6th St Between Ave A and Ave B

Just south of Tompkins Square Park this part of 6th St is quintessential Alphabet City. With the famous Sidewalk Cafe anchoring the corner, a series of smaller restaurants quickly follow, though few seem as popular as the venerable Sidewalk.

My memory (and photos) may be failing me now, but I can't remember one piece of new development along the entire block. It's really refreshing to see an entire street untouched by some bland, modern sore thumb of a building.

12th St Between Ave B and Ave C

The two overwhelming features on this block – P.S. 61, and the rear parking lot of an apartment complex – face each other in the center of the street. This creates for a rather imposing and monotonous center to what is, otherwise, a very character-filled alphabet city street.

The east side of the block starts off with a strange empty lot, which seems to be supporting two other buildings with some buttressing. Later on down the block is the hilariously stereotypical Social Security Administration office, which looks just like you'd expect a government building.

Ave C Between 12th St and 10th St

A good majority of this stretch is cast in the shadow of the super block to the east. However, unlike lots of other super blocks, this one feels rather airy and open, so it's not nearly as drab as some parts of town.

It's interesting to see the comparison of the turn-of-the-century buildings on the west side of the avenue, to the mid-century concept of urban redevelopment across the street, contrasted with the modern concept of redevelopment found a few blocks away (near Ave A, or 1st). Three very different styles of architectures, each celebrated or decried for their own reasons sitting side-by-side in the same neighborhood.

The street is almost exclusively filled with local retailers and shops. The multi-colored signs and murals give a lot of life and character to this block. 

13th St Between Ave A and Ave B

I consider 13th street the first real stretch within the Alphabet City neighborhood (even though 14th exists between avenues A, B & C). With the bustle of Stuyvesant Town a distant echo, much of this block is only just beginning to see the redevelopment that defines much of the nearby Bowery.

As an almost exclusively residential street, I came across a few condo developments nestled in with the low rise apartments. Some of these newer buildings looked completely out-of-place on the character-driven street, as if they were transplanted from Florida.

Trees, plants, graffiti and wall murals are all common sights – as are blue or red-painted bricks. By the time you get to Avenue B, there are almost no new buildings, and much of the neighborhood seems untouched by developers – but for how long is anyone's guess.

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.