Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm Closed major holidays-please check their website for changes
Admission: Adults $29.00/Children over Two $24.00/Children under two Free/Digs are extra $25.00 with Museum Admission-$34.00 for Standalone and $20.00 for Members
I had read that a new museum had opened as part of Rowan University in Glasboro on the study of pre-historic creatures, many found in New Jersey and what I found fascination is that it was built right next to one of the research pits.
The front of the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum
The Mission of the Museum:
(from the museum website)
Our mission at the Jean and Ric Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University is to be a catalyst for good through the power of understanding the past. We deliver this through first-hand discovery of fossils and an immersive experience in the epic, real story of the dinosaurs. We bring awe and wonder to inspire action for a better world. Using the past, we put the present into perspective and give all people tools to create future actions for good. Whether it’s the pure joy of digging and exploring for exciting possibilities or an awakening of a growing realization about our place in time and how great the gift of life is, we aim to be a remembered, loved, and inspirational agent for good (Museum website).
The lake area outside the museum with the beautiful Fall foliage
This contemporary designed museums sits on a beautiful wooded site on a lake where the design of the building blends so well with the natural surroundings. With the Fall season in full display, the foliage of the surrounding woods blends so beautifully with the building and its grounds.
The side view of the museum at the lake
The museum entrance and hallway are open air and beautifully designed
After I paid my admission, I entered the open air beauty of the lobby with a wonderful little restaurant off to the side with sandwiches, drinks and pastries. To the other side of the lobby was a gift shop with an array of items perfect for both a child and an adult. The the doors to the side lead to the Terrace over looking the research pit.
The terrace just off the main lobby has gorgeous views of the research pits where new fossils are being discovered
The Fossil Pit:
(from the museum website)
Dig into the past at the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum’s Quarry in Mantua, NJ, where you can search for real fossils from 66 million years ago! More than 100,000 fossils have been discovered at this incredible site, including mosasaurs, sea turtles, shark teeth, and more.
Your quarry adventure includes up to 60 minutes of hands-on fossil digging, plus a fossil to take home! Come ready to explore in comfortable clothes and closed-toed shoes – rubber boots are recommended. All guests entering the quarry must have a ticket; children ages 2 and under are free. Guests must be at least 16 years old to dig independently.
I was not able to spend too much time out here as they were preparing for a wedding
The was a small cafe just off the lobby with a really nice menu that was getting ready to close for the afternoon
The Beverage and snack area of the museum restaurant
The restaurant is open for both breakfast and lunch and its selection is very nice. It was closing for the day when I arrived and they have a nice assortment of things to eat.
The Gift shop was on the other side of the lobby
The main part of the museum was down the hall and gave me an interesting perspective of how New Jersey was part of Dinosaur Age. What I liked about the museum was it challenges us with the past when we feel we can control the environment. I liked how it questions our own future.
The sign in the Main Gallery before you enter
The entrance to the main exhibition gallery
The main Dinosaur Gallery
The Teeth vs Tonnage exhibit
The Teeth and Tonage display
Dinosaur display lurking
The back of the gallery
The main Dinosaur Gallery
The Eagle Ray sign
The Eagle Ray
Creatures from the deep
Sea turtles
The Ammonoids sign
The Ammonoids display
The Ammonoids display
I thought the dinosaur displays dazzled with their detailed information and their interpretation of these ancient creatures. The life sized models really showed the day to day life and survival of these mammals.
The Sea Rex
The Sea Rex display
The Sea Rex up close
The Giants Flying Reptiles
The flying reptiles display
The Circle of Life exhibition
The Hall of Hope and Distinction:
(from the museum website)
This captivating experience highlights the asteroid impact that ended the dinosaurs 66 million years ago and the current climate crisis threatening a Sixth Extinction, while inspiring visitors to take action against climate change (Museum website).
The history of dinosaurs in New Jersey
The Fifth Extinction display
The room contained pictures of birds and mammals that are now extinct or on their way to being extinct. This is a cautionary tail of what can happen when we do not respect the environment
Critter Cover on the Lower Level:
(from the museum website)
Step into Critter Cove, where the wonders of today connect to the creatures of the past! Come face-to-face with incredible critters, from hands-on sea stars to a powerful monitor lizard. This isn’t just an exhibit, it’s a time-traveling adventure through evolution! Discover living descendants of ocean-dwelling invertebrates, dinosaur-age reptiles, and hardy mammal ancestors that defied extinction. Packed with excitement and discovery, Critter Cove is an unforgettable thrill for explorers of all ages!
The lower level aqua room and interaction room has tanks with small sea creatures we could interact with but I did not attempt to touch them. I loved seeing the small string rays and starfish. It was also interesting to hear from the naturalist about the conditions of our beaches and the ocean surrounding New Jersey.
The touch pool has various fish and aquatic life
This turtle was peaking out at me
After I toured the museum, I toured the grounds around the property and walked around the lake where the museum sits on its edge. The foliage was breathtaking that day.
The lake in the early Fall afternoon
The view of the museum on the side of the lake
The museum even has a family playground with pre-historic creatures to play on. I thought the design was quite clever.
The front of the playground outside the museum
The playground with its dinosaur themed equipment
The playground from a distance
For a university research museum, I thought it offered a lot for the public to see and experience. I did not know that New Jersey had such a rich history of pre-historic life in its past.
My nephew, Kyle, created this interesting pumpkin as a birthday present to me and represent Halloween 2026
I still can’t believe that Halloween is over. I swear I blinked my eyes on the Forth of July and I am now seeing Christmas decorations. One moment it is sunny and eighty degrees and the next the leaves changed colors early and there was October, which seemed to zoom by. What is funny is that Grace, who I report to in the parade, contacted me in July to see if I was volunteering and that made time go faster.
Arriving in Manhattan to a pop up Halloween store in the subway station at 42nd Street
I knew it would be a busy time for me so I glad the goal at work that all my exams and papers would be done and graded for my students so could enjoy the Halloween weekend as well and just relax. It would be full steam ahead for them as well. All the days leading up to the holiday were busy so there were a lot of late nights. I could relax and just be part of the parade on Halloween night.
Don’t be fooled by the holiday. Halloween is the new start to the Christmas holidays and people spend big money on decorations, parties, costumes and entertainment and not just in the City. The suburbs where I live Halloween decorating of homes is huge and for four years I ran our Men’s Association Halloween House Decorating Contest to showcase our residents work.
My blogs on the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association Halloween House Decorating Contest:
My across the street neighbor just loves pointing him in my house’s direction all through Halloween. The funny part is that when you Google “Giggles” the scarecrow, he now has his own byline on the Internet. Funny how things work out!
You really have to tour our town on Halloween Night to really experience the lights and decorations. People really spend a lot on decorations and some homes really decorate to the hilt. This house is decorated right near my bus stop when I return home from the City. You should see it at Christmas time as well.
My neighbors house by the bus stop into the City decorated on Halloween night
The decorations at the bus stop from Manhattan when I returned home on Halloween night
I had to be in Manhattan by 3:00pm to report to my Marshaling duties at Dominick Street in lower Manhattan so I left early for the City and ate lunch in Chinatown before I arrived at the Village. We have lucked out with the weather every year as a warm spirt seems to arrive just before Halloween and it was a beautiful but cool day that got warmer as the sun rose.
My first stop was Dumplings (Jin Mei) at 25B Henry Street in Chinatown for their fried dumplings. This place is really catching on as the line was ten deep when I got there and twenty deep when I got to the front of the line. Their dumplings are worth it. Fifteen for $5.00 in this economy make them very popular right now. That and they are really good!
My lunch before the parade. Fried dumplings and a Coke
The Pork and Chive Fried Dumplings are so good
This was the view from the park that I eat at when I am in Chinatown just off Catherine Street
I walked to the parade route from Chinatown and I could see the City was preparing for both the Halloween Parade and the Marathon on Sunday. It was going to be a very busy weekend in the City. There was sidewalk barriers all over Lower Manhattan and the police were being placed for the night’s activities. I also saw lots of people in costume arriving in Chinatown preparing to walk in the parade.
Arriving on Dominick Street where the heart of the parade and puppet rehearsals
Preparing the puppets to start the parade
Dominick Street is where the magic of the parade starts as the puppets that were created in the Hudson Valley studios are assembled and then the puppeteer’s who perform in the parade practice before they head uptown at the beginning of the parade. Most of these puppets you will see later on YouTube at the beginning of the parade.
Lining the puppets up before the volunteers arrive
I was not too sure what this was meant to be but it really was creative
The puppets lined up in a row
These maiden witches have participated in many parades
While I checked in and started my duties for the parade, volunteers and entertainers started to arrive and thus people were trying to start to sneak into the parade. This went on all night long as it usually does. Everyone ‘lives in the building in the parade route’ or everyone is ‘going to dinner’ just ‘across the street’ knowing full well the streets are blocked off and it is chaos in the streets behind us. I am not sure what they think we are trying to hide.
The puppet volunteers arrived between 4;00pm and 5:00pm to practice
The day turned into night as time zipped by and the frantic behavior of getting inside that parade route went on from 5:00pm to 7:30pm. Trying to get performers and musicians and their friends who do not have passes inside takes a lot of coordinating. We had stragglers still trying to get in at 8:00pm when their floats were long gone.
The park on Sixth Avenue and Dominick Street
We were finally able to shut the street operations at Dominick Street by 8:45pm. The parade had started at 7:00pm and most of the floats had already headed uptown. One woman was crying at 8:00pm that her friends texted her to join their float and she did not have a pass to get in. We told her to go home. These are the things I listen to all night long.
The staging area on Spring Street for all the floats
The staging is where the magic comes to life and one of the most chaotic areas of the parade. I can’t understand why people want to sneak to see it here. It is so busy and the volunteers here have a lot on their hands. Everyone is trying to get all the entertainment organized in the parade and get them uptown all while letting all the costumed people into the parade to fill in around the floats.
Letting the bands into the parade takes a lot of work
The costumed characters entering the parade at Spring Street
This part of the parade route is trying to keep things organized and not a place where the public should be standing around gawking. The whining and complaining I hear every year from these people trying to sneak in thinking that they are going to sit down on some grand stand and watch the beginning of the parade is a pipe dream. There is so much going on to run this parade and there is no place to sit down.
Our favorite coordinator in his annual costume dressed as little pig
Getting the floats ready to travel uptown
The floats on Spring Street heading uptown
I had to do everything from being in everyone’s way to get some pictures in. For people reading this blog on the Halloween Parade, this is NOT the area to best see the parade so stop trying to sneak in. Go four blocks uptown and you will see much more.
The floats kept leaving the Shute to head up Sixth Avenue
The float heading uptown
The crowds heading uptown
The crowds heading uptown
The costumed crowds heading uptown
The crowds and floats heading uptown
The costumes were so creative.
The crowds continued their route uptown
The Balloon women
Skaters making their way uptown
Looking downtown at the last of the floats heading uptown
The costumed characters heading uptown
The costumes were really creative this year
The Central Park skaters heading uptown
The last of the costumed characters heading uptown before I left at the parade route to head uptown for the Volunteers Dinner.
The last float heading uptown at the end of the parade
I walked uptown through the parade up Sixth Avenue and could not believe the crowds that night. People were packed along the parade route. The crowds thinned a bit in the Village as people saw the end of the parade coming.
The crowds in the restaurants all over lower Manhattan were crowded with people. There was not one restaurant, bar, fast food place or pizzeria anywhere around the parade that was not busy. Even the neighborhood Walgreens had lines ten deep with people buying snacks and drinks. I think with everything going on from the economy to the wars to politics and justly general life, people were here just wanted to blow off some steam.
As I passed Christopher Street and the Stonewall bar, the birthplace of the Gay Liberation Movement, the place was packed with people both inside and outside the bar restaurant
I saw this painted on the wall as I walked
The decorations on top of the buildings on Christopher Street
The scary skeleton on the side of that building
The witch in one of the display windows off Christopher Street
People all over the Village devoted their homes for the Halloween holiday
I walked the entire way up to da Umberto’s Italian restaurant for our Volunteer dinner and the restaurant was already packed with volunteers who were starved from a long day working the parade. I was glad I had the dumplings earlier that day because I was now ready for dinner. The food here is wonderful and we are always grateful to the sponsors who donate this dinner to us.
Arriving at da Umberto’s at 107 West 17th Street for dinner
Joining the rest of the volunteers at the parade for dinner
Enjoying the buffet dinner. Here we have the Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary and Olive oil
The staff at da Umberto’s does a nice job and the service here is always so friendly. The food is really good here and I really enjoyed the buffet dinner they provided especially the Chicken Parmesan and the Squash Ravioli.
Here we have the pastas on the buffet line Penne Vodka and Fall squash
My dinner that night
The biscotti for dessert
After dinner was over and a nice conversation over dinner with other volunteers at the table, it was time to head home. Some people were heading for Brooklyn for the big ‘After Party’ at Industrial City. I was exhausted between work, Midterms, yard and housework and laundry, I just wanted to head home.
I walked from 16th Street up Seventh Avenue to Port Authority and I can tell you the City was packed that evening. All the restaurants above 23rd Street were just as mobbed as the ones that surrounded the Village. This was the largest crowd I have seen for the parade since before COVID when it was 72 degrees in 2019. From West 16th Street to West 42nd Street, there was not one eating establishment that did not have a crowd. Even the $1.50 Pizza Slice places had long lines long after the parade was over. The pizzeria in Port Authority, which is never that busy, had a line with people eating before they went home (their food is really quite good).
The lights of Midtown
I walked by Bryant Park and just enjoyed the views. All the lights were on in the buildings surrounding the park. It was just the perfect night to walk around. This is when the City works its true magic.
Looking downtown on Fifth Avenue to the Empire State Building
Looking up at Fifth Avenue
I walked around Bryant Park on the way back to Port Authority. The night lights around the park are dazzling.
The lights in Bryant Park
The lights around the park
The New York Public Library at night
The fountain in the park
The face in the fountain gushing that evening
With mild 60 degree weather and clear starry skies, it was a spectacular night in Manhattan for both the parade and for Halloween. The streets were packed all along the way and even around Port Authority, all the restaurants and bars were packed with people wanting to have a good time. I have never seen the City so busy on Halloween night. People were desperate for a good time and I am sure they had one. It looked like people just wanted to blow off some steam. What a night for the parade!
It is the week of Halloween in New York City and the Museum of Modern Art opened its door for a Members get together.
The MoMA was haunted on a pre-Halloween Night and members of the museum were looking for a fright!
On October 28th, the Museum of Modern Art held their annual Members Night with a Halloween theme “It’s Alive”. They asked members to dress up and carried the Halloween theme throughout the museum with entertainment, refreshments and art lectures on spooky looking art. It was a fun evening out on a warm October night.
The Costumed guests at the Museum of Modern Art
The guests were greeted at the museum with a DJ playing and a pumpkin carving display being created. On the second floor, there were arts and crafts for adults and children, while a spooky silent film played in a darkened hall. The theme of the evening was “It’s Alive” and the museum came to life with each member arriving.
Members mingling among the ghosts and ghouls and things that go bump in the night
The sign welcoming us for the Members Evening “It’s Alive”
Many of the museums were having their Members Nights before the start of the holidays but nothing beats a night at the MoMA before Halloween night. This was no ordinary night of Trick role Treating at the museum. There was a costumed DJ spinning tunes as we entered and the whole lobby was filled with people in costume.
The lobby was the heart of the party
I love the art in the lobby
There was a pumpkin carving demonstration on the first floor when we walked in
The museum planned an array of activities to enjoy from the DJ spinning to the to the dancing and music on the first floor. Pumpkin carving and artwork to enjoy with our creative side to a spooky silent film to watch and then tour the haunted halls of the museum looking for sinister art. Movies and music on the patio as the sun set and the moon rose in the night sky.
