Meet 23rd Street
I had learned from walking 14th Street – one of the ten two-way streets between 1st and 100th – that although overwhelming at first glance, these streets have tremendous character and many gems to be discovered along the way. 23rd Street, the second two-way street that I have encountered on the Manhattan grid, was quite similar in scope to 14th but it, too, did not disappoint with all that it had to offer. Like 14th, this pathway is busy and commercial, filling a niche for all the people who live and work in the area. After traversing it multiple times, I was able to recognize how much history it has to offer, stunning architecture, unique shops and, of course, excellent food.
A favorite green oasis of mine is Madison Square Park. On any given day, there is something happening within the 6.2 acres. Interesting art exhibits, food truck festivals, and come September, the “jumbotron” screens will be set up, once again, to view the US Open Tennis tournament…and I have never been by when there has not been an extended queue waiting to order at the original Shake Shack. Located at the top of the Flatiron District, this historic neighborhood is named after the Flatiron Building – one of New York’s first, and most beautiful, skyscrapers – and the similarly designed cast iron, limestone and terra cotta-detailed office and residential buildings nearby.
Eating well on 23rd is certainly not an issue. It has become home to numerous salad and sandwich shops, and finer eateries including Mario Batali’s Eataly, which has a side entrance just off Fifth Avenue. Many inexpensive food spots line and decorate this lengthy road, inviting passersby in to chow down or drink up. One of the standouts was Schnipper’s Quality Kitchen (Lost Gem), where the build-your-own hamburger takes center stage. Although known for being a fabulous ping pong club, the food served at Spin is well-worth noting. The historic culinary site, El Quijote (Lost Gem), one of the oldest Spanish restaurants in the city, has beautiful murals lining the walls and serves large portions of many traditional favorites. Sweet treats are plentiful all along 23rd, but the few that we found ourselves returning to were The Doughnut Plant, the French pastry shop, La Maison du Macaron and the fresh baked breads and desserts with a Latin twist, at Big Booty Bread. There are numerous bars along 23rd, but Storehouse stood out for us. We were totally taken by the genuinely kind members of the Gralton family, arriving in the US only a short time ago to open their Irish pub.
The first location in the city for the Home Depot – a hardware haven – lies inside a glowing white façade of cast-iron. In 1878, the Stern Brothers moved in, making them New York City’s largest department store. Nearby is Congregation Emanuth Israel, one of New York’s oldest surviving synagogues, founded in 1852. Apartment spaces that were built in 1884 became The Chelsea Hotel in 1905. The Chelsea, as it is often referred to, has housed and served as a creative hub for countless culturally influential and famous musicians, writers and artists. Another historic landmark, the Traffic Building, is named after the old-world NYC Traffic Cafeteria Corporation. I stood across the street and stared up at this impressive, narrow and easily missed building ornamented with a veritable tapestry of intricately patterned terra cotta and brick. Further west is London Terrace, a massive brick apartment complex, known in the 1920s as Millionaire’s Row. It takes up an entire city block between Ninth and Tenth Avenue. As I approached the buildings, I remembered back to 2006 when I saw Richard Greenberg’s “The House In Town” at Lincoln Center, a play based on the lives of a couple who resided at London Terrace.
Right next door to the Chelsea Hotel is a tiny guitar store, filling a space that used to be the hotel’s own restaurant. Dan Courtenay at Chelsea Guitars began creating an environment in the 1970s that continues to attract music lovers from all parts of the world decades later.
One summer weekend, my extraordinary intern, Rebecca, took a bus ride to Washington DC. She commented to me that as the bus was wending its way towards the Lincoln Tunnel, she looked out the window and realized how inconspicuous many of the gems on this street are – “nothing popped out, the awnings and window signs did not beckon to the passerby.” Yet walking the street had taught me differently. And my response to Rebecca was “that is why we do what we do every day” — to gain a different perspective and give notice to the places that otherwise go undiscovered.
