By Caitlin Hawke

Hello, West End Ginkgo. And welcome back from your overwintering.  Reports of your demise were greatly exaggerated.  Your surgeon must share my joy and sit here, too, on the sideline, cautiously optimistic that you will best the sequelae of your maiming for seasons to come.

Begging forgiveness, I, too, am guilty of premature reports and plead naiveté in the face of the awesome power of nature, and pessimism in face of human baseness, but am now woke.

Every time I walk by, I look up at you, wink and grin. You are a force to reckon with. Your resilience is a poem.  Your leaves, though small, are mighty.  Your trunk, though interrupted, is righteous.  And your endurance is a lesson to all.

You are large, you contain multitudes, and I am in love with you,
A West End Avenue Admirer

The "One from the Vault" feature plumbs the archives of back issues of Block Association newsletters for the benefit of new neighbors and lovers of our community and its history.  To read other pieces from the vault, click on the category at right.

Remember the Easy-Bake Oven that operated on the wattage of a lightbulb and actually baked your treat? Well, the output of this A/C was the cooling equivalent of baking with a lightbulb.  Eventually, if I didn't move around and if I sheeted off the back half of my beloved first studio to keep the "cool" air contained, I could bring the temperature down just enough to sit there and not drip...while I watched my cache from the Movie Place.

Ok, so back to my point. Gary Dennis, who came to own the Movie Place, as many neighbors well know, and who grew up around here, was driven by his film obsession to commemorate the old residence of the boy who would become Bloomingdale's biggest Hollywood legend, Humphrey Bogart.  Bogie's childhood home is 245 West 103rd Street.  And there, thanks to Gary, you can see the plaque.

Below, a September 2006 Block Association newsletter article -- one from the vault -- by David Reich tells the whole tale of the commemoration.  David shared the color photo at the bottom of this post.

The whole affair makes me want to whistle a cheer.  You know how to whistle, don't cha?

(Remember, to see embedded videos if you are receiving these posts by email, you have to click on the title of the post above and view in your browser.)

By Caitlin Hawke

Just a reminder that our nod to Earth Day is a hyper-local one: we're planting the tree wells and generally throwing some TLC to our beloved trees (but don't get me started on that now-dead gingko). It all happens this Saturday.  And I am reiterating my request here for pictures.  I will make a gallery and your labors of love will be duly recorded. 

This Saturday. 878 West End Ave.  10 a.m.

And with that, I have a few special terrestrial Tiny Tim numbers as an Earth Day lagniappe. You cannot dispute that he was a man well ahead of his time in so many ways. A true original.  I loved him then and ever shall. (The world has grown canned before our eyes.)

So put aside everything you know about autotuning, Katy Perry and 1D.  And for the love of Pete, scroll down!  I hope you will enjoy this Throwback Thursday inspired collection. And don't forget that if you are receiving this via email, you'll have to click on the post title to view the embedded videos on the actual blog page.

Again, if you are receiving this via email, you'll have to click on the post title to view the embedded videos on the actual blog page.  Here goes!

I just can't resist including this one.  Thanks for bearing with me.... Happy Earth Day!

By Caitlin Hawke

Neighborhood families, what kid -- big or small -- doesn't like to dig around in topsoil?  To sweep and rake.  And make her garden grow?

If you are hearing a little Voltaire and a little Lenny Bernstein in that, you'll enjoy the embedded extra below (if you are reading this via an email feed, you'll have to click on the blog to view the video extra at the bottom of this post).

But it boils down to this: twice a year the block association shouts out to neighbors of all ages to turn up and beautify our blocks.  Neighbor Mark Schneiderman -- father of twins who will be out there, too -- is orchestrating this year.  For specifics, you can email him: [email protected].

If you are not up for kneeling or not down with crouching, I say pick up your smartphone and walk the catchment shooting and kvelling over the greening team.  Consider this a request to all for your best Planting Day photos. The dirtier the hands and the prettier the flowers, the better.  And I dare you planters not to smile...I predict it will be impossible.  Email your shots to [email protected].

Details in the poster below for the big day.  Save the date: Earth Day, April 22 (rain date April 23).  And then make sure to grab a neighbor.  Collect your kids.  Make a new friend. 

It is said in Candide that the sweetest flowers and the fairest trees are grown in solid ground...albeit slightly hemmed in by concrete and macadam.

My Throwback Thursday feature today is this five-foot tall beauty entitled "107th and Broadway." The light, shadows, palette, and mood quickly conjure up Edward Hopper. The blazing summer morning light illuminates the facade while Neel's own building across 107th Street casts a dark shadow that resembles a Moai in profile.

You don't see any of the mid-1970s grit and political tumult in this tableau.  In Alice Neel's 1976, New York is small-town quaint with a dose of Hopperian solitude.  With a dark shadow looming.

The reason I am bringing any of this up is that (a.) god, don't you love this painting? And (b.) shouldn't we all get together and go see the retrospective of her work, "Alice Neel, Uptown"!  It is still on until April 22nd at the David Zwirner Gallery.

In case you missed it, the New York Times wrote about the show here in February and posted a slideshow of her portraits here.  Have a look below at her "Still Life" from 1964.  You can just glimpse the northern tip of Straus Park through her front window.

In Ms. Neel, there was greatness in our midst.

 
h/t to neighbor Emily B. who grew up on W. 107th for her knowledge that Alice Neel lived right here among us.

Live in the neighborhood?  Spread the word by sharing this.  Also, if you enjoy these occasional blog posts, tell a friend to subscribe.  There's a lot more in store.

Henry Grimm built it in 1871 as a grocery store for the up and coming neighborhood. It came to be known as "The Boulevard House" and among its many incarnations was a saloon and a millinery store. And darn if it isn't a miracle that it still stands!

I featured this intersection below in a "Throwback Thursday" post back in June, relishing that some corners actually have stayed nearly the same for the past 110 years.

And when you see Frank and Fotios at the Metro, thank them for keeping the little wooden building going since 1993.  Remember, they are the "new" kids on the block, but since the Times wrote about their having taken over this building to bring us the Metro, diner culture has begun to vanish.  Or so they say.

So, fellow Bloomingdalers: it's time again to locate that element! You remember the rules. The blog feature "It's Elemental" is our version of Name that Tune. Tell me what and where the architectural element at the top of this page is.  As always, extra points for any additional history you might know.

Put your answer in the comments or email: [email protected].  Stumped and have to know? Check back and at the top of the next "It's Elemental" post, I will reveal the location.

And stay tuned for more lore about the Building Grimm.