7th Street Between 1st Ave and 2nd Ave
Just one block to the south of the hustle and bustle of 8th Street and St.Mark's Place we find this humble stretch of 7th Street. Spotted with the expected mixture of apartments, cafés, churches and tattoo parlors, it's a surprising drop-off from the craziness just north of it. Whereas 8th St is a nonstop barrage of shops and restaurants, 7th has a far greater residential presence which, even on a Saturday night, results in a significantly calmer aura. Much like other streets in the area, the street is made up entirely of older low-rise apartments with fire escapes and hastily scrawled tags. Old and new signs alike grace the street along with make-shift tree barriers and light fixtures. The years of old paint and counter-culture elements mixed with modern attempts at mimicking such character create an admittedly chic and interesting block filled with a little bit of everything.
Oh, and there's one of those Adult Swim / King of the Hill ads to ruin it all at the end.
Thursday, December 18, 2008 at 8:00AM