Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue at 191st Street

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

Finally we're at the end of this Washington Heights walk begun on February 20, and I'm closing with a pigeon shot.  I'm very pleased with this photo because it is hard to take a good pigeon shot.  Just as it is hard to take a good squirrel shot.  Or duck shot.  There are just some common chunky animals that make your eyes glaze over.  It's not their commonness because we love photos of cats.  Is it their lack of individuality?  But cow photos are always nice.  If anyway has the answer, please share.

So, as I was saying, I'm pleased with this photo because I think it is that rare occurrence, a damn good pigeon shot.  Don't you agree?  If it were a notecard, wouldn't you buy it? 

I went online to see what I could see, and I found a whole industry around pigeon photography but it had to do with racing pigeons and photography for identification.  If you have 300 prize pigeons, I guess you want to know who they are.

But I did find two sites you might be interested in; the first contains 100 shots of city pigeons by 100 photographers participating in "Pigeons In Town."  The contest closed March 11, two days ago.  Oh, cruel fate.  I'm sure I would have won.  It is at Digital Photography Review.

The second is Ingrid Taylar's story of detangling a city pigeon's feet.  If you like to read about poor helpless animals being rescued, as I do, this is for you.

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue at 191st Street

I apologize!  I've kept you in suspense for 3 days!  And I have no excuse except I've been super busy. 

So where did we eat lunch?



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

Where else but El Nuevo Caridad.  I've been wanting to eat there since February 2008.




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

The front looking out on St. Nicholas Avenue.





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

And the back, looking more like a neighborhood hangout.

And what did we eat?



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

Pork, of course.  Bill was craving it, not getting it at home any more.  And it sounded good to me.  This is their roast pork lunch.  Satisfying and generous to a fault.  The rice was quite good.

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue Between 182nd and 181st Streets

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

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue at 185th Street

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

I was all cranky today, dealing with an insurance snarl, so I let a beautiful photowalk day slip by. Now I'm even crankier.  Time to take a deep breath and move on.

So here's another photo from the block of St. Nicholas Avenue between 186th and 185th Streets. I do have a thing for Subway Sandwich shops. Not that I ever eat their sandwiches, but they do perk up a street.

Camera talk:  one of these days I'm going to remember that as it gets darker, it's okay to increase the ISO.  I still have a horror of high ISOs from my days of shooting film, but digital is different.  Once I'm straight with this, you won't see so many blurry people in low light like this gal.  It'll come.

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue Between 186th and 185th Streets

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

This was to be the start of a new walk, and NY1 was promising a rainless day as of two days ago, but I guess they looked at their tea leaves again and this morning informed me that it was gonna rain today.  And it did.  So I went back a few streets and found this photo I had wanted to post but omitted because the walk was taking too long.  I was interested in the top of this building, only one story, but the detail suggests that it was originally built for another purpose.  If only I had the time to devote myself to one block and learn everything there is to know about it.  Can't you picture me at dinner parties fascinating everyone with minutia from St. Nicholas Avenue between 186th and 185th?  No?

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue Between 182nd and 181st Streets

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

Pretty, huh?  Dark clouds and bright lights will do it.

See map.

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue Between 183rd and 182nd Streets

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

It's time to complain about Verizon again.  Did you know that it will refuse to send your email if it has a hyperlink in it?  It won't tell you why it's not sending it; for that you have to spend the usual 2 hours on the phone with tech support.  It is protecting us all from spam.  So how does one send an email address to someone?  Put it in an attachment.  Dear so-and-so, please find attached the email address you requested.

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue Between 185th and 184th Streets

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

See?  No more cutouts.  This building has a simple roof atop a, um, well, let's just say, atop a massively decorated facade.  The light touch was not a favored concept of these architects.

In a comment last night, Barbara wondered if crenellation was the term for what I've been calling cutouts.  It's close, but not the same thing, I think.  See this image.  It seems a crenel is an open space between two merlons which you can stick your gun through.  They don't seem to be closed at the top.  Although maybe you could broaden the term to include decorative openings.  But all of the definitions I could find had to do with battlements and weapons.

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue Between 186th and 185th Streets

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

Here's the last rooftop of this walk with cutouts in the brick.  I cannot find out what that's called.  Wait!  How about asking an architect?  I know of one who lives in my building.  Try to hold on until I happen to see him, which doesn't happen often.  In the meantime, if you know an architect, you could ask him or her.  Don't forget to let me know.  It goes without saying, that if you, yourself, are an actual architect, you should consider it your civic duty to drop me a comment or an email and let me know. 


See map.

