Day: December 1, 2007

discovery, New York

Diagon Alley on the Upper West Side

Christa Avampato

It’s amazing what we can discover in our own backyard. Recently, I came across a New York Times slide show that featured Pomander Walk, one of the most highly guarded streets in New York City. I’d never heard of it. It’s two blocks from my apartment.

I hopped out of the subway today after running my errands and took a walk down 94th Street. A leasing office, an acupuncturist, and then a gate behind which is a walk through to 95th Street lined on both sides by colorful row homes with strange remnants of a time gone by, such as outdoor dumbwaiters. It was built in the 1920’s and resembles a small street in London that was made famous by Lewis N. Parker in his play by the same name.

There is an enormous and heavy iron gate that blocks off the street on 94th and 95th Streets. It sits like a little jewel of gingerbread houses in a neighborhood dominated by Gothic architecture, gargoyles, and baby carriages. Humphrey Bogart is among its famous past residents.

This is one of the things I love so much about this city – on these streets, in these buildings, my mind is free to imagine and wonder what incredible lives and stories played out here. And now, for the most part, all of what remains are the buildings themselves, standing silently by, holding the secrets and histories of those who inhabited them, even if just for a little while.
New York, walking tour, West Village

You are where you hang

Christa Avampato

When I lived in D.C., conversation starters, or killers as the case may be, would start with questions like “What candidate do you support?” or “Are you a fan of (name a politician or pundit)?” Here in New York, the questions are more like “what neighborhood do you spend time in?” The area where you spend time defines you, says a lot about your sensibilities, maybe your career, and the kind of people you have in your life.

I don’t have an area. I like exploration, mostly because I hate being defined as anything. This explains my eclectic and wonderful collection of career decisions, places I’ve lived, and people in my life. So in an effort to really get to know my city and not just the 5 square block of my neighborhood, I have been setting out to learn about neighborhoods all over the city.

The first one I visited I am somewhat familiar with though am constantly lost in: The West Village. There are photos on my photoblog. In the West Village, New York City goes off the grid completely with roads making all sorts of weird angle and intersections. Every corner I turned on what cuter than the next. People snuggled up in coffee shops or used bookstores. Writer, photographers, dog lovers. I couldn’t help but notice the decidedly artsy feel, the desire for people here to express themselves in their clothing and in their activity.

One thing that I noticed about people here is that the fervent workaholic attitude that plagues many other areas of NYC has been completely shaken off. People value thinking about and reflecting on life. They look to engage in activities of the spirit, and work is just a way to facilitate that personal exploration and discovery. It reminds me of small neighborhoods in Paris that I spent days wandering in. The European overlay of these angled lanes is unmistakable.

Coming soon: why is it that Manhattanites have trouble venturing across the rivers that border it? A look at the Japanese epicenter of the greater New York City area and a stroll along the Promenade.
The photo above, and others from the West Village, can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/21231722@N03/sets/72157603297657731/