It has been almost a decade since I attended the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. The last time I attended the parade, it was when my best friend came in from the Midwest as part of a four day band trip that the local high school sponsored as they were performing in the parade. We had a really nice time.
For the next several years it was either spending time with a friend out on the island or family commitments or the weather that kept me away. Last year it down poured on the parade. This year it would be hit or miss with the weather but the rainstorm the day before went out to sea and it ended up being a sunny cool day.
My spot on the corner West 46th street and Sixth Avenue for the start of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
I got there early leaving the house at 7:00am to a packed bus. I was lucky to get a seat and I am at the beginning of the route into the City. We just passed all the stops on the way into the City as we zoomed through the Lincoln Tunnel, a first in a long time.
The crowds at 8:00am on Sixth Avenue
I had read that the route had moved from Broadway to Sixth Avenue, so I walked a couple of blocks uptown to get away from the Times Square crowds. I figured that was where all the tourists were headed. I settled on West 46th Street, which has an incline near one of the office buildings and offered a better view.
The crowd just kept growing around me at the start of the parade.
The parade started uptown at 8:30am and made its way down Broadway until 59th Street and turn on Sixth Avenue and made its way down Sixth Avenue to Macy’s on West 34th Street. I was around the halfway point. Around 9:15am, we heard the first band coming down the Avenue and Tom Turkey, one of the oldest floats in the parade that I could remember from my years in the parade.
The Tom Turkey float used to house the grand marshal of the parade. My first year with the parade in 1988 it was a freezing cold Clint Black, the country singer.
Tom Turkey passing West 46th Street
As the float passed by there was no one on top. Maybe it was too cold or maybe they were on a different part of the float. That height can freak people out.
The start of the parade passing all of us on West 46th Street. The crowds and the excitement started to build. We could see Tom Turkey coming down Sixth Avenue to start the parade. People started to cheer as the parade passed us by.
The start of the parade with the Macy’s logoed gold balloons, which have been part of the parade since I volunteered in the early 1990’s.
The Macy’s balloons at the start of the parade
After this, it was a series of balloons and floats that passed by. The funny part was I thought there were more marching bands in the past.
The Super Mario balloon passing by
The Super Mario passing by
Doria the Explorer balloon
Doria the Explorer passing by our spot
The SpongeBob SquarePants balloon
The Sesame Street float passing by
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid balloon
The Green Giant float passing by
The Disney Float passing by with Micky Mouse
The Spiderman float makes an impact on the parade
The Spider-Man float passes by
The Minon passing us and looking everyone over
The Stuart the Minon balloon passes by
The Golden Turkey float passes by with rapper Busta Rhyms
The balloons Gabby and Panda Paw balloon pass by
Cool & the Gang on the Bronx Zoo float
The Smokey the Bear balloon
The Snoopy float, one of the many that have graced the parade for years
Snoopy passing by
Snoopy has been part of the parade in different forms since the early 1990’s. This is the latest version of the balloon.
The Pac Man Balloon passing by
The Marshall from Paw Control balloon passes
The Buzz Lightyear balloon passes by
The Silver Macy’s Balloon
The parade passed by in intervals as the parade had to stop for performances further down the route.
The Jolly Polly Pirate Ship passes by with Mr. Fantasy. I did not know who he was.
The balloons moved down Sixth Avenue
Here comes the Shrek Onion Carriage balloon in the distance
The Shrek Onion Carriage balloon
The Goldbear balloon
The Bluey the Dog balloon
The Counting Sheep Dream float passing by with performer Debbie Gibson, a singer from the 1980’s.
The Noorah balloon
The Palace of Sweets float
The Pillsbury Doughboy then passed us
The Pillsbury Doughboy passing us in the parade
The Deck the Halls float passed us with Ms. Christmas herself, Darlene Love, whose Christmas song, ‘Nobody aught to be alone on Christmas’ is played every year in the movie, ‘Home Alone II’.
Darlene Love on the Christmas float as it passed by
Then Minnie Mouse made her appearance towards the end of the parade
Then the ‘Believe’ balloons came down Sixth Avenue to announce the arrival of Santa
Here comes Santa, which basically opens the shopping season snd Christmas
Santa waving at the crowds
Santa waving to us as he passed by
Santa saved my way as we all waved to him
Santa on his sleigh marking the end of the parade as it passed West 46th Street
Then the parade ended by us as it made its way to West 34th Street to join the crowds at Macy’s. There all the performers would perform clips from their shows.
Sixth Avenue at the end of the parade
After the parade was over, I spent some time in Midtown getting some work on previous blogs and creating new ones.
After work was over at the club, I headed down to Chinatown for my Thanksgiving dinner. I had been feeling the sniffles trying to come in, so I had my dinner at Wonton Noodle Garden for an early dinner.
I felt I needed the excise and the fresh air to fight this thing so I walked from East 44th Street to Chinatown. I figured a several mile walk would get rid of this thing. I got some great pictures in along the way. All the parks on the way to Chinatown still had foliage left on the trees and the parks were also decorated for the upcoming Christmas holiday season. This is when you get to see the City at its best.
When I was attending NYU, I never realized how close Chinatown was to campus and I made my dumpling runs as many times as I could. I wanted to be supportive to Chinatown businesses. I decided earlier I would go to Wonton Noodle Garden (Mei Lai Wah) on Bayard Street for Thanksgiving.
I thought Chinatown and Little Italy would be closed down for Thanksgiving and I would not have much of a choice of places to eat. Wrong! Chinatown was mobbed with both locals and tourists and all the restaurants would be packed until 6:00pm.
When I got to the restaurant, it was packed with diners. I sat in the counter area by the kitchen, which I enjoy. You get quicker service and I like talking to the staff.
My Thanksgiving dinner, Cantonese Wonton Soup with Roast Pork, Egg Noodles and Pork Wontons and a order of Fried Wontons
This is the best dinner and the cure all when you have a cold. It cleans out all the cold in your system. The food and the service here are excellent. I have coming here since the original restaurant opened on Mott Street back when I was in Junior high.
The Cantonese Wonton Soup chicken broth is so rich in flavor
The Fried Wontons are the perfect accompaniment to the soup, crisp and served with a sweet sauce
The Wontons are so good
The staff is so funny here. They can never believe my appetite. I had had only a quick breakfast and no lunch so this served as both lunch and dinner. I was still hungry after lunch. I knew where to walk for dessert.
I stopped down at Great Taste Bakery on 53 Catherine Street for dessert.
Not only were they open but still baking. I got two egg custards that were still hot out of the oven. The tables were filled with local residents talking with their neighbors in Chinese.
The egg custards at Great Taste Bakery
This is one of the last reasonable holdouts in Chinatown for excellent desserts and cheap prices. It caters to the older locals and the hipsters who are flooding the neighborhood.
After dinner, I decided to walk back to Port Authority since it was such a nice night. Most people think I am crazy when I do this but it really is a nice walk.
Walking through Chinatown around 5:30pm Thanksgiving night
Midtown with the Empire State Building lit for Thanksgiving
The Empire State Building in all its glory
It really was a great afternoon and a wonderful Thanksgiving. This was fun just seeing the parade on a sunny afternoon and the perfect dinner in Chinatown.
There is always a lot of excitement when a new art exhibition is ready to open. It is even better when the museum opens it to its members first before the public gets a glimpse. The lines always wrap around the corner from the museum.
The long line of MoMA members waiting to get into the museum for the opening night of Artist Ruth Asawa’s exhibition
I noticed this year especially and right before Thanksgiving, all the museums are throwing open their doors for Member’s Nights. I have been invited to five Members Nights at museums all over the City. You can’t attend them all but when you can, it is a lot of fun.
The excitement the museum creates for these evenings
Video of entering the museum at the start of the opening with 80’s Japanese Pop Music
I think in an economy like this, these Members Nights are one of the best ways to engage with the membership for both donations and renewals of memberships especially before the holiday season. Plus it gives the members a wonderful night out to see the exhibitions ahead of time and enjoy the evening after a long week at work.
Born on a farm in Southern California, Asawa began her arts education when she was a teenager and she and her family were among the thousands of persons of Japanese descent who were forcibly incarcerated by the US government during World War II. It was at the internment camp that Asawa began taking classes in painting and drawing. After her release, Asawa studied to be a teacher but was unable to get a license because of her Japanese heritage, so she enrolled at Black Mountain College, an experimental art school in North Carolina. Asawa took classes from and worked alongside fellow artists Josef Albers, Robert Rauschenberg, Merce Cunningham, and R. Buckminster Fuller. Black Mountain was also where she met her husband, the architect Albert Lanier.
I loved her wire woven sculptures. They were the real standouts of the show.
