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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Chelsea, 24th Street at Seventh Avenue

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


The destination. They had the Kesso yogurt. All is well.

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Chelsea, Seventh Avenue between 22nd and 23rd Streets

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

Along about now seemed like a good time to sit down with a glass of wine and watch the world go by. I can't remember now whether I had the thought and then spotted Porters or spotted Porters and then had the thought. I sat at the middle table there on the edge.

If you're thinking why would anyone want to sit outside on a cloudy, chilly day on an unlovely stretch of street and watch (not the world) but the traffic go by, then maybe you're just not cut out for this urban life. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

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Chelsea, 21st Street between Seventh and Sixth Avenues

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


I wonder if there is a subcategory of street art known as commercial street art. I searched the web for an answer and found an interesting roundtable on street art, but they didn't address my question.

This is the side of the building that houses Kove Bros. Hardware, and I imagine that one of the brothers hired a street artist to paint the side of the building. Is it still street art?

I await enlightenment.

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Chelsea, Seventh Avenue Between 20th and 21st Streets

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

Seventh Avenue looks kind of like Lexington Avenue with these old tenements and small shops, and in thinking why I don't have the same affection for it, I concluded it was because Seventh Avenue is wider than Lexington. Lexington feels more human size, I guess.

In other news, I am now unemployed. Yes, I got laid off due to hard times and the boss's son, but I got 4 month's severance pay and a wonderful feeling of freedom. Bill tells me that feeling doesn't last, but I plan to enjoy the hell out of it as long as it does.

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Chelsea, Seventh Avenue between 19th and 20th Streets

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

I used to print color film at Print Space on 19th Street around the corner. A couple of days after 9/11/2001, three of us went to Peter McManus (on the far left) after printing and had a few gin and tonics. This was a deadly combination – alcohol and 9/11 – and I believe I did wish I was dead before it was over. Missed work the next day, the whole bit.

Oh, the memories.

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Chelsea, 15th Street at Seventh Avenue

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

Jensen-Lewis. About 1989, having a little extra money, it occurred to me to spend it on a sofa. Jensen-Lewis had a little ad in the New York Times with a black and white drawing of a couch that looked perfect, so I immediately took the subway down from 110th Street, checked it out, chose my upholstery color (navy blue canvas), and said, deliver it. That is the ideal shopping experience in my opinion.

I still have that couch, by the way, and it's looking a little bedraggled, what with old age and the cats clawing it. Alas, no extra money.

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Chelsea, Seventh Avenue at 14th Street

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


I do have a fondness for these newspaper boxes.

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Chelsea, 14th Street at Seventh Avenue

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

Sunday, two days ago, I realized I was low on Kesso yogurt. I was thrilled when Westside Supermarket reopened and again began carrying it, but they haven't had it now for over a week and I am pessimistic. They keep telling me, maybe tomorrow. So I decided to go down to Whole Foods on 24th Street where I know they have it. Yes, it's that good.

I was going to take the subway to 28th Street, walk to Whole Foods and then continue down Seventh Avenue to 14th Street and come home. Ha ha. The locals were running on the express track, the express was running on the local track and the uptown train was running on the downtown track. I only came by this knowledge the hard way, however, and as a result I went to 14th Street and then back to 14th Street. No 28th Street at all. Maybe on a weekday, I'll give it another try.

But I want to mention the nice MTA lady who explained it all to me at great length, but not in what you would call a coherent or helpful way, but since she was nice I thanked her, and she said, oh, that's okay, that's what I'm here for!

This opening shot is from where I got off the subway at 14th Street. Seventh Avenue is the eastern border of Chelsea according to Wikipedia and that's probably stretching it, and 14th Street the southern. 14th Street is also the southern border of Midtown, which, again seems strange, but of course, that makes it the northern border of Downtown. Damn these borders anyway.

Notice The Donut Pub and try not to think of having donuts with your beer.

Although, now that I do after all think of it, I'm thinking maybe a nice whole wheat donut with a bottle of Guinness could be pretty fine.

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Upper West Side, West End Avenue Between 102nd and 103rd Streets

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

And so we bid adieu to West End Avenue. For the end of the actual walk, go to the beginning. I mean, scroll down to October 28 and 27, in that order.

