The Essence of St. Patrick's Day

Third Ave El 1900

The essence of St. Paddy’s to me has always been to celebrate our ancestors. Not just the Irish but anyone from elsewhere in the world who courageously or otherwise came to this country, worked hard, took care of what they had, and improved it for their children. 

How I best observe St. Patrick’s Day is walking around the city and renewing my love for New York.

Thinking of my Irish grandfather, Thomas Pryor, born on the 3rd floor of a walkup at 50^th Street and Third Avenue in 1900. First four years of his life, dirty steam engines roared past his family’s front windows facing the Third Avenue El (the tracks were electrified in 1904). 

Imagining my Italian great-grandfather, Antonino Cuccia, making red wine in the cellar of 1403 York Avenue since the fruit stand at 1405 wasn’t enough to support the family of five. Nan told me he was embarrassed he couldn’t learn English so he always had a puss on his face.

As my family strolls through my head, the buildings I see, the points, the locations, the way the lights hit the brick, drive me giddy to distraction. I’m in awe. I walk around and consider my daughter at my age seeing many of these places years from now, maybe with her children and these buildings, these spots still delight, reminding her where we and all this comes from and she fondly recalls her ancestors and their work. 

Here are pictures from yesterday’s walkabout and three songs links in the photos captioned:

"Hail, Hail, Rock N' Roll," "Time Tangled Up," & "Waiting For The Man."

14th St & 7th Ave Fire Escape Party

Hail, Hail, Rock N' Roll!

Broadway on left, %th Ave on right ~ Bottom of Flatiron

St. George shuts up Big Mouth

1900

Hugh O'Neill Building

Time Tangled Up

Waiting For The Man

If only the city still had more corners such as this one

Old Hospital, Mental Ward, Military Prison & Pepsi Cola

looking towards Hoboken

Washington Street final blast of sunlight

Charles Street

Charles Street

Hudson St on left, 12th St on right

12th Street

The Ghost of the Third Avenue El

Pictured here is the eastside of Third Avenue between 82nd & 83rd Street in Yorkville. My interest in this block front is these unrenovated buildings were built in the 1800s. They faced the Third Avenue El before the track was electrified in 1905 (approx.). That means every few minutes on a work day, a steam engine train rumbled pass your window with dark soot flying and the pictures on your wall shook like a 5.9 earthquake.

Next time you walk this stretch, imagine that El there and what it felt and sounded like inside your front facing apartment.

There is an amazing Third Avenue El book, "By The El ~ Third Avenue and its El at mid-century."

Lawrence Stelter took his father, Lothar Stelter's photographs of the Third Avenue El and lovingly put together a book of every station up to East 129th Street. If you are interesting in New York's transportation history get this book.

Under the Third Avenue pictures are two cool cars I saw parked off 84th Street & First Avenue.