--Bernice
Friday, October 26, 2012
A West End Walk
Someone suggested that I take a walk in the West End sometime, so on Sunday I spent an hour with my camera looking around between Park and Plainfield avenues. Click on an image to enlarge.
One of the first things I saw was a congregation arriving at church. There are many churches in the West End.
This one is relatively new and is in the former state unemployment office on Madison Avenue.
Here is the Seventh Day Baptist Church with a bright yellow Ginkgo tree in front.
Shiloh Baptist Church is one of the largest and most prestigious in the West End.
Shiloh is a cultural center and also home to a charter school in addition to being a major church.
I saw a lot of nice gardens on my walk.
Here's a bunch of cheerful marigolds.
Birdies on a stump decorate this yard.
I saw some quirky sights as well, such as this collage of reindeer and satellite dishes.
Boots on the roof!
Somebody tarred a sidewalk on West Front Street, right over the GAS connection.
Another block on West Front had a series of valentines etched in the sidewalk.
Let's hope Troy and Pooh are still sweethearts.
The West End is home to the Drake Museum, which is operated by the Historical Society of Plainfield.
I believe this building was one of Plainfield's early movie theaters.
Here's a venerable building from 1926.
The array of posters would seem to indicate this business is closed.
West Front Street has a commercial strip in the blocks before Park Avenue.
Action Billiards and several restaurants are along this block.
Dollar General is one of the stores on the Park-Madison block. Note the flag and Fall banner on the Victorian-style lamp.
You are being watched. McDonald's is reflected in the window.
You are still being watched. And that was just about all my watching in the easterly West End. Maybe someday I will take the 59 bus west and get off near Green Brook Park for more picture-taking.
--Bernice
--Bernice
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Some many people have walked those streets from civil war veterans to mothers going to a neighbor's house to borrow the proverbial cup of sugar. If only we could feel safe to stroll or quickly run to work or school along those paths today. My only sense of safety is that I could not be chased very far these days by some of the hanger outs as their pants would fall to their ankles if they tried to pursue me. Now drive byers that is something different.
ReplyDeleteHi Bernice,
ReplyDeleteYour pictures show what a good sport you are and how ready you are to take on challenges made by your readers; while some people in Plainfield would rather think of the West End as a "danger zone" the reality is that the West End is full of surprises, and yes, the West End needs care and more people that advocate for its improvement but the area is far from being a danger zone that one needs to avoid at all cost. Thanks for taking the time to show a bit of the West End, we should all follow your example!
once again the massive loitering of day laborers go unnoticed im a advocate for social justice and equality in the city im norman x johnson a person who observes how groups of 40 or more are allowed to occupy front st but two or more blackmen in the same area is a group gathering potential quality of life violition and require police attention. the tale of two cities both named plainfield.
ReplyDeleteI support your efforts for social justice and equality as without them plainfield will remain divided. Now the flaws with your logic that you dont see...check the news, police blotter, etc and you see the majority (not all) are "blackmen" (your term not mine)for theft, drugs, guns, violence etc. so yes they require more police attention, plain and simple. While the loitering of daylabors are unsightly they are not causing a potential quality of life issue other than an unsightly sight, I agree they need a place to go though. And you can't factor out that african americans are the majority of the population in Plainfield, hispanic population if rapidly increasing but still african americans are the majority. That being said its hard to say they are targeted for no reason, they just happen to be the majority in Plainfield.
DeleteEveryone thinks if you are not in Sleepy Hollow, you are in BAD Plainfield. I have lived in the West End for 10 years now (a newbie, I know) and it is like living anywhere else. You have a small area or 2 that is bad, the rest has very nice neighborhoods with some amazing homes.
ReplyDeleteThe theater building was the Liberty Theater.
ReplyDelete