Tomorrow, Chelsea. Don't get excited, it's only Seventh Avenue.

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Upper West Side, West End Avenue Between 100th and 101th Streets

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

I didn't say I wouldn't want to live here. I only said it was dull. And after all, Broadway is one short block away.

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Upper West Side, West End Avenue Between 98th and 99th Streets

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

Go here to see the entire building.


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Upper West Side, West End Avenue Between 97th and 98th Streets

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

Upper West Side, West End Avenue between 96th and 97th Streets

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

X
X
And so I start my walk up West End Avenue.

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Upper West Side, 96th Street Between Broadway and West End Avenue

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

Happy Halloween! There could be ghosts on the second floor of this Salvation Army Thrift Store. This desolate spot is right off busy Broadway. The 96th Street subway stop, a major stop, is on the corner, and this is a reasonably prosperous part of town. And it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Look at that door.

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Upper West Side, Broadway Between 100th and 99th Streets

Mary Sargent © 2007 ……… click to enlarge

Okay, back to the beginning. I hope you've been paying attention. This past weekend, Lee was in town, visiting Luka and going to the peace march downtown on Saturday. On Sunday, the three of us met to have the outstanding brunch at Turkuaz, previously mentioned here. Afterwards, we parted, they off to the Neue Museum or maybe home for naps, and I to my photo walk.

I walked down Broadway to 96th, didn't shoot much because I've done this before, but I did want to show you another high rise apartment building going up on Broadway. This will help to house the 1,000,000 new people Mayor Bloomberg hopes to persuade to move here.

Update 11/2/07: Just stumbled across this relevant NY Times article.

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Upper West Side, 107th Street Between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2007 ………… click to enlarge

Here is the pretty doorway to the Nicholas Roerich Museum. I had never heard of it – had you? Roerich was a Russian painter who gained fame designing sets and costumes for Diaghilev and most famously, collaborated with Stravinsky on Le Sacre du Printemps. There's lots more; if you are interested, check out the museum link.

So I walk in, and there are a couple of gents sitting around who direct me to the upper two floors. Paintings everywhere. On the second floor is a grand piano and a bunch of folding chairs set up for an audience. Pretty soon a woman sweeps in and begins rehearsing, playing Chopin, very accomplished. By this time I'm on the third floor, in the front room, all alone, with the light streaming in, colorful paintings all around, and gorgeous music from the piano below.

See? Even a walk up West End Avenue can end in an enchanted place you never knew existed.

They have concerts most Sunday afternoons at 5 o'clock. It's free (contributions accepted) and no reserved seating. If you get there before me, save me a seat.

Then after that, as if that wasn't enough, when I got back to Broadway, I went into Starbucks, got a latte and got a seat by the window, no waiting.

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Upper West Side, 107th Street Between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue

What a city! I'm going to start at the end of this walk because I want to tell it now.

Sometimes there are walks that I decide to take, not because I think I'm going to get good or interesting photographs, but because it must be done. Every block must be walked whether or not it is interesting or beautiful. Today I took one of those walks. West End Avenue. Dull, dull, dull. One big apartment building after another, nothing commercial and no street life. The only reason it's not the dullest block in Manhattan (that honor falls to Fort Washington Avenue) is because the buildings are better looking than those on Ft. Washington and they have better details.

At least it was a beautiful day. Gorgeous. After the rain of the last few days and the unreasonably warm days before that, this was a real Fall day: sunny and breezy and brisk.

So I strolled along, starting at 96th Street, walking uptown to 106th, then turning and walking up Riverside, but giving that up after one block because the wind was so strong there, I was getting an earache. Turned back on 107th Street to go back to Broadway, and saw this pretty little building with a plaque on the side of the door.



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


This, my friends, is the Nicholas Roerich Museum. And this post is too long as it is, so I will continue tomorrow.


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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.

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Inwood, Tenth Avenue Between 215th and 214th Streets

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

I was all out of photos this morning, so I took my camera to work, hoping that it wouldn't rain until after lunch. But in case it did, I took a few shots from the elevated subway platform at 215th Street. Those of you here in New York know that it did rain before, during and long after lunch today.

Note: this is not street level - it's second story. Or maybe third. I'll check tomorrow.

Oh, never mind, here's a shot to solve the question and orient you.


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