West Village, Seventh Avenue South at Bleecker Street

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

Okay, I've had my haircut; it's good though not fabulous; it's about 5:20 and I have nothing planned.  Naturally, I think of that great wine bar around the corner on 7th Avenue.  Centro Vinoteca.




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

Now I'm inside, looking out.  You can see the grid marks of the window or screen or whatever they're marks of.  And if you enlarge either of these photos, you can see that it was snowing. 

It was very, very pleasant sitting there with a quarto of syrah and chicken liver pate as it slowly got darker outside.  Once in a while the waiter stopped by to chat.  He was from Croatia.  There are times when my whole body is filled with contentment and gratitude that I can live in New York and this was surely one of them.





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


This is what was to my left.

West Village, Seventh Avenue South Between Commerce and Barrow Streets

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

Caliente Cab Co. seems to be overwhelmingly disdained for its mediochre overpriced food, but it's so cute and the location is so good, and there're so many people in the world who haven't yet been there, that it stays in business. How long has it stayed in business? Since 1984. I was here soon after it opened. Everyone has to go once. Your turn.

See map.

West Village, Seventh Avenue South at Christopher Street

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

We arranged to meet at Christopher Park. I went by subway like a normal person. Luka walked from 101st Street to Sheridan Square. Over 93 blocks! This what she did before our walk. I found her in the park close by Gay Liberation, the sculpture by George Segal, commemorating the Gay Liberation movement which started with the Stonewall Rebellion in 1969.

Lots of studying to do tonight. Follow those links!

See map.

West Village, Seventh Avenue South at Christopher Street

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


The rain having continued until late this afternoon, I offer you this photograph taken one year ago to the day.

October 27, 2006 was a Friday night and after work I went downtown to have dinner with a friend. I had excess photos a year ago, so this one never was posted even though I have a sentimental attachment to Village Cigars.

Years ago before I moved here, when I was still married, I came to New York by myself to stay with a college friend whom you may now know as Luka. Her apartment was sure romantic to this gal from Illinois. Actually, it was to her, too. It was on Christopher Street which was busy and filled with gay men in leather but when you closed the door it was like closing the door on the city. There was an accessible rooftop out the window with a big tree hanging over it. In the mornings, she would go to work and I'd venture out by myself and when I came back to the apartment, I'd know I was in the right place when I saw Village Cigars.

I think it had been here forever even then.

See map.

West Village, Seventh Avenue South at Morton Street

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

QUICK! What color is New York? Did you think taxi cab yellow?

Morton is the street before Leroy, my destination, and I will leave you here to go back to watching election returns. Hoping, hoping, being afraid. Because I've been hurt in the past.

West Village, Seventh Avenue South at Bleecker Street

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

A few years ago, I was thinking of doing a photo series of psychic parlors. They seemed archaic to me, out of time, and I couldn't imagine how so many of them managed to pay their rent, but they were everywhere, and in all kinds of neighborhoods. So I took some photos, but never did the series. Because –

Well, two things. The main thing was that most of the photographs were not that interesting. Second, as the world turns more and more fundamentalist and anti-science, they don't seem that remarkable anymore. Just a sign of the times. Hello, Dark Ages.

Note: the guy in the far right of the photo is the guy from last night's post, making his way down Seventh Avenue South.

West Village, Seventh Avenue South at Bleecker Street

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

Still playing catchup, so here is an extra morning shot.

And this is still a week ago Friday. After work I went downtown to have dinner with a friend who lives on Leroy Street in the Village. She has a tiny place, but it has a working fireplace. And what a location!

I walked down from the Christopher Street subway station because I wanted to walk a piece of Seventh Avenue at that spot. It was still Daylight Savings Time, so it was just dusk when I got out of the station around 5:30.

See map.