Our directory of the evening
My first stop was the outside patio and it was just beautiful this evening with the weather warm at 65 degrees and such a pleasant night to be outside. The cool weather finally gave way to a warm week leading into Halloween. Surrealist movies were playing on the screen while the Beauty of Midtown lights gleaned in the background.
The patio was busy with people chatting and enjoying the nice weather
My video on the patio
The patio fountains were lit for the evening
I then made my way to the second floor to watch a silent horror film, ‘The Cat and the Canary’
The beginning of the film
The movie in full
The silent film “The Cat and the Canary”
Watching the silent film
The silent film “The Cat and the Canary”
While we were watching the film, the tables were set with play dough and paper to create what inspired us. I created my version of Mr. Bill. It was fun being a kid again!
The table setting our spooky instructions
The spooky instructions
My version of Mr. Bill doing the scream
My creative artwork
After my time with the arts and crafts , I sat down to watch the full film which had lots of twists and turns on it.
I needed a drink after the film was over and with it being Midterms week at work, I really needed one to relax me. I eyed the Blood Orange Margarita and watch it get mixed. They even put a small gummy eye at the bottom of the drink.
The Blood Orange Margarita sounded good after a long week of running around
The margarita looked cute but not for $17.00. I thought it was a bit small with too much ice. The candy eyeball was cute though.
As I was enjoying my drink and listening to the music, the museum laid out trays of Halloween candy like M & M’s and Tootsie rolls, which got devoured quickly. As I walked around the lobby, the main floor turning into a dance floor of witches and ghosts and many costumed characters.
The make shift dance floor on the first floor
The party continued on the first floor
I continued the evening walking the galleries of the Fifth Floor looking for Halloween art. There were talks and tours all night and I joined other members on the Fifth Floor and I found many ‘haunting’ objects in the halls of the MoMA.
Artwork on the Fifth Floor
The spider like Alexander Calder piece
The colorful surreal pieces of the Fifth Floor
A missing mysterious magician
A headless Spector rooming the halls
Colorful art dominating the Fifth floor
The party continued into the later evening with the dance floor going strong.
The costumed characters on the dance floor on the first floor
I took a break from the festivities and relaxed on the patio enjoying the warm night and admiring the lights of Midtown. With everything going on in the world today, the MoMA tricked us in for a real treat at the museum that night.
Relaxing in the patio at the end of the evening
The haunted pools of the patio relaxed me that evening.
All good things come to an end and the museum started to close down by 9:00pm. I could tell many of the party goers did not want to leave but out into the darkness we went only to be treated by the array of lights to Midtown Manhattan.
Looking at the MoMA from a distance down Seventh Avenue
Decorating for Halloween has become a big business and all signs of the Fall were around us. Unfortunately with Halloween on Saturday I was already seeing the signs of Christmas lurking in the background. Designers were putting up pine displays and decorations you could see just waiting for Halloween night to end. Still for tonight, Midtown was a haunting display.
Pumpkins lining an office building on Sixth Avenue
The Fall leaves are falling along the sides of West 55th Street
Looking down 8th Avenue at night
It was fun to walk around the City on this warm October night and enjoy the pre-Halloween festivities. Trick or Treat everyone!
Open: Sunday Closed/Monday-Thursday 11:00am-7:00pm/Friday 11:00am-2:00pm/Saturday Closed-Based on when the campus is open during the school year.
My review on TripAdvisor:
Primo Pizza on the Bergen Community College Paramus Campus
I teach on the Bergen Community College campus in Paramus, NJ and one of our on campus restaurants, run by American Dining Creations, our on campus vendor, is Primo Pizza on the first floor of our main building.
The pizzeria is extremely popular with our students. The pizza dough was created at the pizzeria and is now being used in all the other outlets run by the company. This has led to a better pizza being made at the pizzeria. The students have rediscovered it and now the lines are getting longer for both lunch and dinner.
The Primo Pizza logo
The afternoon pizza selection at Primo Pizza
The menu is made up with popular menu items with not just the students but the faculty as well. Many of the combos are reasonably priced in comparison to pizzerias in the area and you can do a lot of mixing and matching. This keeps both the students and faculty on campus for dining. The food is delicious.
The reasonable prices
You can order a specialty slice as you would a Cheese pizza as part of the one slice and a soda special which makes a nice meal. The slices are over-sized and one piece of pizza is more than enough for lunch.
The selection of pizza such as Chicken Chili Thai pizza and the Barbecue Bacon Chicken pizza
The Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza and Soda special
I chose the Chicken Bacon Ranch slice, which is an over-sized and makes a nice meal. One slice is more than enough.
A slice of the Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza
The pizza here is so good
The pizzeria has a wonderful selection of creative pizzas that they offer as specials every week. Each of the pizza slices are delicious with wonderful spices and generous toppings. The slice is a meal onto itself.
The Penne Pasta Pizza
The Pizza Margarita with fresh tomatoes
The Meatlovers pizza
The pizzeria also has entree items like Chicken Fingers with French Fries, Chicken Parmesan sandwiches and their wonderful calzones that can be shared by two people.
The Cheese Calzone as one of the afternoon specials
It is a great place to dine at between classes or after the day is done. It is a reason to dine on campus and to make a trip here when visiting Bergen Community College when in Paramus, NJ.
My Introduction to Business Projects: “Breakfast at Primo Pizzeria” for my Spring 2026 classes:
In the Spring semester of 2026, I partnered with American Dining Creations with a simulated student project to create a much needed Breakfast program for the campus entitled, “Breakfast at Primo Pizzeria”. These are the three projects my students created in partnership with American Dining Creations:
I had a five week break from the college when my first Summer class was cancelled. So I concentrated on traveling through New Jersey and New York, both the City and Upstate for my blog. I wanted to revisit many historical sites that I had seen during the holiday season (was Christmas six months ago?) or in the past. There were places like Central Park, where I had not seen certain sections in the Spring. This lead to me being part of many walking tours of gardens during the month of June.
With all the wet weather we had in the Spring, the gardens in June were lush with flowers and flowering trees and plants. Pathways lined with color and walled gardens beautifully laid out. It was interesting to see how these were planted, designed and maintained.
The entrance to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in June 2026
All the rain we had in April and May and the warm days of early June had awakened the Cherry Blossoms and I visited as many locations to see them in full bloom.
Please read my blog on visiting the Cherry Blossoms:
Once they were finished, gardens came to life all over the tri-state area and many historical homes and parks came to life in a sea of color and smells that showed the power of Mother Nature to make things beautiful. I was impressed with the work of many volunteer staffs and their dedication in taking care of these sites for all of us to enjoy.
Visiting to Amour-Steiner House for the Spring Garden Tour:
The Amour-Steiner House the day of the Garden Tour
The beds were in full bloom when we toured the gardens
The colors of the flowers were patriotic red, white and blue
In between the hedges, there was elegant statuary and potted urns with colorful flowers blooming with bright hues.
The urns were filled with bright colors of the season
Statuary representing the arts and music lined the hedges
The flowers were so brilliant that afternoon
I enjoyed looking at the statuary
The gardens were so beautiful with the house in the background
As we left the gardens, I admired the ornate Fox and the Glove gate on the way out
The video on the walking tour of the gardens:
The tour
We then crossed the lawn to tour the greenhouse, where many of the flowers were and still are grown for decorating the house both inside and out.
The landscaping has a romantic spin on it as the property was planted to accent not just the property but the house as well giving it a natural but balanced look to it.
Touring the formal greenhouse
Even the working greenhouse had a romanticized look about it that reflected the house
The inside of the greenhouse. Each side of the counters seasonal flowers are grown for the property. This greenhouse is used all year long supplying the house with a steady stream of flowers.
In the middle of the greenhouse was a beautiful Victorian aquarium that was lined with more flowers. There were no fish at this time.
I loved the beautiful flowers that lined the counters
The Spring colors were breathtaking
We then started the tour of the house starting with the outside veranda that held more urns and planters of fresh flowers
The beautiful veranda lines the entire house
The beautiful colors from the potted and hanging plants
The veranda decorated for the upcoming ‘250th Anniversary of the United States
I walked the veranda before the tour to show the view of the property.
My tour of the patio
The hanging plants
The potted plants
We even admired the birdhouse that matched the house
We then went inside to tour the house. It would be interesting to see the house without all the Christmas decorations that I saw the last time I toured the house.
The triangle room off the foyer once used as the Receiving Room
The beautiful foyer to the second floor
The main Parlor/Living Room used for entertaining
The formal Dining Room
The decorative sideboard
The other decorative sideboard
The Dining Room table set for a Spring dinner
We then started the tour of the second floor which started in the game room at the top of there landing. I remember the big Christmas tree being here when the house was decorated for the holidays.
I liked the room was the way it is here
Then we toured the bedrooms which were not that elaborate but functional and comfortable as they are today.
One of several bedrooms on the second floor
The bathroom which is considered normal today was ahead of its time with flushing toilets and hot and cold running water
The office off the side in one of the Octagon corners
The Egyptian Room was the height of fashion with travel and new discovers in Egypt at the time.
The ceiling and decorations of Egyptian Room
The decor of the Egypt
The beautiful porcelain in the room
Then we toured the Curio Room. I thought the room was a lot of fun with small objects that people would have collected from their journeys at that time.
The shelves, counters and walls were filled with all sorts of interesting objects
Many types of object’s
The Victorian Terrarium that was becoming fashionable at the time
The fold out desk with small objects in each slot
A Victrola and Terrarium
The last part of the tour was of the newly renovated kitchen. The shelves were lined with a collection of shiny pots and pans.
The ‘modern’ Victorian kitchen
When the tour was over, I visited the gift shop and looked over the kitchen once more. It is interesting to see how ‘modern’ back then is ‘contemporary’ today. Victorians set the tone for the modern American home of today and the expectations of the American dream.
Before I left the grounds, I visited the gardens once more. It was such perfect weather to walk around and I enjoyed the beauty of these gardens. Mother Nature creates this all this.
Walking around the grounds of the home
I enjoyed walking around the gardens that day
I found this tour one of the most relaxing I have taken in a long time. The beauty of both the house and the gardens was wonderful. Just sitting on the veranda and looking over the grounds was the perfect way to spend the afternoon.
Taking the Clermont Garden Walking Tour 2026:
I returned in the Spring of 2026 for the an updated walking tour of the gardens “Gardens and Grounds: Evolving Landscaping of Clermont”, where the State of New York horticulturalist who had just been hired to maintain the gardens, explained to us the developments and goals that the State wanted for the direction of the landscaping on the property. They wanted it brought back to the 1930’s blueprint of what Alice Livingston had originally envisioned for the estate when she returned from Europe.
Arriving to the Clermont estate at 1 Clermont Avenue in Germantown, NY
We started the tour with a history of the house and Alice Livingston’s return from Europe to create her famous gardens
The front of the mansion in the Spring of 2026
We started the tour at the Walled Garden which was just finished being restored. The back wall had just been finished and the site’s main horticulturalist explained that she was working with a group of volunteers to maintain the gardens.
The Walled Garden designed by Alice Livingston
The Walled Garden in the Spring of 2026
The inside to the entrance of the Walled Garden
The back part of the Walled Garden
The next garden we toured was the Wilderness Garden which included wildflowers and a fish pond
The Wilderness Garden sign
The back part of the Walled Garden leads to the Wilderness Garden
The entrance to the Wilderness Gardens
The lecture on the design and plantings of the Wilderness Garden
The colorful wildflowers that line the grass paths
The fish pond in the Wilderness Garden
We then followed the path and walked up and toured the Cutting and Children’s Garden. These colorful gardens once supplied the house with an assortment of fresh flowers. It also taught the Livingston girls the attributes of gardening.
The Cutting Garden and Greenhouse sign
The main Cutting Garden
The Cutting garden
The Cutting Garden in the late Spring
The in season flowers in the Cutting Garden
The Children’s Playhouse and Garden is next to the Cutting Garden
The Children’s Garden in the Spring
Touring past the old Greenhouses
Part of the former greenhouse
The tour through the grounds with my group
The pathway back to Clermont
Touring along the river
The former roadway between the house and the river
The South Spring Garden
Our last garden toured was the one closest to the house and that was the South Spring Garden of which Alice could see from her window. When the porch was removed from the home and Alice developed plans for other gardens, this garden went ‘native’.
The South Garden
The South Garden in bloom
The views from the South Garden
The flower planters near the South Garden
The planters filled with Spring geraniums
Walking back after the tour was over and looking at the beautiful grounds
Ending the tour that day with a walk along the river
It was a beautiful day to walk the gardens and the perfect way to spend the afternoon. Each time I take a tour of the gardens, I am amazed how different they seem. I love the different times of the year and how it changes these gardens.
I returned to Manhattan the next week and as I was working in Inwood and Washington Heights neighborhoods, I took a tour of Isham Park with the Bruce Reynolds Gardens and Fort Tyron Park with the Heather Gardens, when they were in full bloom. It was breathtaking with the back drop of the Hudson River on a sunny afternoon.
In Isham Park, I toured the Bruce Reynolds Gardens, which is in the center of the park. They were in full bloom when I walked around the gardens and relaxed under the shade trees.
The new Bonnefont Restaurant is open for lunch and brunch
The restaurant was closed that afternoon but I was able to look at the menu online and it is an interesting menu. The cuisine is a mixture of French and Contemporary cooking.
Walking back through the gardens to the Fort Tryon location
Walking to the Fort Tryon site
The Fort Tryon site
Visiting the Brooklyn Botanic Garden before Rose Night in 2026:
I got an email from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden saying that the Cranford Rose Garden was at its peak of blooming and that I should see it while it was at its prime. I was busy at work and was able to travel down to down to the gardens a few days later. Talk about perfect timing as the petals just started to fall.
The Cranford Rose Garden at peak is one of the most beautiful sites. The colors and the fragrances are just amazing. I could not attend “Rose Night” in 2026 because of a prior commitment plus it would be a gloomy night with the threat of rain. So I went the Friday afternoon before the event, which would be held the next Wednesday. By that point, the flowers would be out of peak.
The Cranford Rose Garden in bloom at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
The Cranford Rose Garden is amazing from every angle and the views from the top of the hill overlooking the garden shows the extensive amounts of roses planted and the array of colors.
The beds of roses of all colors and species
The entrance to the Cranford Rose Garden is full of an array of different types of colorful flowers
Touring the Rose Gardens in June 2026:
The tour
The beautiful and diverse flowers in the Cranford Rose Garden
The beauty of flowers up close
All sorts of roses line the trellis borders of the Rose Garden
What I love about walking around is that you can see the diversity of the roses. The garden is planted with different species so they bloom at different times giving the beds an array of colors at different times. Along the beds and trellis everything bloomed so vibrantly.
The beautiful orange roses that lined the trellis
The colorful trellis pathways
The reds and pinks in full bloom
Roses lining the lamppost
Admiring the beds of roses at the Cranford Rose Garden
Purple reins supreme
Walking through the trellis pathways of red
The beauty of the trellis
The back part of the garden
The back terrace of the Cranford Rose Garden
The elegant statuary of the rose garden and the sun dial
The back Terrace area
The back of the Cranford Rose Garden is lined with all sorts of flowering plants having a rainbow of colors.
Walking through the terrace gardens
The beautiful roses in the back of the garden
The roses in the back of the Cranford Gardens
Walking out the back of the gardens
The back path of the Cranford Rose Garden
The fountain in the back of the Cranford Garden
The fountain in the back of the Cranford Garden
Visiting the Cranford Rose Garden when it flowering is one of the most interesting collection of colors and scents. This is why I try to time my visits around the blooming of the flowers.
