20th St Between 1st Ave and 2nd Ave
This is such a transitional street. On one end, I always feel like I'm just a few steps away from the Lower East Side, with it's endless bars, restaurants and hot spots; while simply walking down this street, one block west, I immediately get the feeling of old Gramercy Park. The tops of the Empire State Building and the Metropolitan Life building popping into view just add to the feeling of transition.
The street itself has a lot of character. Layers of paint, old signs and murals are all around. The block is dominated by several schools and churches (and combinations of the two). The west side of the street is home to Peter's Field (which, despite the name, is lacking a lawn of any sort), which allows for some nice views north.
The area seems relatively untouched by new development, so there's plenty of old buildings to admire, though anyone looking for any sort of commercial presence best go elsewhere.
Thursday, February 19, 2009 at 8:00AM
Reader Comments (1)
Thanks for the memories. I was born and raised on 19th street and went to PS 40/JHS 104 in the 50s. The 346 building you show also brings back some fond teen memories :) The NYPL has a treasure trove of old photos. If you want to see what the area looked like in the 20s - 40s, I posted some on my Flickr page www.flickr.com/photos/oldeastsidr