Discount Health Club

Very low priced health club on lower Park Avenue.

Lots of spas and gyms are not doing so well in the present economy.

There was a man handing out flyers in front of this place but he ran away the minute he saw my camera.

No Smoking Zones

Smoking is forbidden just about everywhere in New York including parks and beaches...

This apartment building doesn't want anyone smoking in front of it either.

Saw guy smoking his cigarette next door in front of a church.

New Year's Eve hats in Deli Window

This deli has New Year's Eve hats sitting on top of coffee cups in window.

Bit of whimsical decoration?

Gucci Sunglasses

I don't see anything so special about the Gucci sunglasses...

Sounds like you are just paying for a name, and they may be counterfeit anyway.

Do they come with some certificate of authenticity?

Bosco's Coins and Collectibles

"Coins and collectibles"-- old auto hood ornaments, Georg Jensen silver ,
antque cards of various sorts --

Saw this place on 32nd Street the other day and came back to document it better.

Wondered what cards with Lincoln's picture on them were...apparently from some 1909 centennial of his birth.

The Compleat Strategist

Not being part of the computer generation, forgot how important computer games are to a lot of people..

This place is called the Compleat Strategist..."Adventure Game Headquarters."

Kind of place I would usually ignore.

Gym class

As I took this picture of a school gym class in the afternoon, some parents and nannies were already waiting around for the day to be over and to pick up children.

Coins and Collectibles

Little shop on 32nd Street looks like it has been there for ages...

It advertises "coins and collectibles"-- I will have to come back and get some closer shots.

Doubt this is the kind of place where you will find some kind of bargain you would take to "Antiques Roadshow."

Benches on 34th Street

Little inlets on North side of 34th Street near Lexington Avenue are very popular places for people to just sit on the benches in the afternoon...

I don't find it all that inviting myself but the spot does get sunshine.

7 Park Avenue

Back in the 1930's, developer could not obtain the corner at 34th Street and Park Avenue so he built an L shaped building around it.

In the 1950's, the corner was obtained and a new addition was built and the two incorporated...you can see the difference in architectural style between the two period.

The residents' entrance is on 34th Street and the "trade" entrance is on Park Avenue....thought it would have been the other way around.

Library Way

Sidestreet leading to Main Branch of the New York Public Library has all these plaques set in the sidewalk...just showing two of them ( there are a couple of dozen)

One of plaques says "The world is made up of books, not atoms"--so you catch the drift of the inscriptions.

More Spring Fashions

I usually think of boutiques as being farther up in Manhattan or downtown, but Midtown is full of them.

Spring clothes ( or are they summer really) are here...

Armenian Evangelical Church

The Armenian Evangelical Church was formed back in the 1890's.

In 1921, it was moved from sharing quarters with a Presbyterian Church in the neighborhood to this site on East 34th Street.

The building it is in was built as a bank but was never used for that purpose.

Just another little historical site that pops up in Midtown.

Waiting Blossoms

Trees on 34th Street started blossoming when temperatures warmed up last week..

Now it is chilly and trees just seem to be waiting for it to get warmer.

No Entry

Because of tunnel entrances and exits, there is a complicated pattern of one way streets around here..

Despite signs, people occasionally go the wrong way up one way streets, always acting very surprised when they find themselves in a predicament.

So may people must be distracted when they are driving...see people on cell phones and texting all the time.

Steakhouse

Neighborhood steakhouse uses what looks like old "cheesecake" calendar image on its ad.

Health Ratings - A & B

All restaurants are supposed to display ratings from City Board of Health... an "A" rating being the best. I am not sure what shortcomings account for a "B" rating but I know a "C" rating means the place is pretty bad.

Never seen a "C" rating around here ...but understand there ratings can be appealed and in the meantime show their old ratings so you can't really be sure.

Whole rating system is a source of great controversy and restaurateurs are all upset about it.

French Nails

This neighborhood is FULL of places for manicures and pedicures...

