Wednesday Lore exposes the soft underbelly of misanthrope and self-professed “closet romantic” Miss Representation. In yesterday’s late entry he exhorts all of us to take a walk and recommends a few routes, an amble along Seventh Avenue being one of them:

The remnants of the Garment District are primarily physical, the hulking stone manufacturing centers of the teens and twenties. Rising to a uniform height, with a limited amount of set backs, as required, they form a striking wall illuminated by the gap that is Penn Station and the Garden. The upslope of Seventh is a great view, albeit a rather crowded one, as hordes muscle their way along to the terminal, most oblivious to the dusty hues above.

I took a long walk myself yesterday evening, from Tribeca to my home in the East Village. The evening light is perfect (it was just a bit after 6 when I took my stroll) and the weather is absolutely spot on for urban exploration. Clear and a bit crisp, and a little damp in a way that reminds me of San Francsico – the air seems to have dimension to it and the angle of the sunlight makes it almost tangible. So, yes, I agree: Take a walk.

Image credit: Seventh Avenue looking south from 35th Street. Dec. 5, 1935 – Bernice Abbott, from the New York Public Library’s Digital Collection