Morningside Heights, 110th Street Between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues

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

The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine faces Amsterdam Avenue, and its grounds spread over 11.3 acres, from 110th Street to north of 112th Street and Amsterdam to Columbus Avenues. This is the southern border along 110th Street. Here we see . . . construction! What are they up to? I asked myself, and no sooner did I ask then I was googling. Well, after much tedious research, I discovered – you'll never guess. Yes! They're building an apartment house on the Cathedral's grounds!

It was only when I began writing this post that I looked for a link directly to the Cathedral and it was then I discovered the most exhaustive information about the project is right on their site. Slide shows and all. But it's always good to have a little controversy from the New York Times to balance the positive reporting from the Cathedral.

On another subject altogether, I don't think I've ever seen a structure that looked more like a face than this one at center. It had to have been done on purpose, don't you think?

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Morningside Heights, 110th Street Between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues

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

These building scaffoldings are everywhere and usually they mess up shots, but sometimes they make them.

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Central Harlem, 110th Street Between Manhattan and Columbus Avenues

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

Right next door to Check Cashing is Miss Mamie's Spoonbread Too.



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

Being appropriately hungry, I walked right in and had myself some authentic Southern cuisine. That being fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and sautéed spinach. Cornbread. And coconut layer cake. I hate to say this, but since the only iced tea they had was sweet (as in sweet tea), I had white wine instead. I know you don't drink white wine with fried chicken, but I couldn't come up with anything else. I don't like sweet drinks. Except for the occasional cocktail. Whiskey sours are good with Asian food. I mean the old fashioned kind of Asian food. With the stylish regional Asian food, of course, sake. But I'm off the subject here. OH. Wny didn't I ask for iced coffee? Anyway, when the food came, I'm afraid I forgot all about my readers and didn't photograph it. How was it? Satisfying, no complaints, but not outstanding. Of course, my mother was Southern.




Mary Sargent © 2008 …….. click to enlarge

When I went in, it was still kind of early, 6:30, and there were no tables outside, but a bit later when I came out, it was darker and their outdoor café had appeared. I had a disagreement with Luka the other night about whether picket fences are appropriate on New York streets. True to my uncompromising and rigid sense of what's right, I don't think they are. Let me hear from you out there so we can break this tie. If you want to vote against me, just sign yourselves anonymous.

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Central Harlem, 110th Street Between Manhattan and Columbus Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2008 …….. click to enlarge

Along about here, I started wondering where all those people in Towers in the Park ate, as I hadn't seen a restaurant since I started this walk. The answer lies straight ahead (tomorrow).

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Central Harlem, 110th Street Between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Manhattan Avenue

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


This is only a small part of the stacks of construction materials along the street here. I asked a man walking with a baby stroller if he knew what all that stuff was and he said materials for the reconstruction of Frederick Douglass Circle. Those were tiles to lay down. It's been going on for three years, he said. Not happy.


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Spanish Harlem, 110th Street at Madison Avenue

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

I'm going to end it here although I had a few more shots to show you. It's spring now and you don't want to be looking at snow any more, I know.

By this time in the walk, Bill and I had stopped for cappuccino and coffee at La Tropezienne, a French café located on First Avenue at 110th Street. Gentrification, I thought, ever alert. But, no, they've been there for, I think they said, six years, and it didn't look like anything had changed in that time.

And we had had lunch at St. Francis de Asis (unless that's the name of a church), but no, Chowhound has a posting about it and calls it San Francisco de Asis. I wasn't too hungry so thought I'd just have guacamole, but that order caused some consternation and the waitress seemed to be telling me it wasn't good. Either that or the Spanish version of "you no like." I once again told myself: just learn Spanish dammit. So I had a soft taco with spicy pork, which was fine. Wouldn't go back though, as the music was unrelenting and loud. I have forgotten what Bill had but I do remember that the music didn't bother him. You decide.

When we left the restaurant, the weather had changed to cold and windy, no more blue skies, as you can see in photo above.

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