Famous Ankles

One of the most aesthetically pleasing buildings within Columbia University is, wouldn’t you know it, a church. Or, rather a chapel. St. Paul’s Chapel, by name. As an Air Force brat, I’m used to chapels and their distinctly multi-sectarian focus. I wasn’t surprised to note that they have Jewish services and even have a Moslem [...]

When I was in Spanish Harlem recently, I came across a number of community gardens. The most absolutely unusual one I have ever seen is right there on Pleasant Avenue and has the very “Barrio” sounding name of “Los Amigos Garden and Casita”. The key to the “unusual”-ness of it is the word “Casita”. I [...]

One thing I rather admire about Columbia is the layout of the buildings. There are a bunch of them and they generally share a similar architecture (at least to my eye). Yet, their settings make them distinct and I never got the feeling of a grid where there was a building every X feet or [...]

This weekend was hot. Wowser, it was hot! And I decided to do my ankling about as far away from my home as you can get and still be in Manhattan: Columbia University. I’ve been there a few times before, and every time I go; something drives me away. I don’t know why it happens, [...]

During my recent wanderings of Spanish Harlem, I saw a sight that I knew was special. On 119th Street, just outside of the “Italian Harlem” area, was a nice looking church. I took just one picture. I figured it would just be another picture in my Spanish Harlem posting. Wrong. It’s the Holy Rosary Church [...]