Finishing the Meatpacking District the other week and relaxing on the lounge chairs by the Hudson River while the sun was setting gave me one perspective on Manhattan. Walking on the other side of the island in Alphabet City gives you another. Talk about opposites.
My morning had consisted of laundry and yard work. I was trying to straighten the backyard up while doing the first load and cooking dinner. Then I had to come into the City and get a haircut at York Barber on Lexington Avenue. When all of this was accomplished I hopped the Q downtown and started the walk around 4:30pm.
My start point at the corner of West 14th Street and Avenue A
Written on the wall of a building on the corner of Avenue B and West 14th Street. At this point I don’t know who they are talking about because things are crazy all over
Reaching the end of West 14th Street and Avenue C at the Con Ed plant and the turn to West 13th Street to Avenue D
FDR Drive is closed off in spots for construction
I walked through the Riis Houses courtyard to get to FDR Drive. The construction all over the highway area blocks all the entrances and exits coming and going from Avenue D
So I was only able to walk about two blocks before I had to double back and walk the rest of the border of the neighborhood down Avenue D.
The upper part of Avenue D facing the East River is the Jacob Riis Houses
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riis_Houses
The Riis Houses line the upper blocks
The Riis Houses like the Wald Houses on the southern side of the were under construction and renovation on all sides. Their green spaces were being updated which is sorely needed.
I could see the reason why when there is no grass to keep off of
I found my name reached in cement
For all the generic appearances on the buildings, there was a glimmer of hope and creativity with this beautiful mural painted on the side of the building.
The mural on the Riis Houses
‘Hope and Opportunity’ on the side of the building
The artists for this mural ‘Hope so Electrifying’ sponsored by the Riis Houses Tenants Association
There were several of these murals all around the neighborhood on the sides of the buildings. It added a little color to otherwise dim buildings.
Avenue D businesses on the other side of the street
I have noticed one thing about Avenue D from East 13th Street is that it is not as bad as everyone says. Most of the buildings on the block have been knocked down and rebuilt with new apartment buildings. Most of the old tenements that have been left have either been renovated or in the process of being renovated.
While not as ‘hipster’ as Avenues A or B which are closer to the NYU campus, I see a lot more students jogging down the street much to the looks of the people living in the housing complexes, as if they see where the future of the neighborhood is going.
Towards the southern end of Avenue D are the Lillian Wald Houses. It amazes me that the builders of these public housing units never had the fourth site to realize that they were giving the residences a million dollar view of the river. Back when these were built though, no one wanted to live near the river as badly as it was polluted back then.
The sign for the Lillian Wald Houses
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian_Wald_Houses
Again by the Wald Houses all the entrances to the river park have been blocked by construction. The signs have all said that the City is reconfiguring the green space around the houses.
The Wald Houses don’t look so bad during the day
I turned the corner at East Houston Street and Avenue D on the southern border of the neighborhood and walked towards the river to see if there was any access to Stuyvesant Cove. It had been open during the Great Saunter in May but seemed to be closed off in all sections this time around for renovations.
Taking a walk east down East Houston Street
The Lillian Wald Houses line the borders of East Houston Street, Avenue D and FDR Drive and the whole complex including walkways and green space are all under scaffolding. Here and there you can see the building and closer to PS 188 next door, I saw a series of more murals.
The murals on the Lillian Wald Houses from East Houston Street
The mural along the walls
I couldn’t get any closer to the mural to see who painted it without freaking the residents out. They all looked at me like I was ICE walking around the neighborhood. It was funny because the ever getting drunk college students on Avenue A just ignored me.
The one mural that really caught my eye was on the side wall of PS 188. It was really colorful and whimsical.
Part of the mural on the PS 188 wall
https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/M188
The rest of the mural
The artists on this mural
I turned the corner to walk up the part of FDR Drive that I could along the sides of the public housing. There are so many twists and turns to this route and it will be a while before you can walk this sidewalk. The residents here did their best to ignore me as well. It’s fun when they pretend not to see me.
The sidewalk along southern FDR Drive is blocked off at East 10th Street
I walked the overpass at East 5th Street to the John Lindsey East River Park, which closed again for renovations. It had been open in May but they closed off all but a small portion of the park and the running track. I still could see the magnificent views of the East River and the Brooklyn skyline.
Interesting street art on the barriers
Interesting street art on the barriers on FDR Drive
Crossing all the construction on FDR Drive
The view of the Wald Houses from the East 5th Street overpass
The John Lindsay East River Park side of FDR Drive with the running park
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/east-river-park
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_River_Park
My review on TripAdvisor:
The park is going through a major renovation and is now closed off on all sides. The running track, part of the picnic area and a small part of the river walkway are now open while the rest of the park is behind fencing.
Looking downtown towards the Manhattan Bridge
Looking uptown towards the East River and the Brooklyn skyline
A little street art tucked into the fencing in the park
The full view of the East River and what the park will look like when it is finished
The John Lindsey East River Park has been closed at various stages for renovation and to make it more environmentally friendly to protect the coastline. I have read though that many in the area say the improvements in the park have lead to the rapid gentrification of the area. Still I have seen the park when it was fully open and when it is finished it will be a fantastic park that everyone will enjoy.
