8th St Between 3rd Ave and 2nd Ave (St. Mark's)

It figures I would go to take photos of St.Mark's Place on a Sunday morning rather than a Friday night. I guess subconsciously I wanted the photos to be as boring and unrepresentative of the block as possible.

Regardless of my poor timing, if you've never been down here it's always worth a visit. Some argue that the area's becoming too crowded, too commercial, too hipster, or some combination of the three. I don't mind so much, this area of 8th street always seems to find it's place during a late night out. The character of the block, no matter how "forced" and inauthentic it's become, is undeniable.

This is one of my favorite areas to take friends and family when they're in town visiting. They invariably find it more interesting and fun than walking along 34th Street or 5th Avenue. The years and years of dirt, stickers, paint and gum make certain stretches here feel like CBGB's (may it rest in peace). Whereas other, newer spots on the street (such as BAMN Automat) convey that "hey look, we're different and pink" aesthetic that's so popular now. I actually tried BAMN once. It was OK, if not a little pricey. My biggest issue was their "token" system. If they embraced accepting regular money right at the point of sale, I bet far more people would stop in casually to buy a 400 dollar corn dog. There's an unusually high density of store fronts selling hats, scarves, sunglasses and of course, socks. I'm not one to complain. Though who KNOWS how many people have tried on that fedora before you, so be careful.

So to wrap up, St.Mark's is good for finding three things: Crowds, foods and socks.

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