The fountain in the peak of the rose season
Visiting the Cranford Rose Garden when it flowering is one of the most interesting collection of colors and scents. This is why I try to time my visits around the blooming of the flowers.
The Tour of the Gardens at The Cloisters in the Spring 2026:
One of my favorite places with in the Metropolitan Museum of Art to visit is The Cloisters in any season. One of my favorite places when it is decorated for the Christmas holiday season, the Spring and Summer offer such beautiful displays of historical plants that try to match the theme of each Cloister and its historical background.
The docent led a very large group of us through each Cloister and told us of the way the curators plant the gardens to represent what may have been planted during the Medieval era for medical and nutritional functions of those peoples lives.
(From the Museum website)
The gardens of the Middle Ages included both real and ideal gardens. Poets and artists delighted in the depiction of fantasy gardens like the Garden of Love or of Paradise, but no real garden of the time remains to us. Historical records are rare and incomplete; the ninth-century plan for the monastery of St. Gall, with its carefully drawn and labeled garden beds, is unique. Archaeological excavations are yielding valuable new evidence, but we still know more about infirmary gardens of medicinal plants and aristocratic pleasure gardens than we do about humble kitchen plots of potherbs and vegetables (Met.org).
The gardens of the Museum, planted in reconstructed Romanesque and Gothic cloisters, evoke those that provided sustenance and spiritual refreshment within the medieval monastery. Designed as an integral feature of the Museum, the gardens have been a major attraction of The Cloisters since its opening in 1938, enhancing both the setting in which the Museum’s collection of medieval art is displayed and the visitor’s understanding of medieval life. The gardens are designed and maintained by a horticultural staff actively engaged in researching and developing the living collection (Met.org).
The Cloisters at 99 Margaret Corbin Drive in Fort Tryon blooming in the late Spring
We walked through the Cloister discussing how plantings were determined by medical and religious purposes
The flower beds in the Cloister
My video of the Garden Tour in the Summer of 2026:
The video
The view of the Hudson River was amazing
The flowers in bloom
Flowers in bloom
Flowers in bloom
Flowers in bloom
We moved the next Cloister looking over the medical plants and flowers
The Cloister in bloom
Walking around the Cloister
The plants around the sills of the Cloisters
Touring the Cloisters and admiring the flowers
Everything in bloom
We toured the last Cloister while the tour guide explained the plantings
The last Cloister we toured
The garden in full bloom
The growth of the hops growing on a trellis
The hops planting up close
The flowers in bloom in the Cloister
Video on “Art and Gardens at the Met”
We ended the tour admiring the art in the Tapestry Room and having a discussion about the use of plants and flowers in Medieval art.
‘The Hunt of the Unicorn’ tapestry discussion
I then visited the ‘Creatures of Myth and Imagination-European and the Americas’ exhibition.
This exhibition was an interesting look at mythical beasts of the era of great exploration from European to the Americas. It reminded me of the book “In Search of Ancient Astronauts” with many golden creatures that look like they are visitors from another planet, Ancient Gods to worship and one civilization’s outlook on the unknown. The artwork was a cross between mysticism and respect.
The exhibition sign for “Creatures of Myth and Imagination: Europe and the Americas”
Set in the evocative atmosphere of The Met Cloisters, Creatures of Myth and Imagination: Europe and the Americas sheds light on a selection of works created on either side of the Atlantic Ocean between 500 and 1500 CE. The exhibition’s exploration of hybrid creatures deepens our understanding of their apparent necessity among diverse peoples. In the Americas, a complex gold pendant by a Tairona artist of northern Colombia, depicting a confrontational figure with hands on hips, a crocodile-like head, and an enormous headdress, would have reflected and expressed the wearer’s status and power. In Europe, ferocious dragons such as the one depicted on a monumental fresco from the monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza, Spain, took center stage to convey a multiplicity of meanings both sacred and profane (Met.org).
The exhibition gallery
Unusual mythical creature
(From the museum website)
For as long as humans have told stories, we’ve imagined creatures that transcend the natural world. Fantastical beings combining the features of animals, humans, and even plants appear across cultures, emerging in the most ancient myths and enduring in contemporary epics. The widespread presence of these supernatural beings, possessing the power to transform and be transformed, reflects a global impulse to make sense of both known and unknown worlds. Visual artists have given form to these imaginary creatures, resulting in some of the most fearsome, beloved, and extraordinary works of art ever made (Met.org).
Small gold ancient Gods
Ritual Knives
Double pendants
Earth Deity
I took one last tour of the museum gardens before I left for the afternoon. On the balcony overlooking the Hudson River offered beautiful views and beautiful potted plants.
Walking out of the back Cloister
The back Cloister
The beautiful white flowers
The balcony overlooking the Hudson River
The potted plants by the doorway
The view of the Hudson River
Looking north up the Hudson River
The tour of the Gardens was amazing and the exhibition on the Pre-Columbian art interesting. It was a wonderful tour of the Cloisters.
I had a private function at the Museum of the City of New York across the street from the Central Park Conservatory Gardens. When the event was over, I took a walk around the gardens when they were in full bloom.
The gardens just went through a major renovation and each of the paths had rows of colorful flowers that were beautifully taken care of and designed to bloom at different stages of the growing season so there was always color in the gardens. The effect was amazing.
The entrance of the Central Park Conservatory lawn and fountain
The fountain and the geometric garden
Central Park Conservatory gardens at the entrance
The entrance of the gardens from the Harlem Meer area
The entrance to the flower gardens from the Central Park Conservatory lawn
The Central Park Conservatory garden beds
My video of touring the gardens in Summer 2026:
The tour
The gardens in full bloom in the Summer of 2026
The flower beds in the central of the gardens
The Central Park Conservatory Fountain and Lotus pools
I walked behind Hippo Park in Central Park one afternoon to discover a beautiful floral garden that was the 91st Street Garden that I had missed on previous walks in the park. The Garden did not look like this in the Fall.
The 91st Street Garden in the Summer of 2026
Then I remembered the scene in “You Got Mail” and remembered that this was the garden where they met. I always thought it was closer to Riverside Drive than it was here in the park.
The sign for the garden
As I passed the garden, I remember this was the garden in the last scene of the movie, “You Got Mail” when Meg Ryan realizes that her secret email pal is Tom Hanks. It was such a great scene and the perfect end to a great Rom-Com.
The end of the movie “You Got Mail” with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks
The Gardens from the front
The flowers in full bloom
The flowers in full bloom in July 2026
All I could think about was this scene as I walked around the garden. The funny part is this was the first time I had ever visited this garden as I did not know where it was located. I knew it was on 91st Street but could never figure out where. You have to walk on the path behind the Hippo Playground and follow it to the other path.
The gardens from the front
Walking back up through Riverside park from the Hippo Playground
Walking in Riverside Park in the 90’s
You have to find your way through Riverside Park to find the garden but in the Spring and Summer it is worth the walk up and down the hill.
These are just some of the places that I am still visiting as the Summer season begins and there are more historical sites to see and more smaller gardens to visit. Let’s see what the rains produce in the coming months.
Places to Visit:
*Bloggers Note: the prices of these sites vary from season to season and can change from year to year. This is the same with the hours depending on what season you visit.
Fee: Adults $30.00/Seniors $17.00/Children $12.00/Members & Patrons and Children under 12 are free (prices do fluctuate). NY, NJ and CT students and NY residents Pay as you wish.
Museum Hours:
Hours: Open 7 days a week
March-October 10:00am-5:15pm
November-February 10:00am- 4:45pm
Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25th and January 1st.
*Some galleries may be closed for construction or maintenance.
It was another warm and sunny Saturday afternoon and we lucked out that the day fell between two rain storms, where the rain cooled down the temperature and got rid of the humidity. It made it the perfect day for our June barbecue.
The grounds of the NJ State Firemen’s Home
The NJ State Firemen’s Home built an outdoor grill a few years ago making it easier for us to sponsor our barbecues, where the food is cooked and served outside for the residents and their guests. The tables and chairs were set under tents and umbrellas and shade trees making it an enjoyable afternoon.
The built in barbecue was ready to start cooking
The food preparation by Chef Prince and our own President of the NJ State Firemen’s Association Bob Ordway was started in the afternoon
Chef Prince and his helper manning the grill
With the grill fired up and meat sizzling for lunch, everyone anticipated a wonderful lunch ahead. With the assistance of Chef Prince of the Firemen’s Home and NJ State Fire Association President and member Bob Ordway, we stated serving lunch to everyone by 12:30pm.
NJ State Firemen’s Association President Bob Ordway helping with service to the residents
Entertainment rocked that afternoon with the sounds of performer Kelly Carpenter
As residents and their families settled in for lunch and the members of our organization startled to serve everyone, singer Kelly Carpenter started to perform singing popular contemporary songs.
Singer Kelly Carpenter is always a favorite at our events
Residents got to enjoy the beautiful weather that afternoon
It was such a beautiful afternoon with temperatures hovering around 80 degrees with no humidity making it the perfect afternoon to eat under the large shade trees.
Members of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association relaxing for their lunch after serving the residents
Kelly Carpenter performing as the sun shines on this marvelous afternoon
Sitting down to enjoy our barbecue lunch. One of the perks of membership to the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association
The lunch started to wrap up by 1:00pm and everyone started to either head back inside or wondered ofc to spend time with their families.
It was another successful picnic sponsored by the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association.
If you would like to make a donation to our organization, please send it to:
BCFHA
C/O Jeff Parma
277 Harriott Avenue
Harrington Park, NJ 07640
Please make the checks out to the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association
Our 2026 Meeting Schedule:
All our meetings at the home start at 12:00pm at the NJ State Firemen’s Home in Boonton, NJ:
August 15th (August Barbecue)
October 18th
December 6th (Annual Christmas Party)
A big “Thank you” from The Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association Executive Board 2026
In the months of March and May right before the Memorial Day holiday, many of the museums I belong to held their private ‘Members Night’, where they hold extra hours for members after the museums are closed to the public to come and see the exhibitions, listen to music, have something to eat and drink and listen to talks about the exhibitions. The funny part is that the museum’s are more crowded on these nights than when they are open to the public.
Walking inside the soaring dining space at the Morgan Library
The first set of ‘Members Nights’ I went to were on March 24th with my first stop at the Morgan Library. I was there to see the ‘Mozart’ exhibition again.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Treasures from the Mozarteum Foundation of Salzburg, an exhibition that traces the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791). On view March 13th through May 31st, 2026, this two-gallery exhibition combines the Morgan’s significant holdings in Mozart manuscripts and first editions with remarkable objects, on view in the United States for the first time, from the Mozarteum Foundation of Salzburg. These include Mozart’s clavichord on which he composed The Magic Flute and his childhood violin, as well as famous portraits, letters, and personal objects of Mozart and his family (Morgan Library.com).
Touring the exhibition
Video on the exhibition:
The concert of Mozart as a child
The Magic Flute music and costumes
I happen to love ‘The Magic Flute’ and it was interesting to see the notes and some of the original costumes from the opera at the exhibition.
The costumes from the Magic Flute
After I toured the Mozart exhibition, I toured the rest of the museum that included the original part of the mansion.
The old Living Room
The ceiling outside the exhibition hall
The old Library and Rare book collection
The ceiling in the old Library
I then visited the exhibition of ancient Mesopotamia art scrolls. This was really interesting how this form of written art worked into the collection.
After touring the museum, I went to see what everyone was eating in the museum’s small restaurant was eating because it was getting crowded. The counter was filled with delicious looking desserts.
The sweet treats at the dessert bar at the Morgan Library
The selection of desserts at the Morgan Library the night of Member’s Night
I then visited their very interesting Gift Shop
Admiring the flowers at the Coat Check on the way out. I thought this was a nice touch.
All good things come to an end and I made my way up Fifth Avenue to the Museum of Modern Art for the second part of the evening
I could not believe that the museums arranged these ‘Members Nights’ on the same night. They would plan this three weeks late when the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I just had to enough time at one museum and see what I wanted to see and then go up the next.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) at 11 West 53rd Street
Frida and Diego: The Last Dream celebrates Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera—two of Mexico’s most beloved icons of 20th-century art—in a first-of-its-kind collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera. Organized in conjunction with the Met’s new production of El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego, the presentation at MoMA features artworks by Kahlo and Rivera in an elaborate setting designed by Jon Bausor, the set and co-costume designer of the opera. For both the opera and installation, Bausor evokes the artists’ lives and artworks in his theatrical designs (MoMA.org).
Key participants in a movement to redefine Mexican culture and identity after the revolution of 1910–20—Rivera through monumental murals and Kahlo through intimate self-portraits—the artists were romantically involved from 1928 until Kahlo’s death in 1954. The fictional narrative of the opera El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego begins three years after Kahlo’s death and follows an aging Rivera as he summons the deceased Kahlo back to life on the Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday honoring passed loved ones. As the opera and installation design attest, the pair continue to have an enduring influence on artists across the visual and performing arts (MoMA.org).
Video on the exhibition:
The opening of the ‘Frida and Diego’ exhibition brought members out in droves
The description of the exhibition
The tree dominates the center of the exhibition
The signature piece from the exhibition
One of the dominate drawings
Looking over costume designs
Some of my favorite costume designs
Another great costume design
After touring the exhibition, I visited some of the other galleries and looked over other works of art that I admired in the past. I took a quick tour of the Modern Galleries before I left that evening.
The Jackson Pollack work
I loved this creative food service work
After touring the museum, I joined the rest of the crowd on the main floor for music.
The main lobby of the MoMA the night of Member’s Night
A few weeks later, the Metropolitan Museum of Art had planned their Member’s Night and then the Museum of Modern Art planned a Member’s Night the same night. So I planned another night of running back and forth between museums.
Member’s Night at the Museum of Modern Art
The schedule of events
There was a lot of activities happening that evening and I wondered around museum to see all of them. I started in the Museum Garden to hear the singers who were performing that evening.
The first performer was Lizzy Hilliard, who performed the guitar and was really enjoyable to hear. She is a very lively and engaging entertainer.
The crowds were outside enjoying the beautiful weather that evening
Lizzy Hilliard performing that evening in the garden
After the performance, I wondered around the museum to see some of the exhibitions and started on the first floor which was really active.
I love wondering through the lobby of the MoMA.
While most of the crowds were still listening to the entertainment in the garden, I went up to the Marcel Duchamp exhibition and toured the galleries again (I had been there the previous week and quickly walked the exhibition).
The Marcel Duchamp exhibition was the biggest retrospect of the artist’s work in years
Marcel Duchamp is organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Philadelphia Art Museum, with the generous collaboration of the Centre Pompidou. “Contemporary artworks often prompt viewers to ask, ‘Why is this art?’ It is virtually impossible to answer this question without referring to the work of Duchamp,” said Temkin. “More than any other modern artist, Duchamp challenged and transformed the very definition of an artwork.” Kuo added, “Duchamp’s influence is incalculable and his myriad contributions have established him as one of the most important figures in modern culture (MoMA.org).
Our exhibition will foreground the ways in which Duchamp upended conventional oppositions between hand and machine, original and copy, intention and chance, and matter and idea.” MoMA and PMA have a longstanding history with Duchamp’s work. MoMA was the first museum to acquire a work by Duchamp, in addition to including his work in early landmark exhibitions such as Fantastic Art, Dada, Surrealism (1936) and The Art of Assemblage (1961) (MoMA.org).
Video on the exhibition from the MoMA curator:
I joined the start of the walking tour with one of the docents at the MoMA at the beginning of the exhibition
The gallery was so crowded with people listening to the one docent that was describing the exhibition that I continued on my own. I had never seen much of this artist’s work in museums before and had heard about his piece of changing the look of the Mona Lisa. I really enjoyed seeing it up close.