After walking around this small portion of the park left open, I walked over the overpass back to East Houston Street and walked the southern most border of the neighborhood.
It still amazes me how many times I have walked this neighborhood and never really noticed what it was about. I justly passed it while I walked around. Now that I took the time to really study it, I was fascinated by what I had missed.
Walking down East Houston Street in the late afternoon
Tucked here and there were community gardens, tiny restaurants and loads of interesting street art. The artists and the taggers are really creative in this part of the City.
Le Petit Versailles Garden at 247 East second Street
https://www.alliedproductions.org/happening-at-lpv
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Petit_Versailles
https://www.nycgovparks.org/opportunities/volunteer/group/le-petit-versailles-garden
My review on TripAdvisor:
The tiny garden that stood out was Le Petit Versailles Garden at 247 East Second Street that was closed both on the East Second and East Houston sides of the park. I was still able to sneak in on an open side door and admire all the interesting art.
The inside of the gardens in bloom
The sculpture work and landscaping
The Olmec looking statue at the entrance of the gardens
Inside the gardens were a series of sculptures that looked like something out of the ‘Wizard of Oz’. These unique pieces of are were hidden in the shadows but I hope to take a closer look when the gardens are open.
Sculpture number one
Sculpture number two
Sculpture number three
The back part of the garden in the midafternoon
A bit further down East Houston Street I noticed a G’s Cheesesteak shop at 6 Avenue B. I had their cheesesteaks in Downtown Point Pleasant Beach and can attest to their excellence.
The G’s Cheesesteaks at the corner of East Houston and Avenue B
https://www.gscheesesteaks.com/
My review on TripAdvisor:
It wasn’t the restaurant itself that grabbed my attention, it was the artwork painted on the side. Geometric and just wild the street art was just crazy.
I think that people added to the art since
The monster makes a statement
Geometric designs
I was not sure if Flore was the artist
I thought that this was clever
So was this
As I was down East Houston Street, a store window to a thrift shop caught my eye. While the store didn’t strike me as unique, the display in the window I thought was great. Someone used their creativity on this.
I thought this was surreal
Very clever from both views
I finally made it back to the southern part of Avenue A and talk about the extremes in the neighborhood.
Reaching Avenue A at twilight
While Avenue D is still gritty and a bit dangerous, Avenue A is like an extension of the NYU and Pace campuses. It was wall to wall bars and restaurants and outdoor cafes.
Walking up Avenue A in the late afternoon
The Best Housekeeping store at 17 Avenue A is an appliance store with the best murals on their roll down gates.
https://www.besthousekeeping.com/
https://www.facebook.com/besthousekeepingind/
On one side of the gate
On the other side of the gate
As I walked up Avenue A on this warm and clear Sunday night, I could not believe how packed all the restaurants and bars were and how young the crowds were dining. It looked to me that the colleges had just started the semester and everyone was letting loose a bit as classes started.
The tagging and street art dominated these blocks
I then passed 50 Avenue A with its interesting Monkey looking sculptures and its beautiful outdoor pictures.
50 Avenue A, the Hearth House a Condop
https://streeteasy.com/building/50-avenue-a-new_york
https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/east-village/hearth-house-50-avenue-a/5909
Hearth House is a condop with a wonderful neighborhood vibe. One elevator, six stories…only a handful of units per floor. Most layouts offer two bedrooms. Top floor units have private roof terraces and some are duplexes (Streeteasy.com).
The Monkey (or Tiger motive on the building)
The wild painting outside this pet shop looks like a surreal ‘Magilla Gorilla’
It looks like the pet shop that was here has closed.
Walking up Avenue A at twilight
Interesting street art tucked on the sides of the building
St. Marks Place and Avenue A was closed off for about two blocks for outdoor dining
Much has been written about Tompkins Square Park over the years from a major drug den of the late 1960’s to the early 80’s, then a homeless camp, the Wigstock, the famous drag shows of the late 80’s to early 90’s to Mayor Giuliani closing the park down fencing it off and moving everyone out for a major renovation.
I had not stepped foot in this park since the fencing came down in the late 1990’s and I figured almost thirty years was enough time.
The corner of Avenue A and Tompkins Square Park at East 10th Street
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/tompkins-square-park
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tompkins_Square_Park
My review on TripAdvisor:
The park has definitely changed and for the better. Yes, it does need a good weeding but it attracts a very diverse crowd of people from young couples walking around after eating to the dog walking crowd to the college students lying on the grass talking to the homeless on the benches there is a little bit of everyone at this park.
Walking around the pathways of Tompkins Square Park
The park has been reseeded and landscaped and now like Washington Square Park another extension of a backyard to the NYU, CUNY and Pace students.
The park was in bloom in the late Summer
The statue of Samuel S. Cox stands guard at the southwest entrance of the park
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/tompkins-square-park/monuments/341
Samuel Sullivan Cox
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_S._Cox
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
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Lawson
Artist Louise Lawson was an American born artist who studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and Cooper Union. She worked as an apprentice under several famous sculptures and was one of the first American female sculptures to have a professional career. She is known for her Neoclassical sculptures (Wiki).