The wire woven sculptures were the standouts of the exhibition
I thought these were a unique design
I liked here colorful paintings, these are of her child’s footprints. I loved the idea that her children were involved with the art
The patrons enjoying the art
The display of the wire art
The displays were impressive and graceful
The colorful faces looked tired
The look of nature in the wire art in the form of trees
I loved her works of food
At the end of the exhibition and the evening, I joined everyone on the main floor where the bar and gift shop were located. The main floor was the busiest part of the museum. I wondered if some of these people even went upstairs to see the exhibition or just stayed downstairs to socialize.
The main floor of the museum is always packed with people
Share in the excitement of the Membership opening
These evenings always get my mind off the stress of life. It is nice to just be in Midtown Manhattan and be in the moment. It is nice to see art, hear music and walk through the museum.
The front of George’s Pizzeria at 726 West 181st Street
There are pizzerias all over Manhattan, some good and some bad and some indifferent. Some just stand out for the excellent food, service and price and George’s Pizzeria is one of them. I came across this wonderful little hole in the wall when I was walking the Washington Heights neighborhood for my blog, MywalkinManhattan.com. What stood out were the reasonable prices and the excellent food. The staff here also has a good repour with their customers and I think that is very important.
The inside of George’s Pizzeria
I just had a simple piece of Cheese pizza on my first two trips to George’s and the pizza is amazing. The sauce they use has so much flavor and I think this is the body of the pizza. The slice was perfectly cooked and even when it is warmed up, the pizza is consistently excellent.
George’s delicious Cheese Pizza
The Cheese Pizza here is excellent
When I came back another time during my Broadway walk, I tried the Cheese and Sausage Calzone and what a gooey delight. This overstuffed Calzone had three cheeses and lots of sliced sausage inside of it. It was served with a side of their homemade red sauce.
The Sausage and Cheese Calzone with an icy Coke
The Calzone was really nice sized and perfect for lunch
It was the perfect size for lunch and just right for the 13 mile walk down Broadway. It was a delicious meal.
The membership arrived at the NJ State Firemen’s Home to find the home decorated for the upcoming Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays. It seemed like yesterday we were up here for the Summer Barbecues.
The outside grounds of the NJ State Firemen’s Home
We had a lot to talk about at our October meeting with the Annual Convention behind us. There had been discussions on the Home and its expansion, renovations going on and the upcoming holiday season. I thought it was one of the best meetings we had in a long time.
The outside of the home decorated for the upcoming holiday season
Our fundraising has been coming along really well and we have exceeded our drive from last year. I think the word getting out about what we do and the Social media has been a huge help. We not only want to show our fellow fire companies where their money is being spent but how it is being spent.
We discussed also our upcoming reorganization breakfast at the Wyckoff Fire Department in November and the Annual Christmas party in December. Our Secretary, Tom Simpson discussed the gift this year and a planned lunch for both the staff and the membership. Everything is underway and planned for a great holiday season.
After the meeting was over, we joined the residents in the main meeting room where refreshments were being served and the entertainment had started.
Gigi entertained the residents on a stage decorated for the upcoming Halloween season
Gigi performed a series of Classic rock and Country music
Gigi performing the Patsy Kline hit “Crazy for you”
After ending her performance with ‘God Bless America’, we got up and introduced ourselves to the residents. We let everyone know about our upcoming Christmas party, which is always a huge hit with the residents and staff alike. We also we wished them well and for their years of service to the fire service, which they seemed touched by. Then we took our group picture.
The members of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association
We ended the program with one of the employees of the home, Eleanor, singing with Gigi a heartfelt song., “I Believe”.
What I thought was interesting was one of the guys told me she had once been a backup singer to Michael Jackson. I thought that was really gift that this woman shared her voice and love for these guys.
It really was a wonderful afternoon and I want to thank everyone who made it possible. This is our gift to our fellow firefighters.
The front of Centro Pizzeria & Restaurant at 1469 Second Avenue
The pizza selection
Sometimes you come across a restaurant that you must have walked by a million times but never stopped in, the was Centro Pizza. Until one night when I was starved and it was the only place open. I saw the selection of pizzas in the window and had to stop. I am glad I did. The food here is excellent and very reasonable.
The pizza selection
My dinner that evening, a large cheese and pepperoni pizza with the Coke.
My dinner my first evening at Centro Pizzeria
The pizza here is amazing. The sauce has so much flavor and they load the pepperoni on the slices. You got a real good mouthful on these oversized slices.
The Cheese pizza
The Pepperoni pizza is loaded with pepperoni
What a great dinner
The next time are here, I was in the mood for one of their rolls and ordered the Pepperoni Roll. These are also oversized and they pack the filling inside.
My dinner that night
I have to tell you that for $8.00, it was like a mini pizza. The Pepperoni Roll was loaded with spicy pepperoni and mozzarella and baked to perfection.
The Pepperoni Roll with their homemade red sauce
The red sauce they serve on the side is perfectly spiced and has a rich flavor.
The roll was loaded with thin slices of pepperoni
It was delicious and I enjoyed my late dinner
The inside of the restaurant with its nice selection of sodas and drinks
I had not been to the Feast of Gennaro in about fifteen years, not since my father got sick. I think 2010 was the last time I came to Little Italy for the Feast. The crowds were just as nuts as they were then.
The place was mobbed and made worse by everyone Instagramming the whole event.
The History of the Feast:
(From the Feast website)
At the turn of the 20th century when Italian immigrants settled on the lower east side of Manhattan each region settled on a different street. The Neapolitans settled on Mulberry Street. In 1926 with keeping their Neapolitan traditions they decided to have a one day block party for their patron saint and protector of Naples, San Gennaro, which continued year after year something that has now and for decades become not only a New York icon. This world renown 11 day event, which stretches throughout 11 blocks of the Little Italy neighborhood.
For generations this feast has always been an important part of our neighborhood not only representing the Saint Himself but also representing our ancestors, our culture and our traditions. This collection of booths of food and merchandise is enjoyed by both locals and tourists alike.
The patron Saint of San Gennaro sits in front of the condo building where the old church one stood. I still can’t believe they knocked the church down.
The Story of San Gennaro:
(from the Feast website)
Saint Gennaro was Bishop of Benevento, Italy, and died a martyr in 305 AD during the persecution spearheaded by Emperor Diocletian. He signed his death warrant when he visited the deacons, Sosso and Proculo, and the laymen, Eutichete and Acuzio, in jail.
The Proconsul, Timothy, had Gennaro arrested. He underwent torture without wavering in his resolution to remain loyal to Christ. He was thrown headlong into a furnace, but by the grace of God, he come through unscratched.
Furious, the agents beheaded him. His body and the severed head still dripping blood were gathered up by an old man who wrapped them reverently in a cloth. An old Neapolitan lady collected the blood with a sponge and filled a phial with the precious liquid. The body of Saint Gennaro is preserved in Naples, where he is honored as the city’s principal patron.
The Neapolitans pray to him for protection from fires, earthquakes, plagues, droughts and the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. In every emergency Saint Gennaro is their powerful champion and universal helper.
Things have gotten worse with the foot traffic between everyone filming and photographing and Tik Toking it and the excessive amount of baby carriages (who would bring an infant to these things? It’s noisy, crowded and late!) makes getting down Mulberry Street even harder.
The crowds on the side streets were just as bad
The food is the same as usual with sausage sandwiches, meatball subs, rice ball’s and plenty of Zeppole.
Pozzuoli Pizza was one of the vendor’s at the feast
Looking at all the food and sandwiches, I heard music in the back of one of the side streets and stopped to listen to the music of Jenna Esposito, who was performing that evening.
Jenna Esposito performing the night
Jenna Esposito sign and contact information: What a Talent!
Before she left on break, she sang ‘Volare’ which brought down the house. It was great way to end that part of show.
Jenna Esposito and her band singing ‘Volare’
The Feast as it started to get dark
I continued to walk down Mulberry Street and was dying for some zeppole, small pieces of fried pizza dough ladened with powered. I found a place and they looked like they were freshly frying them.
It was not until I ordered them and they were lukewarm and a little greasy. The woman said the were closing up shop and she gave me what seemed like twenty. Even though they were large and tasted good nothing is worse than zeppole’s when they get cold.
I thought these had been freshly made but were like warm. The only benefit was she gave me about 20 for $5.00. I was stuffed when I finished the entire bag of them. It must have been two pounds of fried dough that I consumed.
I walked through the mountains of crowds as this was the last night of the feast and a beautiful night. I took it as tourists and locals alike wanted to enjoy the evening. Again the worst was people pushing baby carriages through the streets of the feast.
I am sorry everyone, I do not think infants should be subjected to this type of noise and light this late into the evening.
