Broadway's Many Faces!

From 1/7/10
I really didn't have any idea where I wanted to walk today. I walked towards Union Square for inspiration and ultimately decided to walk down Broadway but in the downtown direction this time. Let me just say the further downtown you are, the more interesting and quirky the neighborhoods are. At least that's what I've noticed so far.



I only walked a couple of blocks when I decided to go inside Forbidden Planet, to call it simply a comic book store would be an understatement. It's comic book culture. T-shirts, collectible dolls (sorry, action figures), DVDs, games, and of course comics and books. Not one child was in sight! Only grown men perused the shelves and had discussions on what collections they had at home (my toys are cooler than your toys). I was eventually expecting them to schedule a play date. Eavesdropping was actually becoming very entertaining Lol! So to the Star Wars, Justice League, and Transformer fans out there, I totally get it!













Not that much further down was Strand bookstore. It had been a while since I rummaged through the $1.00 used book carts. I used to get lucky every time I searched through those carts but luck seem to evade me today. Oh well. I went inside to search for deals and was immediately reminded that Strand was definitely no frills. It you want coffee, a comfortable seat to read, or even room to walk, this is not the place. They boast of having 18 miles of books. And that's definitely all you get. I lingered in the NYC section and found books about different neighborhoods in Manhattan and saw a few maps. Everything seemed to be priced so high, so I left without making any purchases but with good ideas for future walks.

The neighborhood began to change suddenly as I got to a sign that said welcome to NoHo. I believe that NoHo means North of Houston. Further down was SoHo(South of Houston). I can't even front, I just recently learned this. I thought it was some kind of Asian reference. LOL! If shopping for the latest trends in clothing is your goal, then this is definitely the area. And the prices were reasonable in most stores. I day dreamed about being able to shop in "normal" stores. I can't wait to say good bye to Lane Bryant and Ashley Stewart (big girl stores). I dream of the day I can go into ANY store of my choosing and pick up an outfit. Oh my...some of you just don't understand the luxury you have. These thoughts only gave me more motivation to walk further.


I found a nice outdoor shop called "The Village Shops on Broadway"(had a flea market feel to it) that sold handmade knitted hats, gloves, scarves, and sweaters. The
prices were great! They also sold the usual suspects like incense, jewelry, wooden statues, and art. Definitely gonna keep that place on my radar.


Soon I saw a place that was an old favorite. LUSH. It's a shop where they sell completely natural handmade soaps, bath salts, cosmetics, lotions, deodorants, anything for your body or hair. Walking into LUSH is straight up aromatherapy. Yes, they are a little pricey, but if you are allergic to EVERYTHING and have sensitive skin, I would say its worth it. As I took a picture, one of the employees
yelled "No photography!!" Dang...chill pill lady. But I already got my pics so I
didn't argue. The names of some of the "bath bombs" are cute. Bath bombs are basically these balls you drop in the bath tub and they sizzle and dissolve leaving the water scented with natural fragrances and essential oils. They make your skin really soft. One bath bomb was called "the happy pill" and it was shaped like a huge aspirin. The names of some of the products were so comforting.
"Blue Skies & Fluffy White Clouds" and "The Comforter" just to name a few. I got a free hand treatment (heaven) and a free sample of dream cream. I left with my hands feeling as soft as a baby's bum and didn't even buy a thing (I will be back next week definitely for that cream).




As I continued down Broadway, the neighborhood began to change again. It began to feel kinda of industrial or kinda like wall street, I wasn't too sure what was coming up. But once I saw City Hall, I had my bearings and knew the area. A sign jumped out at me "People with A.I.D.S. Plaza". Wow, what a way to label a plaza. Not very subtle is it? It was clear it was not about A.I.D.S. it was about the "People" affected by A.I.D.S. Or maybe I was making it deeper than it really was.

Random Thought: While I lived in Chicago. Some of the weirdest topics came up when Chicagoans asked me about New York. "I here you guys have no alleys!" This statement came up at least 10 times during my year in Chicago. I had never thought about it and I didn't know why it was such a big deal. But as I was walking, I realized we do have a few alleys, most are called lanes (i.e. Catherine Lane). Just so ya know. Oh and I picked up a free map. Can't believe I was actually gonna buy one....geesh.

As I came up on Fulton Street, I began looking for the train to head home and I noticed a big red crane. Then my memory was suddenly jogged and I was like "This is the ground zero area". I turned right toward Church Street and there was ground zero.




Construction workers were hard at work with bulldozers and cranes even though it was pitch black outside (but NYC is never truly pitch black). It had been some years since I had been in this area. The last time I was there, the gates didn't conceal all the construction work being done. You could blatantly see where the World Trade Center once was. It didn't seem like much work has been done over the past 9 years. It has crossed my mind every single time I take pictures of the skyline that our beloved Twin Towers are gone. I decided that this was the perfect time to go home before I began to obsess over the tragedy that affected so many of us....Sigh.

Streets walked
Broadway (14th-Fulton Street)
Fulton Street (Broadway-Church St.)