The 1919 original “L.H.O.O.Q.” was on a card
The 1930 replica “L.H.O.O.Q.”
The information on the replica piece
I then moved on to other works that he was well known for especially his controversial urinal piece.
The work “Fountain” (I thought this was unusual)
The write up on the piece
The last piece that I saw in the exhibition before I left the museum for the Met was his spoke wheel piece.
The work “Bicycle Wheel”
I wondered around the museum for a bit after the tour of the exhibition and admired works in the Modern Wing.
I love Picasso’s Cubism works
After I finished touring the exhibition, I left the MoMA for The Met. The weather was beautiful and with it being light out until almost 8:30pm. It was a beautiful walk up Fifth Avenue with the trees and the flower beds in full bloom.
Arriving at The Metropolitan Museum of Art for “The Met After Hours”
The lobby and rotunda for the event seemed very quiet to me
The beautiful floral arrangements in the lobby area were fresh Cherry Blossoms
The Cherry Blossoms in the urns around the lobby
The American Wing where the Member’s Bar and entertainment was located
The Met seemed very quiet that night. Being the Tuesday after Memorial Day Weekend, I guess most members were getting back to work or still tired from the weekend. It had been a rainy mess the whole weekend and I could not see many people going away.
The bar and the entertainment in the American Wing were located that evening.
I had about two hours before the museum closed for the evening, so I wondered through some of the special exhibitions and started with the “Raphael-Sublime Poetry” exhibition on the second floor.
Raphael: Sublime Poetry is the first comprehensive exhibition on Raphael in the United States, bringing together more than 170 of the artist’s greatest masterpieces and rarely seen treasures to illuminate the brilliance of Raphael’s extraordinary creativity. The son of a painter and poet, Raphael engaged with the foremost writers and thinkers of his age in Rome, displaying a poetic sensibility that captivated his peers and generations that followed. Follow the full breadth of his life and career, from his origins in Urbino to his rise in Florence, where he began to emerge as a peer of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, to his final, prolific decade at the papal court in Rome (Met.org).
Dive into the artistic process of one of history’s most beloved and influential artists. A true titan of the Italian Renaissance, Raffaello di Giovanni Santi (1483–1520)—better known as Raphael—matched ambition with lyricism to create works with both intellectual heft and emotional depth, a necessary skill in the complex political landscape of Renaissance courts. In his short life of only 37 years, he achieved such profound success as a painter, designer, and architect that he was regarded as the pinnacle of artistic perfection for centuries after his death (Met.org).
Video on the exhibition with the MoMA:
Video on the exhibition with CBS This Morning:
The work admired as I was walking around the exhibition.
This was my favorite piece from the exhibition
The Raphael Exhibition I know was a big deal for the museum but it really was not my taste in art. As much as I admired the work, the whole exhibition did not ‘grab me”.
I was not as impressed with the art in the exhibition and took a quick tour of the works. I had seen the exhibition on a previous tour of the museum so I just wanted to walk around again to see the works that I missed.
I then went back to the first floor and spent more time at the Costume Art exhibition. There had been so much media on the exhibit that you could not get in without timed tickets but because it was quiet on Member’s Night, I just walked in.
The Costume Institute’s spring 2026 exhibition explores depictions of the dressed body across The Met’s vast collection, pairing garments with artworks to reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body (Met.org).
Focusing primarily on Western art from prehistory to the present, Costume Art presents connections between garments from The Costume Institute and objects from the Museum’s other collecting areas. Pairings between fashions and artworks will present a spectrum of connections and experiences: from the formal to the conceptual, the aesthetic to the political, the individual to the universal, the illustrative to the symbolic, and the playful to the profound. These pairings are organized into a series of thematic body types that reflect their pervasiveness and endurance through time and cultures (Met.org).
Video on the Costume Art exhibition:
Walking through the entrance of the exhibition
This gallery was newly created for this collection and I had display the pieces that stood out to me the most in the Costume Art exhibition.
One of the pieces I admired
Some of the Evening clothes I admired
Another piece I admired
I thought this was really unusual
I really enjoyed looking over the exhibition yet wondering how many people would actually wear some of these pieces out in public. It really asks the question “What is art?” Still, I loved the dress with all the human organs on it. Now that would stop everyone in mid conversation at a party.
All good things come to an end again and I left the Met as it was closing for the evening. It really is a pretty site at night looking down Fifth Avenue.
How beautiful the Upper East Side is at night
I was starved when I left the museum and knew not too many places outside the bars would be open this late at night. I remembered Asian 83 on East 83rd Street that still might be open for the evening and I was one of their last customers that night. The food is excellent at this little ‘hole in the wall’ on the Upper East Side.
Dinner at Asian 83, Beef and Broccoli with Fried Rice
I ordered a combination platter of Beef and Broccoli with Fried Rice and an Egg Roll with a Coke. Their prices are so reasonable and their portion sizes are very fair. It was a nice dinner before I left Manhattan that evening.
The Beef and Broccoli entree
Their Egg Rolls are excellent
Being a member of many museums, this is one of the perks about membership. You get to enjoy these wonderful evenings while supporting the museums which in this economy really helps. That’s why I have enjoyed supporting them for years. The donation benefits everyone.
I recently attended the Annual ‘Pathways Tour’ in Morris County, NJ to visit some of the historical sites. It was a very interesting visit to some of these sites that were over 250 years old. With the anniversary of our country coming up in two months, I can see that these sites will be getting more attention.
Having toured most of the sites in Morris County, which has a treasure trove of historical homes, parks and museums, I concentrated on the sites that are rarely open, like the Doremus House and the Florham Park Schoolhouse for my blog, VisitingaMuseum.com.
Readers reach out to me asking about these sites but no one seems to man them outside the Pathways tours. So you have to race to see them then. These small historical sites offer a glimpse into New Jersey’s rural past and the history of how our state developed.
The Henry Doremus House during the Pathway’s tour
I visited the Henry Doremus House first during the Morris County Pathways Tour in May of 2026 and it is good look at the early farming communities of New Jersey under the Dutch and then the English. The house was used by General George Washington while he was passing through this section of New Jersey during the Revolutionary War.
The sign for the Henry Doremus House
The historic sign for the house
Montville Township Historical Society:
(from the Museum website)
Established in 1963, the Montville Township Historical Society is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the cultural heritage of Montville Township. Our unwavering commitment to meticulous archival work, interactive educational programs, and community outreach initiatives is aimed safeguarding the rich history of our town. Our ultimate objective is to ensure that the stories and traditions of Montville Township are cherished and celebrated for years to come.
The farm and harvest equipment
General Washington’s payment to the Doremus family for use of their home during the Revolutionary War. I thought this was really cool.
The farming equipment
The farm and household equipment room
The farm equipment from the time of the Revolutionary War
Henry Doremus House History:
(from the Museum’s website)
The Henry Doremus House is a Dutch American stone farmhouse that has been remarkably preserved since the time the first portion was built, circa 1760. The house has never been modernized with heating, plumbing, electricity, or wiring, and is one of only seven left in New Jersey without modern electricity. What is now Route 202 was one of the main military routes during the Revolutionary War through Montville and Towaco, (then part of Pequannock Township). The Henry Doremus house was located in a small community often referred to as Doremus Town.
The main room of the original house during the tour
The kitchen and cooking equipment by the open hearth fireplace
The open hearth fireplace for cooking and heat for the home
Cooking items
I visited Diane’s Dairy at 446 Main Road Suite 8 after my tour of the Henry Doremus House, a local ice cream store just around the corner from the historic home. What started as a place to turn around my car, I had to stop on this historical looking strip mall. When I saw the words ‘homemade ice cream’ I of course had to stop. Ice cream is one of my weaknesses.
Diane’s Dairy at 446 Main Road Suite 8
The menu of the selection of flavors
What was nice was I got to meet Diane herself that morning and she explained to me that they create and make over 92 flavors inside the store. I could tell by the quality and taste of the ice cream that a lot of care was taken in the making of her ice creams.
The section of ice cream
Diane has created many unique flavors so it was hard for me to choose but I wanted to try something different and settled on Bubble Gum flavored ice cream. It was delicious.
The Bubble Gum ice cream
The ice cream was rich and dense and had such an intense flavor of cream and cherry flavored gum. What I also liked was her prices were very fair and the portion size for a small ice cream is the size of most mediums sizes at the commercial ice cream stores. Plus I like to support local businesses. Diane has created a wonderful product and could not have been nicer.
The ice cream is do good
This ice cream was the best. Funny enough though I was her first review on TripAdvisor. I would have thought more people would have been singing her praises. After my snack, it was off to the second site on my list, the Florham Park Little Red Schoolhouse.
I visited the “Little Red Schoolhouse” Museum at 203 Ridgedale Avenue in Florham Park, which is also rarely opened. This interesting little museum showcases the town’s historical collection of items from the 1800’s and 1900’s dealing with all aspects of town life.
Schooling at the “little red frame building” prospered and so by the 1850’s, the building was “in condition of dilapidation rendering it unfit to be occupied” due to overcrowding.
The schoolhouse from the front
The inside of the museum schoolhouse display
The inside of the old classroom
The schoolhouse setting
In the back there is a small classroom set up keeping with the theme of the building. This lets students, who are visiting the building of their counterpart’s early education with desks, ink wells and chalk boards that have not changed that much over the years.
Not much has changed in the modern classroom over the years
The old schoolhouse desks
There is early century clothing, farming equipment from the town’s farming past and even Native American objects found in the town and in private collections.
The town artifacts and school items
The hitching post
Other items included decorative items from the home including dishware, home products and furnishings.
Each section of the museum is divided up by lifestyle.
The museum’s historic plaque
The docents that day explained that the items were reflect the town’s past and some came from families that have been in town for years. The museum reflects the community spirit of town’s past. It explains that times have progressed but not changed too much over the years.
The Veteran’s Monument outside the museum
History of the Little Red Schoolhouse Museum:
(From the Museum Website)
By Kat Kurylko, Research Assistant
In 1830, the residents of Columbia, now Florham Park, sought to improve their thriving farming and broom-making community by establishing a public school for the local children. Therefore, a small schoolhouse, Columbia School #5, was built on the corner of Columbia Turnpike and Ridgedale Avenue and dedicated it on February 17th, 1831.
The schoolroom display
Schooling at the “little red frame building” prospered and so by the 1850’s, the building was “in condition of dilapidation rendering it unfit to be occupied” due to overcrowding. It just showed me one thing as an educator, that the concept of modern education has not changed that much in 150 years.
I next visited the Tunis-Ellicks House 16 Village Road in New Vernon and enjoyed the self-guided tour of this well maintained and displayed home. Unlike many sites I have visited over the years where things are left out and jumbled on tables, the Tunis-Ellicks House offers a look at small family farms from before the Civil War. The displays depict and discuss the life of a farming family in Central New Jersey.
The Tunis-Ellicks House in New Vernon, NJ
The house sign
The house is located in the New Vernon Historic District
The house was located in one of the oldest sections of the community, facing other structures in the historical district of New Vernon, NJ.
The house and front garden from the road
The vegetable garden in the front of house
In front of the house was a large vegetable and fruit garden with a grape arbor for spirits on the side of the house. These items would be jarred and pickled for the winter months or sold at market.
I liked the way the volunteers maintained the gardens with fruits and vegetables that would have been used in Colonial times mixed in with a modern twist.
Mission Statement:
(From the Museum website)
The Harding Township Historical Society is a private, not-for-profit corporation founded in 1977 to stimulate interest in the history of Harding Township. The Society shall support, assist in and seek to achieve the preservation of documents, buildings and sites related to Harding Township. It shall also collect, preserve, maintain and interpret original cultural material, which illuminates this history. In addition, The Society is responsible for preserving and maintaining the Tunis-Ellicks House and environs. Through use of its historic site, collections and programs, the society endeavors to document and illustrate the history of Harding Township for present and future generations (Tunis-Ellicks website).
You enter the museum from the back of the house. In the backyard of the home, there were all sorts of activities going on while you could start a self-guided tour of the house.
The back of the Tunis-Ellick’s House
The beautiful view from the back door of the home
The inside of the main part of the museum
The main part of the museum was the newer extension of the home where the living room and dining rooms were located. There were displays on the walls discussing farm life in New Jersey during the late 1700’s and early 1800’s.
The Dining Room section of the house
The workings of the Dining Room
The story of ‘Country Life’ and the gentleman farmer
Pieces of the decor on display
The kitchen area of the older part of the home offers a homey fireplace for cooking and summer storage for jarred and pickled food stuffs for the winter.
The kitchen and storage areas of the home
Pottery collection in the museum
The pottery collection
The kitchen dining and cooking area of the home
The fireplace for cooking, roasting and stewing of foods
The oven for baking breads, cookies and pies and the baking equipment
The Summer storage area for canned and jarred provisions for the winter months and for cooking.
History of the Harding Township Historical Society:
(From the Museum website)
The Harding Township Historical Society was formed in 1977 to save the circa 1795 Tunis-Ellicks House and restore it as it appeared in the early 19th century. The society discovered an original 18th century hearth and Federal-style mantel and a water-fed cooling room besides the well. Areas of the house were left exposed to showcase the post-and-beam construction. A permanent exhibit on 19th century farming was created as well as space for temporary exhibits.
The Society saved a circa 1870 Tramp House from destruction when the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was created by having the building moved the Tunis-Ellicks House property. The Harding Township Historical Society maintains an extensive archive containing records, maps, and objects since the colonial era pertaining to the town. The archive is open to researchers, genealogists and the public. Each year we provide an award to a student at the Harding Township School that excels in the subject of history. The Society produces exhibits, lectures, tours, and interactive events to bring history to the public.
When I drove to the Tunis-Ellicks House, I was really hungry and it was lunch time. I had passed the Green Village Deli at 536 Green Village Road and I read the reviews online while in their parking lot and they were excellent so I decided to give it a try. The food and the service were excellent.
The Green Village Deli at 536 Green Village Road
The sign that welcomes you to this local breakfast and lunch establishment
The Village Green Deli is a popular local sandwich shop, where the staff seems to know all the customers by name (with the exception of me) and is located in this small downtown area facing the Village Green.
I really liked the vibe of this small town deli where the owners knew everyone by name and I felt like an interloper at a private party.
The inside of the Village Green Deli
The deli has that small town feel to it, with local art and sports paraphernalia in the walls. The woman who worked the register was greeting everyone by name and the guys that worked the grill seemed happy to see me.
Looking at the menu at the grill
I looked at the extensive lunch menu of popular sandwiches and some wonderful combos. You could even still get breakfast as I saw some of the guys at the counter devouring as I decided on what I wanted to order.
The deli has a wonderful selection of sandwiches, hero’s and other delicious sounding items.
There were so many things I wanted to try that day that it was hard to choose. Was it a breakfast sandwich with local sausage? The Thanksgiving ‘Gobbler’ sandwich with turkey, stuffing and cranberry relish, that sounded so good? I decided on an Italian hero sandwich with a selection of deli meats with fresh lettuce, tomato and onion. The hero was excellent!
The Italian hero with a pickle
The sandwiches here are huge! One half of a sandwich a normal person could eat for lunch and save the rest for another meal. The sandwich was loaded with salami, bologna, ham, Swiss Cheese and fresh veggies. I could barely fit it in my mouth.
The sandwich was excellent
The food was excellent. The bread was so fresh and the cooks did not skimp on one ingredient. The vegetables were so fresh and crispy and I loved the combination of flavors of the cold cuts. I really enjoyed my lunch and would like to make a special trip back just to try more of their sandwiches. I was very happy with my lunch.