The crowds around 8:00pm
The organizers of the feast brought the festival back to its original border of Houston Street so the there was room to stretch. These later blocks were not as crowded as those closer to Canal Street and had more retail vendors than food vendors.
Reaching the border of the feast at East Houston Street
When I used to attend the feast back in the 1990’s, the Feast would stretch the entire length of Mulberry Street straight into Chinatown and the whole street from East Broadway to Houston Street would be packed with food vendors, games and retail vendors. It shows how both the neighborhood and the Feast have changed.
Passing the Sausage and Pepper vendors walking back to Canal Street
The sausages always look so good
I was not too sure how many people were going to eat this much sausage at 8:40 pm at night.
All good things have to come to an end as the evening got late and by 8:15pm, a lot of vendors started to close up as the feast was closing by 9:00pm on the last night.
The crowds started to thin out by the time I got to Canal Street and it was easier to walk through the Feast. It was a lot of come to come back after all the years. I just forgot how crowded it was on Mulberry Street.
Walking back to the E subway on Canal Street
The Feast of San Gennaro takes place every year the week after Labor Day in New York’s Little Italy
I could not believe how fast the Summer came and went. It was like a blink of the eye. I had covered a lot of ground over the last three months that included many neighborhoods in New York City, many Upstate New York and New Jersey towns plus updating older blogs that needed some work. They needed new pictures and updates in the businesses I had featured in the past. A lot has changed since COVID.
I started Alphabet City just before the Labor Day Weekend and a lot has changed here since the 1960’s and 70’s. The whole hippie movement is now over only to be replaced by the current hipster movement where men are wearing knit head coverings in almost 90 degree and still wearing ‘man buns’ that are ‘so 2010’. To each his own.
Looking down Avenue C on a sunny afternoon
I just ignored everyone and started my walk on the Avenue’s of the neighborhood. The neighborhood is broken up that the closer you are to public housing the less gentrified it was on the block. The border seemed to be around 10th Street. The lower the street, the nicer the bars and restaurants.
The one thing I did notice about the neighborhood was the amount of community gardens that popped up in corners all around the blocks. This was the result of the community efforts in the 1970’s and 80’s that saved the neighborhood and what has made the neighborhood as desirable as it is now. It seems you can’t stop gentrification. Even so, these hard working gardeners are setting the tone for the neighborhood.
The signs of the times on top of the old tenements on Avenue C
The other thing I noticed about Alphabet City are the tagging and outdoor murals that line all the blocks. The people who creat this street art are so clever and creative. They really have an eye on color and design.
Some of the art cleverly tucked along the walls and columns in the neighborhood
Some of the art close by
I liked this design
The first of the Community Gardens that J toured that afternoon (they all seemed to be open the Saturday that I visited) was the Francisco ‘Pancho’ Ramos Community Garden at 709 East 9th Street. The garden showed the creative spirit of the people who volunteered there.
The sign for the Francisco “Pancho” Ramos Community Garden at 703 East 9th Street
(The History of the Park from its website)
The Lower East Side of the 1970s was a hard place with little green. Local residents noticed the abandoned, littered lot at the corner of Ninth Street and Avenue C and began to sow seeds and plants along the chain link and among the debris, and so the Ninth Street Community Garden & Park was founded in 1979. Today Pancho’s Garden hosts community events including music, art, and gardening workshops.
The pathways were lined with flower beds and some with vegetable gardens with the latest crops coming in. Here and there were pieces of artwork such as sculptures and paintings.
Walking through the gardens at the end of the summer
Following the paths
Walking through the flowering arbors
Some of the creative artwork that lined the paths
The raised flower beds
Some of the creative touches of the gardens
The Vegetable Gardens in full growth
Even the shed and play areas were colorful
This is what the community spirit of hard work and dedication can create in a neighborhood
Another interesting mural that I came across on the walls of the buildings
Just a reminder that the Alphabet City name is not a negative one anymore
The Alphabet Wine Company at 100 Loisaida Avenue (Avenue C)
Walking through Alphabet City today reminded me of years ago when I toured Bushwick in Brooklyn. The negative connotation of the name was now synonymous with ‘hipster’ cool. When I started to see signs like Alphabet Wine Company, you know times have changed for a neighborhood with not such a great past.
Passing the Lower East Side II still reminds you that public housing is a big part of this neighborhood
The next set of street art I admired was 15C Cultural Center building at 68 Loisaida Avenue (Avenue C). The shop was closed that afternoon so I got to see all the interesting art work on the metal gates.
This was on one side of building of the 5C Cultural Center at 68 Avenue C and 5th Street
Danielle Mastrion is a Brooklyn-born, New York City based painter and muralist who specializes in large scale, brightly colored murals. She holds a BFA from Parsons School of Design (Artist website)
This mural was around the corner dedicated to Puerto Rico
The changes to Avenue C start around East 10th Street as you leave the area around the public housing and walk closer to the areas that cater to a younger NYU/Pace student population. When I visited the neighborhood originally walking the borders of the neighborhood and even this evening, the bars and restaurants exploded with students whose first weekend in New York City was filled with excitement.
They chatted on their cellphones and yelled to their friends and acted like a scene in early ‘Sex and the City’ episodes. I can always tell when an out of towner is trying too hard.
The rebuilt section of Avenue C
I walked through my next community garden, Gustavd Hartman Square. Some of these patches of green were really small and just required a peek inside.
This plot of land, located at Second Street and Avenue C, is named for Gustave Hartman, a municipal court judge and philanthropist who spent most of his life in this neighborhood. Gustave Hartman was born in Hungary and immigrated to the United States with his parents while still a young boy. He attended P.S. 22 on Sheriff Street (now Columbia Street), the College of the City of New York, and received his law degree from New York University in 1905.
This plot of land, located at Second Street and Avenue C, is named for Gustave Hartman, a municipal court judge and philanthropist who spent most of his life in this neighborhood.
The growth of the garden needed a little pruning
I then started my walk back up Avenue C from the border of East Houston Street, which itself on all sides of the street has been knocked down and rebuilt. I have never seen a street go from shabby to chic more in the last fifteen to twenty years. Here the upper parts of the old Chinatown and Little Italy and the Lower East Side have merged with the Village. The lines have been blurred.
The changes to Avenue C start in the lower part of the neighborhood
The next set of public housing is the Bracetti Plaza
The next community garden I visited was the Secret Garden, a tiny park at 293 East Forth Street. Volunteers were hard at work weeding and planting while I walked around
Charlie Doves is a graffiti and fine artist from New York City’s Lower East Side, known for his work inspired by graffiti’s Golden Age and Japanese art. A master of his craft, Doves has moved from street art to fine art, fusing different techniques and styles to create a timeless body of work (Arts AI).
The Secret Garden Community Garden at 293 East Fourth Street
Alfredo Bennett, professionally known as The Royal “Kingbee” is a NYC artist. He was born in Harlem and raised in The Bronx in the early 70’s. He began his career painting graffiti on walls until gathering recognition and eventually being commissioned to perform his artistic abilities all throughout the city of New York. The artist went to JF Kennedy High School in the Bronx (BX 200 Artist.com).
The art was not just limited to the murals that looked more professionally done. The taggers showed their creativity on the closed gates of the businesses and the walls of the buildings around the Avenue.
Tagging art on Avenue C
Tagging art on Avenue C
The next community gardens I visited and one of the original is the Carmen Pabon Del Amanecer Jardin, dedicated to Carmen Pabon.
The sign for the Carmen Pabon Del Amanecer Jardin at
Carmen Pabón, ‘la madrina del Lower East Side,’ was a Puerto Rican community activist, gardener, poet and actress who founded a community garden as an urban sanctuary for children, local artists, Nuyorican poets and the elderly. Carmen helped thousands to create a better life for themselves and fed multitudes of Lower East Siders experiencing homelessness.
While a lot of the neighborhood is low rise and tenement housing, I stopped to admire this unique brick building at 116 Avenue C, with its interesting faces on all levels staring back at you. It reminded me of the many buildings I had passed recently in Lower Chelsea.
Each window had a demonist look in its eyes as you passed it. This building was built in 1900 (Streeteasy.com).
These menacing demons stare back at you from every window
I spent some more time cross crossing through more gardens admiring the work of dedicated gardens. The next I visited was the Flower Door Garden at 135 Avenue C.
La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez Community Garden was founded in 1976 by local residents and greening activists who took over what was then a series of vacant city lots piled high with rubble and trash. In an effort to improve the neighborhood during a downward trend of arson, drugs, and abandonment common in that era, members of the Latino group CHARAS cleared out truckloads of refuse.
