Madison St Between Rutgers St and Clinton St

This area seems to me like a patchwork of surrounding neighborhoods. With the East River and East Broadway defining the general boundaries of this sub-grid of streets, there's only so far you can go before you stumble upon something completely different.

With Madison Street being a large, double-wide road (to me, it seems bigger than Madison Avenue, but I could be wrong), you can get a pretty clear view down either direction. There's a large housing project on the south side while older buildings (and some new construction) make up the north.

Cherry St Between Pike St and Market St

With the constant rumbling of the subway traversing the bridge overhead, the area directly below the Manhattan Bridge's western anchorage is mostly filled with parks, stores and more parks. While there are certainly apartments to be found, most are on adjacent blocks.

Cherry Street has the privilege of going directly through archway under the overpass. With the overwhelming smell of urine present, you won't find much time to ponder the lone tree stump in the middle of the tunnel. Exiting to the west, there is a long line of ball fields, basketball courts and playgrounds. With plenty of shade and lots of open space, it's a rather pleasant place to hang around – even if it is a tad grimy.

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.

Elk St Between Chambers St and Duane St

Elk is a really short street – so short that half of it is blockaded to traffic along with Duane Street. With hardly a marked crosswalk to help pedestrians access it from City Hall, its only real characteristic is a massive parking lot with an equally massive Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank mural painted high above (they own the building). 

As I mentioned, walking past Reade Street, there's no more vehicular access (for now – it's just barricaded), which is liberating but a tad uninviting. The tall buildings open up a little towards Duane Street when you encounter the African Burial Ground National Monument, which is particularly beautiful amongst all the boring stuff surrounding it. The corner of Elk and Duane is one of those comically over-named ones as Elk St, Duane St, Paul O'Dwyer Way, and African Burial Ground Way signs all share the same post. 

Broadway Between Vesey St and Park Pl

Across from City Hall Park, these sun-drenched blocks are less crowded when compared to the neighbor on the other side. While Park Row is filled with J&R storefronts, and tourists clamoring to get to the Brooklyn Bridge, this little bit of Broadway is quieter (though not by much).

Perhaps most notable here is the 57-story Woolworth Building, which is really a sight to behold. The stone detailing is really spectacular, and even from ground-level, there's a tremendous sense of scale. However, not even a grand building such as this is immune from the current economy – several of it's storefronts are empty.

Something I found interesting here, was the names of the streets being embedded in the sidewalk on the corners. I can't say I've ever encountered that before.

Irving Pl Between 15th St and 16th St

When I first moved to New York City, I found Irving Place to be incredibly interesting. It seems to be one of the quietest, most-exclusive stretches of road in the city, despite being only a block away from one of the busiest areas of town. Snugly fit between Gammercy Park on the north and 14th Street on the south, walking down Irving on a Sunday morning will make one feel like they've entered a different era.

Now, why I picked the stretch between 15th and 16th for this post, I will never know. It's easily one of the least enchanting sections of the neighborhood. But I must do what I can!  

Perhaps the standout feature of the block is Irving Plaza, which at some point in the past year or two, unbeknownst to me, was picked to revive the old Fillmore (East?) name. The old theater is certainly showing it's age, but that's perhaps the charm.  I've seen several great shows there in the past, so I can't complain. What I can complain about is the hideous new marquee which now graces the front. While the previous design wasn't going to win any awards, at least it had character and classic design going for it. This new one looks like something a committee thought was a "great idea". Pity.  

The sole food option here is Galaxy Global Eatery. I know nothing about it, but one could probably assume it's expensive (if only because of it's location in the city, and proximity to Irving Plaza). Also categorically alone on the block is the one bank- Flushing Savings Bank.

For a typography junkie like me, the two high points have to be John's Shoe Repair and Marburger Surgical Corp. I don't believe I've ever seen Marbuger open, so it's safe to assume they no longer occupy that corner, but at least the great sign remains. John's Shoe Repair is another example of great, classic signage.  

Next time I'm in the area, I will be sure to cover a more interesting segment (either the great Con Ed building to the south, or some of the beautiful cafés and residences to the north).

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