One of the last places I visited was the Historical Society of Boonton Township, which is located in the former Oscar Kincaid Farm Homestead 591 Powerville Road. The house and what was left of the acreage of the farm was part of the current museum. The museum was an example of early New Jersey farming that dated from the 1800’s to the Twenty-First century.
There was not much in the way of period furniture or farm equipment (items of the home were sold off since Mr. Kincaid’s passing), but the new historical society is buying artifacts and bringing them back to the farm. This includes one of Mr. Kincaid’s tractors. His roll up desk is also still in the display room which was once the Living Room of the home.
The Kincaid Homestead at 591 Powerville Road
History of Oscar Kincaid and Homestead:
(From the Morris County Historical Society website)
Originally a part of the extensive tract belonging to William Penn, the earliest portion of the home was constructed in 1785 by Adam Miller and Anna DeMouth Miller. Just over a decade later, they sold the property to Adam’s cousin, Sarah Miller Parlimen (of the Miller/Dixon homestead) and her husband, John, who built a sawmill there. After a brief ownership by William Scott of Powerville, a Miller relative, the land was sold to John Decker in 1828. An industrious man, Decker operated both a farm and successful forge, shipping his goods to New York via the Morris Canal. By 1837, he expanded the home, adding a distinctive folk-art painting of a face and unique plasterwork that can still be seen today (MCHS website).
The homestead passed through generations of Decker’s family, ultimately being inherited by Oscar Kincaid Sr. in the early 20th century. Kincaid ran a popular ice cream stand and dairy business throughout the 1920s and 30s. Following World War II, the family opened Valley Farm on the site, which continued until the death of Oscar Kincaid Jr. in 2000. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, the Decker-Kincaid Homestead today operates as a museum and headquarters of the Historical Society of Boonton Township (MCHS website).
The Kincaid House
The historical marker for the house
The front yard
The entrance to the house
The main foyer of the house
The house is a small farmhouse built in two sections. The original part of the house dates back to the late 1700’s and the newer part in the early 1800’s. The once furnished rooms now hold displays of Morris County and the farming industry of the time plus community artifacts.
The former Living Room
Oscar Kincaid’s desk
There were not much left in the way of family furnishings and heirlooms but this desk was Oscar Kinkaid’s.
The back bedroom
The Flag display for the ‘250th Anniversary’
Story of Oscar Kincaid’s life: Oscar Kincaid was a farmer/businessman, a politician and a conservationist.
After the short tour around the house, I walked around the farm grounds. The house was set on a beautiful piece of land that sloped down to the old farmstand. There was also a swimming pond which was once part of the farm which is now private property.
The farm property from the side with the barn
The barn across the street
The property was about ten acres at the time of his death and parts have been developed. It still has some of the most wonderful views of the area.
The view of the old farm from the front porch
The farm land stretches over different sections of the road and the property is very picturesque. It is a very beautiful homestead.
The view of the farm from the lawn
The swimming pond on the edge of the property
The old farm stand that had been used for eighty years
I recently visited Lewes, DE for ‘Maritime Day’ by the harbor and there were a lot of interesting booths on the watersheds, environmental agencies that discussed their purpose with harbor issues and what the town of Lewes does for the environment.
The historic Blizzard from 1888
History of the Lewes Life Saving Station & Museum:
(From Historic Lewes.com)
It was also a busy station, guarding both the mouth of Delaware Bay and the protected waters created by the massive breakwaters of the National Harbor of Refuge. Its string of Keepers and their six- or seven-man crews of Surfmen enacted scores of rescues through the years and in particular won great praise for their tireless heroics during the Great White Hurricane of 1888, when they pulled scores of sailors from the frigid waters and iced-over hulks of wrecked vessels to safety.
The front of the museum
The History of the Lewes Lifeguard Museum:
(From the Historic Lewes.com)
The United States Life-Saving Service (USLSS) protected the American coast and saved lives in peril at sea from 1871 until 1915, when it became a part of the new United States Coast Guard (USCG). This incredible humanitarian mission came to Lewes in 1884, making it the fourth of six stations to be established in Delaware. Lewes was among the most desirable stations for the Keepers and Surfmen who manned it, with its original location on the site of the present-day Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal placing it not far from town and therefore civilization.
The view of the harbor which has changed over the years
I spent my time touring the Lewes Lifeguard Museum, which is an interesting little museum on the history of life saving along the Delaware coast. The museum’s artifacts show some of the earliest and innovative forms of rescue equipment from before the Civil War. This was the precursor to the United States Coast Guard.
The inside of the museum
The lower part of the museum contained most of the equipment, items like rescue ropes, wenches, rescue apparatus, lanterns and uniforms like jackets and boots.
Pulled and equipment used to rescue stranded people
History of the Lewes Historical Museum:
(Historic Lewes.com)
The United States Coast Guard maintained the Station Lewes from 1915 until 1969, when it was closed, declared surplus, and sold. The original main station building was relocated numerous times and still stands today, heavily modified, as the Rehoboth Beach VFW. The Boat House preserved by Historic Lewes, a unique 1884 addition to the USLSS station intended to launch lifeboats on a marine railway directly into the harbor, was acquired from the Pilots’ Association of the Bay & River Delaware in 1979 and moved to its present home at Canalfront Park. It stands proudly beside the Lightship OVERFALLS (LV-118), together commemorating the nation’s and community’s efforts to preserve life on hazardous waters.
The bullies and wenches used by the men
Information in the Lewes Life Saving Station
Biography of the men who worked there
Information on the Boat House
Some of the ropes and wenches used in the rescue procedures
On the other side of the building was the rescue boat the ‘Life Car’, a rudimentary form of rescue boat that the docents said was effective but clunky and hard to use. It shows how we have progressed in life saving.
The Life Car rescue unit
Information on the ‘Life Car’
The ‘Life Car’
The ores and other rescue equipment used
The small rope cannon
The ores
The rope equipment
The story of the ‘Great White Hurricane of March 1888’
The Men’s Dining area in the front of the building
There was no living area in the facility but a place to gather the team, eat and socialize when manning the station.
History of Lewes Lifeguard Museum:
(From the Lewes Lifeguard.com)
Guests visiting the USLSS Boat House today will find it furnished just as Keeper John Clampitt and his courageous Surfmen left it on March 12, 1888, as they pushed out into the roaring gale and whipping snow for their finest hours. It also features a display of early life-saving equipment, including the rope-and-pulley Breeches Buoy rescue system, a steel life-car, and a rare 1887 Long Branch, New Jersey-style surfboat under restoration.
The dining area and the schedule
The dining room table
The Lewes Life Saving Station & Museum is an example of early beach and shipping rescue at the East Coast Shore. It also shows the daily life of these brave men and how lonely and dangerous this job could be. It shows how times have progressed and how they have stayed the same. To save people and property.
I was finally able to get back into the City for a short break the day after Thanksgiving. I had spent my day before at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and instead of going to Christmas tree drop off with the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association (I decided to give it a rest after 25 years), I worked in Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen serving a post-Thanksgiving Dinner. Talk about busy! They kept me running all morning and afternoon.
After lunch was over, I felt something nagging at me and instead of going home to rest, I decided it was time to finish walking the streets of Alphabet City. It was cooler than it was back in August, so it gave me a different perspective of the neighborhood with all the Community Gardens closed and the trees bare.
Holy Apostles treats people who are struggling with respect and I recognize that after over twenty years of volunteering there.
Plus I figured whatever it was that was trying to take a foothold in me would stop with lots of fresh air and exercise. It worked. After the walk, I not only felt better but was in a much better mood. A brisk walk on a sunny but cool day is the best thing in the world.
I started the walk on the corner of Avenue A and East 13th Street
Alphabet City is a neighborhood in transition. By Avenue A near the edges of the NYU campus, there is much gentrification going on where the bars and restaurants are getting more expensive to Avenue D where the projects are located and there is a massive renovation. I have never seen such changes.
Looking down East 13th Street in the late Fall
I had finished the borders and Avenues of the neighborhood in August before the Fall semester started and tried to finish the streets but this is a big neighborhood and there just was not the time. So I split my time on the neighborhood doing the top part just after Thanksgiving and the rest during a cold snap on Spring Break in mid March. The community gardens may have been dormant at the time but in March you could feel the coming of Spring.
It’s all about creativity and the unique street art
The memorial by artist
(I don’t know the artist)
Sometimes it’s just what a tagger creates that’s unique and fun
What I love about Alphabet City is the combination of creative street art that dominates all the walls and buildings making the whole neighborhood an open air museum.
Another thing I noticed was the vast amount of community gardens that dominated every block. This was the biggest concentration of them I had seen so far in the City. Many gates were locked during the colder months but during my Spring Break with 70 degree weather, the gates flung open and volunteers were preparing beds and clearing the brambles of the previous Fall. Spring flowers were on their way.
The unique paintings on the Roberto Clemente Family Guidance Center at 540 East 13th Street
Ms. Heathcote is an American born artist who graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her love of nature and animals is the main theme of her work. She is now based in Vermont (Artist bio).
I have seen this artist’s work all over the City. This is closer to Avenue D right across from the Con Ed complex.
(not sure who the tagger artist is)
The Con Ed complex dominates the core of the Northern section of the neighborhood at the top of Avenue D and East 13th Street. Nothing glamorous about living next to a power plant yet across the street between East 14th and East 13th Streets luxury housing is being developed. Only in Manhattan!
I then passed the Relaxation Garden at 208 Avenue B and East 13th Street. I never really understood this garden. While all the others in the neighborhood have beautiful plantings, artwork and flowers, this one still looks like a garbage strewn lot.
This particular garden I could see needed a lot of work and I could see by many of the articles online that a lot was being done to clean it up again. The garden is one to look to in the future. Right now the garden is full of trash and there is not much to it.
The garbage strewn lot that needs a little TLC
All over the blocks I explored there was so much street art to admire that it was like an open air museum.
This was my favorite piece of art work from the side of the mural on the Roberto Clemente building
“Chico” is the tag name for American/Puerto Rico born, New York City based artist Antonio “Chico” Garcia. “Chico” is known for his colorful murals and graffiti art, many of the works displayed on the Lower East Side (Wiki/Artist bio).
The name Dias y Flores (Days and Flowers) is taken from a hauntingly beautiful song about hope and growing bySilvio Rodriguez. ArtistBob Lasherhas created the bottle and brick pathway. On this site was once a fully occupied building; abandoned by its owners in the early 1970’s, it slowly fell prey to disrepair and drug trade. The City seized the building and cemented up the doors and windows before eventually tearing it down in 1976 and leaving a rubble-strewn lot–and an open invitation to garbage dumping of all kinds (Dias y Flores website).
In 1978, the13th Street Block Associationenvisioned in its place a community lot, with a garden and a playground, and began the labor-intensive work of clearing out the brick, rubble, and trash–from broken hypodermic needles to refrigerators and car parts–all by hand. Dias y Flores from its earliest days was graced with several experienced gardeners and horticulturalists as members. Along with the help ofGreenthumb, most of the trees and shrubs were planted by 1981. (Dias y Flores website).
The inside of Dias Y Flores Garden in the late Fall
Most of the Community Gardens are now closed for the season and won’t open up to the public again until April. In the summer when I was walking the borders and Avenues of the neighborhood, the gardens would open to the public on the weekends. I will have to wait a few months.
Rounding East 12th Street
Walking down East 12th Street was interesting in the contrasts to the different side of Alphabet City that you live on. Closer to Avenue A you are near the quickly gentrifying East Village with the NYU and Pratt students or closer to the river near the renovation of the housing projects and the park and its overhaul. It is going to be an interesting Great Saunter this year.
The artwork of artist Felix Morelo lines the walls of this restaurant
Artist Felix Morelo is American born artist now living in New York City. He has studied at the Parsons School of Design and Art Students League of New York City. He is known for his creative street art and his ‘chalk circles’ which promote dialogue (Artist website).
By March 2026, the artist painted over his work on the wall
All along East 12th Street, there are all sorts of creative street art in various forms. It seems that there are two things that dominate the neighborhood, street art and community gardens.
The memorial mural
I am not sure what happened to Nugget
(Could not find the artist on the work)
As I passed PS 34 School, I noticed the fascinating metal work of then building’s playground and had to stop and admire it. I was not sure if this was artwork or just design to protect the windows.
The ironwork art outside the playground of PS on East 12th Sttreet
I was not sure who created it but I thought it was interesting enough to stop and admire it . I thought the affect was interesting.
This is one of my favorite series of murals that I passed again when I was walking through the neighborhood. This sits on the side wall of PS 34 on East 12th Street.
The murals by Avenue C created by a series of artists from the Thrive Cooperative
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 thathosts 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 ofAccademia di Bella Artiin 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.
I loved his video on how he creates his work!
I could not find the artist who created this piece
Some of the taggers really know how to decorate the corners of walls and doors
The Campos Community Garden at 640 East 12th Street
The Campos Community Garden was an empty lot until 1982 when the lot was cleared and the it was an active garden enjoyed by the community. When the main organizer moved away, it had fallen into neglect for years until it was revived in 2004 by a group of neighbors. A Children’s Garden was added in 2006 and was rebuilt after Hurricane Sandy. It is now a thriving garden enjoyed by the community and fruits and vegetables are raised to benefit everyone (The Campos Garden website).
The inside of the Campos Community Garden in the late Fall of 2025
The Down to Earth Garden is at 546 East 12th Street and was also closed for the season
The Down to Earth Garden was established in 1993 when a building was knocked down, leaving an empty lot. It was originally called the Children’s garden but changed its name in 2020. It is now part of the GreenThumb program and is part of the NYC Parks Division (Down to Earth Garden website).
The next park was the Joseph C. Sauer Playground at
The sign for the Joseph C. Sauer playground at 532 East 12th Street
Joseph C. Sauer was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His family moved to the Lower East Side of New York City when he was an infant. Sauer graduated from the Redemptorist Parochial School and excelled in athletics, especially track. He worked for the Western Electric Company, and following the death of his grandfather, Sauer and his mother took over the family’s basket manufacturing business. He worked there until he entered the United States Army on September 28, 1917 (NYCParks.org).
The history of the playground
The Sauer playground in the Fall of 2025
The last of the parks and gardens I either passed or explored on East 12th Street was the El Sol Brillante Garden. Though the gardens were closed for the season, you could see the extensive plantings through the beautifully wrought iron gates created by local artist Julie Dermansky.
The sign for the El Sol Brillante garden at 522 East 12th Street
The garden and the beautiful wrought iron gates
(From the El Sol Brillante website)
El Sol Brillante Community Garden rose from the ashes of a demolished lot of four burnt-out buildings in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1977. Residents organized to create a garden that would revitalize the neighborhood, unite local leadership, and improve the quality of their environment. The original group of forty, with the help of a resident architect, the Horticultural Society of New York (gardening advice), the Cornell Cooperative Extension Service (gardening advice), and the CETA Summer Youth Corps (labor and jobs for kids) designed plans and with very little money and a great deal of sweat equity, a garden was born. In 1978, with the assistance of the Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit land trust was created and the lot was acquired in 1980. A once rubble-filled lot became a thriving 1,000 square foot, 40-plot vegetable garden, a meeting place, and a preserved natural space for its members and their community.
Artist Julie Demansky is an American born artist. She graduated from Tulane Newcomb University with a concentration in ceramics and sculpture and was awarded the Watson Fellowship. She is known for her large scale metal work projects (NYC.gov).
A full view of those beautiful gates
As I walked down the street there were several small restaurants and gourmet shops that caught my attention. I did not have a chance to stop having eaten at another restaurant in the area for lunch. These will be for another visit.
I passed this cute little bakery that warrants a visit.
