Sidewalk Encroachment

This qualifies as a bad place to sit because: 1) it’s in the row of tables closest to people walking by, and; 2) there isn’t even a barrier separating the tables from pedestrians. This isn’t just bad for the people at the tables, but for pedestrians also. This place is especially bad because they’ve put in three rows of tables instead of the customary two.

If you’re not from around this neighborhood you may not recognize that this is the (relatively) new Bowery Hotel, on The Bowery, just above Bleecker Street. Directly behind me is the Salvation Army mens shelter. Just past the right edge of the photo is a single-room occupancy hotel. And right in between is one of the most expensive hotels in the city.

I take pictures of this place almost every time I pass it. The problem is that I pass it in the evening, when the sun illuminates everything in the shot, and the contrast is too high between this building, which is darker than its surroundings, and the buildings around it. I need to come shoot it in the morning, when the sun is still behind these buildings. Eventually, I’ll get the right light.

(You might notice in the background two people sitting at another table. That is where you should sit, if you want to sit outside: on the inside row.)

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