Flower District

Throughout the lower half of Manhattan, roughly below 42nd Street, there are numerous "districts" that are known for their concentrations of shops and vendors selling similar wares. There's the wholesale district, theater district,flower district, fashion district, fur district, a couple of streets that sell more restaurant equipment than one could ever imagine, and even a pickle district, although that's been reduced to just a few businesses now. Walk in the East Village and the Lower East Side and one will suddenly enter blocks of shops selling nothing but bolts of fabric, shoes, store fixtures, lighting fixtures, or sewing equipment. Many of them aren't even open to the general public; they're wholesale outlets only.

I often walk home from my office, a trek that takes me through the wholesale and flower districts, an area between 5th and 7th avenues that roughly encompasses the streets above 23rd and below 34th. The blocks crammed with wholesale shops present a rather depressing picture: dirty storefronts hawking cheap watches, perfumes, children's clothes, gaudy jewelry, and a sea of handbags and luggage. Unopened boxes and crates often line the sidewalks, waiting to be unloaded or carted away. One also usually sees clumps of men arguing over a deal in a dozen languages. For the uninitiated, it's a riot of sound and color. The tour buses should drive down some of these blocks to give visitors a sense of the "real" New York.

My favorite route, however, takes me through the flower district, the sidewalks lined with flowers, trees, pots, topiaries, shrubs, and orchids. Nearly all of these shops sell to the wholesale market and it's fun to watch the buyers for flower shops picking over the flats of flowers. In some blocks there's barely a path down the sidewalk and one must be vigilant to avoid getting doused by someone hosing down the plants. I took these shots earlier this week while walking my usual route along 28th Street.