Heights

On Sunday, I finally went on a Forgotten New York walking tour. After many years of saying and never going, C motivated me to a morning subway and we made our way up to 145th street in Manhattan.

The group of about 40 or so wandered around the streets of Hamilton Heights and Sugar Hill under the guidance of Forgotten's Kevin Walsh and Sergio Kadinsky. Because of the rather large size of the group and my tendency to stop and take photos, I ended up missing a lot of what our tour guides had to say. However it was interesting to explore a neighborhood that I spent little time in before.

Bizarre churches. - lots of them. Some in storefronts -- others in enormous, modern shells. Steep streets running into Riverside Drive. Decaying homes and ruined temples. Water treatment plants with iceskating rinks.

Like many neighborhoods of New York, there were blocks of blight steps away from blocks of amazing architectural beauty. Incredible, detailed craftsmanship on the rows of Brownstones that lined some streets.

It was cold and we were feeling a little under the weather from the previous evening's holiday cheer, so we cut out a bit early. But I am glad that we went. Note to self for future tours: bring C's freshly baked chocolate chip cookies for some tasty munching.

Check out Forgotten New York for excellent information on New York City. The webmaster Kevin Walsh is a master of revealing significant historial details in our architectural past and making sure they are well documented before they dissapear.