Manhattanville, Broadway Between 131st and 132nd Streets

Mary Sargent © 2009 ... click to enlarge


See the sign on the self-storage building across the street? It says:

pare a columbia
nosotros no seremos
empujado afuera

My guess is it's not a friendly greeting to Columbia (university), but, not liking to make assumptions, I searched for translation on the internet. It took visiting a few translation sites to be completely sure. Here are the first three translations.

stop to Columbia
nonseramos we
outside pushed

seem to columbia we will not be pushed out

it stops to Columbia we will not be pushed outside

I guess we get the idea.

It seems that Columbia has ambitious plans to expand its campus into Manhattanville and has acquired most of the property needed, but Nick Sprayregen, the owner of Tuck-it-Away-Storage (multiple buildings) is resisting. In fact, he has filed suit challenging the use of eminent domain to acquire his property. Read about it in The New York Observer. For an overview of the whole project and its ramifications, go to this New York Times article.

Being split in my sympathies, I refuse to take a stand. I'll just photograph it.

Manhattanville, Broadway at 129th Street

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

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………click to enlarge

This is one of the buildings in the Manhattanville Houses complex, built in 1961, originally for middle-income people. I couldn't find out who lives there now, not even from the New York City Housing Authority. This is what they had to say:

SITE STATISTICS AND DESCRIPTION:Manhattanville Houses in Manhattan has six, 20-story buildings with 1,272 apartments housing an estimated 2,756 residents. Completed June 30, 1961, the 12.36-acre complex is bordered by Broadway, Amsterdam Avenue, West 129th and West 133rd Streets.

………
And now, even though it's only 10:00, I'm falling asleep in front of my computer. I'm going to put off filling you in on Manhattanville, the neighborhood, but it WILL be done sometime on this walk.


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Manhattanville, 126th Street at Broadway

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

I was going to say something about Manhattanville tonight, something along the lines of, it used to be a separate village before New York City overtook it in the early 1800s, and then I was going to wonder if it's still much thought of as Manhattanville and should I actually be using it as a separate area, so I started researching it and . . . I was reading and reading and reading and now it's 4 a.m. and I think we should all just go to bed.

Manhattanville tomorrow.

But first, what's the first thing you think of when you see that big white sided building? Is it, wow, what a fabulous spot for a good street artist?

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Manhattanville, Broadway at 125th Street

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

Yesterday, I went downtown to have lunch with Yvette, my old office buddy. We got caught up and had a nice, relaxed time over a couple of glasses of wine, which stood me in good stead later, as you shall see. On my way back uptown, I got off the No. 1 train at 125th Street and walked up Broadway to the next stop at 137th.

Do not be fooled by that bright sunshine – it was cold! The wind was unrelenting for all 12 blocks and I didn't have a hat. Here's where the wine comes in. Although it dosen't really keep you warm, it makes you think it does and that matters.

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

Broadway is dominated by the elevated subway tracks until it goes back underground at 135th Street. The reason it is elevated for this one stop, according to Wikipedia, is that there is a fault known as the 125th Street Fault which creates a valley deep enough to require the trains to span it. I have walked Broadway south of 125th Street, and now, north, but I have been unaware of walking into or out of a deep valley. Maybe it's that I walk so slowly that it's impossible to tell whether I'm going up or downhill.

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Times Square, 42nd Street Between Seventh and Eighth Avenues

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

Saturday late afternoon Luka and I went to see The Wrestler at AMC Empire 25 on 42nd Street. The crowds were unbelievable. The ticket line, or should I say, ticket blob, was out the door. Maybe it's always like this on late Saturday afternoon and I've just never been here then. We were early enough to get tickets, though, since we'd allowed extra time to get a fast meal. So we missed our fast meal and settled for popcorn and coke, which was, ummmm, delicious. The Wrestler was also good although there was too much wrestling in it.

Afterwards I took a few shots in the swirl of 42nd Street. I especially like this one, partly because of its yellow-red overcast which I decline to remove. Please enlarge it, just as a favor to me.

P.S. Obama's speech tonight was great. Thrilling.

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Washington Heights, 173rd Street Between St. Nicholas and Wadsworth Avenues

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


Last night I confided my hope to start a new walk today. Alas, it did not happen. And so, I give you a photo from my Washington Heights walk a few weeks ago. It's a shot of the barber shop on my way back. More abstract than the first.