Turning on East 11th Street
When I turned onto East 11th Street, it was like an open air art museum with various tags and paintings that were both creative and colorful along the walls of the neighborhood.
East 11th Street in the Fall of 2025
I thought this bird piece by Grilla was pretty interesting on this window
Artist Grilla
(I could not find any information on this tagger/artist online)
I loved this tag. I thought it was pretty creative
On the side of this building on East 11th Street was another mural painted by artist Lesley Heathcote.
The mid nautical scene was created by Artist Lesley Heathcote
In 2007, Toyota provided funding to transform this site from a basic vegetable garden into an outdoor children’s learning experience, commissioning landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh for the design.
To prepare the garden for restoration, New York Restoration Project construction crews performed demolition and grading procedures on the site, cleared debris and garbage and installed various hardscape features. Over the course of six months, NYRP horticulture and design teams worked hand-in-hand with local residents and Van Valkenburgh to realize the community’s vision for this newly renovated gem, which includes four distinct habitat areas that NYRP and New York City educators can use to present environmental education programming to neighborhood youth.
Walking down East 11th Street on a crisp late Fall day
The weather got a little warmer in the afternoon and I was enjoying the weather. The leaves on the trees were changing as the weather got cooler and more brisk. The streets were quiet on this holiday week day.
The next park I passed was the Dry Dock Playground at Szold Place on 11th Street
The sign at the entrance of Dry Dock Playground on 11th Street
The playground had been very active with basketball games, birthday parties and barbecues when I was exploring the neighborhood in the summer months. There was non stop activity until September but very silent in the colder Fall months. I did not see anyone there except when I returned in March during my Spring Break visit and it was in the 70’s. Kids were out playing basketball.
The murals behind the closed gates
(I could not get a close enough view to see who the artist was on this mural)
The park sitting quiet in the colder months but comes alive with all sorts of neighborhood activity in the summer
The last garden I passed on the block as I finished was the 11 BC Serenity Garden at 626 East 11th Street.
The garden behind closed gates in the Fall of 2025
It was one of the few locked gardens on all three of my walks in the neighborhood. I could see the garden was going through the season change and would have to visit the garden again in the warmer months.
I got to East 10th Street by the late afternoon. I could see the changes of the late fall on the parks and gardens in the neighborhood.
Rounding East 10th Street near Tompkins Square Park for the last part of the walk that day
I walked through the empty Dry Dock Playground a couple more times as I rounded the neighborhood, through the quiet paths. The sounds of children and of adults barbecuing and birthday parties are the sounds I will hear in a few months when the warm weather comes.
The Dry Dock Playground by Avenue D in the quiet cooler months. It is a mob scene in the warmer months on the weekends.
The large ‘El Bohio Murals’ created by the Thrive Collective on the outside of the old public school
Thrive Collective creates hope and opportunity through arts, sports, and mentoring in and around public schools. Our core programs – Murals; RHYME (Rhymes Help Young Minds Excel); Media; Mentors; Festivals, and Sports – connect artists, youth workers, and volunteers with local schools as teaching artists, art directors, coaches, and mentors. Project based learning and accredited curriculum integrate life and art skills in four kinds of experiences: in-school electives, after school clubs, seasonal intensives, and weekend warriors.
My favorite section of the mural created by this talented group of artists
I came across this taggers art on one of the doorways
I came across this nature scene on the corner of East 11th Street
I thought this was really original and was beautifully designed and colored by the artist. It is also one of the few murals in the neighborhood that has not be covered over by other artists.
Joel Chico is an Actor, Writer, Director from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is the creator of JMC Creative Endeavors, an artistic platform for his projects as a musician, poet, painter, photographer, and spiritual wisdom keeper. He is currently in the process of writing a poetry anthology, and his Cosmic Trilogy Feature screenplays (Artist bio).
I crossed Avenue D into the housing projects and came across the murals that were painted on the first floor of the housing complex. These colorful works were created by a series of artists working with Thrive Collective (see above) to decorate these rather plain walls in the housing complex.
The mural along the housing complex
The mural by Artist Miki Mu
Artist Miki Mu
Michela Muserra(known as “Miki Mu”) is an international muralist and illustrator based in Brooklyn. A graduate ofAccademia di Bella Artiin her hometown of Foggia, Italy, Michela launched Thrive Collective’s Private Murals Collection as an advanced apprenticeship for our most promising School Murals students and artists. Michela has worked as a teaching artist with Thrive Collective since January 2017 (From the artist website on Thrive Collective).
The last part of the mural on the other side of the building
This was my favorite part of the mural
This was painted by artist bebebsmbu88
The project is inspired by a sacred ceremonial mask carved from a coconut shell in the island of Puerto Rico. It’s called “Vejigante,” and it’s an important and iconic character portrayed in the carnival celebrations in the island. The artwork pays tribute to the HipHop and Caribbean culture presenting the characters in a modern context. The Coconut Mask is a metaphor for our ancestral connection to nature and spirituality (From the artist’s website website).
Artist Bebe Bambu88 (real name Gabriel Rosario Mongil)
The artist is originally from Santurce, Puerto Rico. Artist Gabriel Rosario Mongil aka Bebe Bambu is a designer and recording artist. Originally known for his graffiti work and slam poetry, being the author of several murals in Puerto Rico and Monterrey, MX. He graduated from the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras and received a scholarship to do his masters degree in graphic design and graduated from the University of Monterrey, MX in 2013/15. During this; he had his second solo exhibition, recorded his first solo album and started offering workshops for children in communities in need (From the artist’s website)
I finally reached the end of East 11th Street in the projects. Years ago you would never dream of walking through Jacob Riis complex. Now it is the cut through to East River Park by the hipsters and college students who have moved into the area.
I then rounded the corner and I was on East 10th Street and found myself in front of Topkins Square Park to passed peak foliage. Both during the holiday weekend and on my Spring Break, the park was busy. The park has come a long way since the 1980’s when it was all drugs and homelessness. It is now the center of the community for skateboarders, dog walkers, seniors getting rest and new parents spending time with their kids.
The brownstones and tenements around Tompkins Square
Tompkins Square Park was once one of the most notorious parks in New York City between the homeless and the drug dealing. Now it is mostly college students from the downtown schools and the neighborhood residents gentrifying the neighborhood. It was in the final stages of the fall foliage. This is where I would stop in November. It was a big neighborhood to walk.
Once the weather got colder and I got busier with the holidays so I had to put the walking in Alphabet City on hold for a few months. Who knew it was going to be one of the coldest winters in recent memory. I was not able to get back to walking the neighborhood until March of 2026 during my Spring Break from the college when the temperatures hit 75 degrees.
Between the cold weather and the recent snow storms with the foot of snow, who could or wanted to walk around New York City? Then Spring Break came at the college just as the Spring thaw started and the weather really warmed up. It seemed for two days the whole City, tired of the cold weather and snow, played hooky and were in Tompkins Square Park enjoying the weather.
From March 9th through the 10th in 2026, the weather warmed up into the mid 70’s and it gave me a chance to finish walking the neighborhood. The temperatures would go right back down to the 30’s and 40’s after that until mid-April. The warm weather gave me the opportunity during my Spring Break to finish walking the streets of the neighborhood.
I walked East 12th and 11th Streets again to get a feel for the neighborhood and see if anything changed. There was a lot I missed back in November as I had more time, with better sunlight and warm weather to take my time to explore the neighborhood.
I revisited some of the streets that I had walked over the Thanksgiving break and noted all the artwork and architecture that I missed on the first trip walking all the streets of the neighborhood.
I had not seen the mural of Run DMC on the wall of the apartment building on West 12th Street.
This meticulously designed garden features vibrant floral displays, tranquil pathways, and cozy seating areas, making it an ideal spot for relaxation and reflection. With its blend of nature and artful landscaping, 11 BC Garden invites everyone to enjoy a moment of peace amidst the city’s energy (From MapQuest.com)
The 11 BC Serenity Garden in the late winter months
The Gardens were just coming into bloom when I visited during my last visit. The temperatures were about 75 degrees at the time and things had just started to bloom.
I love the street art on the neighborhood walls. The heart cheered me up!
It is funny how just small painting could make you so happy. Paintings like this were located all over the neighborhood.
The Toyota East Children’s Learning Garden was one of the many gardens open during the warm spell
The Toyota East Children’s Learning Garden on a warm
Most of the gardens I visited, most were still coming into bloom. The Toyota East Children’s Garden was opened for about an hour when I visited. The park was quiet at the time while some volunteers were maintaining the gardens.
(History of the Garden from the New York Restoration Project)
In 2007, Toyota provided funding to transform this site from a basic vegetable garden into an outdoor children’s learning experience, commissioning landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh for the design.
To prepare the garden for restoration, New York Restoration Project construction crews performed demolition and grading procedures on the site, cleared debris and garbage and installed various hardscape features. Over the course of six months, NYRP horticulture and design teams worked hand-in-hand with local residents and Van Valkenburgh to realize the community’s vision for this newly renovated gem, which includes four distinct habitat areas that NYRP and New York City educators can use to present environmental education programming to neighborhood youth (NYRP).
While I was walking down East 11th Street, I noticed how much the neighborhood had changed over the years. The whole block was gentrified and looked really nice. What I was amazed by this was how expensive everything was in the neighborhood. As I was walking around the neighborhood, I noticed how expensive the bars and restaurants were around Tompkins Square Park. I thought they would be much cheaper in this part of the neighborhood.
Looking down 11th Street at Avenue A in the Winter. It was 76 degrees during the Spring thaw
After a long walk enjoying the sunshine while revisiting the last blocks I had visited before the holidays, I turned the corner on Avenue A and started to walk the remainder of the neighborhood.
While Alphabet City does not have the classic architecture or statuary of neighborhoods to the north, it’s streets are lined with creative and interesting street art and pocket neighborhood gardens showing the dedication of residents to better their community.
This is what gives the neighborhood its charm and why it has gotten more expensive to live here. I noticed in between all the former tenement buildings, there are plenty of luxury buildings that dot the neighborhood even at the borders of the once notorious Avenue D.
Turning the corner at Avenue A an East 10th Street
I rounded East 10th Street, I noticed this giant Buddha head outside someone’s home in their front garden. I thought this was quite unique.
Passing interesting art in people’s front gardens along East 10th Street
I walked through Tompkins Square Park several times watching the skateboarders performing their feats and college students sunning themselves. It seemed like the whole City had called out sick and just wanted to enjoy the weather in the park.
I walked past the rows of apartment buildings and small businesses and then walked around the park several times to see how people were Lo enjoying their afternoon. I then started my walk down East 9th Street past many more community gardens.
The Francisco ‘Pancho’ Ramos Community Garden at 703 East Ninth Street
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 (Ramos Garden website).
The garden is half an acre of gorgeous flowerbeds, and vegetable gardens. Meandering pathways crisscross the park, follow them to the koi and turtle pond, fig arbor, or one of many quiet nooks that offer a cool quiet spot to read a book, have a chat with a friend, enjoy a cup of coffee, or just sit and enjoy a respite from The City (Ramos Garden website).
The Ramos Garden was open that afternoon to walk around as the gardeners were preparing the beds for the Spring. There was a lot going on around the small beds and gardens that lined the pathways. This garden stretched from East 10th to 9th Streets.
Walking along the pathways of the Ramos Community Garden on a sunny warm day
The artwork in the park
More of the interesting artwork in the garden
The Ramos Community Garden during the Spring Thaw was very active
While I continued my walk down the street, I saw how the neighborhood was reacting to the recent ICE raids going on not just in the City but all over the country. There were signs and graffiti all over Alphabet City and the border with the Lower East Side.
Artworks about ICE dotted the neighborhood
All over the place
As I walked down the street, I came across more street art dotting the walls of buildings around the neighborhood. This mural was with the theme of the Old West and Doc Holliday.
I thought this piece of street art with Doc Holiday and his crew was interesting
Joel Chico is an Actor, Writer, Director from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is the creator of JMC Creative Endeavors, an artistic platform for his projects as a musician, poet, painter, photographer, and spiritual wisdom keeper. He is currently in the process of writing a poetry anthology, and his Cosmic Trilogy Feature screenplays (Artist bio).
I then rounded the corner and walked down East 9th Street as the weather got warmer. It got to 78 degrees by the mid-afternoon.
Walking down East 9th Street
Tompkins Square Park had gotten even busier in the late afternoon as dog walkers, skateboarders and seniors talking amongst themselves filled the park. It was funny how all the benches were filling up and it looked like everyone had called in sick at work. It was the first really warm day since the beginning of November of 2025 and everyone was enjoying this warm and sunny day.
Walking through Tompkins Square Park during the Spring Break
I stopped in the bathroom at the park, which is a good pit stop being one of the few places where there is a public bathrooms. While I was relaxing, I watched this singer in a Mondrian kimono perform David Bowen hits. I have to admit it was a bit strange but this is Alphabet City and the guy was very entertaining.
Pinc Louds’ lead singer, Claudi (all pronouns accepted), moved from Puerto Rico to NYC in 2015 to fulfill their dream of playing in the subway. This immersion into the city’s underground, performing daily for a steady stream of New Yorkers, sculpted the sound and look of the project (Band website).
Through the “litteral” underground, Claudi met the musicians (keyboard/bassist Marc Mosteirin and drummer Matt Dallal) and other artists that would turn Pinc Louds into the full-blown spectacle they are today. Busking in the parks and tunnels opened many doors for the band, who quickly gained a cult following and by 2018 were selling out shows in such NYC venues as (le) Poisson Rouge, Market Hotel and Joe’s Pub, as well as tours throughout the US, Puerto Rico, Europe and Chile (Band website).
It was an interesting concert
The David Bowie song ‘I just Dancing’
I sat in the park listening to the concert for about a half hour and relaxed through a few songs. I swear, this guy held this concert for over an hour because everytime I walked back through the park, crisscrossing through the various streets, he was still there singing.
I walked back and forth down the various streets, ending at Avenue D and walking through various parts of the complex. Most of public housing was under renovation so I was trying to avoid any scaffolding.
The corner of Avenue D and East 9th Street. How things have changed from the 1970’s and 80’s. The housing projects were under scaffolding around the entire complex. There were changes throughout the Jacob Riis Complex.
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 (La Plaza website).
Later, block residents tilled the western portion of the space and planted vegetables, flowers, and fruit trees. During the 1980s, the garden came under attack by developers seeking to build on the space. After numerous court battles, La Plaza was finally preserved in 2002 as part of the terms of a legal settlement. In 2003, La Plaza was renamed in memory of Armando Perez, a CHARAS founder and former District Leader of the Lower East Side who was killed in 1999 (La Plaza website).
The Armando Perez Community Garden was one of the larger community gardens in the neighborhood
I walked all through the garden, watching the planting and seeding and cleanup going on. In the two days I visited the neighborhood, almost all the Community Gardens had opened their gates and volunteers could not wait to tackle the damage done by all the recent winter storms.
The inside of the gardens in the winter
Walking through the gardens in the winter
The view of the top of the garden in the winter time
The history and importance of these Community Gardens on these neighborhoods
As I left the Community garden, I walked past a series of interesting and creative pieces of street art along the walls and doors of the various buildings on the block.
A stand pipe with colorful works
I thought this was interesting
This stood out against the wall
I was not sure what this meant
In the late afternoon, I got to Avenue A and St. Mark’s Place (East 8th Street) and walked around the ‘Restaurant Row’ that was going strong between lunch and dinner. The bars were filled with college students from Pace and NYU enjoying the weather and all the outdoor cafes were set up. This was going strong from about 2:00pm until I left the neighborhood around 6:00pm.
Making the turn on St. Marks Street/East 8th Street
As I walked down Avenue A, I took a longer tour of Tompkins Square Park and saw the singer in the Mondrian kimono still singing. This guy put on an all day concert!
