Doyers Street illuminated by the sun. Chinatown, New York City.
Out of the way streets tell a wealth of tales. The bright afternoon sun beats down on old decaying walls and fire escapes creating elongated shadows that seem to stretch indefinitely. If the well-worn awnings could talk, just think of the secrets they would reveal.
This is one of my favorite streets in Lower Manhattan. It’s Doyers Street located in Chinatown. I have always considered it more of an alley. It’s a peculiar street that winds and curves around tucking itself away from the rest of Chinatown. At only around 200 feet long, Doyers Street runs from Pell Street to Chatham Square. It’s home to very old tenements and long-standing businesses like The Nom Wah Tea Parlor which opened in 1927.
In the early 20th century the curve in the street was known as “the Bloody Angle” because of a plethora of violent acts carried out by Chinatown gangs. The expression ‘hatchet man’ is said to have come from this era and these violent acts which often included hatchets. While the street is not bloody or violent today, it’s been used in a variety of films and is definitely worth a visit.
—-
View this photo larger and on black on my Google Plus page
—-
Buy “Doyers Street - Chinatown - New York City” Prints and Posters here, View my store, email me, or ask for help.
![liquidnight:
Masao Gozu
20 Matt Street, February 5, 1987
From the In New York series
[From the Réunion des Musées Nationaux]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpyjdgzzXy1qzhl9eo1_500.jpg)
20 Matt Street, February 5, 1987
From the In New York series
[From the Réunion des Musées Nationaux]
Ryan Adams - Lucky Now single cover. Blizzard in the East Village, New York City.
I have some incredible news to share. I was contacted by Ryan Adam’s independent music label a couple of months ago regarding commercial usage of one of my photos from this past winter for the cover of Ryan Adam’s latest single called “Lucky Now” (shown here in this post). I happily agreed!
The single is off Ryan Adam’s upcoming album called “Ashes & Fire”. You can view the cover to the single with my photo on it as well as listen to the single on Ryan Adam’s official Facebook page here:
It’s impossible to articulate how over the moon I am about this! I am extremely grateful to Ryan Adams for using my photo for this particular single.
The photo is special to me because it was taken during the peak of a very rough blizzard last winter which I ventured out in specifically with the intent of capturing my neighborhood wrapped in the embrace of a beautiful storm. The blizzard produced wind gusts of 55+ mph and ended up blanketing New York City in 20 inches of snow. It was taken in the East Village on one of my favorite streets in the winter. I love winter storms down here on the Lower East Side. It’s nearly impossible to keep me inside when the world is transformed into a wild snow-globe. There is nothing quite like New York City covered in freshly fallen snow.
I have created an album over at my Google Plus profile which shows the original photo along with the album cover (shown in this post):
Ryan Adams - Lucky Now single cover with photography by Vivienne Gucwa
—-
Buy “Winter Blizzard - New York City” Cards, Prints and Posters here, View my store, email me, or ask for help.
Summer night. Central Park, New York City
Over the glistening cobblestones in the late summer haze, the twinkling lights of oncoming cars cast their glow like fireflies in a dense urban forest.
This is when the city dreams.
—-
View this photo larger and on black on my Google Plus page
—-
Buy “Into The Light - Central Park” Posters and Prints here, View my store, email me, or ask for help.
4 Park Avenue and the Empire State Building towering over birds in flight. Midtown, New York City.
There is a majestic quality that 4 Park Avenue possesses which draws me in every time I pass it in my travels. Built in 1913, the building used to be the home of the famous Vanderbilt Hotel and among its famous residents throughout the years was opera singer Enrico Caruso who lived in the building in the 1920s.
Commissioned by the great grandson of railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, the hotel was erected in 1912 primarily for wealthy permanent residents looking to occupy space in a building with many amenities. It was designed by the co-designers of Grand Central Terminal, Warren & Whetmore. The Vanderbilts sold the building in 1925 and in 1967 the hotel was converted to apartments and offices.
—-
View this photo larger and on black on my Google Plus page
—-
Buy “Birds in Flight Against Skyscrapers” Posters and Prints here, View my store, email me, or ask for help.
The Brooklyn Bridge. New York City.
One of my favorite things to do is to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. I never take it for granted that I live in (relative) walking distance from one of the most photographed bridges in New York City. It’s an iconic legend and everything anyone tells you about the bridge’s views is absolutely true. It’s equally breathtaking at sunset, sunrise and at night when the building’s lights that make up the lower New York City skyline shine like a multitude of twinkling stars.
What I love most about bridge walks here in New York City is the changing view and the vantage points over the river. Brooklyn Bridge is also stunning due to its structural and architectural elements. It’s hard not to gaze up in wonder at the cables which lead the eyes towards its beautiful arches. There is always one point in my bridge adventures where I spend far too long with my head thrown back gazing up at these sorts of things that I almost tip over. Thankfully, I am usually not the only one experiencing this silly dizzying phenomenon .
—-
I will be absent from these parts for the next 3 days. My last semester of school starts early tomorrow morning and I am going directly from school in the evening to Philadelphia for a few days. A friend of mine who lives in Philadelphia will be moving to Ireland in a few weeks and so we will be celebrating her upcoming move. I love Philadelphia so much. The last time I was there I didn’t have a real camera with me so I am looking forward to getting a few photos of the city.
However, I am a bit worried about the imminent hurricane! New York has declared a State of Emergency. Thankfully my neighborhood is not in an evacuation zone but I live very close to an area on the Lower East Side that has major issues with flooding and is in Zone C. Zone C is a zone that experiences storm surge flooding from a major hurricane only (Category 3 & 4) and no one really knows how forceful Hurricane Irene will be when it gets in the vicinity of New York City. I am trying to think positively. The facts that give me some peace of mind currently are that my cats will be well taken care of and my building is very low to the ground.
To all my East Coast friends: please stay safe. Have a great weekend everyone!
—-
View this photo larger and on black on my Google Plus page
—-
Buy “The Brooklyn Bridge’s Arch and Cables” Posters and Prints here, View my store, email me, or ask for help.
Page 1 of 3
