Chelsea, 24th Street Between Eleventh and Tenth Avenues

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


This building is known only as 245 Tenth Avenue.  We're on 24th Street, so we're looking at it from the side. 

This is a hell of a photogenic building.  I worked on some other views of it and I was going to put three shots up, but then I decided to use just this one.  Because it's so stunning.  Well, I think it is.

That's the Highline on the left, this part not yet developed as part of the park.

Chelsea, 24th Street Between Eleventh and Tenth Avenues

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

Here is a symbol of urban lonliness, a man walking alone on a desolate street, head down, pondering the misfortunes that have befallen--But wait!  Never mind, he's just texting on his cell phone.

I left the enlargement extra large so you can see I'm telling the truth.

Chelsea, 24th Street Between Twelfth and Eleventh Avenues

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


I promise this is the last photo I'll show of the Post Office vehicle maintenance facility.  For now.

Does anyone know what that tree is?  I thought it had red berries on it, but upon enlargement discovered they were leaves.  How wonderful to have a tree with mostly green leaves and just a few red ones.

In other news, I was in Union Square today, coming back from my opthamalogist on East 14th Street.  There was unfamiliar music down there in the subway.  Opera singers!  Two tenors with recorded music were taking turns singing arias.  They were good and it was quite wonderful and, in fact, felt like an opera with hundreds of extras rushing by.  There is so much talent in this city that it just overflows.

Chelsea, 24th Street Between Twelfth and Eleventh Avenues

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

What are they playing?

Chelsea, 24th Street Between Twelfth and Eleventh Avenues

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


Now, walking back on 24th Street alongside the post office facility, two moving objects arrange themselves so as to form a primary colors triangle with the USPS.

Flatiron District, 24th Street Between Fifth and Sixth Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………click to enlarge

Goodby for now to the Flatiron District, but let's look back for one final image of the Met Life Tower. So pretty and pale.

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Flatiron District, 24th Street Between Fifth and Sixth Avenues

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

To refresh your memories, this trip was made in order to see The Pool Art Fair. Why it's called Pool, I do not know. The idea is that each artist or group of artists has/had a room in the hotel to do with as they wished. Most artists hung their work as if it were a gallery space, but I was more interested in seeing the ones who used the space and transformed it (see below). It starts me thinking about what I would do. You?

But first, and most important, this installation at the entrance was what I really came to see. How about it? This was created by Elizabeth Riley, a friend of mine, who does installations, videos, and many other things. Check out her website! You'll be surprised to see what her sculpture is made of.



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

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

I apologize to the artists for not having their names. If anyone has this information, pass it along, and I'll post it.

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Flatiron District, 24th Street Between Fifth And Sixth Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2009 …….. click to enlarge

My destination. The Wyndham Garden Hotel. All will be revealed tomorrow as I cannot stay up another minute tonight.

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Flatiron District, 24th Street Between Fifth and Sixth Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2009 …… click to enlarge

I shot this building because it was so cute. And then I noticed it was a hotel (little teeny sign by the door says "Hotel"). Once you start noticing, it's surprising how many small hotels there are on side streets, and I'm always thinking about them for my brother and his wife who can't stay with me because Janie is allergic to cats. So I go home and google it. Yikes!

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Flatiron District, 24th Street Between Fifth and Sixth Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2009 ……… click to enlarge

A straight-on shot of the "birthday cake with vanilla icing" through the chain link fence on 24th Street.

I left the photo oversized (when enlarged) in case you wanted to see details of the facade.

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Midtown South, 24th Street Between Sixth Avenue and Broadway

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

Back in the olden days, when you went to a performance at BAM out in Brooklyn, among the limited dining options nearby was a hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Planet Thailand that had good, supposedly authentic Thai food. I remember there being an explanation of how they came to be called Planet Thailand, some kind of accident or misunderstanding, but I don't remember what it was. Now here we have this place called Planethailand 212, odder still. Yes, it is a branch of Planet Thailand. Meanwhile, out in Brooklyn they have moved and expanded and now serve three cuisines: " Thai, Traditional Japanese, Sushi and Hibachi" and have a nightly DJ. No longer a hole-in-the-wall. No word on whether the Thai food is still authentic. This Manhattan branch is also not a hole-in-the-wall restaurant and Zagat's says they have "tasty chow".

Speaking of restaurants, about this time, I realized I had to turn off my camera and get moving if I was going to be on time for lunch. So no more photographs until I get to Ilili, last stop on this photowalk.

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Midtown South, 24th Street Between Sixth Avenue and Broadway

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………click to enlarge

Although this is the Masonic Hall, its official address is on 23rd Street, so this must be the back door or the delivery entrance. It is said to be quite a grand place and photographs of the interior on their website seem to support that claim, so you may want to tour it.



Mary Sargent © 2008 ………. click to enlarge


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Chelsea, 24th Street Between Seventh and Sixth Avenues

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

These two roaring or yawning lions are sitting outside of Olde Good Things. And in case you're inclined to think this is a modest, unassuming little shop with a couple of lucky lions, take a look at one of their trucks.



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

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

I only had time to skim their website, but I saw enough to recommend it if you're interested in this kind of thing. They have an excavation archive where they show jobs they've done and artifacts they've salvaged, including the Nathan's sign from 42nd and Broadway.

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Chelsea, 24th Street Between Seventh and Sixth Avenues

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

I never knew hip and humble went together, but apparently they do here at the Hip & Humble Home. Below are some of the things they are offering for your very own hip and humble home. If anyone out there actually has a hip AND humble home, please send photos.


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

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Chelsea, 24th Street Between Seventh and Sixth Avenues

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

This is the headquarters of The Korean American Association of Greater New York. I was surprised to read on their website that it is one of about 500 Korean American organizations in the New York Metropolitan area. 500!! Pretty impressive. According to the website, there is a Korean American population of 500,000 in the metropolitan area. I was also surprised to read about the annual Korean Parade, held this year on October 6. I'm not much for parades, being short, and not liking much to stand around anyway, but this one sounds small enough and short enough and unfamiliar enough to appeal. Here's a short video on youtube:



The parade proceeds down Broadway from Times Square to 23rd Street, so a good viewing point would be in the mid 30's, so that when one becomes fretful, tired, hungry and thirsty, one can nip over to one of the Korean restaurants there in Koreatown. Just read about those restaurants! This is starting to sound like a really good idea. Let's get up a group and go next year.

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Chelsea, 24th Street Between Seventh and Sixth Avenues

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

I think I'm going to like this block.

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Chelsea, 24th Street Between Seventh and Sixth Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2008 ……… click to enlarge

As I said, regarding clouds.

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Chelsea, 24th Street at Seventh Avenue

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


The destination. They had the Kesso yogurt. All is well.

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Kips Bay, 24th Street, off First Avenue

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

My lunch time walk of last Tuesday was directed toward picking up one little piece of 24th Street off First Avenue. 24th Street between First and Second Avenues is mainly one big plaza. Something to do with the East Midtown Plaza Apartments on that block? So walking or driving east, you think that 24th Street ends at Second Avenue. Come to find out there's the shortest little piece of it on the other side, a little dead end piece, but identified with an official street sign as 24th Street. I probably care more about this than the average person.

Here's a shot of the plaza, looking west.

Gramercy, 24th Street Between Second and Third Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2006

Same site. You may be reminded of the photograph posted on July 26 which featured reflections on a car top.