Thursday, August 15, 2013

That Ever-Dwindling Flower District...today and just two years ago

It is really so sad to watch Manhattan's Flower District shrinking away to nothing...this time of year it should be in fine fettle, with tons of flowers and shrubs and plants ( as it was in 2011, as I will show later with just part of huge article that was run in "Scouting New York"

First though, a video I shot today on just about all that is left on Sixth Avenue of that part of the district...guess there is more to be found around there, but this was what was most apparent to the average observer...

Oh, by the way, if you want to see this video full screen there is an icon here on the screen to click for that ( and then you hit Escape to get out of the full screen when you have had enough).

I wish I were shooting in HD just so the full screen video would look better, but I write this as I am waiting around for a hell of a long time this afternoon for this little video to upload ( it is only about 45 seconds).

I only can bear to run PART of the 2011 Scouting NY story because it seems to me the area has shriveled away so much since then...and it is painful to watch.

The Jungles of West 28th Street – Exploring New York’s Flower District

Posted by Scout on August 22nd, 2011

I was scouting near Chelsea the other day, and happened to walk through one of my all-time favorite green spaces in the city: West 28th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues.

To properly start the journey into the jungles of West 28th Street, begin on 6th Avenue just south of the McDonalds. There, you’ll find the sidewalk lined on both sides with six-foot tall walls of green flora for sale. Hang a left onto West 28th Street…

…and this amazing green passageway through our busy metropolis continues…

…and continues…

…and continues.

My favorite stretches are when you’re completely surrounded by plantlife on either side, blocking out the passing traffic and city noise, a wonderfully surreal experience.

This is New York’s Flower District, a dwindling but still vibrant community of plant wholesalers and retailers.

According to a NY Times article, the Flower District originally began around a ferry dock on East 34th Street, where pushcart vendors would gather to buy and sell flowers being shipped across the river from Long Island.

In the 1890′s, many of the vendors relocated to the West 28th Street area to be closer to a richer clientele. By 1977, more flowers were being bought and sold in New York than anywhere in the world other than Amsterdam.

When I first arrived in New York City in 2000, you could still walk about half the block without seeing the street. Sadly, the Flower District has been disappearing a little more each year as developers buy up properties.