Working with Buckminster Fuller, they built a geodesic dome in the open “plaza” and began staging cultural events. Green Guerillas pioneer Liz Christy seeded the turf with “seed bombs” and planted towering weeping willows and linden trees. Artist Gordon Matta-Clark helped construct La Plaza’s amphitheater using railroad ties and materials reclaimed from abandoned buildings.
What I liked about this particular garden was all the interesting metal work along the fencing. It popped all around the fencing like you were living in ‘Whoville’.
One of the entrances of the gardens
Walking around the inside along the paths
The whimsical ironworks on the top of the fencing
As I made my way back up Avenue C, J came across a small museum that I had never heard of before, the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space at 155 Loisaida Avenue (Avenue C).
The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space at 155 Loisaida Avenue (Avenue C)
The museum is a time capsule of information from the late 1960’s through the 70’s when the neighborhood had really hit rock bottom with the City’s almost bankruptcy. The neighborhood and its residents banded together to save the neighborhood and clean up all these empty lots of garbage and debris.
The entrance of the museum
The description of the museum’s purpose
The museum has pictures of the neighborhood at various stages of its development. There are the ups and downs of this section of the City and how its residents maintain it. The neighborhood has seen so much change and much of it due to the volunteers who keep improving it.
The inside of the museum
How the changes took place in Alphabet City
The masks and decorations that line the walls
The history of the neighborhood and its triumphs
After my trip through the museum, I continued the walk up Avenue C. Above 10th Street is was a little patchy but you can tell the neighborhood is getting better. I never felt unsafe walking around the ‘Alphabets’.
For the rest of my walk, I enjoyed the ‘open-air’ museum that the sides of the buildings offered me. There were many interesting murals to admire.
I think this one was in honor of the island of Puerto Rico.
Artist Antonio “Chico” Garcia is a New York City based Graffiti artist. He is well known in the neighborhood and has been featured in several periodicals (Wiki).
I saw this on the side of a Chinese restaurant
Then when I got to the top East 14th Street and I came across this mural on the side of a school and I admired the different styles of art in each panel.
The panel that lined the school created by artists from the Thrive Collective
Danielle Mastrion is a Brooklyn-born, New York City based painter and muralist who specializes in large scale, brightly colored murals. She holds a BFA from Parsons School of Design (Artist website)
I loved this whimsical school painting by artists Savannah Zambrano and Andrea Amanda
Savannah Zambrano is a freelance sequential artist that hosts workshops and panels, does face painting and caricatures, and works with Traditional and Digital Media (Artist Bio website).
The artists sign with the Thrive Collective
I loved this mural with the Puerto Rican flag by artist Miki Mu
Michela Muserra is an international muralist and illustrator based in Brooklyn. A graduate of Accademia di Bella Arti in her hometown of Foggia, Italy. The artist has worked as a teaching artist with Thrive Collective since January 2017 (Thrive Collective website).
I love this colorful display of positive behavior of Frank Ape by artist Brandon Sines
Artist Brandon Sines was exposed to many cultures while growing up simultaneously in New York City, Toronto, and Los Angeles. He mixes Pop Art’s mass culture, Surrealism’s private associations, and inventive paint handling to create dreamlike environments. His mark making ranges from experimental techniques to illustrative precision. Parts of the paintings are crystal clear, and other parts reach abstraction.
This was another great mural on the school but I could not find the artist
The piece of art that I noticed was as I was walking down East 14th Street and I came across this taggers work. To me it looked like a surreal ghost.
The piece of street art was East 14th Street
I turned the corner to Avenue B and started my journey down the street. Being closer to the colleges and further from the projects and around Tompkins Square Park, the vibe is different on Avenue B. The restaurants are a bit more expensive and there are more bars.
Walking down Avenue B
Walking through the neighborhood that offers so much to a visitor
I saw this ‘Love’ mural on one of the businesses
On the corner of Avenue B and East 13th Street I saw all this great street art on top of murals
As I continued the walk through this part of the neighborhood, I came across another series of community gardens that dot the street.
The Relaxation Garden was the first of the gardens I passed and this really had nothing to it. It looked like a garden waiting for something to happen to it.
The inside of the Relaxation Garden needs some TLC
I stared up at one of the buildings on Avenue B and this face from above was staring back at me. I thought this was really interesting but do not want to know how this artist did this without falling off the roof.
I thought this face staring back was really cool but I do not want to know how the tagger did this.
While I was walking, I stopped at the various restaurants and bars to look at their menus. I have to admit, they are not cheap. For a neighborhood known for poverty in its pockets, the places are pricy.
Passing the outdoor cafes on Avenue B
I then passed one of the community centers in the neighborhood and came across this series of panels. These were very retro 1970’s.
Panel One ‘Resist’
Panel Two ‘People Power’
Panel Three ‘Educate’
I thought they were profound and reminded me of works from the 1970’s.
Avenue B like Avenue C has its share of landscapers and gardeners and you see this in the creativity of the small community gardens.
The first one I walked through and admired was in front of the Trinity Lower East Side Church at 602 East 9th Street on the corner of Avenue B.
The Trinity Church Lower East Side at 602 East 9th Street
In 1839 German Saxon immigrants began to meet for worship in the home of a baker. By 1843 they were sufficiently strong to incorporate The Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Church of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession in the City of New York, since changed to Trinity Lower East Side Parish. In 1850, the congregation built a new church with four apartments below and a one-room school in the back. The present church was designed by Robert Litchfield and built in 1993. Dedicated on July 9, 1996, the facility includes a 100-seat chapel, community center and parsonage (Trinity Church website).
The gardens in front of the old church were a bit over grown but very colorful.
The fenced in garden in full bloom at the height of the summer
The one thing I like about this garden is how tranquil it was that day. Services were over so the church was quiet. It is the perfect place to just sit and think and relax.
Avenue B lines the eastern side of Tompkins Square Park and the park was alive with joggers, musicians, dog walkers and groups of college students stretching across the lawns talking, reading and sunning themselves. This is a far cry from the homeless camps of the early 1980’s.
Tompkins Square Park was extremely busy that afternoon
It’s fun to just walk through the borders of the park and see the neighborhood just conversing with each other. Community is not dead in New York City. Someone had tagged over this mural but I still thought it was interesting. The colors really stood out in the mural,
Romero, is a Korean and Spanish, first-generation American artist, and muralist . She is a New York City based artist. Her art is a contemporary representation, inspired by her mixed cultural background and layered complexities of the human experience. Her work is inspired by human emotion, identity, women’s empowerment, and New York City (Artist bio from website),
YouTube video on Artist Bianca Romero
Some of the community gardens are more creative than others. The next one I visited was the East 6th Street and Avenue B Garden at 84 Avenue B
The East 6th Street and Avenue Garden at 84 Avenue B
All the community gardens seemed to be open the weekend of my walk so I got to see all the gardeners at work. People were digging, pruning and cutting shrubs and trees and cleaning the beds of weeds and then composting.
History of the Garden:
(from the garden website
Throughout 1983 and 1984, garden members surveyed the site, drew up the plans for its optimal use, built over 100 4’ x 8’ plots and a large communal plot (“the Circle”), laid pathways, prepared for the installation of a fence, and laid out ornamental borders. In April of 1984, Green Thumb issued a one-year lease. Garden members were busy planting ornamental shrubs and trees. The Garden received important early technical assistance from the Citizens’ Committee, Green Guerrillas and the Trust for Public Land .
The welcoming French at the entrance of the Sixth Street and Avenue B Gardens
This was one of the larger community gardens and it was fun to stroll down the paths of flowers and vegetables and watch everyone hard at work.
The inside of the entrance of the gardens
Walking along the paths
The Vegetable gardens
The gardens at the height of the summer
The pathways in the gardens
The sitting area in the middle of the garden
The Weed Library and composting area
The tree has been part of this garden for years
I loved the ironwork along the fencing of the garden as I walked up Avenue B
The neighborhood reaction to a empty storefront in a gentrifying neighborhood
The garden was established in 1993/1994 soon after a building there was demolished. The building’s address was 194 Ave B which is also the garden’s address, but the garden’s entrance is at 546 E 12th St (NYC Parks/GreenThumb will eventually replace the garden sign. Down to Earth Garden, which changed its name on July 1, 2020 from Children’s Garden, is a Green Thumb community garden in the East Village/Lower East Side of Manhattan, NYC.
We’re a small community garden, 1261 sq ft, on 12th St, by Ave B, southwest corner. However, we have been very active in composting (in combination with El Sol Brillante’s composting activities) since the fall of 2009
The flowering beds of the garden
The side beds
The artwork against the building was covered with vines and new growth
There was one last garden I visited but is was closing for the evening and that was the Vamps A Sembrar at 198 Avenue B.