The concert was still going on over an hour later
It got even warmer that afternoon and someone said that it topped 75 degrees. I think more people played hooky that afternoon as the park was packed with students gossiping and dog owners watching their pooches play. The look of the park said ‘end of winter’ but the mood was ‘Yeah, Spring is finally here’. (It would go back down into the 30’s by the end of the week).
Tompkins Square Park in the afternoon
It was so nice to get the first glimpse of Spring before the temperatures would drop again at the end of the week.
People socializing in Tompkins Square Park
Whether it was listening to music, playing with their dogs or just reading a book or conversing with neighbors, people from the neighborhood were enjoying the snap of 70 degree weather as much as possible. They enjoyed being outside and wanted to enjoy it as much as possible.
Turning the corner of Avenue A and East 8th Street
The street art along East 9th Street is unique
The De Colores Community Yard & Cultural Center at 313 East 8th Street
De Colores Community Yard & Cultural Center is a vibrant community space located in New York NY. It serves as a hub for cultural activities gardening and educational programs fostering a sense of community and inclusivity. Visitors can enjoy a variety of events workshops and green spaces designed to celebrate diversity and promote environmental awareness (MapQuest.com).
The inside of the Community Garden
The garden was going through a major clean up the day I was there and the volunteers were leaving for the afternoon.
The Earth People Community Garden at 333 East 8th Street
Earth People Garden is a serene urban oasis located in New York, NY, designed to celebrate nature and community. This park features lush greenery, vibrant flower beds, and tranquil pathways, making it an ideal spot for relaxation and reflection. Visitors can enjoy various activities, from gardening workshops to community events, all while embracing the harmony between people and the environment (Mapquest.com)
The inside of the Community Garden in the winter
The Earth People Garden like most of the gardens in the neighborhood was closing for the evening as the volunteers were giving the garden a cleaning from the Winter storms. The garden was just starting to come back into bloom.
LaCasitaCommunity Garden, established in 1990, is primarily used by the community as an event and gathering space. To that end, the garden’s renovation in September 2014 included the installation of a raised, round stage where performances can be held; a new grill and picnic tables for barbecuing; a shaded seating area; and two sheds for storage. The backdrop of the stage is a chalkboard that can be used by the local elementary school for an outdoor classroom or even as a movie projection screen (NY Restoration website).
Funded by generous support from The Geraldine Stutz Trust, the Trust aims to remember Geraldine Stutz’s significant contribution to the fashion industry, her love of theatre as well as her passion for gardening. A fashion retail groundbreaker, Stutz served 29 years as president of Henri Bendel, the upscale women’s store (NY Restoration website).
The inside of the Community Garden
I was able to walk around this garden but there was not much to see at this point. I am going to have to return to the neighborhood in two months when things start growing again.
Street art along East 9th Street
This little devil was in the detail of this work
I thought this was very clever as these small works of art are tucked here and there on walls and doors on buildings all over the block.
The Green Oasis Community/Gilbert’s Garden at 372 East 8th Street
The gardens all over the neighborhood were open as everyone was enjoying the 75 degree weather and were working in these Community Gardens getting ready for the Spring. This garden was particular busy.
The signs were all out and people were enjoying the Spring weather
As the volunteers were cleaning the beds and trimming bushes and trees, I was able to walk around the gardens. They must be very impressive when they are in full bloom. This is one of the larger gardens in the neighborhood.
The History of the Garden:
(From the Green Oasis Community Garden website)
The New York City neighborhood known as the East Village experienced massive arson and destruction during the 1960s and 1970s. The area had been compared to Dresden, Germany after World War II. Rubble from bulldozed buildings lay in mounds, and garbage accumulated. Cars were abandoned. Rats were rampant. Drug use reached epidemic proportions. Drugs and crime made the neighborhood unsafe, but few areas were worse than the neighborhood east of Avenue B (Green Oasis Community Garden website).
The inside of the garden in the winter
Normand Valle moved to East Seventh Street between Avenues C and D. From his window, he looked down upon one of these blighted lots, and decided to do something about it. In 1981, Valle, an ex-Marine, and his life partner, Reinaldo Arana, began to undo the mess one brick and one piece of garbage at a time. At the same time, Gilbert Ingram (who lived nearby on 8th Street) had taken control of another piece of that same large lot, creating a sculpture garden where he carved found wood and stone and hosted friends and neighbors who dropped by for barbecues and sculpting lessons. Both gardens engaged neighborhood children to help with the clean-up and ultimate creation of a combined garden with communal and private vegetable plots; beehives; a grape arbor; a koi pond; dozens of now huge trees, flower beds of perennials and annuals and an iconic gazebo.Thus were Green Oasis and Gilbert’s Sculpture Gardens born (Green Oasis Community Garden website).
The signs outside the gates
From the beginning, the sister gardens’ mission has been to provide a safe, green haven for all people, but especially for the children who lived in that inhospitable environment. Mr. Arana was particularly interested in the theatre, so theatrical events abounded. Plays for children were written and performed. The first generation of Nuyorican poets read poetry; music was performed; the well-known Butterfly Release ceremony was held here during the all-garden pageant The Rites of Spring until its demise in 2006 (Green Oasis Community Garden website).
The beds in the gardens were being prepared for the season
The garden pays homage to the memory of Martin R. Celic (1952-1977), a young member of Ladder Company 18 who lost his life fighting a fire in the tenement that once stood here.
The Community Garden in the Winter
The Firemen’s Memorial Garden was closed for the day but I was able to take a peak inside before it got dark. Another garden to revisit in the Spring.
I got a kick out of this written on the wall but was not sure of who it referred to
Turning the corner of East 7th Street and Avenue A
I arrived in the middle of the neighborhood by the early afternoon and continued walking past the statue of Samuel Cox, who was making his presence known for all the neighborhood to see. I just don’t think anyone knew how he was anymore but the pigeons.
The statue of Samuel S. Cox stands guard at the southwest entrance of Tompkins Square 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).
Starting the walk down East 7th Street
I thought this was a beautiful detail on 193 East 7th Street
The Clyde Romero Memorial Garden at 213 East 7th Street
When Christine Datz and Clyde Romero met in 1986, they shared a deep passion for the environment and improving their neighborhood. With a people-powered approach to sustainability they launched the Lower East Side Ecology Center in 1987. Six years before New York City implemented a citywide recycling program, the Ecology Center was already leading the way. We established a community drop-off site at the 6th Street and Avenue B Garden, where locals could recycle paper, metal, glass, and plastic (LES website).
By 1990, we leased four city-owned, rubble-filled lots on East 7th Street. These 15,000 square feet became home to one of the city’s first community composting programs. Neighbors dropped off fruit and vegetable scraps, while volunteers collected food waste from health food stores and restaurants (LES website).
Over time, we transformed the lots into an attractive garden, demonstrating how the composting of food waste can improve quality of life and ecology on a community level. Now known as the Clyde Romero Memorial Garden, it is a 6,000 square-foot protected community garden (LES website).
The inside of the gardens in the winter time
The garden like most of the ones I visited that day were still in the stages of late Winter, awaiting Spring to come soon. A lot of work was being done in here.
Admiring the street art that lined East 7th Street
I saw this beautiful butterfly on the side of a school I don’t know why but it really cheered me up.
The butterfly sculpture
Walking down East 7th Street near Avenue D. It tells you how the neighborhood has changed.
I noticed one thing about the neighborhood, as you got to the lower streets there was more newer luxury housing mixed in with the old brownstones and apartment buildings. The streets had that classic ‘New York’ look to them.
The Sam & Sadie Koenig Garden at 237 East 7th Street
This small garden was one of the few that had been really maintained and looked like it had gotten its cleaning done already. The gates were locked in the early afternoon but you could still see through the gates.
As I was walking back to Avenue A, I passed a series of colorful and interesting street art, created by both commercial and street artists. This made the block look like an open air art gallery. There was lots of interesting street art to admire and try to interpret. There are some talented artists in the neighborhood.
Michi Meko is an American born artist whose work spans painting, sculpture, and installation, activating spray paint and found objects to create layered compositions. His gestures reflect an interplay between beauty and violence, rebellion and reflection, and past and future. Meko’s art interrogates themes of identity and resilience by offering an exploration of light, texture, and form (Mariane Ibrahim Gallery website).
The term TCK in the context of the Lower East Side most frequently refers to the TCK Crew, a prolific graffiti and street art collective. While the crew is widely known for their work in Berlin. The TCK Crew is primarily recognized for “non-stop train” graffiti and raw, urban style writing (Brooklyn Street Art website)
I finally reached East 6th Street by the late afternoon and it got hotter outside. It got to 75 degrees on the Monday of my Spring Break and I was tempted to wear shorts the next day. It was so weird in that it was 36 degrees the week before. This weather was a result of the annual Spring Thaw and God knows we needed it.
The corner of East 6th Street and Avenue A
As I rounded East 6th Street, I saw this beautiful mural on the side of a restaurant but I could not find any artist name on the painting. It is a nice painting and I thought it was a nice compliment to the building.
The street art the lined the side of a restaurant on the corner of Avenue A and East 6th Street
As I walked down East 6th Street, it was a whirlwind of street art and tagging. Some the most unique art filled the walls, doorways and stairs of many of the buildings, especially the store fronts that stood empty. The neighborhood is still going through that transition but you are reminded there is still a creative vibe here.
The interesting street graffiti on the doors of buildings
This was on a garbage can cover
This tagging was on one of the doors
This was along one of the walls
The I passed 630 East 6th Street which stood out among the small buildings in the area. This is the former Pencer House Building that was built in 1900. It is a now a rental building (Street Easy.com).
The building was originally one of the Children’s Aid Society’s schools, donated by Emily Sloane Vanderbilt, the granddaughter of the Commadore. the Society turned to the architectural firm of Vaux & Radford, which would eventually design 12 Children’s Aid Society projects.Calvert Vaux, best known for his work in designing Central Park, had partnered with George Kent Radford in 1872.The Sixth Street School building would follow the same lines as their other Children’s Aid Society buildings—a blend of Victorian Gothic and Flemish Revival styles (DaytonianinManhattan.com).
The beautiful architecture really stands out among the other buildings on the block. The building has now been fully renovated and the outside restored. As I walked further down the street, more community gardens were tucked here and there on the block.
The 6BC Garden on East 6th Street between Avenues B and C more than lives up to the standards of its neighborhood. Founded in 1981, the garden began as a traditional organization – its members maintained their own plots while contributing to community spaces. A shift in leadership and the decision to incorporate, led to changes in 1995 (6BC Garden website).
6BC became an official botanical garden, the first and only one in Manhattan devoted to bio-diversity, horticultural education, neighborhood beautification, and community programming. 6BC was assigned to parks in 1999, a move that safeguards the land’s status as a green space while leaving administration, leadership and maintenance of the garden in the hands of its members (6BC Garden website).
The 6B Botanical Garden in the Winter
I was able to take a quick walk around the garden before the volunteers called it an afternoon. I really liked the paths of plants and artwork. Another place to visit in the Spring.
Walking down East 6th Street
I liked the classic look of East 6th Street. It is so classic ‘Old New York” with new stores and restaurants opening all over the place.
Our garden began as this tenement building at 530 East 6th St. It’s the building in this circa 1940 photo with the stairway and the truck parked in front. Through the 50’s and early 60’s several buildings on this block became abandoned. Some were renovated, some homesteaded and a few were totally demolished. The building that occupied our site burned in the early 70’s and was demolished soon thereafter. Immediately following, the land was marked for a community garden and in 1978 opened as the Creative Little Garden (Creative Little Garden website).
In the early 80’s Françoise Cachelin started the garden and under her leadership the lot was leased to the Parks Department and Greenthumb. She was an outspoken and staunch supporter of individual and community rights, and without her our garden would not be here today. Françoise passed away in 2003, but we continue to take inspiration from this former member of the French Resistance and spirited advocate for the rights of downtown residents (Creative Little Garden website).
The Creative Little Garden in the Winter
The garden’s gates were open but I didn’t see anyone. I ventured in to look around. I liked the organized beds and places to sit. This will be a fun place to visit when the weather gets warmer.
Walking through the Creative Little Garden in the Winter time
What I liked about this garden was the contemporary artwork that lined the walls. I thought this was really interesting.
Artwork in the Garden
I also liked the way it was landscaped. I liked the paths and rock gardens. The trees and bushes were awaiting the warmer weather to fully bloom.
The garden is so nicely designed and fun to walk through in the Winter
I rounded East 5th waiting to see what interesting things I would find on this block. It was early evening as the sun started to go down. Daylight Savings time had started and it was still light out around 7:00pm. I was also getting tired. I walked down the first two blocks before I called it quits. I passed a series of community gardens dotted the block.
The Sage Garden Community Garden at 281 East 4th Street
The Sage Community Garden is a vibrant green space nestled in New York, NY, offering a peaceful retreat amidst the bustling city. This community-driven garden is dedicated to fostering collaboration and sustainability, where local residents come together to cultivate various plants, flowers, and vegetables. With its colorful blooms and lush greenery, the garden provides a welcoming environment for relaxation, learning, and community gatherings (Mapquest.com).
The Sage Community Garden in the Winter
The Sage Garden was closed for the evening that I was there but I was able to peek through the fence and see what was going on.
I quit around 6:30pm. I was exhausted and out of shape because of the Winter of not walking around. The last traces of snow were melting during the first real day of the thaw and I decided to head down to Chinatown for dinner and continue the next morning. It was going to be in the high 70’s and a perfect day for the walk. Chinatown was busy for a Monday as people had the same idea that I had about being outside. I knew where I was heading for lunch.
Mott Street in Chinatown in the early evening on a 70 degree evening
I decided to return to North Dumpling at 23 Division Street for an early evening snack. I ordered their delicious homemade Wonton Soup and an order of their Steamed Pork and Chive Dumplings. This has become my new ‘to go’ place. I love both the food and the prices.
Dinner that evening at North Dumpling at 23 Division Street
My early dinner hit the spot as the soup really warmed me up and had a rich chicken taste. The homemade wontons were light as air.
The homemade Wonton Soup at North Dumpling
The Steamed Pork and Chive Dumplings are made right in front of you behind the front counter
After dinner, I stopped at a new bakery on Division Street that I had not noticed before on Division Street, Cardio Bakery at 51 Division Street. I just needed something sweet to complete the meal. I settled on a moist and chewy sugar doughnut. I loved the selection of baked goods here and plan on returning soon.
My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:
The selection at Cardio Bakery in the early evening
I needed something sweet after dinner and I didn’t want to walk to the other side of the neighborhood to some of my favorite bakeries. That is until I walked down the block from the restaurant and came across Cardio Bakery. It must have just opened because I had not noticed it before. There was so much to choose from but I was still stuffed from dinner so I settled on a sugar doughnut. It was an excellent choice.
My selection, a sugar doughnut
Yum!
After a whole afternoon of looking at street art all over Alphabet City, I walked around Chinatown and admired the street art in Chinatown. These are some of my favorite ones that I saw as I enjoyed my dessert. There are so many talented taggers in the neighborhood.
This was on one of the doors
I thought this was unique
I took the subway home that evening. I had not realized how out of shape I was after a winter of not walking around. I shoveled plenty of snow but not done much walking. The moment I sat down, I stiffened up and it was a long walk through the Port Authority.
I felt much better Tuesday morning and it really warmed up and the weather topped 78 degrees and sunny that day. I was off and running early to get back in the City and enjoy the sunshine while finishing walking the neighborhood. I started where I left off.