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Chelsea, Seventh Avenue at 25th Street

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

I have finally left 26th Street – this blog was eight nights on one block. Not one street, one block. A pretty good block, I thought.

Now I've turned onto Seventh Avenue on my way to Whole Foods and Garden of Eden on 23rd Street. This is the northwest corner of 25th and Seventh.



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

And up above, we have one of those old faded signs. If you like old signs and signs in general, go immediately to New York City Signs – 14 to 42 Street. Another obsessive – of the best sort.

Tomorrow I hope to start a new walk.

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Chelsea, 26th Street Between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

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

The name of this shop is Transit Culture R.A.A. Can you guess what it is? What it does? I called it a shop because it looks like a 19th century artist's studio, but it's actually a firm. If I read their material correctly, they are a design and branding management firm.

They have a couple of things in common with Peeq (from Wednesday night): they both have mystifying store fronts and they're both involved in branding. If I read their material correctly, Peeq is or was a print shop that has gone digitally into the 21st century and now markets itself as experienced in "helping agencies and marketers develop brands." Plus, they break down barriers. "The barriers between technology, design and production."

I know everyone is either involved in branding or should be – you do know that you should have a personal brand, don't you? I know the Republicans lost the election because they didn't have a brand. But when did all this start? I found The Blake Project, a branding strategy blog, to tell me why ad agencies are no longer the chief brand builders for their clients. For one thing, brand architecture is one of the most important brand issues and yet most ad agencies would have trouble even defining the concept.

Brand architecture. Along with the ad agencies, I have a lot to learn. And given the time, I could learn; there're blogs aplenty out there.

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Chelsea, 26th Street Between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2009 ……… click to enlarge




Mary Sargent © 2009 ……… click to enlarge

Construction! Didn't find out anything conclusive on the web. I'd have to go back and check out the address to get anywhere, but I'm just going to let it go.

By the way, everyone is referring to this area as Chelsea. That's not right, is it? It shouldn't be right. This neighborhood is nothing like Chelsea. This is mercantile! I thought 7th Avenue was the eastern border. They're saying 6th. Who's right?

I might have to give in and change all these titles and labels.

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Chelsea, 26th Street Between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

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

And I was afraid this was going to be a dull block.




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


Article in New York Magazine, December 8, 2008

“A Revolutionary Reading Room”
“Revolution Books/Libros Revolución, the cheerfully insurrectionist leftist hangout, is perhaps the only place in the city where you can drink coffee, discuss Mao Tse-tung, and pick up a copy of the 2009 Cat Lovers Against the Bomb calendar. Manager Travis Morales—longtime Revolutionary Communist Party member—says the financial meltdown hasn’t hurt the store: “We were packed to the gills for [Maoist political economist] Raymond Lotta’s talk. I’ve heard people on Wall Street are reading The Communist Manifesto to understand how capitalism works.” But surely a bad economy makes for a tough holiday season? “We’re having a sale called Take the Christ Out of Christmas, and the Holy Out of Holiday,” says Morales of one strategy. “Ten percent off all books on atheism and science.”



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

Oh, no! they don't like Obama! Well, that does it.

But seriously, folks, it looks like they have things worth checking out. Take a look at their website.

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Chelsea, 26th Street Between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

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

Here we have a visual palindrome. That is, it isn't spelled the same backwards as forwards, but it looks the same backwards as forwards. I went to Peeq's website to discover what their technology for the creative mind is, but it isn't something I can easily say to you clearly and succinctly. If you care, you'll have to go yourself.

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Chelsea, 26th Street Between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

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

So, you may remember that I had rationalized my way into buying myself a nice lunch, and here, I think I've found just the spot. Tre Dici Ristorante. You know if it calls itself Ristorante, it has an obligation to be nice. And nice it was.

Do notice how the garbage bags echo the colors of the restaurant with their jaunty red ties.

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

Ahhhh.

I had butternut squash soup with asparagus, an unusual and good combination; the soup was also unusual in that it was not sweet (thank you!) and the vegetables were in chunks instead of pureed. Very good. And a Caesar salad which was nicely correct.


