Painting of the Radisson Martinique Hotel - printed on the little cardboard folder they gave us that contained our room keys.
Out of the hotel by 9:00am, we wandered south down Broadway, window shopping through the wholesale/retail jewelry district as we went, to 23rd street at Madison Square to have a look at the Flat Iron Building and the infamous "Kiss Loft" located at 10 East 23rd Street. We then went west on 23rd and picked up breakfast at a news cafe. The bagel and donut were both excellent and fresh and cheap. We walked a bit further down West 23rd street and had a look at the Hotel Chelsea. Most of this stuff I'd seen and photographed on previous trips to NYC but I was enjoying seeing it again and sharing it with my lovely travelling companion.
For quite some time we just wandered around, eventually doubling back east and then south, making our way down to Washington Square, where we finally got out the camera and started taking a few photos, including this one...
The Arch at Washington Square.
(All Images via: NYCDreamin Archives)
Tagged up delivery van seen near Washington Square.
We then worked our way over to Bleecker Street and snapped a few more photos, including these random graffed up doorways and the old faded logo for the legendary Yipster Times which was located at #9 Bleecker Street.
Graffiti'd doorway on Blecker Street.
Faded "Yipster Times" logo above doorway at #9 Bleecker Street.
Where Bleecker meets the Bowery, of course, was once home to CBGB. All that remains are some precious tattered sections of the layers of posters and flyers and stickers that once lined the walls of the place, preserved in the John Varvatos Gallery that now occupies this space. We stopped by and had a quick look before continuing on our way back north now. We eventually made it back to Union Square where there was an art show/vegetable market in full swing. We wandered around a bit admiring some of the art. From here we made our way back up to 23rd street again, and sat on a bench on the south edge of Madison Square to wait for a phone call for a lunch meeting with a friend. Due to circumstances beyond our control we were unable to have lunch on this particular day but we decided to try again at another point a few days later. A few minutes after we sat down, some guy on the next bench over started raving loudly and most assuredly angrily about his disdain of the homosexual lifestyle. He was not happy about it, no-siree he was not. We sat there pretending not to take notice of him as he yelled all kinds of wholly inapropriate and decidedly un-P.C. things. We decided it was time to move on as he kept getting louder and louder...
We went back to our hotel and cooled off a bit and decided to head right back out to get a late lunch. We walked over to 8th Avenue and began walking north. The Gorgeous One spotted "Fo-Ying" at 811 Eighth Avenue bet. 48th & 49th and decided that was where her lunch was to be found. She had some sesame chicken thing I think. And cheese-filled wantons. I was too busy giving her a hard time about an item on the menu - I kept asking her, "What's IN a Pu-Pu platter?" Half an hour later we were walking into The Bread Factory Cafe, a few blocks north at 935 Eighth Avenue at 56th Street. I chose the split pea soup despite the warm temperature that day. I added a few garlic knots as well and a Gatorade to wash it all down. It was delicious but then I'd known that it would be.
We walked back south through Times Square, making a stop at Colony Records so we could look at the over-priced collectibles. They do have some pretty cool and rare stuff in there though. We then made our way ever so slowly back down to the hotel to make a quick stop back at our room before grabbing a subway down to City Hall Park and then walking over to the South Street Sea Port to see what was happening down there. There were supposed to be some bands playing at 6:00pm but when we arrived they were still setting up equipment. We bored of it quickly and decided to walk our way back north along Broadway. As we walked back past City Hall Park, admiring some of the interesting sculptures in the park, we spotted a few black and grey squirrels romping around.
Sculpture and squirrel in City Hall Park (above and below)
We made a quick stop at the Strand bookstore at 828 Broadway at 12th Street. I picked up a copy of the amazing book "Rachel & Her Children" by Jonothan Kozol for $6.98. The book has many heartbreaking details about the former realities of tragic lives lived in city owned welfare hotels of the 1980's, one of which, the hotel we are staying at on this trip, the Martinique at 32nd and Broadway, was one of the most notorius.
It had been a long day and we'd covered quite a bit of ground. Both of us had sore legs. After relaxing back in our hotel for an hour or so, around 9:00pm we decided we needed cheeseburgers. I figured I could find 'em relatively close by and I was right. I walked a block east over to Fifth Avenue and then a block north up to 33rd. Right on the corner there is a "Papaya Dog" restaurant. I ordered two cheeseburgers and 2 fries and 2 lemonades - to go. Price was just a bit over $10.00. The food was ready in just a few minutes and then I was on my way back to the hotel with our late dinner. We sat and watched some TV and ate our food and by 10:30 or so decided it was time to turn in and get some real sleep for the first time in a few days. We had a busy day planned for the 3rd and could use the rest...
Another cool rendering of the Radisson Martinique, this one found on an informational brochure that the lady at the front desk gave us when we checked out on Wednesday morning.
...to be continued.
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