Gramercy, 29th Street Between Park Avenue South and Lexington Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2009 ……… click to enlarge

One of my favorite kind of shots. The blankness of it. Or is it the 2D aspect of it?

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Gramercy, 29th Street Between Park Avenue South and Lexington Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2009 ……… click to enlarge

I was attracted to this building because of the unusual architecture spanning the two wings. It certainly serves to make a very ordinary building look imposing. I don't know if there's a special name for this – anybody out there know?

This is Yeshiva University Schottenstein Residence Hall for women.

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Gramercy, 29th Street Between Park Avenue South and Lexington Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2009 ……… click to enlarge

I have things to tell you about this photo, but it's much too late to be coherent. Please wait until tomorrow. Thank you.

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Gramercy, 29th Street Between Park Avenue South and Lexington Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2009 ……… click to enlarge

Spring on East 29th Street.


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Gramercy, 29th Street Between Park Avenue South and Lexington Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………. click to enlarge

Here's another little hotel on a Manhattan side street. Hotel Deauville. Unlike the last one, though, this one gets good reviews. And so cheap! Maybe I should start a collection of these little hotels. You never can tell when you might need one.

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Gramercy, Park Avenue South Between 28th and 29th Streets

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

I loved Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. If you have any interest in food and restaurants, you must read it. Very funny. He was the chef at Les Halles and I couldn't wait to go there. It's pretty, right? Real Frenchy. One of the first.

All I can say is it was so disappointing that I lay awake writing letters in my head to him. Dear Tony, casual is one thing, inept is another. And another thing . . . Of course, he was long gone as chef there, but still, it's his restaurant.

When you read books you love, do you kind of assume a special relationship with the author and have mental conversations with him/her?

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Gramercy, Park Avenue South Between 28th and 29th Streets

Mary Sargent © 2009 …… click to enlarge

Across the street (west side) some construction. According to the web, it will be a luxury hotel; the Gansevoort Park. Hmm. I just wonder a little bit about the timing.

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Gramercy, Park Avenue South Between 28th and 29th Streets

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

Here we go with another short convenience walk, one I took Monday, on my way to my Philosphy Meetup at Dolcino. I'm getting my hopes up for a nice long walk tomorrow; it seems it may be getting warm at last.

But first take a look at the fabulous colors nail salons and their customers use.

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Gramercy, Lexington Avenue Between 22nd and 23rd Streets

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


This photograph was taken one year ago to the day on a lunchtime walk. Does that make up for not having a current photo? I wonder where those two are today. Are they still together? Do they still have their jobs?

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Gramercy, 21st Street at Park Avenue South

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

Windows at the Calvary Church. And tiny new green buds. Please enlarge.

Those green buds are even more exciting to me than the first flowers. Um, because, let's see, the flowers come and go pretty fast, but the buds are the very beginning of a whole new spring, summer, fall event and, uh . . . hmm

Something symbolic here?

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Gramercy, 21st Street at Park Avenue South

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

Calvary Episcopal Church built in 1848 by James Renwick. The AIA Guide to New York City calls it second-echelon Renwick. For a little history go here.

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Gramercy, Gramercy Park South Between Irving Place and Third Avenue

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

This is the Brotherhood Synagogue on a Friday evening. It was built in 1859 as a Quaker meeting house, but later abandoned when they moved to another location (but why would they do that?). The building was due to be torn down in 1975, but saved at the last minute by the Brotherhood Synagogue and transformed into a temple. Thank you Brotherhood. And thanks to your sisters, too.

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Gramercy, Gramercy Park South between Park Avenue South and Third Avenue

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

Here is the National Arts Club mentioned Saturday, two days ago. Architecture/history buffs go here. Good story buffs go here. This is the same story I recommended on Saturday but I know you didn't bother with it. Here's another chance. For a long(er) shot go here.

The heads on the medallions are of Shakespeare, Milton, Franklin, Goethe and Dante, not artists, as you might imagine. That's because the façade was redone when it was owned by Samuel Tildon in the 1870s and the sculptures allude to his library. The National Arts Club acquired the house in 1906.

I'm an artist and this is the first I've heard of the National Arts Club. Must check out; they look pretty comfy in there.

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Gramercy, Gramercy Park West between 21st and 20th Streets

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

These homes were built in the 1840's, and James Harper, former mayor of New York and founder of Harper Brothers lived here at No. 4 from 1847 until his death in 1869. Shortly before I took this photo a young mother with two young children went through the front door. Imagine living in a townhouse built in the 1840's in the middle of Manhattan. Here's a long shot. And here's a detail.

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Gramercy, Gramercy Park North between Lexington Avenue and Park Avenue South

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

Here we are at the iron fence of the most exclusive park in New York City, which is to say, it is private. Only local residents, those with a golden key, can enter. And inside this lovely park is the first flowering tree I have seen this year. I think it's a star magnolia, but that's just a guess. If anyone knows flowering trees, go to this closeup of the blossoms and let me know.

The park is only the size of a city block, from 21st to 20th and . . . well, I can't figure out how to describe the east and west borders in less than a couple of paragraphs, so just take a look at the map.

Here's a highly entertaining article from New York Magazine about the fight between the president of the National Arts Club, which you can see through the trees here (photo coming up) and the chairman of the Gramercy Park Trustees. It was written in 2000, and I have no idea what's going on now, but it's well worth reading anyway.

Gramercy, Lexington Avenue between 23rd and 22nd Streets

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

I feel as if I'm facing a small army of truculent newspaper vendors.




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


And they won't take no for an answer.



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

Uh, oh.

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Gramercy, 23rd Street at Lexington Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2007 …………click to enlarge

This is a small piece of a shot I took just to get the street sign – I take them every block so I can later figure out where I was. But when I saw the lovely Chrysler building in the background from 20 blocks away (it's on 42nd at Lexington), I had to show it to you. It's probably my favorite building in New York and I love the way you can catch glimpses of it all over the East Side.

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Gramercy, Park Avenue South at 23rd Street

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

Last Friday, after work, I subwayed two stops to 23rd Street to get some vitamins, and went for a walk around Gramercy Park. See how light it is? Around this time of year, I get a little thrill when I leave the office and it's still light.

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Gramercy, 23rd Street Between Lexington Avenue and Park Avenue South

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

And this, the final shot in my November 14 lunch time walk. Love those horizontals.

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Gramercy, Lexington Avenue Between 22nd and 23rd Streets

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

I am so tired from all the tryptophan that it's all I can do to press the button to post this photo. Happy Thanksgiving all.

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