Madison St Between Catherine St and St. James Pl

Madison Street (not to be confused with Madison Avenue, which doesn't venture this far south) is unique to the Lower East Side.  Existing only between Grand St. and the Brooklyn Bridge, you'll pass through a series of different neighborhoods along the way.  This particular stretch, just south of the historic Five Points area, feels like you're transported to another city. With several dead-end streets intersecting on the north side, a housing development on the south, and a strange, curvy apartment complex looming in the distance, I almost felt like I was in LA.

The street isn't heavily commercialized. Most of the stores are locally-owned, and plenty of neighborhood institutions, like churches and parks, line the blocks. In the far distance you can see the foreboding obelisks of the financial district peeking through, including the under-construction Frank Gehry project down by the bridge.

I think the abundance of open space is what gives this street its strange feeling. With such congestion in the surrounding areas, its both nice and strange to see the wide sidewalks and open walkways around here.

Comments

[Kate]

Thanks to this blog, I am learning about so many nooks and crannies to the City that I never knew existed. I think i may takea field trip this weekend to check out this block. Thanks a lot!