The small Vegetable beds and visible art in the garden
The History of the garden:
(from the garden website)
The garden used to be two separate GreenThumb community gardens (Vamos A Sembrar and 200 Ave B Association Garden) until 2019, when they were combined as Vamos A Sembrar under the guidance of GreenThumb
This community garden had just closed for the afternoon so I could only see if from the fence. I could see the beds of vegetables growing. I really admired the artwork on the walls of the building. I will be returning on a future weekend to really explore all of these gardens, which I find are open on the weekends for the members and outside people.
I passed Pop’s Pizzeria at 223 Avenue B that I had eaten at when I walked the borders of the neighborhood. I had gotten at the restaurant late at night so I had not noticed the outside of the restaurant that evening.
When you look up above the restaurant, you see this Skelton painting smiling above the entrance.
The Skelton face that I did not see before when dining here on my last trip to the neighborhood
I finished for the evening around 5:00pm and went to get some dinner.
I checked Google and Avenue D Pizzeria which I had passed when walking down Avenue D was still open. So I walked down one of the side streets to give it a try.
The pizza selection was really good that night and the slices were reasonable at $1.50 for a Cheese slice and $2.50 for a Sausage slice.
The pizza selection that night
The hot food selection is $10.00 for a plate
The pizzeria also has a selection of hot entrees and sides at a reasonable price as well. There is no place to sit down anywhere near the pizzeria so I went back to Tompkins Square Park to eat my dinner. I found an empty bench and ate by one of the gardens.
My dinner that night in the park
I have to say that I was really impressed by the pizza for having to walk for blocks to eat it. The sauce was spiced so nicely and they loaded the sausage on the other slice.
After dinner I walked through the park and watched the bars and restaurants come to life. Most get a younger crowd of college students but there are a lot of family restaurants as well. I was amazed at the amount of kids who were dining with their parents that evening.
Admiring street art on the border of Alphabet City (I could not find the artist)
Since it was such a great night that I decided to walk around both Little Italy and Chinatown since they both border Alphabet City.
Walking around Little Italy on a warm late summer night
Outside the Cannoli King dessert shop a guy was singing Sinatra songs. I stopped to listen and this guy was really good. Everyone in the crowd was filming him.
Singing outside the Cannoli King at 152 Mulberry Street
It was fun to stand there and just enjoy the concert. The singer was wonderful!
The singer was great
Afree the mini concert was over, I continued my walk down Mulberry Street into Chinatown. Once upon a time there were distinct boundaries of Chinatown and Little Italy but they have become very blurred over the last twenty five years with gentrification affecting both neighborhoods.
I walked down Mott Street to Catherine Street and stopped at my favorite bakery that I know is always open late, Great Taste Bakery at 35 Catherine Street. I love the reasonable pastries and buns here and it is one of the last of the Chinatown bakeries that is still open late. This is also one of the few neighborhood bakeries left in a very gentrifying Chinatown. I come here after meals or just having dumplings up the road and finish here for dessert.
I love their Pineapple cream buns with some lemon tea at Great Taste Bakery
Since there was no place to sit down in here too I ate at one of the benches outside near the local park.
These buns are so good!
After all the walking that evening, you would figure I would be tired. There was something about the Lemon tea and the sweet bun that gave me a second wind and I walked from Chinatown to the Port Authority. It was such a beautiful warm night I figured ‘why not’? It was a beautiful walk up Broadway.
Admiring one of the old churches on lower Broadway on my long walk up Broadway to the Port Authority
Looking at Madison Square Park at night
It really ended up being a beautiful evening ing the City. For all its problems, the City really is magical at all times of the day. You just have to look at all the good things that people do that make this City better. Between the small mom and pop restaurants providing wonderful food to the community gardeners who make Alphabet City bloom, it really shows that New York City is bouncing back from COVID in its own way.
The Museum of Reclaimed Urbsn Space at 155 Loisaida Avenue (Avenue C)
The Mission of the museum:
(from the museum website)
The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space preserves the history of the Lower East Side’s grassroots activism and promotes environmentally-sound, community-based urban ecologies.
We do this by:
*Archiving and documenting the history of the Lower East Side’s activism.
* Educating visitors with exhibitions and guided tours of the neighborhood.
*Empowering individuals to participate in the drive for sustainable change with workshops and events.
Information of the museum
While walking around Alphabet City for my blog, MywalkinManhattan.com, I came across the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space on the fast gentrifying Avenue C. Alphabet City, technically part of the East Village, has been going through mass gentrification since the early 2000’s. One of the reasons why the neighborhood has not been fully gentrified as been the Public Housing in the upper parts of the neighborhood and lining Avenue D.
The predicament though is even the public housing is going through a renewal with the renovation of the grounds and the buildings with new lighting, landscaping and sidewalks. Hurricane Sandy had really damaged the infrastructure of the complex and the City has been working on this for a few years (Hurricane Sandy was in 2012).
What has been happening in the lower parts of Manhattan as well as parts of Harlem, East Harlem and Washington Heights is that these have become the ‘last frontiers’ for gentrification as New York City keeps getting more expensive. The museum captures the transition of the neighborhood from a burnt out section of the Lower East Side with the bankruptcy of the City to show the grit of the neighborhood not to let their neighborhood decline.
What I enjoyed seeing is how the neighborhood residents banded together to take empty lots and turn them into community gardens, many of them still exist today. These tiny pockets of green have made the neighborhood more desirable to live in. With the expansion of NYU and Pace into the neighborhood and boom of college students moving into the neighborhood made safer by these long term residents have been changing the makeup of Alphabet City. The museum did a wonderful job showing how they banded together and fought the City as it improved in the 1990’s and tried to ‘plow over’ these gardens. There presence today is what gives the neighborhood its character.
The founding of the museum
The history of the neighborhood
The History of the Museum:
(from the museum website)
he Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) was founded in 2012 by members of Times Up! environmental organization and based in C-Squat. As a living history of urban activism, MoRUS chronicles the LES community’s history of grassroots action. It celebrates the local activists who transformed abandoned spaces and vacant lots into vibrant community spaces and gardens. Many of these innovative, sustainable concepts and designs have since spread out to the rest of the city and beyond.
The museum showcases an often untold version of New York City history through photography, videography, authentic artifacts, and documents. MoRUS is a 100% volunteer-run organization committed to open, community-based action. With this space, we invite visitors to learn, engage, and participate in grassroots activism of the past, present, and future.
One of the interesting masks that dot the corners of the museum
A view of the inside of the museum
The Collection and Purpose of the Museum:
(from the museum website)
MoRUS was born in the East Village out of the observation that the neighborhood and its inhabitants, undergoing rapid transformations, are beginning to forget about their own history. When New York City almost went bankrupt in the seventies, community members struggled to preserve and restore their neighborhood. These activists have become fewer, and the new residents, who reap the benefits of their predecessors’ efforts, are left unaware.
Noticing it, Bill DiPaola and Laurie Mittelmann, both long-term residents of the East Village and members of Time’s Up! Environmental Organization, were determined to provide new opportunities for long-term activists to share their story and to pass on their experience and knowledge firsthand to new generations.
Located in the historic building C-Squat, MoRUS officially opened its doors in 2012 as a non-profit organization. The museum’s storefront was renovated almost entirely by volunteers. They did electrical work and plumbing, built walls, ceilings, and floors, and constructed furnishings such as a reception desk and an elaborate mosaic sign. This process took eight months, and involved other volunteers simultaneously sourcing funds and exhibitions, designing tours, and creating structure for the volunteer collective that runs the museum, such as guidelines, by-laws and committees.
Decisions are reached, events are planned, and new volunteers are plugged in through weekly general meetings and committee meetings. Committees include marketing, fundraising, administrative, merchandise, programming, tours, and exhibition/graphic design.
The Museum has become an important fixture in the neighborhood, not only to preserve the untold story of the East Village, but also to encourage community activism and sustainable development.
Finishing the Meatpacking District the other week and relaxing on the lounge chairs by the Hudson River while the sun was setting gave me one perspective on Manhattan. Walking on the other side of the island in Alphabet City gives you another. Talk about opposites.
My morning had consisted of laundry and yard work. I was trying to straighten the backyard up while doing the first load and cooking dinner. Then I had to come into the City and get a haircut at York Barber on Lexington Avenue. When all of this was accomplished I hopped the Q downtown and started the walk around 4:30pm.
My start point at the corner of West 14th Street and Avenue A
Written on the wall of a building on the corner of Avenue B and West 14th Street. At this point I don’t know who they are talking about because things are crazy all over
Reaching the end of West 14th Street and Avenue C at the Con Ed plant and the turn to West 13th Street to Avenue D
I walked through the Riis Houses courtyard to get to FDR Drive. The construction all over the highway area blocks all the entrances and exits coming and going from Avenue D
So I was only able to walk about two blocks before I had to double back and walk the rest of the border of the neighborhood down Avenue D.
