Welcome to the West 102nd & 103rd Streets Block Association
Contact us via
  • Home
    • Board of Directors
  • Join Us
  • Blog
  • Events Calendar
  • Block Party
    • Vendor Agreement
    • FAQs
    • Block Party Flyer
  • Resources
    • Newsletter Index
    • Alternate Side Parking
    • Tree, Hydrant, and Lamp Map
    • Eco-friendly Block
    • Open Streets W. 103rd Street
    • Bloomingdale Aging In Place
    • Hunger Resources
    • Bloomingdale History
    • TriBloomingdale
  • Quarterly Newsletter
  • Neighborhood Hall of Fame
    • 2022 Honorees
    • 2021 Honorees
    • 2020 Honorees
    • 2019 Honoree
    • 2018 Honorees
    • 2017 Honorees
    • 2016 Honorees
    • 2015 Honorees
    • 2014 Honorees
    • 2013 Honorees
    • 2012 Honoree
    • 2011 Honorees
    • 2010 Honorees

Throwback Thursday, Bloomingdale Edition

1/10/2018

0 Comments

 

The Seven Beauties in Our Midst

PictureFrom the cover of Daniel J. Wakin's book
By Caitlin Hawke

Oh, Bloomingdalers! You are in for a treat.  Journalist and author Daniel J. Wakin will be presenting at the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group's meeting on Wednesday, January 17th, at 6:30 p.m. at Hostelling International New York.  For several years now, he's been researching his obsession: Bennie the Bum, a bootlegger and associate of Legs Diamond, and virtually every other person he could find who occupied space in one of the townhouses in this picture. Located on the stretch of Riverside Drive between W. 105th and 106th Streets, the stunning buildings are familiar to so many neighbors. Dan simply calls them "The Seven Beauties."

A son of Bloomingdale, Dan has written this block's history like each house was a living, breathing neighbor with untold secrets to offer up.  Associated with one of these demure dames was a heist, a getaway, an amputation, another amputation. Well you get the picture. Everyone has their back pages, as Bob Dylan would say.  And Dan is revealing them all in his book "The Man with the Sawed-Off Leg and Other Tales of a New York City Block."

Neighbor and resident historian Gil Tauber told me that Nina Simone lived on that block. I hope Dan has something to say about what happened with Miss Simone.  I've often wondered if she was one of Duke Ellington's tenants.

I'll be writing more about the book as soon as I get my hands on it.  But come out and hear Dan speak on January 17th.  And make sure to scroll all the way down for a lagniappe.  (If you are receiving this via an email subscription, remember to click on the title of the post to get to the video).

Picture
Ok, now for the lagniappe.  In honor of the Seven Beauties above and the one beauty below and in anticipation of MLK's birthday commemoration on Monday, I give you a live recording of the most excellent Nina Simone and one powerful song.  It's hard to pare down to just one of hers since I can't think of any I don't want to hear.  She was an American jewel and her work's relevance lives on for many reasons, not all good.  That she was also a Bloomingdaler just about ices the cake for me.  But then again, she had me at hello.

Click here to see images or videos that don't come through when you read this post in an email.

Ok, because one Nina is never enough...below is one for the road. RIP Leonard Cohen (who so far as I know has no connection to Bloomingdale whatsoever but feel free to prove me wrong!).

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Aging In Bloomingdale
    BA Events
    Blog Favorites
    Community Issues
    Families
    From The Vault
    Green Neighborhood
    History
    Hyper-local Eats
    It's Elemental
    Local Events
    Mom & Pop
    Neighbors
    Seen
    Throwback Thursday
    Traffic

    Archives

    October 2022
    December 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013

    Subscribe to our email list and receive regular news.

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.