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue at 186th Street

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

Another block, another church.  This one is the Fort George Presbyterian Church, and it, too, does not have a presence on the web.  Except on myspace.  Yes!  Where it exists as a 92 year old female.

As you can see, it's getting dark.  That stop in the bakery cost me some daylight.  Oh, but thank god, the days are getting longer.

See map.

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue at 187th Street

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

This is across the street from the Grullon Bakery.  I just had to do a close up of the pretty little church.




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

It is Saints Anargyroi Greek Orthodox Church.  I couldn't find anything about the church itself, so I investigated the saints.  There were two of them, twins, it seems.  They lived long, long ago, but somehow got themselves on Facebook.  This is one of your minor miracles, I guess.

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue at 187th Street

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

Here's this great looking bakery at the end of the block, where I stopped for a cup of coffee.  Not that I particularly wanted coffee; I just wanted to participate in the neighborhood.  You know Spanish coffee?  It's as good as anything you'll find in New York and it costs one dollar.  Espresso and steamed milk.  And very, very hot.  I used to get a cup before I got on the train to go to work and I couldn't even begin to sip it before I got to Times Square, about 40 minutes later. 

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue Between 188th and 187th Streets

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

As promised, here are more buildings with cut-outs at the roof top.  Please enlarge this so you can see how they're made.  Also, take a look at the intricate brickwork.  This building is on the northeast corner of St. Nicholas and 188th St.





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

This is the building next to it, and together, they make up the entire block on the east side.  Just walking along the street, seeing those storefronts, you wouldn't guess there's all that fancy stuff at the top, would you?  Let's all make a resolution to look up more.  I know it feels uncool, but if you assume an imaginary profession, you can make it work.  Me, I'm a street photographer.  You could be a landmarks surveyor.  Or a building inspector.

See map.

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue between 189th and 188th Streets

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

Even more color! This is the front of Nelson Morale Fashiion. Don't you love the red dress? And don't you know whatever skinny girl wears this to a party is going to have a good time? Actually, probably any size girl would have a good time wearing this dress.

See map.

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue Between 190th and 189th Streets

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

Here's a little more color on this gray day. And look at the gate on Ritz Paints.  The City Council has agreed (with me) that the standard gates are a blight and a "graffiti magnet" and decreed that after July 1, 2011, any roll-down gate that is being replaced must be replaced with a gate that allows at least 70 percent of the covered area to be visible.  Ritz Paints is already in compliance and look how much better it looks.  I don't think of the City Council as being much concerned with beauty but I'm happy to admit I'm wrong.






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

I was interested in this blank white space, apparently just craving to be covered with grafitti.  What's taking them so long?

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue between 191st and 190th Streets; St. Nicholas Avenue at 189th Street; 188th Street at St. Nicholas Avenue

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

The weather on January 1st was not too cold, in the high 30's, but the skies were gray, and the feeling was kind of somber. Can there be anything uglier than these metal gates?  And there were lots of them because most of these small stores were closed for the holiday.  In reaction to that, I started looking upward for inspiration and look what I found! This is the first of many cut-out roof tops I saw. There's probably a name for that, so if anyone knows it, please let me know.


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






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

See?  Here's another.  This one is at 189th Street.



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


And this one is on the corner of 188th Street.  All of these shots were taken walking down St. Nicholas Avenue.  There will be more to come.



P.S.  Look at how early I'm posting!  The last 3 days (which, just coincidentally, are the first three days of the New Year), I've posted before midnight.  It's the new me.  Let's see if that old saying is really true, you know, early to bed, early to rise . . .

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue at 191st Street

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

Meanwhile, across the street, another façade has changed. People are just never satisfied. Go here to see it two years ago. Would you say this is an improvement?

Manhattanville, St. Nicholas Avenue at 125th Street

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

Last Saturday when the weather was finally gorgeous and I was free to pick any street in Manhattan, I looked at my map and chose Convent Avenue in West Harlem. Convent Avenue is a partly curvy street that runs from 125th Street to 153rd, where it merges with St. Nicholas Avenue. It was named for a . . . convent, yes, the Convent of the Sacred Heart, which burned down in 1888. But enough history.

This is where I got off the subway at 125th Street. The first thing I saw was this arresting sign and it caused me to wonder a couple of things. One, what the hell is it advertising? Two, are there people back behind there?

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5/5/09 - No, no, Convent Avenue starts on 127th, although it should start on 125th.

See map.

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue Between 182nd and 181st Streets

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

Okay, that's it. The subway's at the end of this block.

See map.

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue between 192nd and 191st Streets

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


This is the doorway to the Santana Restaurant. And that's all I know about that.

See map.