Nolita, Mott Street at Prince

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

Another day of good intentions unfulfilled. You know how time can take you by surprise? As in, WHAT? How could it be 5:30 already?

I was going downtown tonight to meet some artists to celebrate Elizabeth's birthday. The same Elizabeth of a few nights ago. We were meeting at The Kitchen Club at the corner of Prince and Mott at 7:00, and I planned to leave home at 5:30 so I would have time for a photowalk as I walked from the subway to the restaurant. Perfect. Except time took me by surprise. Not only didn't I leave at 5:30, I didn't leave at 6:00. I left at 6:10. Which meant that when I got off the subway at West 4th, I was late, so I took a cab, arrived a little late, but took the time to get one shot. Probably should have taken a few seconds more so it would be in focus. But it's all I got.

Tomorrow is another day.

The Kitchen Club was fun and the dumplings were as good as the awning leads you to believe. (It says Dumpling Diva on the front, in case you can't read it.) But I think I made a mistake in the interest of economy in ordering the prix fixe. The salmon was fine but too ordinary. I probably should have gotten a big plate of dumplings. Yeah.

See map.

Nolita, Jersey Street Between Mulberry and Lafayette Streets

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

At this point, I'm walking to pick up streets, although Jersey Street is pretty much an alley. There's another leg of it that runs between Lafayette and Crosby Streets and I remember walking it in the 80's and being a little apprehensive (I've been doing this map thing for a long time, but I've discarded maps as they fell apart and faded). And it was in the day time that I was uneasy. In my memory, the street wasn't even paved, which is probably not true, and there were human feces lying about, which is true.

Now it's dark and there's nothing to worry about; everything's neat and clean and neat and clean people are walking about.

See map.

Nolita, Spring Street Between Mulberry and Lafayette Streets

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

Last night's post began the walk back from 11 Spring Street. I guess you'd say Spring Street begins at the Bowery, since the numbers start there and get higher as you go West where it ends at West Street at the river. Shouldn't it start at the river and go inland?

Here is Spring Street at Lafayette.

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Nolita, Spring Street Between Mott and Mulberry Streets

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

Hope everyone's Christmas and/or day off was splendid. As my Jewish boss said, it's always good to be away from work.

Now, we must return to Nolita to finish the walk of December 17. And we must finish before the New Year. Herewith, 34 Spring Street with matching van. I wish I could make out what the plaque says, but even with it enlarged, I could only read New York City. Of course, I'm making a note to go back and read it. Of course.

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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.


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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.

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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.

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Nolita, Spring Street Between Lafayette and Mulberry Streets

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

Something new for the blog! You may have noticed that I don't do events; no Halloween or Thanksgiving parade, no Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. If I went to one of those things, I'd photograph it, but I don't usually do things like that. But I did go to an event Sunday and now you're going to see it. I'm fairly excited about this unusual timeliness.

This photograph sets the stage: we're in Nolita. No-lee-ta. Once upon a time in a land called Nolita, there lived a group of people who seemed strangely unaware of Christmas. In fact, although someone had put a little tree in the window of Gatsby's Lounge Bar & Grill, no one seemed to know what it was for and they simply shrugged their shoulders and went on shopping and talking on their cell phones . . .

This is actually true. That little tree is pretty much it for any signs of Christmas on the entire length of Spring Street in Nolita.

But I digress. Tomorrow night I'm jumping ahead to shots of 11 Spring Street, only 3 days after the actual event. Later, I'll come back and show you some photos taken on the way there. I'm a bit breathless at this deviation from routine.

See map.

Nolita, Lafayette Street, South of Spring Street

Mary Sargent © 2006

Yesterday, Flying Lady and I went downtown for a delayed joint birthday celebration. First stop was to get a migun treatment at a Pilates studio on Lafayette. While she was getting hers, I went outside and took this shot. I like the visual pile-up of cars against that nice flat background of squares of, yes, red! and pink and other colors, too.