Finally making it to East 5th Street
I had walked all of East 5th Street the night before which is an unusual block because they built an elementary school at Avenue B that cuts one part of the neighborhood from the other. Then a series of low rise public housing was built that surrounds the back of the school. So you have to walk a combination of both East 5th and East 4th Streets.
Walking down East 5th Street on a sunny, warm morning
Passing the Secret Garden at 293 East 4th Street as I had to walk around East 4th Street to get to the extension of East 5th Street
I start the second day of my walk back at the Secret Garden which was closed for the day but I could again peek through the fencing. Spring had not come to the garden but it will soon.
The Secret Garden in the Winter
You have to walk around the Lower East Side II complex to complete the neighborhood. This is built around M 364 The Earth School.
Walking around the Lower East Side II housing behind the M364 School
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.
The Garden of the Humanities at 270-272 East 4th Street
The Generation X Cultural Garden, located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, is a community garden that was founded in 1971. The garden features Geoblock paving for all-ability access, a masonry retaining wall for additional planting areas, and a mini urban orchard with nectarine, pear, peach, and apple trees. The garden also hosts cultural programming related to the Latino community and collaborates with Greenmarket farmers, Youth market displays, and TAiNO arts and crafts (Mapquest.com).
The garden in the winter time
The snow was still melting in the back of the garden as temperatures hit about 80 degrees that day.
The ‘Success’ mural in the schoolyard
I was not about to get close enough to see how the artist was on this interesting mural at the track at PS 15.
Admiring the street art on East 5th Street
It was a return and straight run down East 4th Street, having just covered most of it walking around the elementary school. The weather at this point had just hit 78 degrees, making it very pleasant to walk around without a jacket on. Mother Nature was tricking us with this early Spring weather during the Spring Thaw but with the number of people hanging out in Tompkins Square Park, it looked like most of the neighborhood was playing ‘hooky’ from work.
Turning the corner at East 4th Street
East 4th Street like most of the neighborhood was like an open air museum. There was a lot of interesting street art to see.
The interesting street art along the wall at East 4th Street
The Memorial Murals along East 4th Street
(I could not find the artist on this piece)
The Memorial Murals along East 4th Street
(I could not find the artist on this mural)
The back of the El Jardin Del Paraiso Community Garden at 710 East 5th Street
(From the El Jardin Del Paraiso Community Garden website)
The stage is set for the reemergence of community gardens during this time due to three factors: a large influx of immigrants, predominantly from agrarian cultures; the movement of many city-dwellers to the suburbs; and the deactivation of many fire houses due to dwindling city budgets. The result of the is a dramatic increase in burned-out vacant lots. These empty lots become the territory of drug dealers and the dumping grounds for rubble and toxic wastes and yet they bring a new openness to this area of Manhattan (El Jardin website).
Two movements worked to bring green spaces to the neighborhood of the Lower East Side: the homesteading and the gardening movements. Homesteaders work to rehabilitate buildings. Gardeners removed the rubble and turn the soil, reclaiming the vacant lots. El Jardín del Paraíso is founded by these two groups who were inspired by the idea that the space was large enough to be a park and a community garden.1973 — Liz Christy founds the Green Guerillas, a grass-roots organization dedicated to aiding neighborhoods and providing guidance and education in the of new community gardens. The organization recognizes the need for city involvement and lobbies for formal recognition. It is believed that Liz planted El Jardín del Paraíso’s existing two Weeping Willow trees (El Jardin website).
Walking along a very gentrified stretch of Alphabet City along East 4th Street
I came across the very colorful mural on the side of Public School 15 at 333 East 4th Street. I thought this was really interesting and I bet no one really notices it.
This was all done in tiles and I thought this was very interesting. The only thing I could find out about it was it was created in the early 1980’s by some local artists.
Reaching the edge of the neighborhood at Avenue D. I could not believe how this neighborhood has changed in thirty years.
Walking down the street, I could not believe how many luxury condos have been built on the side streets of the neighborhood about a block from the housing projects. How things have changed in this neighborhood since the first time I walked in it in 1994. There have been so many improvements in the last twenty years.
The Orchard Alley Community Garden at 350 East 4th Street
Orchard Alley is a quaint establishment nestled in the heart of New York City, offering a unique blend of artisanal goods and services. With a focus on community engagement and sustainability, Orchard Alley provides a welcoming space for individuals to connect, create, and explore (Mapquest.com).
The inside of the garden in the winter
The Orchard Ally Community Garden was also closed that day but I could see it from the fence and see the work going on in the garden. The next garden I passed was the Parque de Tranquilidad Garden at 314-318 East 4th Street. It was also locked that afternoon but I could see the garden through the gates.
The Parque de Tranquilidad Community Garden at 314-318 East 4th Street
(From the Parque de Tranquilidad Community Garden website)
The garden was started in 1979 when neighbors cleared out the lots and started the garden by planting vegetables and flowers. Parque de Tranqilidad was purchased together with other sixty three gardens city wide by the Trust for Public Land. In 2004 it became one of the fourteen gardens when The Manhattan Land Trust was founded. Garden Members take care of this little park all year long.
The inside of the garden
You could see the coming of Spring through the fencing.
I have seen this artist’s work all over the City
I saw this interesting mural along East 4th Street by Avenue A “Teach One Teach One”
I loved the details on the mural
Another look at the mural
I could not find the artist for this work but I thought it was one of the best murals that I had seen on my walk in Alphabet City. I loved the vibrance of the colors.
It looked a fairy peeking through of the woods
Rounding the East 3rd Street at the end of the day
Walking down East 3rd Street
East 3rd Street is the last full block of the neighborhood with just part of East 2nd Street extending into the neighborhood. The Los Amigos Community Garden at 221 East 3rd Street was also closed for the afternoon but I could see it through the fence.
The Los Amigos Community Garden at 221 East Third Street
The American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) is dedicated to the promotion and support of community gardening efforts across the United States. With a focus on networking, education, and resource sharing, the ACGA serves as a vital hub for community gardeners and leaders, fostering resilience and collaboration within urban ecosystems (Mapquest.com).
The Los Amigos inside
It looked like people had been working that afternoon. This was the same with the Brisas Del Caribe Community Garden at 237 East 3rd Street. It was locked in the later afternoon.
The Brisas Del Caribe Community Garden at 237 East 3rd Street
The Brises del Caribe Garden is a 90 x 24 plot of land located at 237 East 3rd Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. In 1986 this land was an abandoned city owned lot inhabited by rats, drug addicts and dealers, and strewn with refuse and toxic wastes. The garden was born thanks to the efforts of Mary and Angel Aponte, a neighborhood couple, who cleared out the garbage and told the addicts to go elsewhere (Earth Celebrations website).
The community group Green Guerrillas gave a lot of assistance to the Apontes in the beginning. In addition, they received many letters and petitions of support from the community board, the Church and other local community groups. When Operation Green Thumb and the City saw what had been accomplished in the garden, they agreed to a year-to-year lease for the Apontes, claiming it could only be year-to-year because the City might decided to sell the land (Earth Celebrates website).
The gardens in the early Spring
The garden was closed for the day when I walked the neighborhood as was the All People’s Garden at 293 East 3rd Street. Most of these gardens would be open in late April and early May when things would be blooming again.
The All People’s Garden Community Garden at 293 East Third Street
All People’s Garden Inc. was created as a not for profit organization in 1978 by former VISTA volunteer Olean Cowart For a community organizer who work with the neighborhood community development organization known as Interfaith Adopt-A- Building, Inc. The garden was fashion out of a vacant site owned by the City of New York, and was strewn with discarded rubbish. With the help of the community and other volunteers, slowly remove the debris and create the beginning of a community garden space (All People’s Garden Inc. website).
In 1979 with the support of the Council on The Environment of the City of New York (now known as GROWNYC), a plan to open the garden for community use was also supported by the then Mayor Ed Koch and Ms. Liz Chrystie the pioneer for the first community garden on East Houston Street and the Bowery. All People’s Garden is the first Grow NYC’s PLANT-A-LOT garden in New York City. At the opening Mayor Ed Koch with Liz Chrystie plant a ceremonial Rose Bush. The ceremony was conducted to symbolize the working coordination of the City of New York in the beginning of the redevelopment of the Lower East side community open space and housing (All People’s Garden Inc. website).
Street art along East 3rd Street
I continued my walk down East 3rd Street admiring all the street art. There were so many interesting pieces to see all over the block. Just look at all the walls as you past the buildings.
Kenkeleba House was founded in 1974 by Joe Overstreet, Corrine Jennings and Samuel C. Floyd to support African American culture. Kenkeleba began its work on The Bowery near Delancey in New York City with experimental projects to assist African American, Caribbean,and African artists in developing and documenting their work. Early projects included exhibitions and experiments with poetry, music, visual arts, workshops in dance, theater, children’s programs and African markets. The name, Kenkeleba is derived from that of the Seh-Haw plant grown in West Africa, and known for its spiritual, nutritional and healing values (Kenkeleba House website).
The inside of the garden
The garden was also closed that afternoon but I could see the artwork in the garden.
When I stopped to get a Coke at a deli around the corner, I saw this mural of the Ramones that I thought was so cool. I know that they had played clubs around here so it was the perfect honor for the singing group now that most have them have passed away.
Ireland born artist Solus found creativity key to keep him inspired and on the right track. Embracing natural talent and keen eye using spray paint as his main medium, leaving his mark in Europe, America, and Asia on walls, canvas and sculpture. He has exhibited in various international solo shows in America, Canada, and Paris (Artist Bio).
The artist Solus
I passed even more community gardens along East 3rd Street, most of the closed during the day. Like of other gardens, some volunteers were cleaning out the gardens and preparing the beds for seeding.
Miracle Garden is a unique establishment in New York, NY that offers a serene and enchanting environment for visitors to explore. With its diverse collection of flora and carefully curated landscapes, Miracle Garden provides a peaceful retreat for individuals seeking a moment of tranquility amidst the bustling city (Mapquest.com).
The inside of the garden in the early Spring
The Miracle Garden was being cleaned during my walk in the neighborhood.
Walking down East 3rd Street near Avenue A
Street art by Avenue A
(I could not find the artist to this work or it may be multiple artists)
Walking down East 2nd Street
I finally got down to the last street of the neighborhood, the extension of East 2nd Street. I was tired by the time I got to this last block.
Walking down East 2nd Street
Walking down my last block in Alphabet City, East 2nd Street. This block borders Little Italy, Chinatown, the Bowery and the Lower East Side once you cross Houston Street.
One of the street murals on East 2nd Street
The Kenkeleba House Garden at 212 East Third Street on the back side of the gardens
The garden facing East 2nd Street in the early Spring
I then passed the neighborhood firehouse and its memorial to my fellow Brothers who died on 9/11. This was very touching and still pretty raw to me.
The one thing I admired was the dedication to the brave members who lives were lost on that tragic day. I was not sure who the artist was on this work but I think it was firefighter Michael “Mikey” Borriello, who is also the resident artist at Engine 28, Ladder 11. He has created art all over the firehouse.
Their touching tribute to their fallen brothers on 9/11
Peach Tree Garden is a quaint and charming establishment nestled in the heart of New York City. Specializing in providing a serene and peaceful environment for guests to relax and unwind (Mapquest.com).
The garden in the early Spring
This was one of the few community gardens that looked like it was ready to start blooming.
Looking down Avenue D at East 2nd Street. How things have changed since the 1970’s and 80’s
I finally made it to the edge of Alphabet City. This is looking up Avenue D from East 2nd Street and the edge of East Houston Street.
Walking down the tiny section of East 2nd Street
The park lining East 2nd Street was still in Winter mood when I passed it in March. It was in full bloom when I was walking the Avenues back in August so it was nice to see the contrasts in the seasons.
262 East 2nd Street was one of the more distinct buildings in the neighborhood
One of the few buildings that stood out in the neighborhood among the low rise tenement buildings, brownstones and new luxury building was 262 East 2nd Street with its elegant embellishments and faces staring back at you. I had not seen this since I left the Flatiron District a year ago. You have to look up to see all the beautiful stonework. This unique looking building was built in 1920 and recently was converted to luxury condos (Streeteasy.com).
The detail work the windows all around the building
I wrapped up the visit to the neighborhood by walking the very edges of the area, seeing the locked gates of the community gardens and an abundance of street art.
It was established in 1996 by artists Peter Cramer and Jack Waters, who wanted to create a queer public space in the city. Peter Cramer and Jack Waters had been artistic collaborators in New York since the 1980s. They became co-directors of ABC No Rio space after curating an art exhibition there together and both joined theVisual AIDScollective. The garden site on 2nd Street had been an auto chop shop before that was demolished. Cramer and Waters built the garden together, in 1996 (Wiki.org).
The inside of the garden
The garden was being prepared for the Spring and I was able to sneak a peek inside to see some of the artwork that was pretty interesting. It will be cool to see it when it is in full bloom and get to see some of the other art up close.
The artwork around the fencing
Walking down the block was lined with all sorts of metal works and murals heading back towards Avenue A and the heart of the East Village. Various artists works boldly displayed on the walls of businesses and buildings. Unique works that stood out.
The metal work on one the buildings
Artwork on the sidewalk
The mural on the corner of East 2nd Street and Avenue A
The artist Slim Storm
(I could not find any information on the artist)
The Heart of NYC
The artist Bio TATS Cru
Wilfredo “Bio” Feliciano is also a founding member of the world famous art collective known as Tats Cru “The Mural Kings” originally known as TAT Cru founded by Brim, Mack and Bio in the eighties.
Wilfredo “Bio” Feliciano’s work has been featured in many publications, movies, music videos and documentaries throughout his career. He has also painted in numerous countries over the past 30 years, invited by different organizations. Bio has collaborated with many of the top graffiti artists in the world from past to present day. He has also lectured at M.I.T. and various universities in the United States.
I finally finished walking the entire Alphabet City neighborhood around 5:00pm. It had been a long but productive two days. I could not believe the number of community gardens in the neighborhood. I was lucky it had been warm out so I got to see many of them but will have to revisit when everything comes into bloom. Right now they still hold tight to the end of Winter but I have seen in the neighborhood in August when everything is green.
For dinner that evening, I went to Two Boots Pizzeria, where I had not eaten in a decade. I went there years ago with my best friend when the neighborhood was a bit more scratchy. This is a neighborhood institution and the pizza was still wonderful. (I just read though that the original location will be closing on May 26th, 2026 after an agreement on the rent with the landlord fell through and the owner will be moving to a new location soon).
Two Boots Pizzeria at 42 Avenue A. This is its original location of the current chain of pizzerias. (It will be closing on May 26th, 2026).
I forgot how funky this place looked inside. One thing I remember was how good the pizza was and the selection of pizzas they had available that evening were rather interesting.
The pizza selection in the case
I looked through the case at the different toppings of pizza and I eyed the Cajun slice which was topped with gumbo ingredients items such as spicy sausage and shrimp. The pizza has a brown sauce instead of the traditional red tomato sauce. It was out of this world! I never had such a unique slice than this.
Finally able to sit down and relax
A slice of Cajun Pizza with a Coke
I chose a slice of Cajun pizza with sauteed shrimp and andouille sausage with Cajun seasonings. It had the most amazing flavor and one of the best slices of pizza I had had in a long time.
The Cajun Pizza was amazing and so full of flavor
Yum!
I had an interesting time in Alphabet City. It reminded me of how much the City has changed in thirty years. It never looked so good. Was that good for a neighborhood with such a storied past? It shows how the City just keeps changing.
While the neighborhood is much cleaned up since I remember it in the 1990’s, it still retains that funky independent vibe to it . Let’s see what happens in the future in an ever changing City as the tentacles of NYU keep stretching over this neighborhood. Will they adapt to it or will the neighborhood adapt to them? Just like every other neighborhood in Manhattan, I will just keep walking.
