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Saturday, February 14, 2009

On 8 Million Stories and St. Mark's Place

St Marks Place, NYC
Photo by myself on St. Mark's Place, a very popular hang-out for the kids in the East Village.

This street has become more sanitized and gentrified, believe it or not. The neighborhood is active at all hours. At bars and music venues nearby, you can catch emerging bands for a modest cover charge.

Though you can still get piercings, t-shirts and tattoos, the vibe here has become more Hello Kitty recently.

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Last night I happened upon an inspiring source of images from New York, in the Times, no less. The paper has taken advantage of their online format, in that they're no longer limited to a certain number of printed pages.

The series 1-in-8 million shows interviews and photo-essays of regular New Yorkers. It's a fascinating, striking view into the lives of all sorts of people.

The black and white photos are superb, as are the stories of these New Yorkers, told in their own voices. Meet a precocious high school cheerleader who studies several languages, or a gentleman who works with mens suiting at Saks Fifth Avenue. There's a 90-year old woman who makes mozzarella cheese in Williamsburg and a man who's owned a drugstore on the Lower East Side for 40 years.

Each person is so remarkable and beautifully presented, I wish I could meet them in person.

An interview with a new New Yorker is added each week. I'm completely hooked.

Related posts: Buying in Bulk, Tis the Season and Shopping on St. Mark's Place.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

My Sunday paper used to have a Day-in-the-Life interview and I loved those - they weren't famous people but often people who did quirky or unusual things or just everyday jobs. Fascinating.

dianasfaria.com said...

what a great idea. I love these human interest type of stories. That is probably why I am addicted to other peoples blogs!
You've managed to capture the feel of the old St. Marks quite well despite the Hello Kitty stuff.

Anonymous said...

I like this photo and I also like to write human interest stories especially from the past. Cars without windshield wipers. No heaters. Crank out windshields -- things I rode in and remember very well.

Abraham Lincoln
Brookville Daily Photo

roentare said...

Fabulous street shot.

The evening light makes the image pop!