9th St Between Broadway and 3rd Ave

   

Somehow this near-desolate block, which begins with a Toys-R-Us Express in the shell of an old Blockbuster video, isn't as depressing as it could be. Acting more as a pathway between Greenwich village and the east village (with a quick stopover in Astor Place), these two blocks are comfortably nestled between the two bustling neighborhoods.

The first half is a dark street thanks to the looming presence of 770 Broadway, which seems to hold AOL, Nielsen and several other media companies under its roof. The second half is slightly more welcoming thanks to the inclusion of some smaller buildings, local shops and even a few rays of sunlight. Looking south you can spot some of the newer buildings that have been popping up around here and the Bowery. These alien structures are becoming more and more assimilated with the skyline everyday. I wonder how much longer it'll be before our vintage brick buildings begin to look like the out-of-place ones.

8th St Between University Pl and Broadway

   

On the outer boundaries of NYU's village campus, this street of endless stores has always stuck me as out-of-place. While much of neighborhood is filled with local shops and unique storefronts, this entire stretch may as well be known as Logo Lane. Sure, a few of the places along here are non-chain stores, and there are even slight signs of regression (Johnny Rocket's recently vacated a location here), but otherwise the endless parade of glowing signs is rather disheartening.

This overloading of retail has created a mini Times Square out of 8th street – a grim sign of what could happen to St. Mark's Place a few blocks to the east if development continues unabated.

Astor Place

   

Having written about 499 other blocks, it's often surprising what streets I've neglected to photograph thus far. Astor Place was certainly high on that list. It's possible that I'm in the neighborhood so often for other reasons that I'll often forget that it's not on the site. Now, to be fair this post is mostly covering the public square that is bound by 9th street, Broadway, Cooper Square and not Astor Place the street (which begins at Broadway and ends at Cooper Square). So, to those puritanical cartographers out there, I apologize.

Named, of course, after John Jacob Astor, once the wealthiest man in the United States, the square has been home to many different institutions over the years. The Subway station below the intersection features tera cotta plaques of beavers to commemorate the fur trade from which Astor got his riches. While the neighborhood isn't immune to redevelopment, historic buildings like the Cooper Union Hall have been able to stand the test of time. At one point the Square was home to two Starbucks locations, though that's since been paired down to a more reasonable one. 

Two notable items in the center of the traffic islands include Tony Rosenthal's sculpture named "The Alamo" and a recreation of an original 1904 NYC Subway entrance directly to the north. Both are popular landmarks for meeting up. 

K-Mart has its only Manhattan outpost in Astor Place, and even has a gaudy Subway-accessible entrance in its basement. There aren't too many other chain stores in the area, partially because there isn't enough space. A few bodegas and local shops line the northern end, and The Public Theater and The Astor Place Theater take up much of Lafayette Street south of the square, leaving only a small spot for Walgreens (previously Barnes and Nobel and Astor Wine & Liquor). Besides, the wide open streets allow for some rather stunning views up and down the avenues. The size of the intersection is almost perfect. It's not so big that it turns into Times or Union Square, but not so small that it's forgotten about (well, except by me, it seems).

8th St Between 3rd Ave and Broadway

Marking the southern-most boundary of Astor Place, 8th is a street that is full of history and character. Starting on 3rd Avenue with the Cooper Union Foundation Building, you can easily see why its such a revered piece of classic architecture. After being built in 1858, it became famous for hosting Lincoln's first speech in New York during his campaign.

There are plenty of other historic structures in the neighborhood here, and one of the great benefits of the open nature of the square is you can easily see many of them from one spot. Contrasted against these structures are the new, modern buildings that are popping up all over the place. Their avant-garde designs coupled with the classical stylings of the surrounding buildings create for a fascinating dichotomy.