe our skyscrapers, because that's the foundation they stand on, and to schist we owe (when we take the time to acknowlege it) our connection with the real world.  That is, the world that would be here without us.  And was here before us. 

Well, I admit I watched the State of the Union address with a bottle of really good pinot noir, and so I'm perhaps a little more out there than usual.  Good speech, right?  I do like a good speech.

Here's a link to Rock Trails in Central Park which has an introductory paragraph on how New Yorkers don't know compass directions, and advises us to think uptown and downtown instead.  Keep going, though, and you'll find a good geological guide to rocks in Central Park.

See map.

Upper West Side, 83rd Street Between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………….…………… ………………….. click to enlarge


So I was walking along this typical Upper West Side side street with its brownstones and small apartment buildings when up ahead loomed this majestic, smooth, white, very large edifice.  It is the synagogue of the Congregation Rodeph Sholom, a Reform congregation.  You probably know that Reform Jews are the most liberal religious Jews, but maybe you'd like to know more exactly the differences between Reform, Orthodox and Conservative. Fortunately, there's Judaism 101 to help us out.  Or for a more succinct statement on Reform Judaism click here.

This congregation formed in 1842 on the Lower East Side, then moved to Lexington and 63rd Street in 1891, and finally to this location in 1930.  The building was designed by "renowned architect" Charles B. Meyers, although if he's not to be found in Wikipedia, how renowned could he be?

See map.

Upper West Side, 83rd Street Between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West

I could've taken more photographs of this glossy crimson van parked in front of the dusty rose building, but I figured I could only justify posting about three.  Aren't they delicious?



Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………….…………… ………..………….. click to enlarge







Mary Sargent © 2009 ……………………….. click to enlarge








Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………………….. click to enlarge

Upper West Side, 83rd and Columbus Ave.

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………….…………… ………………….. click to enlarge

Here on the north-east corner of 83rd and Columbus, is West Side Wine, which I thought was just your regular old neighborhood wine store.  Un uh.  If I'd paid more attention, I would have seen books in the window with The Wine Guy on the front.  This is The Wine Guy's home!  Well, I'd never heard of The Wine Guy either, but I've now put his book on my wish list and the next time I'm in the neighborhood, I'm definitely stopping in.

Sorry I missed my post last night.  I had a fresh cold and, I don't know about you, but one of the first symptoms I get is an overpowering urge to go to bed.  So that's what I did.  Today it's just a regular cold.


See map.

Upper West Side, 83rd Street at Columbus Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………….. click to enlarge

There are a few benefits to shooting in winter.  Well, at least, one.  It's that trees are more interesting with bare branches.  And in this shot we also have contrast:  white branches against the dark building and dark branches against the sky.

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I just reedited the two photos I posted half-assed when Blogger was malfunctioning.  Now you can enlarge them and I recommend you do that now.  They're better that way.

Upper West Side, 83rd Street Between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………….…………...… ………………….. click to enlarge

Isn't this a pretty door with its embellished crossbars?  Who makes them, anyway?  And why can't I find history for New York firehouses?  Oh, there's a kind of random history, but I want-- wait a minute, here's the NYgov website with history: 

ORGANIZED 207 W. 77th St. (Jun. 1, 1901)
PRESENT QUARTERS 120 W. 83rd St. (Oct. 5, 1992)

And that's it.  Well, at least we know it wasn't at this location until 1992.  Within our lifetimes.  Most of us.  So what did they do?  Take an existing building and insert this door into it?  I guess.  I wish I'd seen it.

Upper West Side, 83rd Street Between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………….…………… ………………….. click to enlarge

Well, look at this.  Blogger is broke for the moment, well, for the last two days, actually, and everyone is reporting they can't post their photos from Picasa in the usual way.  This one got here in a workaround and I can't format it as I usually do, with the text starting out underneath.  That's why last night's photo had no text.  Last night I was newly frustrated and finally just gave up.  But tonight I gave in.

New walk, at last! Blue skies! Mild weather! Well, it felt that way at first. After therapy on West 86th Street, I stopped by the post office on 83rd Street and mailed my last Christmas present. Done! Then I walked 83rd to Central Park West, up to 84th and back to Broadway, although I stopped photographing at Amsterdam and 84th. I was cold. Yes, I know it was in the 30's and people were walking around with their coats unbuttoned, but it was windy, and after you're out in it for a while, your bare fingers start feeling icy.

This shot was taken after I left the post office. That's the post office garage next to the school playground.

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1/22/10 - Yay, Blogger is fixed.  So I reformatted this post so it doesn't look all funny any more.

See map.

Upper West Side, 105th Street at Broadway

Mary Sargent © 2009 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

This is the final shot of this April 5 pre-dinner walk. Toast has replaced Carne. What was there before Carne? Do you remember, Luka? I haven't been to Toast yet; Henry's, right across the street, always exerts its magnetic draw. However, as frugality sets in, I should probably give it a try.

The link to Toast is to its Morningside Heights location; there is nothing online about this 105th Street site. Apparently the food uptown is good, but the servers are rude.

Have you noticed how this building has been stripped of half of its façade? I confess I looked at it a long time before I noticed. People, we must notice more! Beginning with me; after all, I'm the artist. Not that you aren't; I just mean, let's see, I mean I'm the artist-in-charge, here.

See map.

Upper West Side, 105th Street Between West End Avenue and Broadway

Mary Sargent © 2009 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

By now, Luka has met up with me and she says, oh, this is a nice building; Madeleine L'Engle used to live here. Christopher Gray mentions the Cleburne in Streetscapes and especially likes this "great drive-through entrance". But what that means, I do not know.

See map.

Upper West Side, 105th Street Between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………….…….. click to enlarge

The Historic District just scoops out these white stone buildings and that's it for the south side of the block. See how the individual houses are the same only different? The two end buildings at one end pretty much match the two end buildings at the other and then the next two do the same and then the center two have big bowed fronts. Luka said when she saw them some years ago, flowers were all over the balconies. And maybe they will be again this year if it EVER GETS WARM.



Mary Sargent © 2009 ……….. click to enlarge


These two buildings are the second and third buildings from the left.


See map.

Upper West Side, 105th Street Between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2009 ..……………………….. click to enlarge




Mary Sargent © 2009 ..……………………….. click to enlarge

On page 3 of this link is a map of the historic district, showing that most of the north side of 105th street is included in the District, but since I was unaware of the District at the time, I took these pictures instead.

See map.

Upper West Side, 105th Street Between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2009 …click to enlarge

Now I have walked back from 106th Street and I've turned east onto 105th. Here is a closer view of the front of the building we saw last Monday. Can you imagine this being your house? Well, I gotta go home now, you'd say – Mom's calling me to dinner.

Just don't think living here would make you happy. Do you remember the baking powder Davises who once lived here? Theirs was not a happy home if you can believe what you read in the newspapers. I refer you back to this article where it is reported that during a bitter divorce, Mr. Davis accused Mrs. Davis of trying to have him declared insane and of making him a prisoner in his own home.

See map.

Upper West Side, Riverside Drive at 106th Street

Mary Sargent © 2009 ……………………….. click to enlarge

This is the equistrian statue of General Franz Sigel, posing beautifully in the afternoon sun. You say you've never heard of General Franz Sigel? Me either. Let's look him up.

Hmm, quite a colorful character. Read about him here. For non-readers, here is the bare outline: he was born in Germany, moved to the United States in 1852, joined the Union Army when the Civil War began, rallied German immigrants to the Union cause (see song, I Goes to Fight Mit Sigel) but ultimately was relieved of his command for "lack of agression". X

Well, that changes things.


See map.