Downtown, Hudson Street Between Houston and King Streets

No new postings until Saturday, May 3.

Vacation time here at Manhattan Street Project.

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• Browse in the archives.
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Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………… . click to enlarge

We're back in that neighborhood that has no name. This is the front of the Passport Services building where people go to get their passports (new or renewed) as a last resort. That is, they are leaving in two weeks time or less and it has suddenly occurred to them that their passport is out of date. There is no time to do it the normal way, by mail.

I had an 11:30 a.m. appointment there last Monday. As Nixon used to say, I could have done it the easy way . . .

So I'm here to tell you that this works. Sure, it's inconvenient and it takes the better part of a day and it's more expensive, but it does work. It might be that everyone feels like such an idiot being there that they're excessively grateful to the folks getting their passports for them, and that gratitude makes the workers feel good and benevolent, so they keep doing a good job. Whatever it is, I got my passport and I'm goin away.

So guess where I'm going? VENICE! My birthday present to myself. Life is good.

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

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Back to civilization at last. See Tomo over there? Feeling like a little bite or two would be good right about now, I stopped in and took a seat at the sushi bar. My first time there. It was a pleasant enough thing to do, but the food was on the wrong side of average. The online reviews seem to blame it on being close to Columbia, students being so undemanding. Nobody mentioned their biggest crime, though, which is not giving you a damp hot towel to wipe the city grime off your hands. No, we don't do that, I was told. I think all restaurants should do that, not just Japanese restaurants, and particularly city restaurants and particularly New York city restaurants.

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Upper West Side, Riverside Drive between 108th and 109th Streets

Mary Sargent © 2008 ……………….. click to enlarge

Now I'm back on the local branch of Riverside Drive, walking up to 109th and back to Broadway.


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Upper West Side, Riverside Drive Between 110th and 108th Streets

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

There, that's better. I don't know what I was thinking last night.

Upper West Side, Riverside Drive between 110th and 108th Streets

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

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Morningside Heights, Riverside Drive at 110th Street

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

What do you notice about this photo? A wider shot than you've ever seen on this blog? Yes! I got a new zoom 10-22mm – can go much wider than my standard 18-55mm BUT not so tight. Soooo. I guess I'll have to tote two lenses around. Or shoot wide one time, tight another? Still sorting it out.

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Morningside Heights, Riverside Drive Between 111th and 110th Streets

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

This is the local splitoff of Riverside Drive where drivers can exit the Drive and enter the city fray.

And below is the street I had to check out to see if it was walkable. It leads from 110th Street into Riverside Drive and has no sidewalk, but it turns out you can walk down the left side. So I did.



Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

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Morningside Heights, 111th Street Between Broadway and Riverside Drive

Mary Sargent © 2008 ……….. click to enlarge

After the doctor visit on Thursday, I came back uptown to begin the official photowalk. I wanted to buy vitamins at 110th Street anyway, and it was an enchanting day for the park and there was this little piece of street on my map that was bothering me; I couldn't tell if it was walkable or not. Needed to find out.

This is what spring looks like on West 111th Street.

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Greenwich Village, 12th Street Between University Place and Fifth Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

And across the street, a sunny little café. If you want to go through the door and check out the inside, go here for a slide show.

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Greenwich Village, 12th Street Between University Place and Fifth Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Back to the beginning of yesterday's walk, which started downtown because I was early for a doctor's appointment so I took a few shots on 12th Street to kill some time.

A few doors down from Dr. Dempsey's office is the venerable Cinema Village, one of the important movie theaters in New York. Follow the link for some history. It makes me nostalgic to think of the movie theaters in the 80s, when I moved here. Damn, New York was a movie town. I remember reading at that time that if you didn't go to the movies that much, you should immediately give up your apartment so that someone who did could live here.

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Morningside Heights, Riverside Drive Between 111th and 110th Streets

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

This photograph is out of order but I wanted to show you what a gorgeous spring day it was today. It was the kind of day when strangers passing you on the street say, isn't it a beautiful day? Well, one did. It was the kind of day to edge your photowalk over into the park.

Happy Spring everyone.

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Greenwich Village, 3rd Street Between Macdougal Street and Sixth Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge


I passed this up the first time I walked by, but coming back I couldn't resist, even though I've already shown you this colorful spot.

I'll NEVER finish this project if I keep being so undisciplined.

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Greenwich Village, 3rd Street Between Thompson and Sullivan Streets

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

I tried to get this shot earlier, when I was walking the other way and just as I was about to press the button, a big truck pulled in. Trucks!

This is Il Mulino, looking like the old-time Village restaurant that it is. Oops, I just checked the web and it seems they opened in 1981. That doesn't quite qualify as old-time to me, although in restaurant time, it certainly is. They held the No. 1 Italian spot in Zagat's for years, but recently Babbo, that 10 year old upstart, has edged them out. I haven't eaten at Babbo, but I did have a wonderful meal at Il Mulino, luckily paid for by another (thanks, Mike!). It's dark and crowded, like an old-time Village restaurant and the food was wonderful and bounteous to a fault. One of my regrets in life is that I can't eat a lot. I need to be a much bigger person.

