Flatiron District, Fifth Avenue Between 23rd and 22nd Streets

Mary Sargent © 2010 ………………….…………..… ………………….. click to enlarge

It wasn't until I turned around and saw this doorway that I realized I was standing by the great Flatiron Building, seen here on March 17, 2009.

New York City Landmarks describes the building as "clad in traditional Italian Renaissance ornament, most of it white terra cotta."

Flatiron District, Fifth Avenue Between 23rd and 22nd Streets

Mary Sargent © 2010 ………………….…………… …...................……………….. click to enlarge

Tonight I offer you a whole block in one photograph, distorted though it is.  I like seeing it as a unit.

This was shot last Tuesday as I was on my way to meet Yvette at Allegretti for a Restaurant Week dinner.  As many of you know, Restaurant Week began in 1992 during the Democratic National Convention and was so successful that it has continued ever since, expanding and adding.  Today I heard Restaurant Week has been extended through Labor Day, thus making its name irrelevant or maybe just plain wrong.  But we should stick with it anyway, since Restaurant Summer just doesn't work.

Midtown, Fifth Avenue at 56th Street

Mary Sargent © 2010 ………………….…….……… ………………….. click to enlarge

A line!  So exciting!  What could it be about? 





Mary Sargent © 2010 ………………….…............................….............. click to enlarge

They're standing in line for a store.  The only time I ever stood on line for a store was at P.J. Wine the day before Thanksgiving.  Cursing myself for waiting so late to get my holiday wine.  So what's so great about Abercrombie & Fitch? I bet they just had some of their employees start a line and people couldn't resist joining in.

Greenwich Village, 11th Street Between Sixth and Fifth Avenues; Fifth Avenue Between 11th and 12th Streets

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

Here's the destination: First Presbyterian Church.



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




Mary Sargent © 2009 ………. click to enlarge

And a couple more photos of Tree Gems.

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Flatiron District, View from Fifth Avenue at 23rd Street, looking north

Mary Sargent © 2009 …….. click to enlarge

All over this area, you can see the golden spire of the New York Life Insurance Building shining above or between other buildings. Always an arresting sight.

The building covers the block at the north end of Madison Park, from 26th to 27th streets, Fifth to Madison, and was built by Cass Gilbert in 1928 on the site of the second Madison Square Garden. It is clear that I haven't the means to depict it in all of its massiveness, so please go to Tom Fletcher's wonderful New York Architecture website for pictures and further information.

Midtown South, Fifth Avenue Between 27th and 28th Streets

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

Okay, here it is, my new favorite restaurant of last week. I'll fill in the details tomorrow. Right now I'm falling asleep over my keyboard.

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Central Park, Conservatory Garden, Fifth Avenue at 105th Street

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

And now, our destination, the Conservatory Garden in Central Park. This is at the entrance. Already I am calmed.

The garden is in three sections; this is the Central Garden which is Italian in style. I gather it is spectacularly beautiful in the spring with crabapple trees around the perimeter and wisteria on the pergola at the back. If you are planning to get married, say, next spring, you might give a thought to a wedding on the pergola.

The North Garden is classic French in style and the South Garden is English. More on these tomorrow.



Mary Sargent © 2008 ……… click to enlarge

And this is on the other side, looking back at Fifth Avenue. The building dead center and continuing to the right is El Museo del Bario. If you have really good eyes and squint really hard, you might be able to see signs of the renovation.

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Spanish Harlem, Fifth Avenue at 105th Street

Mary Sargent © 2008 .... click to enlarge

The renovation is to El Museo del Barrio, just one of the museums on Museum Mile. But that's for another walk. Just now I'm interested in how this woman has dressed for her surroundings with style and panache, right down to her shoes.

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Upper East Side, Fifth Avenue between 67th and 66th Streets

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


There's the bus stop, as promised.

If it doesn't rain tomorrow I'll have something new. It's not supposed to rain tomorrow.

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Upper East Side, Fifth Avenue Between 65th and 66th Streets

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

Here we have a glimpse of Temple Emanu-El being obscured by the scaffolding which is everywhere in New York. The Temple is the world's largest synagogue, according to sacred-destinations.com.

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Midtown, Fifth Avenue Between 53rd and 54th Streets

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

Pedicabs are a relatively new phenomenon in New York. Here's an article from The Christian Science Monitor in 2003. I haven't taken one yet, but now it's in my mental list of must dos.

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Midtown, Fifth Avenue at 53rd Street

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


Around the corner on the steps of St. Thomas Church.

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Upper East Side, Fifth Avenue Between 74th and 73rd Streets

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

Central Park in the winter sun. And looking beyond it to the West Side, you can see the twin towers of the San Remo, a 1930's Art Deco apartment building.

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