Hudson Heights, 181st Street Between Bennett Avenue and Broadway; Broadway at 181st Street

Mary Sargent © 2009 …click to enlarge

Here is the Coliseum Cinema, recently reopened, and much altered from its original state when it was built in 1920. Cinema Treasures has a brief history of the theater and you can find much other information in the many, many, many comments that follow, including this link to a photograph of the theater soon after it was built. These people love their old movie theaters.



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

Here is my photo which corresponds to the view in the linked photograph. This is the corner of 181st Street and Broadway.


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Hudson Heights, 181st Street Between Col Robert Magaw Place and Bennett Avenue

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


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Hudson Heights, 181st Street Between Fort Washington Avenue and Col Robert Magaw Place

Mary Sargent © 2009 ……click to enlarge


Here is a street level view of the building we saw last night in the middle photo. Can you tell there are gorgoyles up there?




Mary Sargent © 2009 ……click to enlarge

Here, try this.







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


Okay, this.

Wouldn't you like to know what he's reading?

Technically, these are not gargoyles because they're not water drains. If they are non-functional ornaments, they're called grotesques. Read all about it here on Wikipedia.

Maybe he's reading Finding Your Purpose In Life.


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Washington Heights, 181st Street , approach to Washington Bridge

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

In this shot, I have crossed Amsterdam Avenue and I'm leaning on the fence looking down into Highbridge Park and an exit from the Manhattan Expressway or maybe the Alexander Hamilton Bridge. To the left is 181st Street east of Amsterdam. I don't know if it's still considered to be 181st Street or whether it's part of the bridge at this point.



Mary Sargent © 2008 ………click to enlarge

The teeny little black sign on the top of the tunnel says Highbridge Park. You'll just have to believe me.




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

This seems to be the end of the road. However, can you see the sidewalk picking up to go across the bridge? You can walk across the bridge and the bridge is not out of Manhattan yet. This raises a question. Am I required to find that sidewalk and walk over the bridge until I get to the river?

Now go back to the middle photo. It looked like you could access the sidewalk by descending into the park and going across and back up, but you know what? I'm not leaving the safety of the New York streets to go through any dark tunnels plunked down in the middle of nature, picturesque though it may be. I'm the kind of person who if I were alone in a house and a voice said don't go into the basement, I definitely would not go into the basement. Say what you will.

Now I want to talk about the bridge. The Washington Bridge was built in the 1880s, as Washington Heights had grown significantly in the 1870s and the bridge was needed to take pedestrian and carriage traffic to and from the Bronx. In addition to broad sidewalks, it had a grassy strip down the middle! It was quite the thing. People made special trips to visit it. Now, tell the truth. How many of you New Yorkers knew about this bridge? If you did, it's probably because you drive.

Now, of course, rather than the main bridge to the Bronx, it has become merely an alternative to the very busy Alexander Hamilton Bridge, which opened in 1963 and is just south of the Washington Bridge.

Jag9889 on Flickr has a series of wonderful photographs of the Washington Bridge from all angles.

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Washington Heights, 181st Street Between Audubon and Amsterdam Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2008 …….. click to enlarge



Mary Sargent © 2008 …….. click to enlarge

Looking down the block, it looks like we're running out of city. And, yes, we are; after Amsterdam Avenue, there's nothing but the Manhattan Bridge which takes you across the Harlem River into the Bronx.

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Washington Heights, 181st Street Between St. Nicholas and Audubon Avenues

Last
Last block I showed you four pictures of street vendors and people. I have photos of a different sort for this block, but I hope they give you a feel for the street. Here's four:



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




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




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

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

see

see

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Washington Heights, 181st Street and Wadsworth Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2008 ……… click to enlarge

What store has the all time ugliest shopping bag? Right, Duane Reade. It's the kind of bag you want to get rid of immediately so you don't have to look at it another second. Therefore, I'm surprised to see how beautiful their sign is. Or is it the sky? Maybe it's the photography.

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Washington Heights, 181st Street Between St. Nicholas and Wadsworth Avenues

181st Street is busy, busy, busy. Lots of street activity. Lots of sidewalk vendors. See below. They're selling tropical fruit as if they think it's still warm, but later on I saw a stand selling hot soup with many customers.



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



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



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

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

see

see

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Washington Heights, 181st Street Between St. Nicholas and Wadsworth Avenues

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

I went on a new walk today, on a mission. It seems there is a homesick New Yorker, now living in Puerto Rico, who would love to see some shots of her old neighborhood. Today I went to find the Eleanor Roosevelt Junior High School on West 182nd Street. I took the No. 1 train to 181st Street, walked two blocks to Amsterdam Avenue, one block to 182nd Street, then back to St. Nicholas Avenue, to 181st and subway home.

It was my first winter walk of the season, in the 40s, bright sunshine and clouds, glove wearing weather.

The first thing I did was walk one block in the wrong direction. My instinct spins the old internal compass and most often reads it backwards.

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Hudson Heights, 181st Street at Fort Washington Avenue

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


We were on this corner in April; these are the steps leading to this church.

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Hudson Heights, 181st Street at Fort Washington Avenue

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


Catfood time rolled around again on Tuesday, which usually means I go for a walk before I end up at the vet, and I decided rather than try to make a big splash, I would just take the subway to 181st Street walk up Fort Washington Avenue to Bennett Park and pick up the two tiny end streets north and south of the park. They're only about a quarter as long as a normal street, but they needed to be walked.

Here on the corner of 181 and Ft. Washington is the Fort Washington Collegiate Church, set in a valley down from the street. You might almost think it was a little village church if not for the looming building behind. If I were the sort of person to do such things, I could photoshop the building out of there, drop in a few trees and have you thinking you were in New England.

For those people who think the name of the church is odd, collegiate, I mean, here's the place to be informed. You're on your own looking up consistory.

Note: although we are beginning to despair of spring ever arriving, the green green grass and the little pansy plants on the church grounds tell us to have hope.

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