Photographs and text by Stephen Harmon
Ever since I moved to the Upper West Side in the 1970s, friends and family who live in other parts of the city or in the suburbs or different states, have frequently asked me why I love this neighborhood so much.
It’s easy to tick off the obvious reasons — access to two great parks and public transportation, rich cultural institutions and museums, stunning architecture — but what I love most about the UWS is its “street life,” which is always all around me and filled with interesting people and sights.
It may just be people crossing the street or a parent walking a child to school or music students with their instruments. Sometimes it’s people in a coffee shop window or lining up for breakfast in front of a food cart or at Gray’s Papaya. It may be the odd things I notice, like the newspaper delivery man who walks through the street with a stack of papers on his head or the pigeons that fly close by. I could go on and on.
Here are some photos I took of UWS street life. I hope you find something to enjoy.