Seems like there is one every time you turn around.

Coup de Coeur

Coup de Coeur is another little boutique on Third Avenue that specializes in I gather is more or less upscale fashion ( I am no fashion expert).

Tulips?

Daffodils up the street have bloomed but chilly weather has withered them some.

These flowers are just waiting for it to get a little warmer...are they tulips?

Forever Basketball

Basketball courts in St. Vartan's Park are in constant use, especially on weekends .

People play when it is freezing or broiling.
The only things that stop them are rainstorms or too much snow built up on the court.

Lesotho Mission

Murray Hill is full of foreign missions and consulates.

Had to look up Lesotho. It is a landlocked country of about 2 million people ( 40% of whom live below the poverty line), surrounded by South Africa.

Lesotho roughly translates as
"People who speak the language of Sesotho."

Kips Bay Store

This new store says it is in Kips Bay but places just around the corner practically claim to be in Murray Hill.

As I have noted, people would prefer to be considered to be in Murray Hill even if they are on the far outskirts.

Spring Cleaning?

Someone has decided to rid themselves of a lot of unwanted items...and sort of strewn them on the sidewalk.

Teeth Braces Ad

Have seen this ad in the subway but never on a billboard or the side of a building before.

Fifth Avenue Electronics Store

This is store window across the street from the Empire State Building...

A lot of people from Europe look for bargains on digital cameras and other electronic gadgets in New York.

Yogi's Indian Vegetarian Paradise

New York has loads of vegetarians but not as many vegetarian restaurants as you might think.

Of course, a lot of the people who go to restaurants in Midtown are tourists and this may have something to do with it.

Hummus

Hummus is very popular in NY now as a healthy food.

Used to be a Tibetan restaurant here that was something of a landmark because the owner actually got the city to apprehend the man who was defacing his north wall (which had a painted mural) with political posters.

Guy they arrested turned out to be a city employee, which was no surprise.

Scavenger

Man collecting bottles and cans to to take in for the deposit. You see a good number of people doing this...
result is Manhattan has a very high recycling rate of bottles and cans.

Landmark Building- Grolier Club

You could miss this building very easily, and the plaque declaring its Landmark Status.

Built as the Grolier Club in 1890, it now houses a rug store on the ground floor and who knows what else above.

There are a lot of people interested in landmarking buildings in New York...owners frequently object because then they are put under all kinds of restraints in renovating them.

Window box and cameras

This is the first colorful window box I have seen this Spring...

Notice all the security cameras around it.

Fancy Fruit

The Manhattan Fruitier store specializes in fruit baskets and the like.

Were a number of people in their store, so it seems to be doing well despite the recession.

Last incident I remember about fruit were these monthly gift baskets from Oregon that were very popular once.

Someone sent me a year's worth of shipments. Most of the fruit was going bad by the time it arrived...

Showroom

This furniture showroom has plant growing out of wall, upper left...

Always interesting to see how these showrooms are decorated.

Check Cashing Place

As electronic services grow and Manhattan becomes more gentrified, you see fewer of these check cashing places around.

Union Jack at Ramada Inn

Noticed Ramada Inn on Lexington Avenue was flying both the American flag and the Union Jack.

Wonder what is going on here...is there a contingent of British visiters there-- or is Ramada owned by the British, or what?

Interesting Door?

Noticed these people were very interested in this door...saw them from way down the block, taking pictures of it.

Looks pretty unremarkable to me...I wonder what made them so interested.

Tourist near Empire State Building

Woman takes picture of Empire State Building.

This must have been a great day to be up on the observation decks, very sunny and with high visibility.

A little windy, though, if you were on the open air deck on the 86th floor...

Old Public Library on Fifth Avenue

Main Public Library on Fifth Avenue as it appears after cleaning work on exterior, which took forever.

Believe it or not, I have never been inside the main library...have been at the Reference Library across the street a lot though.