Flatiron District, 22nd Street Between Fifth And Sixth Avenues

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

Back to Allegretti.  Yvette had survived and we proceeded to have an impressive dinner.  In fact, this was probably the best Restaurant Week meal I had, in that there were no weak links.  Asia de Cuba had a possibly more delicious entree and dessert, but the appetizer was not much good.  This is what I had at Allegretti:  We shared an extra appetizer of grilled octopus with some kind of delicious rice combination, umm good.  Tuna tartar, 3 mounds on cucumber slices with something crispy, ummm, good.  Risotto with crab and asparagus.  After I finished, I realized I hadn't tasted much crab, but it was delicious all the same.  Black cherry clafouti,  ummm good.  The food deserved a better room; it was a rectangle with small square tables scattered around.  They serve the same prix fixe year round for $39.  Or does it change daily, as website says?

Flatiron District, 22nd Street at Sixth Avenue

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

The sign says only "Pizza".  No name. I was hardly paying attention to it.  However, I was checking Songlines just to see what was on this block and discovered it's called Maffei Pizza and that the Village Voice called it a "culinary nirvana."  Take a look at its web presence.  You just never know.

Okay, so now I've come to the end of the block and I must run back to Allegretti before Yvette starts gnawing her knuckles.

Flatiron District, 22nd Street Between Fifth And Sixth Avenues

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

There at the red awning is Allegretti, where I'm to meet Yvette for our Restaurant Week dinner.  I've already received a text from her saying, hurry up, I'm starving, I've been here since 6 (it's going on 7), but she's going to have to wait a few minutes longer while I photograph the rest of this street.  I'm not late yet, after all.

Flatiron District, 22nd Street Between Fifth And Sixth Avenues

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

Right now, this is my favorite building in the city.  I spent a lot of time with it today, looking at it, wondering about it.  There was not much to discover about it on the web, just that it was built in 1904 and is residential.  Don't you wonder what the apartments look like?  One to a floor, two?  Isn't that a remarkable entrance for such a narrow building?  They've screwed around with it and someone really made a wrong move painting the columns halfway up, but it's still pretty impressive. 

I didn't notice the ground floor restaurant when I shot it and I can't find out its current name, but whatever it is, I need to try it.  And take a closer look at the building.  And try to meet someone who lives there and make friends with them.  And then visit them.

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.

Flatiron District, 16th Street Between Fifth and Sixth Avenues

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

This is The Church of St. Francis Xavier, built in 1887, and described in the AIA as neo-Baroque and monumental.  Unfortunately, you don't get a sense of its monumentality from this photograph, which kind of flattens it.  It was monumental.  Christopher Gray wrote a column on it in 2005 when it was being renovated.



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


And here is the interior. 

Flatiron District, 16th Street Between Fifth and Sixth Avenues

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

Between buildings 5, 7 and 9 and building 17 (see last night's post) is The Center for Jewish History, there since 2000.  I walked across the street to check it out and spoke to two police officers standing there (why?  I mean why were they standing there?).  I never knew it was here, I said.  Neither did I, said one.  That's what's great about New York, he said, you never know what you're going to see.

It was closed, it being Saturday.

Flatiron District, 16th Street Between Fifth and Sixth Avenues

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

These curvy buildings caught my eye and I came home to discover that they became landmarks in 1990.  In the 1840s the streets just north of 14th Street and west of Fifth Avenue were developed with row houses, but by the end of the 19th century most of them were gone as the area had become more commercial.  However, to quote from New York City Landmarks:

. . . West 16th Street retains a significant number of Greek Revival houses.  The most impressive are the four survivors of a row of nine wide houses - Nos. 5, 7, 9, and 17 - each of which has a full-height curving bay on its front facade, an extremely rare feature in New York.

These three houses are 5, 7, and 9, from right to left.




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

Here is a view of No. 9 from a different angle, showing the curving bay to a better advantage.

