9th St Between Ave C and Ave B

Marking this blog's first real foray into Alphabet City, I was really excited to find an art fair in full swing when I visited this block. Bookended by a public garden on the east, and Tompkins Square Park on the west, the block is decidedly green.

The art fair was just the icing on an already eccentric street. Tons of small details popped out all over the place, and with the exception of one building towards the park end of the street, all the structures here seemed pretty old. The public garden had tons of hand-made sculptural pieces made from found objects attached to it's fence.

The feeling of community and neighborhood was really strong – with all sorts of different things being displayed and sold while people wandered around talking to each other. It's always neat to see what happens when a street is closed to traffic and people are left to their own devices. In stark contrast to the street fairs that typically line the northern avenues in the summer, this one had no "professional" vendors. Only locals from the neighborhood, with card tables and folding chairs.