The upper part of Avenue D facing the East River is the Jacob Riis Houses
The Riis Houses like the Wald Houses on the southern side of the were under construction and renovation on all sides. Their green spaces were being updated which is sorely needed.
I could see the reason why when there is no grass to keep off of
I found my name reached in cement
For all the generic appearances on the buildings, there was a glimmer of hope and creativity with this beautiful mural painted on the side of the building.
The mural on the Riis Houses
‘Hope and Opportunity’ on the side of the building
The artists for this mural ‘Hope so Electrifying’ sponsored by the Riis Houses Tenants Association
There were several of these murals all around the neighborhood on the sides of the buildings. It added a little color to otherwise dim buildings.
Avenue D businesses on the other side of the street
I have noticed one thing about Avenue D from East 13th Street is that it is not as bad as everyone says. Most of the buildings on the block have been knocked down and rebuilt with new apartment buildings. Most of the old tenements that have been left have either been renovated or in the process of being renovated.
While not as ‘hipster’ as Avenues A or B which are closer to the NYU campus, I see a lot more students jogging down the street much to the looks of the people living in the housing complexes, as if they see where the future of the neighborhood is going.
Towards the southern end of Avenue D are the Lillian Wald Houses. It amazes me that the builders of these public housing units never had the fourth site to realize that they were giving the residences a million dollar view of the river. Back when these were built though, no one wanted to live near the river as badly as it was polluted back then.
Again by the Wald Houses all the entrances to the river park have been blocked by construction. The signs have all said that the City is reconfiguring the green space around the houses.
The Wald Houses don’t look so bad during the day
I turned the corner at East Houston Street and Avenue D on the southern border of the neighborhood and walked towards the river to see if there was any access to Stuyvesant Cove. It had been open during the Great Saunter in May but seemed to be closed off in all sections this time around for renovations.
Taking a walk east down East Houston Street
The Lillian Wald Houses line the borders of East Houston Street, Avenue D and FDR Drive and the whole complex including walkways and green space are all under scaffolding. Here and there you can see the building and closer to PS 188 next door, I saw a series of more murals.
The murals on the Lillian Wald Houses from East Houston Street
The mural along the walls
I couldn’t get any closer to the mural to see who painted it without freaking the residents out. They all looked at me like I was ICE walking around the neighborhood. It was funny because the ever getting drunk college students on Avenue A just ignored me.
The one mural that really caught my eye was on the side wall of PS 188. It was really colorful and whimsical.
I turned the corner to walk up the part of FDR Drive that I could along the sides of the public housing. There are so many twists and turns to this route and it will be a while before you can walk this sidewalk. The residents here did their best to ignore me as well. It’s fun when they pretend not to see me.
The sidewalk along southern FDR Drive is blocked off at East 10th Street
I walked the overpass at East 5th Street to the John Lindsey East River Park, which closed again for renovations. It had been open in May but they closed off all but a small portion of the park and the running track. I still could see the magnificent views of the East River and the Brooklyn skyline.
Interesting street art on the barriers
Interesting street art on the barriers on FDR Drive
Crossing all the construction on FDR Drive
The view of the Wald Houses from the East 5th Street overpass
The John Lindsay East River Park side of FDR Drive with the running park
The park is going through a major renovation and is now closed off on all sides. The running track, part of the picnic area and a small part of the river walkway are now open while the rest of the park is behind fencing.
Looking downtown towards the Manhattan Bridge
Looking uptown towards the East River and the Brooklyn skyline
A little street art tucked into the fencing in the park
The full view of the East River and what the park will look like when it is finished
The John Lindsey East River Park has been closed at various stages for renovation and to make it more environmentally friendly to protect the coastline. I have read though that many in the area say the improvements in the park have lead to the rapid gentrification of the area. Still I have seen the park when it was fully open and when it is finished it will be a fantastic park that everyone will enjoy.
After walking around this small portion of the park left open, I walked over the overpass back to East Houston Street and walked the southern most border of the neighborhood.
It still amazes me how many times I have walked this neighborhood and never really noticed what it was about. I justly passed it while I walked around. Now that I took the time to really study it, I was fascinated by what I had missed.
Walking down East Houston Street in the late afternoon
Tucked here and there were community gardens, tiny restaurants and loads of interesting street art. The artists and the taggers are really creative in this part of the City.
Le Petit Versailles Garden at 247 East second Street
The tiny garden that stood out was Le Petit Versailles Garden at 247 East Second Street that was closed both on the East Second and East Houston sides of the park. I was still able to sneak in on an open side door and admire all the interesting art.
The inside of the gardens in bloom
The sculpture work and landscaping
The Olmec looking statue at the entrance of the gardens
Inside the gardens were a series of sculptures that looked like something out of the ‘Wizard of Oz’. These unique pieces of are were hidden in the shadows but I hope to take a closer look when the gardens are open.
Sculpture number one
Sculpture number two
Sculpture number three
The back part of the garden in the midafternoon
A bit further down East Houston Street I noticed a G’s Cheesesteak shop at 6 Avenue B. I had their cheesesteaks in Downtown Point Pleasant Beach and can attest to their excellence.
The G’s Cheesesteaks at the corner of East Houston and Avenue B
It wasn’t the restaurant itself that grabbed my attention, it was the artwork painted on the side. Geometric and just wild the street art was just crazy.
I think that people added to the art since
The monster makes a statement
Geometric designs
I was not sure if Flore was the artist
I thought that this was clever
So was this
As I was down East Houston Street, a store window to a thrift shop caught my eye. While the store didn’t strike me as unique, the display in the window I thought was great. Someone used their creativity on this.
I thought this was surreal
Very clever from both views
I finally made it back to the southern part of Avenue A and talk about the extremes in the neighborhood.
Reaching Avenue A at twilight
While Avenue D is still gritty and a bit dangerous, Avenue A is like an extension of the NYU and Pace campuses. It was wall to wall bars and restaurants and outdoor cafes.
Walking up Avenue A in the late afternoon
The Best Housekeeping store at 17 Avenue A is an appliance store with the best murals on their roll down gates.
As I walked up Avenue A on this warm and clear Sunday night, I could not believe how packed all the restaurants and bars were and how young the crowds were dining. It looked to me that the colleges had just started the semester and everyone was letting loose a bit as classes started.
The tagging and street art dominated these blocks
I then passed 50 Avenue A with its interesting Monkey looking sculptures and its beautiful outdoor pictures.
Hearth House is a condop with a wonderful neighborhood vibe. One elevator, six stories…only a handful of units per floor. Most layouts offer two bedrooms. Top floor units have private roof terraces and some are duplexes (Streeteasy.com).
The Monkey (or Tiger motive on the building)
The wild painting outside this pet shop looks like a surreal ‘Magilla Gorilla’
It looks like the pet shop that was here has closed.
Walking up Avenue A at twilight
Interesting street art tucked on the sides of the building
St. Marks Place and Avenue A was closed off for about two blocks for outdoor dining
Much has been written about Tompkins Square Park over the years from a major drug den of the late 1960’s to the early 80’s, then a homeless camp, the Wigstock, the famous drag shows of the late 80’s to early 90’s to Mayor Giuliani closing the park down fencing it off and moving everyone out for a major renovation.
I had not stepped foot in this park since the fencing came down in the late 1990’s and I figured almost thirty years was enough time.
The corner of Avenue A and Tompkins Square Park at East 10th Street
The park has definitely changed and for the better. Yes, it does need a good weeding but it attracts a very diverse crowd of people from young couples walking around after eating to the dog walking crowd to the college students lying on the grass talking to the homeless on the benches there is a little bit of everyone at this park.
Walking around the pathways of Tompkins Square Park
The park has been reseeded and landscaped and now like Washington Square Park another extension of a backyard to the NYU, CUNY and Pace students.
The park was in bloom in the late Summer
The statue of Samuel S. Cox stands guard at the southwest entrance of the park
Samuel Sullivan “Sunset” Cox was born in Zanesville, Ohio, and served his home state as a Democratic Congressional representative from 1857 to 1865 before being unseated. After moving to New York in 1866, Cox served again in Congress for several terms from 1869 until 1889. Although Cox once publicly declared that his most satisfying contribution to public service was championing the Life Saving Service—founded in the 1840s to patrol the coasts and save imperiled boaters during bad weather, the group was absorbed into the Coast Guard in 1915—this statue is sponsored by U.S. Postal Service workers because of Cox’s support for their quality-of-life issues (NYCParks.org).
