The Pass

That moment, a split second as the cigarette hovers between them, held in the fingers before moving to the other, has so much weight.

Street photography is still a struggle for me. It’s easier to find exciting happenings to photograph, and I was overwhelmed with choice. New York City is almost the opposite of downtown Princeton where street photography is nearly impossible. In Princeton, people assume you are photographing a building or storefront. They actively try to step out of the frame. In New York City, very few people care that a camera is pointed in their direction.

I was attracted to the bold signage painted on the building. Still, I remembered we were here for street photography, not architecture. I noticed these two men talking and sharing a cigarette on the entrance stairs to Fun City Tatoo. I thought of the trust needed for sharing a cigarette with someone. Everything that was avoided during the global pandemic. Touching hands. Standing too close. Sharing something your mouths touched.

That moment, a split second as the cigarette hovers between them, held in the fingers, has so much weight.

With a few clicks of the shutter, I captured the moment the man in shorts held his arm out. Decisive moment?

Alphabet City Mural

The area of the Lower East side was called Alphabet City because of the surrounding single-letter streets: Avenues A, B, C & D.

The Lower East side area was called Alphabet City because of the surrounding single-letter streets: Avenues A, B, C & D.

In 2015, Australian Yok and Singaporian Sheryo, in conjunction with the Green Villian arts group and artists Steiner, Victor Ving, Elmo, Kevin Lyons, Roachi and Buffmonster, created a mural titled Alphabet City on the corners of Avenue C and East 6th Street. The mural is inspired by South-East Asian culture and the surf, skate and music scene.

Loisaida

The term Loisaida (pronounced low-ee-side-uh) is a "Spanglish" version of the pronunciation of "Lower East Side".

During the 70s, the residents of Alphabet City were predominately Spanish speaking and mainly of Puerto Rican descent. The area was called Alphabet City because of the surrounding single-letter streets: Avenues A, B, C & D.

Alphabet City and the East Village were originally part of the Lower East Side. Based on what I found online, the area of the Lower East Side above Houston street became the East Village when a real estate developer wanted to piggyback on the popularity of Greenwich Village. The local Nuyorican1 denizens still considered Alphabet City part of the Lower East Side. The term Loisaida (pronounced low-ee-side-uh) is a Spanglish version of the pronunciation of Lower East Side. The word was popular with the Spanish-speaking community. They voted to make it official as the name of Avenue C in 1987.

The Lower East Side was traditionally an immigrant, working-class neighbourhood, but it began rapid gentrification in the mid-2000s. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has placed the area on their list of America's Most Endangered Places.


  1. According to the Internet, a "Nuyorican" is a Puerto Rican living in New York City.