As I walked up Avenue A, the whole street is like an open air museum of street art but commercial and by taggers. Many of the restaurants had them painted on their walls.
The interesting mural was tucked under a building that was under renovation
Viewer was the creator of this masterpiece
https://streetartcities.com/artists/vewer
I walked down Avenue A looking at menus at all the bars and restaurants , trying to figure out what restaurant to stop at for dinner that evening.
Looking up Avenue A
The mural along the wall of a local restaurant
Another interesting piece of art on the side of another restaurant building
This face stuck out from the side of the mural. I was not sure if it was added later or part of the original mural
This mural was on the side of a building between two businesses
The artist Pra ‘XIS’
This interesting mural was on the side of Two Boots pizza at 42 Avenue A with art by 23TatsCru
My review on TripAdvisor:
The artists 23TatsCru:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tats_Cru
Artists 23TatsCru is a group of Bronx based graffiti artists turned professional muralist (Wiki).
I walked both sides of Avenue A to admire the artwork and peek at all the menus. By 6:00pm on a Saturday night, the place was filling up with college students and young couples who were visiting the bars and restaurants. On this perfect night, everyone wanted to eat outdoors.
Walking the other side of East 14th Street
I made my way back down East 14th Street in the early evening tour walk the other side of the blocks.
Walking down the other side of East 14th Street in the late afternoon
The street art on the side of a restaurant on East 14th Street
Artist Outtapocket.NYC:
https://www.instagram.com/outtapocket.nyc/?hl=en
Passing the Pedro Albizu Campos Plaza at 643 East 13th Street, that was closed off for construction that was between two housing project buildings
https://www.facebook.com/camposplazanyc/
https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/1090723251014616/pedro-albizu-campos-plaza/
Pedro Albizu Campos
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Albizu_Campos
Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican born American lawyer and activist , who fought for our Country in WWI and was a member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party.
I saw this piece of art on the sidewalk on East 14th Street
On a plain tenement building, this beautiful carving stood out
The view of the Con Ed Complex at the corner of East 14th Street and Avenue C
This interesting tag was on East 13th Street
Taking another walk down Avenue D again
When I got back to walking the other side of Avenue D, some of the businesses started to close up for the evening including some of the street vendors who were selling food. Many people had been giving me strange looks before had disappeared.
Walking past the Jacob Riis Houses in the late afternoon. They looked much nicer from the other side of the street
Avenue D Pizza at 15 Avenue D
My review on TripAdvisor:
I stopped in at Avenue D Pizza because I had noticed their reasonable prices before but they were closing up for the evening and most of the food had disappeared from the display cases. I figured for another time.
Looking down the other side of Avenue D and you realize how much these blocks have changed in the last twenty years
Walking back up Avenue A again as the bars really started to fill up
It started to get dark at 8:00pm when I finished rounding East 14th Street for the last time that evening.
There were many restaurants to choose from that evening so I searched my Mileage Plus Dining Club to see any recommendations. It suggested Pop’s Pizzeria at 223 Avenue B not far away.
The front of Pop’s Pizza at 223 Avenue B
https://www.instagram.com/popspizza.ny/?hl=en
My review on TripAdvisor:
What an excellent recommendation because the pizza is wonderful here. They have some unusual pizza topping combinations and it really worked.
The inside of Pop’s Pizza
The selection of pies to choose from
I decided on the classic Margarita and a piece of Pepperoni with Cherry Peppers that had a hot and tangy flavor when they topped it with a little honey. The pizza is excellent here and the service was so friendly. The guys working here made some excellent suggestions and I really enjoyed my dinner.
My dinner that evening
The Margarita slice with freshly grated cheese on top
The Pepperoni with fresh cheese and honey on top
I really enjoyed my meal that night
It was such a beautiful evening, I decided to walk back to the Port Authority. The weather was still warm but crisp that evening and it was nice that the cool weather had come back.
I walked up Third Avenue and then crossed over to Park Avenue where I had admired the views.
Walking up Park Avenue that evening
I figured I worked off my lunch and dinner and it had been an interesting walk considering the neighborhoods shady past as a drug den. It may still have its problems but thirty five years and a reinvented and gentrified City shows you how resilient Manhattan really is and how it just keeps changing for the better.
Places to Visit:
Tompkins Square Park
East 10th Street
New York, NY 10009
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/tompkins-square-park
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tompkins_Square_Park
Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-12:00am
My review on TripAdvisor:
John Lindsay East River Park
FDR Drive
New York, NY 10009
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/east-river-park
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_River_Park
Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-1:00pm
My review on TripAdvisor:
Places to Eat:
Pop’s Pizza
223 Avenue B
New York, NY 10009
(917) 439-6404
https://www.instagram.com/popspizza.ny/?hl=en
Open: Sunday-Thursday 11:00am-12:00am/Friday-Saturday 11:00am-3:00am
My review on TripAdvisor:
mywalkinmanhattan 