Artist Louise Lawson was an American born artist who studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and Cooper Union. She worked as an apprentice under several famous sculptures and was one of the first American female sculptures to have a professional career. She is known for her Neoclassical sculptures (Wiki).
As I walked up Avenue A, the whole street is like an open air museum of street art but commercial and by taggers. Many of the restaurants had them painted on their walls.
The interesting mural was tucked under a building that was under renovation
Artists 23TatsCru is a group of Bronx based graffiti artists turned professional muralist (Wiki).
I walked both sides of Avenue A to admire the artwork and peek at all the menus. By 6:00pm on a Saturday night, the place was filling up with college students and young couples who were visiting the bars and restaurants. On this perfect night, everyone wanted to eat outdoors.
Walking the other side of East 14th Street
I made my way back down East 14th Street in the early evening tour walk the other side of the blocks.
Walking down the other side of East 14th Street in the late afternoon
The street art on the side of a restaurant on East 14th Street
Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican born American lawyer and activist , who fought for our Country in WWI and was a member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party.
I saw this piece of art on the sidewalk on East 14th Street
On a plain tenement building, this beautiful carving stood out
The view of the Con Ed Complex at the corner of East 14th Street and Avenue C
This interesting tag was on East 13th Street
Taking another walk down Avenue D again
When I got back to walking the other side of Avenue D, some of the businesses started to close up for the evening including some of the street vendors who were selling food. Many people had been giving me strange looks before had disappeared.
Walking past the Jacob Riis Houses in the late afternoon. They looked much nicer from the other side of the street
I stopped in at Avenue D Pizza because I had noticed their reasonable prices before but they were closing up for the evening and most of the food had disappeared from the display cases. I figured for another time.
Looking down the other side of Avenue D and you realize how much these blocks have changed in the last twenty years
Walking back up Avenue A again as the bars really started to fill up
It started to get dark at 8:00pm when I finished rounding East 14th Street for the last time that evening.
There were many restaurants to choose from that evening so I searched my Mileage Plus Dining Club to see any recommendations. It suggested Pop’s Pizzeria at 223 Avenue B not far away.
What an excellent recommendation because the pizza is wonderful here. They have some unusual pizza topping combinations and it really worked.
The inside of Pop’s Pizza
The selection of pies to choose from
I decided on the classic Margarita and a piece of Pepperoni with Cherry Peppers that had a hot and tangy flavor when they topped it with a little honey. The pizza is excellent here and the service was so friendly. The guys working here made some excellent suggestions and I really enjoyed my dinner.
My dinner that evening
The Margarita slice with freshly grated cheese on top
The Pepperoni with fresh cheese and honey on top
I really enjoyed my meal that night
It was such a beautiful evening, I decided to walk back to the Port Authority. The weather was still warm but crisp that evening and it was nice that the cool weather had come back.
I walked up Third Avenue and then crossed over to Park Avenue where I had admired the views.
Walking up Park Avenue that evening
I figured I worked off my lunch and dinner and it had been an interesting walk considering the neighborhoods shady past as a drug den. It may still have its problems but thirty five years and a reinvented and gentrified City shows you how resilient Manhattan really is and how it just keeps changing for the better.
Walking the aisles on the first day of the show is a lot of travel. The main floor of the show is almost three football fields long and there are so many vendors to stop and see that I have learned to pace myself.
You can not stop and eat every cookie, cracker and piece of cheese at every booth. I try to see that the vendor is offering a unique looking product and then I stop and take notes. If I really like the products, then I will take the literature.
If I really thought the product was innovative or tasted really good then I asked for a sample on the last day and took a picture of the booth.
The Italian Pavilion was one of the most popular at the show in 2025
The show didn’t seem as busy as it was in the past. The first day of the show, I could walk down every aisle without bumping into anyone. It also seemed to be more of a college and non-industrial crowd.
They would hover around the popular booths like the pizza and ice cream booths and then chomp away at the food. Even the vendors know not to waste their time. The issues is that you never know who you are dealing with and when you may see them again in the future. So you have to be very careful not to alienate anyone at these shows because today’s college student is tomorrow’s food executive.
The Italian Pavilion was one of most visited sections of the show
As I walked the show, there were certain vendors that just stood out. I was really impressed by the innovation from the foreign pavilions especially those in the South Korean, Italian and Vietnamese Pavilions with their colorful packaging, innovative logos and wonderful tasting products. I was very impressed with what was being made abroad.
There were many smaller American food manufacturers that I thought were really innovative as well. There were all sorts of drinks, spicy snacks and baked goods that I thought had a lot of potential for a mass market audience.
So for the next three days I sampled and snacked my way through the long aisles of the show. This show didn’t have the same number of vendors as previous years, noting that I finished walking the show in three days with plenty of time for another trip down the aisles to revisit certain vendors.
Much of the lower part of the second building was used as theater space for lectures and talks which I had not seen in previous years. Still there was a lot of innovation in the show and I wanted to point out the products that I thought stood out in the three days I was at the show.
Day One:Visiting the vendors and pavilions on the first floor
The Italian Pavilion:
The Italian Pavilion this year offered so many wonderful products from pasta to sauces and spices that there was a lot to choose from. There were so many vendors selling those types of products that they got lost in the shuffle. Where the products shined and stood out was in the Snack and Beverage category.
The first interesting product I tasted was Protein chips
These crispy chips were packed with flavor and had a nice snap to them. What made them stand out to me was not just the intensity of the flavors but the creativity of the packaging. I got to sample both the Paprika and the Salt & Vinegar and loved the flavors.
These crispy chips had a nice crunchy taste and a light hint of spices and olive oil. These chips are the perfect snack with a glass of wine or to start a meal with cheeses.
Bergotto Sodas were one of the standouts in both in the Italian Pavilion and in the Fancy Food Show
The Bergotto sodas were one of the standout beverages of the show. They were packed with fruity flavors that were refreshing and I loved the packaging. The sodas were really refreshing on this extremely hot day. I think they will do very well in the American market.
These tiny breadsticks from Italy, called ‘Grissini bites, are really addictive and you can not stop crunching your way through these cheese and pizza tasting snacks. These cheesy little bites were very addictive.
The Italian Pavilion had many standout items and was one of the biggest contributors to the show this year. I loved their packaging and their representatives could not have been nicer.
The South Korean Pavilion:
South Korean Pavilion with its colorful and tasty snacks, candies and sodas. Their selection of noodle based dishes and spices again are a standard in many companies from here and abroad.
Where the South Koreans stood out was in snacks and beverages. Outside of the French, the South Koreans had some of the most unique and creative packaging at the show. The flavors of their products burst with flavors of fruits and spices. I had to take my time to taste products later on that I would see in Asian markets in Bergen County, NJ.
This delicious line of sodas had tiny gelatin pearls at the bottom of them and came in so many wonderful flavors. The drinks were so refreshing after a long day of walking around and you have to shake the bottom of the can to get the pearls out and it is worth it.
The milk sodas Latte Pop were surprisingly sweet and refreshing and did not taste like a milk based product. They tasted like a fizzy version of Strawberry or Banana milk.
These interesting snack chips called “New Fish Pop” had an intense and interesting flavor. I found out that these are made with Alaskan Pollack and had no flour in them. The Honey Butter and the Chili flavors were delicious and I thought a pretty original product.
The Lemon curd ice cream from Bold Spoon really stood out amongst the ice cream I sampled that first day. The fresh ingredients and the creamy consistency stood out amongst the vendors trying to recreate the same flavors
These delicious flavors were dense and creamy and were the best ice creams that I tasted in the show. What stood out to me was that you could really taste the lemon and cream in every bite.
The Women’s Owned Companies Pavilion:
There were many ‘women owned and run’ businesses being showcased at the show. One of the products in the Women’s Owned set of booths on the lower level was the ‘Cinnamom’, cinnamon bun products. These sweet, chewy and decadent desserts were the brainchild of the mother/daughter team who own the company. It was the owners grandmother who had come up with the recipe for these sweet and rich desserts.
The ‘Cinnamom’ baked products were some of the best new items at the show that tasted
My favorites were the buttery regular cinnamon rolls and the ones topped with a thick butter cream icing. I had to go back all three days at the show just to try each of their flavors. These rich desserts deserved a lot of attention.
The pretzel snacks from OMG were Oh My God! These tasty little pretzel bites are excellent. They are crisp and crunchy and full of flavor. The two that stood out to me were the Salty Butterscotch and the Buffalo flavors and I enjoyed crunching on them.
The first day of the show was a trial of sampling and tasting and as usual I did not pace myself the way I should have. Too many flavors and consistencies plus add in the bad humidity outside for all three days for the show made me stuffed and tired but in a good way.
