Upper West Side, 107th Street Between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2007 ………… click to enlarge

Here is the pretty doorway to the Nicholas Roerich Museum. I had never heard of it – had you? Roerich was a Russian painter who gained fame designing sets and costumes for Diaghilev and most famously, collaborated with Stravinsky on Le Sacre du Printemps. There's lots more; if you are interested, check out the museum link.

So I walk in, and there are a couple of gents sitting around who direct me to the upper two floors. Paintings everywhere. On the second floor is a grand piano and a bunch of folding chairs set up for an audience. Pretty soon a woman sweeps in and begins rehearsing, playing Chopin, very accomplished. By this time I'm on the third floor, in the front room, all alone, with the light streaming in, colorful paintings all around, and gorgeous music from the piano below.

See? Even a walk up West End Avenue can end in an enchanted place you never knew existed.

They have concerts most Sunday afternoons at 5 o'clock. It's free (contributions accepted) and no reserved seating. If you get there before me, save me a seat.

Then after that, as if that wasn't enough, when I got back to Broadway, I went into Starbucks, got a latte and got a seat by the window, no waiting.

See map.

Upper West Side, 107th Street Between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue

What a city! I'm going to start at the end of this walk because I want to tell it now.

Sometimes there are walks that I decide to take, not because I think I'm going to get good or interesting photographs, but because it must be done. Every block must be walked whether or not it is interesting or beautiful. Today I took one of those walks. West End Avenue. Dull, dull, dull. One big apartment building after another, nothing commercial and no street life. The only reason it's not the dullest block in Manhattan (that honor falls to Fort Washington Avenue) is because the buildings are better looking than those on Ft. Washington and they have better details.

At least it was a beautiful day. Gorgeous. After the rain of the last few days and the unreasonably warm days before that, this was a real Fall day: sunny and breezy and brisk.

So I strolled along, starting at 96th Street, walking uptown to 106th, then turning and walking up Riverside, but giving that up after one block because the wind was so strong there, I was getting an earache. Turned back on 107th Street to go back to Broadway, and saw this pretty little building with a plaque on the side of the door.



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


This, my friends, is the Nicholas Roerich Museum. And this post is too long as it is, so I will continue tomorrow.


See map.