We had taken an amazing apartment on West 29th Street in NYC. I LOVED that apartment so much. The neighborhood, however, took a while to warm up to. My husband and I had just moved from the apartment we lived in on Broadway at Bleecker, a hugely fun, stylish, beautiful people area and I was always somewhere inside a store. It was 2 blks north of SoHo. I was spoiled rotten for real estate, and measured all of NYC against downtown living.
When we came to the garment district/penn station.. I was simultaneously heartbroken and grossed out... I'd always felt it was one of the uglier areas of the city with its tall, imposing gray buildings, oily street water and pigeon crap everywhere. The people-watching near Penn Station was abysmal.Really, it wasn't, but I LIKED drawing leggy good life model types and fashionistas--- It was so hard to focus on anyone when everyone looked so...ordinary.
That was me initially.
After living there for over 6 years, I was wrong about the neighborhood's character. Oh, it's still ugly, hard and full of charmless chain restaurants. The people move like swarming ants and overall everyone is pretty pissed off/anxious/focused elsewhere (unless it is either a tourist, or it's after 7 pm)).
However, this was life, pure and simple, in New York. Living reality is more interesting than (most) fantasies, and that includes drawn figures.
Anyhow, here are a few of my observations, enjoy. I will post as many as I can, with their stories as often as I can.
xo
Su
LE VENTRE
I think this gentleman must have lived in the neighborhood because I saw him often, walking down 29th street, usually to pick up food. I always thought that he looked like he was in the middle of watching tv and going to the kitchen for a snack.Maybe he was...?
FOX NEEDS HELP
Normally, I wouldn't name a drawing something so...objectifying. But I watched THREE different men run across 8th avenue to offer help her with her bags.She turned them all down.
MADAME Du CAP
I noticed this lady walking very slowly on the sidewalk, with her cane. There was something aristocratic about the way she walked (or she may have had a stiff back, I don't know these things...) I was wild about the fact that she threw a Yankees cap on top of her turban.Weirdly enough, the feedback I get on this illustration is that she makes people feel sad. Then they usually mention that they need to call their grandmothers.