It's hard to see why these are Greek Revival since they are asymetrical, lack pedimented gables or friezes, and have no columns.  And who ever saw curving bays on Greek architecture?  Someone please explain.

See map.

Flatiron District, 16th Street at Fifth Avenue

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

This is a window display in the Paul Smith menswear store on Fifth Avenue.  I know it's hard to make it out because of all the reflections, but try the extra large enlargement.  It consists of a number of so-called robots by Gordon Bennett.  I say so-called because they don't do anything; they just look like they would.  They are sculptures and are priced accordingly - up to $6,000.  But you can buy a robot poster for only $50.





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

This one is named Adlake Kero and costs $3,000.

Flatiron District, 16th Street Between Union Square West and Fifth Avenue

X
Three more restaurants on this block.


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

This is the restaurant that started the whole Union Square resurgence:  Union Square Cafe, which opened in 1985.  It was Danny Meyers' first restaurant, and was considered revolutionary because the staff was so nice.  New Yorkers discovered that while they prided themselves on being tough, they actually enjoyed being welcomed and smiled upon.

Since then, Meyers has built an empire of high end restaurants, including Gramercy Tavern, 11 Madison Park, Tabla and Blue Smoke, and all of them are notable for how nice everyone is.  Also the food is great.



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

And here is a restaurant of a different sort:  Chat 'n Chew.  It serves things like macaroni and cheese and fried chicken and coca-cola cake.  I did not know until now that Chat 'n Chew, Steak Frites, coming up in next photo, and Sushi Samba are all owned by Andrew Silverman.



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

Yes, here is Steak Frites, at the bottom, but I wanted to show you this building because of how ornate it is.  Enlarge it and check out the details.

Flatiron District, 16th Street Between Union Square West and Fifth Avenue

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

This is Blue Water Grill, a highly rated seafood restaurant located in the landmarked former Bank of the Metropolis.  I have not eaten at this restaurant (must remedy), but I was in the previous restaurant for drinks.  And what was its name?  I spent a great deal of time online trying to discover the answer.  Shouldn't there be a website devoted to listing the consecutive restaurants operating at one location?  You know there should. 

I was about to give up when suddenly inspiration struck.  My collection of Zagat Surveys!  I found it in the 1991 edition:  Metropolis Cafe.  Doesn't ring a bell, but I'll accept that.

Later, I discovered that if I had actually read the review of Blue Water Grill linked to above, I could have saved myself a lot of time.

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.

See map.

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.

See map.

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.

See map.

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!

See map.

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.

See map.

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.

Flatiron District, 23rd Street at Fifth Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………. click to enlarge

X

Alert readers will have noticed we're in a new neighborhood, newly named anyway. I think we've been here before, but I was not alert and therefore I have a new relabeling task on my list.

This is the Flatiron District and that is the beloved Flatiron Building, the triangular building made to fit the space created by Broadway crossing Fifth Avenue on a diagonal. Blessed Broadway! Of course, this shot does not demonstrate its triangularity, so please go here to see many good shots, including nice historical photos and even what was on the site before it was built. I always want to see that.

I was surprised to learn that this wasn't called the Flatiron District until about 1985 when restaurants started opening in the area and it became a more happening place. Naturally realtors wanted a nice name for this new neighborhood. The boundaries are 14th Street to 28th and 6th to Park Avenue.

Flatiron District, 23rd Street Between Sixth and Fifth Avenues

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

That impressive building across the street with the arches and columns and flags is home to Home Depot since 2004. It is a cast iron building built in 1878 and the AIA Guide to New York City tells us that "it reeks of birthday cake with vanilla icing." Check the definition of the word reeks if you are wondering just what they meant by that.

It was made for Stern's Dry Goods Store, owned by "New York's first merchandising family". If the phrase "dry goods store" conjures up an image of a general store out on the dusty old frontier, you are wrong, wrong, wrong, as wrong as I was. It means linens, fabrics and clothing. This was, after all the heart of the Ladies Mile of the 19th Century.

See map.