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Chelsea, 26th Street Between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

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

Two nicer guys you wouldn't want to meet, standing here in front of The Event Space, but they did confirm that they were there to keep people like me from going in.

They were shooting a commercial inside.

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Chelsea, 26th Street Between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

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

My initial look at 26th Street after I crossed Sixth Avenue led me to conclude that this block was going to be too dull to photograph. Wrong! I can't tell you how often that happens. The first thing I came upon was the Lana Santorelli Gallery. Not only was I surprised to find a gallery on this block, but I was happily surprised to discover that I know someone in the show: Robin Ross. Her work looked great, but it was in the back around the corner and the very nice person, perhaps Lana herself, asked me not to photograph the work, so I can't show it to you. Go to Robin's website, linked above, to see what she does.

This, of course, is a photograph from the outside, which no one can stop me from taking. Unless they ask nicely. Or wag their finger at me. Or look threatening.




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

Here is another man working, just outside the door.

Mary Sargent © 2009 ……. click to enlarge

And here is the gallery from across the street, with another view of men working. Although what they are doing is unclear to me.



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Midtown South, 26th Street Between Broadway and Sixth Avenue

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

There was no recession on East 26th Street this day. I couldn't make my way down the street without walking around or under men working. Notice the ladder on this side of the street, too.

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Midtown South, 26th Street Between Broadway and Sixth Avenue

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

Across the street, this pretty townhouse with plaque, which usually makes me cross the street.



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

I fantasized it was an endowed club for writers. If you were selected, you were free to come here and write in your own room. And although they didn't have a large library, there was free internet access in all rooms. And a kitchen with microwave with some comfy chairs all around, so if you wanted to take a break and chat with other writers, you could.

Can you blame me? But this is what it really is: Writers House, a literary agency. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

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Midtown South, 26th Street Between Broadway and Sixth Avenue

Well, not long after I passed through that door you saw last night, I was out again; it seems that although I thought I had made an appointment online, I had not. Or it had vanished into the ether. Whatever. My rolfer was more distressed than I was. I wasn't at all distressed. I thought, that’s okay, I'll just take my time on this photowalk and then I'll have a nice lunch which won't cost as much as the rolfing would have.

You may remember rolfing from the 80s. It's a type of DEEP tissue massage done to realign the body and make you perfect. As it was described to me back then by someone who had just finished her realignment, it REALLY hurts and my feet grew a size. That did not appeal to me.

However, recently, my walking guy recommended this to me. This is Jonathan FitzGordon, who is teaching me how to walk. It all started with my sciatica, which diligent readers with good memories will remember struck me about two years ago. I am trying to become perfect in an alignment sort of way so as to avoid back surgery. I can endure pain in an effort to avoid back surgery, just not to grow my feet another size.

BUT, it isn't painful. Well, once in a while it is, but not often. Most of the time it's like a quirky massage and you feel like you're being sculpted. Lovely. I love it. And I am becoming perfect. Yep. Brooklyn Rolfing, it is.

Mary Sargent © 2009 ……… click to enlarge

So now I'm walking across 26th Street. This tree seemed like a harbinger of spring, and it was quite a springlike day on Tuesday.

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Midtown South, Broadway Between 26th and 25th Streets

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………click to enlarge

Now on this side of the street, this is the doorway I pass through to get to my rolfer. See the way the front door is set in in a slant? I don't remember seeing such a thing before, so I went looking for a mention of it on the web. No luck. Although Landau and Condit discuss the St. James Building (named for a hotel formerly on the site) in their book Rise of the New York Skyscraper, and describe its architectural details, they do not mention this aslant door.

It was built by Bruce Price in 1896 and according to Landau and Condit, "it joined other tall buildings that in the 1890s began to transform the low-rise theater and shopping section around Madison Square and Madison Square Garden into the medium-rise, mercantile district that it has remained."

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………click to enlarge

X

16 stories high.

X

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Midtown South, Broadway Between 26th and 25th Streets

Mary Sargent © 2009 …… click to enlarge

Today I went to get rolfed. Yes, rolfed. More about that later. I was more than 10 minutes early, so I loitered about the street taking pictures and looking at things. Looking and looking. The first thing I saw as I rounded the corner was this tall, skinny building against the sky.



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

Then this was what it looked like across the street. Nothing much. Pretty standard Broadway for this area.