Five Boro Block Party on the first day of the show:
After the first day of the show, the Specialty Food Association sponsored the Five Boro Block Party again with free food trucks and costumed characters walking around. It was so hot and humid the first two days of the show, I did not know how people were walking around with jacket and tie let alone in costume. The woman who was our Statue of Liberty character lasted about twenty minutes in her costume before she had to go back inside.
The sign for the Five Boro Block Party outside the Javis Center after the first day of the show
All the vendors, merchants, industry people and buyers at the Five Boro Block Party
The actor who played the Statue of Liberty lasted about a half hour out in this heat in that costume
Still she had a lot of fun entertaining everyone on stilts
They had a nice assortment of food trucks to choose from and the food was really good but I was not hungry. I had covered the whole first floor and part of the second floor that morning and afternoon. While the traffic was a little lighter than it had been in the last two years, it took a lot of time to try and sample some of the newer vendors and I had completely lost my appetite. The site of food was not very appealing but I still wanted to see what the trucks were offering. Thank God it was just light bites.
Food Truck Catering Company made a Chicken Adobo that looked interesting until I realized it was thigh meat.
I was not a big fan of chicken thighs but the spices on this dish were fantastic
The Glazed and Confused Food Truck had the best doughnuts
The Fried Powered Doughnuts were delicious
I only lasted at the block party for about a half hour before I went home. The heat was so unbearable and so many of the exhibitors were in jacket or jacket and tie in that heat, I was not sure how they lasted.
I was full and exhausted and just wanted to get home and go through my notes from the first day, plus I had class the next morning and then had to run back in for the second day of the show so it was would a busy next two days. I just wanted to relax after all that walking and sampling. I took some good notes and found some excellent vendors who had wonderful product.
The Second Day of the Show:
The second day of the show I got there late after my morning class and was able to cover the whole lower level of the show.
Cork’s Gourmet Popcorn was one of the best popcorns that I tasted at the show. Not only was the popcorn well spiced and flavored. The Sweet Thai Chili and the Buffalo Ranch were two interesting flavors. The company uses a type of popcorn that is really fluffy and you do not see small kernals.
The Soup Dumplings at the Nom Wah booth I waited around for several times during the show and it was well worth the wait. These juicy and succulent dumplings were one of the best items I tasted at the show and made me want to go down to the restaurant ( but alas they STILL do not accept a Visa or Mastercard). The quality of these dumplings are excellent and the company has very high standards.
I sampled several of the soups from PGI Foods and I could not tell the difference between these and homemade soups. The quality and taste were amazing. The woman who worked the booth encouraged me to ‘try them all’. The New England Clam Chowder was rich and creamy with lots of clams in them. The Broccoli Cheddar Soup had a rich and sharp flavor and the Lobster Bisque was so well spiced. A definite winner for any restaurant not wanting to make them from scratch.
The Krispy Calamari snack was one of the best snacks that I tasted at the show and was one of the most unusual. These chewy and highly flavored snacks I thought was one of the best cross-over snacks I had seen at the show. It is easy to devour the Original and Spicy Cajun and I had to visit the booth more than once to ‘try them’.
Another favorite snack of mine from the South Korean Pavilion (I am telling you they had the most flavorful snacks at the show). These crispy little circles of rice flour and honey mixed with some spicy flavors made the perfect snack. These highly addictive snacks had such a sweet and savory taste to them. The people working the booth saw that I liked them so much they gave me several bags to take home and sample. I loved these snacks!
I took the samples home and tried them on my own and I think they have huge potential
I loved this product that was more of cheese on stick then a traditional corn dog. These pops had a crispy coated that was mixed with different spices. These were being fried constantly as everyone wanted to sample them. I loved the stringy consistency and the delightful flavors they had.
The Pollack Flavored Chips from Lotte Foods
I kept going back to the South Korean Pavilion to try more of their sweet and savory snacks. These were O-ING, which were Pollack flavored fish snacks. These highly spiced snacks were a big hit with me and I am not a big fish lover. These spicy snacks are the perfect item when you want a quick snack with a soda or general snacking. The people at the booth gave me a couple of different flavors to take home and try.
These were light and spicy and had a nice crunch to them
I had sampled many different types of cookies through the show that soft, hard and some all natural. I found that cookies or any baked product that does not have flour, sugar, butter and eggs just have not flavor or consistency to them.
The cookies from Fancy Pants Cookies really stood out as a crispy, crunchy product sweet product that would be popular at any age. I love their packaging as well.
The Fancy Pants cookies were small, crisp cookies that had a nice crunch to them. The cookies have such a nice taste to them. These tiny cookies are packed with flavor and have a nice bite to them. I was happy trying each flavor that they gave me a few bags to sample at home. The Birthday Cake flavor is hands down the best flavor.
The sample I brought home with me were the Birthday Cake flavor
Of the American beverage companies that I tried at the show, Harney & Sons Tea is a fan favorite of mine since I went to a sampling at the Cornell Club years ago (the owner is a Cornell Alumnus-Go Red!). I love these infused all natural teas.
The were closing down for the evening and they gave me a few bottles to take home. I was not too keen on the Rose flavored but the original and Orange Mango flavored were delicious. I have always loved their products when I visit the upscale bakeries and cafes in Manhattan.
Last Day of the Show:
On my last day of the show, I got in late because of early morning classes and wanted to collect samples so that I could try things at home. By 2:30pm, vendors were literally throwing samples in my canvas bag like I was going trick or treating. No one wants to take these home with them or back to the office. I really appreciated the samples that the vendors gave because it gave me the opportunity to taste and nibble on things on my own time.
These are some of the products that I highly recommend:
The Real Veggie Brussel sprouts from Woodridge Snacks were delicious when I sampled them
I am not a big fan of Brussel Sprouts but my mind and opinion on them was changed when the representative from Woodridge Snacks gave me a few bags of his product to try at home. I had been impressed by the flavors. These crunchy little snacks are different from others that I had tried at the show. These were made a real whole Brussel sprout leaves and a cheesy spicy flavoring to them. I was surprised and delighted by them.
These savory little snacks have such flavor packed into these crunchy treats
Another series of snacks I tried on my own were the brown rice puff snacks from Morihaku Confectioney LTD. These crunchy puffs were a nice alternative to the other puffy snacks that I have tried in the past. I got to try the three flavors Mild Curry, Grilled Corn and Yuzu Salt Koji when I got home.
The Brown Rice Puffs by Morihaku Confectioney LTD. from the Japan Pavilion
These potato chips were wonderful. The representative from the company at the show gave me a big bag of the Somerset Cheddar and Shallot flavors. These were crisp, savory and packed with flavor. These thick kettle chips are what the English would call ‘crisps’. That gave them their crisp bit.
Another popcorn that I always enjoy sampling at the show and have some of the most mellow representatives are Fisher’s Popcorn, a beach favorite. They have shops near my mother’s house in Delaware and I love their fresh popcorn. I always have to nudge them for samples after the show and they are always happy to oblige because I love their product so much.
The Fisher’s Popcorn with Caramel and Old Bay Seasoning are excellent
Hands down, their Caramel Old Bay seasoning popcorn is the best flavor. Sweet and savory with every bite and has the best taste to it. You will go through several handfuls with one of the bigger bags.
Heart Beats from the Peek Freens Company are these sweet little Elephant ears
These tiny little sweet and crisp cookie were like eating tiny Elephant Ear pastries. Their sugary top was caramelized and I crunched my way through the whole bag. This is the perfect snack for kids for their lunch boxes. Delightful and sweet!
The last product that I took home with me was the Rotten brand of candies. This sweet and puckery candies had the best packaging and display at the show. I thought these would be
Rotten Candy Gummies and Worms had some of the most unique packaging
Not only did I love the packing and display of this product but the taste was great. Sweet and tart with every bite and my favorite one were the Sour Gummy Cruncheez. These candy coated with sprinkles jellies have a double sweetness to them and a crunchy exterior that is colorful and fun. These are the perfect candy to market to museums like the Children’s Museum of New York and the American Museum of Natural History. Any place that kids could get their hand on them.
The sprinkler coated gummies have a nice sweet and sour pucker flavor to them
I loved these puckery little candies and I loved the creative packaging.
The worms had a same sweet consistency
These are pictures of some of the food items that I sampled at the show.
Sampling a Shrimp sandwich in the Japanese Pavilion
The savory Chinese pie with ground pork and a type of non-dairy cheese
I thought it was a very successful food show with wonderful items, a lot of creative new vendors and a lot of trusted old ones with quality products and innovative packaging. There are many items that I think will do well in the American market and I don’t think many of the foreign vendors should underestimate the American customer and what they will eat.
There is a lot that I hope to see on the shelves in the next year!
mywalkinmanhattan 