Chinatown, Elizabeth Street Between Canal and Bayard Streets

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

We're standing on Elizabeth Street looking at its beginnings at Bayard Street.

This is after having dim sum at Jing Fong with Michael, Geofrey and Bella. Wow, it was really excellent, the place is huge which makes for a wide variety of dim sum; I had duck blood for the first time in my life and it wasn't bad. Kind of a soft tofu texture with a liver flavor. Bill had chicken feet, which I've found underwhelming in the past. Don't let me alarm you, though, there are many wonderful non-scary dim sum choices available, and those were mostly what we ate.

Michael and Geofrey were also downsized from the company I worked for which made for a cozy group, and Bella, who is Chinese, is Geofrey's girlfriend. She was responsible for the duck blood. Geofrey is also Chinese, but he's from Mississippi and doesn't eat duck blood.

After we all stuffed ourselves silly, we parted, and Bill and I took a teeny photowalk because it was frigid that day. Down Elizabeth to Bayard, Bayard to Mott and Mott back to Canal. A mere blip on the map.

See map.

Nolita, Elizabeth Street Between Prince and Spring Streets

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

Okay, back to the world of non-events. Same day (December 17), same area. I walked around the block from 11 Spring Street and this is coming back the other way. Over the door of this graffiti covered building, where you can see the beginning of the number 209, it reads E. La Rosa & Son Bread, but inside they are now selling very expensive looking objects and there is an impressive amount of wasted floor space.

But, of course.


See map.

Nolita, Elizabeth Street Between Spring and Prince Streets

So here's the shot that should have been first, the establishing shot that shows the front of the building on Elizabeth Street. Apparently local street artists painted over the murals that were shown in the The New York Times article because they were mad that some of the invited artists painted over their stuff on Houston Street. I didn't know this when I saw it and thought it looked pretty good.

Here's what Bluejake, had to say about it.





And here's the entrance. I had some idea of going inside, but the line stretched from the entrance on Elizabeth, across Spring Street to the Bowery, up the Bowery to Prince and then halfway across Prince. Un,uh.

See map.

Nolita, Elizabeth and Spring Streets

I am so frustrated. I have been trying to get this post up for an hour and a half and I have to give up now getting it the way I want it. We are missing the first two photographs. I'll try again tomorrow. In the meantime, here are the last two.





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

Here it is, 11 Spring Street. Go to The New York Times for a good article. Briefly, this building has been a canvas for street art for quite a while, then the building was sold to be made into condos, but the new owners were sympathetic to the art, they invited internationally known street artists to come paint the five floors inside, and then they opened it to the public Friday through Sunday. Then, Monday, the inside was to be covered with drywall where it will be preserved in a "time capsule." So, what a happy story, yes?

The first photograph is at the front of the building on Elizabeth Street (you'll see the long shot tomorrow), and the second one is on the side on Spring Street.

See map.