Mary Sargent © 2009 ………. click to enlarge


Then I looked up and saw this.



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


And then this. Looking at street level, I didn't realize how completely individual these buildings are. Maybe more so than other parts of town. I'll have to think about that.

Everybody, look up more!

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Murray Hill, 28th Street Between Third Avenue and Park Avenue South

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………. click to enlarge


Don't miss the little face at the bottom.

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Murray Hill, Third Avenue at 28th Street

Mary Sargent © 2009 ……click to enlarge

Ah, the Chrysler Building. One of the reasons to consider living on the East Side.

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Kips Bay, Second Avenue Between 28th and 29th Streets

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


Here we are. Dolcino. I joined the philosophy group for a nice dinner and lively conversation. I will return.


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Kips Bay, 28th Street Between Third and Second Avenues

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

I have crossed Third Avenue, so we are now in Kips Bay, according to Wikipedia. Kips Bay is named for the Dutch farmer, Jacobus Kip, who had a farm in this area when New York was New Amsterdam. It ran from Second Avenue and 35th Street to the East River, which, at that time, formed a bay. Ergo, Kips Bay. Wikipedia is undecided whether or not to use an apostrophe with Kips (Kip's), so sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. I decided to omit the apostrophe at all times because it is easier, although incorrect.

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Murray Hill, 28th Street Between Lexington and Third Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2009 …….. click to enlarge

Look what we have here – our first black and white photograph. Compare to the color version below and I think you'll see why I did it. With a digital photograph, black and white is as easy as pressing a button.

This is the church of Our Lady of the Scapular & St. Stephen, usually referred to as St. Stephen's, and I took no photos of it in my prior walk. I moved along faster in those days. I didn't stop and gawk at every damn thing. I was more into the walk, I think, wanting to get more streets marked off.

St. Stephen's has significant architectural, artistic and social history (designed by James Renwick, murals by Constantino Brumidi, largest Catholic parish in the country in 1860), but despite the efforts of Community Board 6 and others, it has not been given landmark status. Read all about it here, if that kind of thing interests you.

By the way, do you know what a scapular is? In the Catholic sense, I mean. I didn't. It's something worn over the shoulders, front and back that has protective qualities. You can read all about that here, if that kind of thing interests you.




Mary Sargent © 2009 …….. click to enlarge

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Murray Hill, 28th Street Between Lexington and Third Avenues

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

On this block, I was looking for the spot I photographed two years ago, but in the dark, I couldn't recognize anything. When I got home, though, I could match up Asia Deli & Grocery.



Mary Sargent © 2006 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

This is the old photo. I miss Luncheonette. I can't tell if the second story is still painted blue-green in yesterday's photo. Now I want to go back in the day and see what's going on. NO! I'll never finish this as it is.

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Murray Hill, 28th Street Between Park Avenue South and Lexington Avenue

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

So, as I was saying, last night I went to a dinner meeting – it was the meetup of Dinner and Philosophy Now in NYC. I had been looking at groups on meetup.com and decided to check this one out. I love to argue, I mean, examine ideas, and it seemed that this might provide an opportunity to do that. None of my friends share this love so I'm frequently frustrated. They just say, okay, okay! Now can we talk about something else!

For anyone unfamiliar with meetup.com, it's a site that organizes all kinds of interest groups, book clubs, sports, knitting, drinking, anything you can think of. You find something you're interested in, go to the meetings and meet other people interested in the same thing.

This was my first time trying it and I was pleased.

So I was headed to the restaurant Dolcino on Second Avenue. I had already walked this part of 28th Street, but I didn't have a photograph from this block; also, I thought it would be fun to photograph the same sites as I did two years ago, but this time it would be at night. I'll give you links to the old ones when I post them.


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Murray Hill, 28th Street Between Park Avenue South and Lexington Avenue

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

I went to a dinner meeting in this neighborhood tonight and since I needed some new photographs . . . I'll explain all tomorrow – it's too late tonight.

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Washington Heights, 173rd Street Between St. Nicholas and Wadsworth Avenues

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

You may have noticed that when I got to the end of 173rd Street, I just turned around and went straight back the way I came. Usually I walk back on another street, but as I've said a few times already, it was cold.

I'm dreaming of long, long warm days.

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