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Greenwich Village, 3rd Street Between Mercer Street and LaGuardia Place

Mary Sargent © 2008 ………………………….. click to enlarge

I am standing on 3rd Street shooting between two buildings at a building on 4th Street with other buildings in back of it probably on Washington Place. Just so you know. Just so you don't think it's a stage with a painted backdrop.

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Greenwich Village, 3rd Street Between Mercer Street and LaGuardia Place

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

This is most likely the site of the underground power plant NYU is building. I only hesitate because the location isn't exact; it's being built under Mercer Street between 3rd and 4th Streets according to this article in The Observer. Not under 3rd Street between Mercer and LaGuardia. One more uncertainty to live with.

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Greenwich Village, 3rd Street Between Broadway and Mercer Street

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge


Here is the side of the Gristedes store coming back with no sun or shadow issues.

And another.



Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

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Greenwich Village, Broadway at 3rd Street

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Here 3rd Street stops. Changes its name to Great Jones Street for a few blocks, and then its back to 3rd Street. But we're not going there today. I'm on my way to have my ears pierced, so I'm turning south on Broadway. On my way back, the light has changed and I'm walking 3rd Street in the opposite direction. Tomorrow night.

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Greenwich Village, 3rd Street at Mercer Street

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

If I didn't know, I'd guess this was in Washington Heights, but, no, it's right here in Greenwich Village. And that's a Gristedes grocery store, in case you can't make out the sign.

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Greenwich Village, 3rd Street Between LaGuardia Place and Mercer

Mary Sargent © 2008 ……….. click to enlarge

Little blearly eyed here, having just come in from big birthday celebration, early big birthday celebration, since my birthday isn't until April 22. Let the festivities begin!

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Greenwich Village, 3rd Street Between LaGuardia Place and Mercer

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Cross the street and we're in another land, the land of NYU. This is the Bobst Library, built by Phillip Johnson in the early 70s. It sits on the entire block (or what would be the entire block, if Washington Square East went through), and we are at the back side. I said to myself, well this is sure a massive, cold and inhuman building, and lo and behold, some writers at the New York Architecture site agree, and more. Allen Salkin calls it an "Atrium of Horror" and adds that "Philip Johnson is the most overrated architect in the history of architecture and this red monstrosity of his proves it." And I hate to tell you what is said about Elmer Holmes Bobst. Just go there. Lots of pictures, too.

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Greenwich Village, 3rd Street Between Thompson Street and LaGuardia Place

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

According to the mostly positive review in Time Out, live steel-drum trios will help you unwind at Negril Village. Sad to say, I've not been able to develop an appreciation for steel drums and so I will not be dining at Negril Village, handsome though its façade may be.

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Greenwich Village, 3rd Street Between Sullivan and Thompson Streets

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Oh, that car. A tenth of a second sooner … (I wish). On the other hand, praise be, it wasn't a tenth of a second later.

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Greenwich Village, Sullivan Street at 3rd Street

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………. click to enlarge

We were here in December 2006. Since then, the Shade has ungone a bit of freshening.

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Greenwich Village, 3rd Street Between Macdougal and Sullivan Streets

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

First sign of spring on this Blog!

So sleepy . . .

Greenwich Village, 3rd Street Between Sixth Avenue and Macdougal Street

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

I was on this block before, in December 2006, and I said then that it was a bonanza of photos. So here's another.

That's the Blue Note on the left, the famed jazz club. Pretty awful building, but what caught my eye was how the Benjamin Moore paint sign had the same colors as the Blue Note banner. As if coordinated.

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Inwood, Just Off Broadway Between Isham and 212th Streets

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

We have a new wall painting and it's anti-war. You can find the 3 older versions on the street art and graffiti label. This one is quite handsome, don't you think?

Here's a closer shot showing a quote from Albert Einstein. You should be able to read it if you enlarge it.



Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

I shot these today on my way to get the A train to go to the 4th Street stop, so I could walk over 3rd Street to Broadway, then down Broadway a couple blocks to Venus by Maria Tash where I got my ears pierced! Yes! Carolyn told me I was one of only two people in the world who hadn't had their ears pierced but I think that's an exaggeration.

If you have need of a piercing, I'd recommend this place even though it has an annoying name because it was reassuringly clean and the two women were nice and without attitude and competent.

Now, let's see, what should I pierce next . . . Hmmm.

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Downtown, Varick Street between Canal and Watts Streets

Mary Sargent © 2008 ……… click to enlarge

This is after the opening of Her-Steria when several of us were on our way to find something to eat. We found it at Ear Inn on Spring Street, an old, old bar that I last visited 20 or so years ago. But I mean way older than that, like 1817. Comforting to find it still there.

Farewell to Varick Street and Trump SoHo for now. A new walk starts tomorrow.

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