The invasion of the building snatchers

During this past year, I started taking photos of the old and new buildings brushing up against one another around here ... The new buildings seem like intruders — lurking, menacing in the background ... Like those unwanted interlopers who find your bar or move in upstairs with desires to take over ...

Here are a few of the shots... It's a work in progress... (a progress in work?)











For more along these lines, read Jeremiah's post from a few weeks ago titled "Schizo New York," in which he writes ... "There is a split in the city ... It's often expressed architecturally —the war between old and new, the radical shift, the loss of bricks to glass and sheen."

The unbearable lightness of being on the M103

On Cooper Square.

Getting nostalgic 10 years in advance

I've been enjoying Alex's "things that aren't here now" series of photos. Made me think that I shouldn't delete any photos on my computer, no matter how insignificant they seem now. What if we're looking at the photos below 10 years from now? What might we be saying? (Oh, I did something similar to this during my guest stint at Curbed this past August...)

"Wow, this area was still called the Bowery."

"The last ATM that the government shut down!"

"$5 for a Subway sub? So cheap! And this was before Subway merged with Starbucks to create StarSubs (SubBanks?)."

"Who?"

"Freedom Towers should be completed in just another 7 years."

"Only $4.75 for a Coke at old Yankee Stadium? Bargain!"

"Ha! Look! No ads on the bridge!"

"How quaint! When there were shoe repair shops run by people who have been in business 40-plus years!"

"Pay phones....Wha....?"

"Wow, the Christodora was the tallest building on the block; and before Ford Models bought it for their girls!"

"No shopping mall on Grand and Clinton?!"

"The Staten Island Ferry was free!"

"Ha ha ha -- remember when there were newspapers?"

"Wonder when that $20 million will kick in for the repairs at St. Brigid's..."

"Ah, Coney Island..."

"Iggy hasn't aged a bit!"

"Wow, a corner on the Bowery without a high rise...and that was the best Bond since Thunderball!"

Some photos I took during the summer that don't really a thing to do with anything except that I took them this past summer, which ends today

A short walk on 8th Street/St. Mark's Place

As you probably know, Dallas BBQ packed up last fall...and you'd never guess what's taking its spot...

On the other side of the street, Joyce Leslie is moving to Broadway and Bond. Perhaps a good spot for a bank?

Good! Need to stock up!

Gulp. That crane.

Random, etc.

Generations