New York Soul-Manhattan. What was and is.

Original unique black and white photographs of Manhattan, which look spectacular on canvas.

All Night Every Night—The Flame No Longer Burns
Manhattan diners, what some New Yorkers call their kitchen, are found on almost every block in the city. Every New Yorker has his or her favorite—some more than one. New York diners have multipage menus with a large selection of entrées and side dishes. And, if you can't find it on the menu—most will fix it for you anyway. Whether you're craving breakfast, lunch, brunch, supper, dinner, or just dessert the diner is the place to go.

Unfortunately, New York’s diners are an endangered species as more and more of them close. Some believe it is because New Yorkers are experiencing a food culture change where people seek new and high-end restaurant food.

However, diners closing their doors for good appears to be about rent costs and not cuisine. New York diners are simply getting priced out of the market. Diners can’t pay higher rents and make a profit.

Sad, but true, the reality of the New York real estate market is that when landlords raise rents, someone is always willing to pay the higher price.
All Night Every Automobile Bicycle black and white Building Car Diner Gary Ricketts Glass gricketts gricketts.com Manhattan New York New York City Sign Smugmug Street Sign Traffic Light Window Food Capturing History Throught Photography City Winner Photography by Gary Ricketts fine art photography
Adult Toy Shop—The Village 1980s
New York City-The Pink Pussy Cat boutique opened its doors in the Village in 1972. Yes, it is still in business.
Adult Toy Shop Gary Ricketts gricketts gricketts.com Smugmug black and white Building New York New York City Manhattan Car Automobile Sign Night Capturing History Throught Photography City Photography by Gary Ricketts fine art photography
Cloud City—First Place 2016
A thick January morning fog covers the west side of Manhattan. From an apartment window, 51 stories up, one can see the taxis, with other vehicles, creep along Amsterdam Avenue heading uptown.

In 1808, John Randall, Jr. laid out the plans for New York City's street system. He designed a gridiron system of north-south avenues crossed at right angles by east-west streets. His gridiron spanned the area of east Houston Street to 155th Street. This system is still in use today.
Cloud City Building Clouds Fog Gary Ricketts gricketts gricketts.com Manhattan New York New York City Smugmug Taxi Winner black and white Capturing History Throught Photography Photography by Gary Ricketts fine art photography black and whire
Night Life—New York City Second Place 2019
In the mid 1980s, Cafe Pacifico was located at 78th and Columbus Avenue on the West Side of Manhattan. Offering a pasta menu, with loud danceable music to dine by, the Cafe Pacifico drew huge crowds. Diners, who snagged hard to get reservations, waited at the bar sipping Pink Pacificos up to one and a half hours before being seated.

Pacifico opened on New Year’s Eve with an oasis theme. Interior lighting was deep royal blue, with model Cadillacs hanging form the ceiling. Life size fiberglass camels, palm trees and zebra stripe upholstery completed the effect. For Valentine, waiters and waitresses wore Marilyn Monroe wigs.

A huge Oscar like statue stood in front of a female torso, which appeared to have spread its legs. The display caused a women’s group to threaten the cafe with a brick through the window.
Night Life gricketts.com gricketts Gary Ricketts New York New York City Building Restaurant Tree Car Automobile black and white Manhattan Fine Art awning Door Window Mannequin Smugmug Capturing History Throught Photography City Photography by Gary Ricketts winner fine art photography
The Fabulous 50's
On 11th Avenue, between 27th and 28th Streets in New York City, is a building whose facade is adorned with automobiles of the 1940’s and 1950’s: Ford, Oldsmobile, Packard, Hudson and others.
The building must have housed a dealer’s grand showroom in the glory days of the American automobile.

Today, the second floor of the the building houses the parts and service department of Manhattan Motorcars, which sells and services Porsche, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, and Lotus automobiles.
The Fabulous 50s Antique Car Automobile Building Car Flag Pole Gary Ricketts gricketts gricketts.com Manhattan New York New York City Photography by Gary Ricketts Smugmug Wall Black and Whire Fine Art Photography black and white
Shubert Alley
Broadway and Off-Broadway refers to the number of seats in the theater, not the theater's location.

Broadway theaters must have 500 or more seats.

Off-Broadway theaters must have 100 to 499 seats, and Off-Off-Broadway theaters have 99 seats or less.

Schubert Alley connects 44th and 45th streets between 8th Avenue and Broadway. Schubert alley is home to the famous Schubert Theater, site of the long running play "A Chorus Line"
Shubert Alley Building Gary Ricketts gricketts gricketts.com Manhattan New York New York City Night Sign Smugmug Street Scene Times Square Window black and white Capturing History Throught Photography Photography by Gary Ricketts fine art photography
Bridge For Sale?—First Place 2019
May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was dedicated by President Chester A. Arthur and New York Governor Grover Cleveland. It took 14 years and 27 fatalities to build the pedestrian bridge over the East River to connect the cities of Brooklyn and New York.

Upon completion, the Brooklyn Bridge was at that time the largest suspension bridge ever built. John Roebling, who designed the bridge, pioneered the design and construction of suspension bridges, and is credited with a major innovation in suspension bridge technology. In his bridge designs, he added a web truss at each end of the roadway, which significantly stabilized the structure. Previous suspension bridges often failed in strong winds or when under heavy load.

George C. Parker, who is known as America’s Greatest Con Man, sold the Brooklyn Bridge twice a week for 30 years. Police often had to stop the “new owners” for putting up toll booths on the bridge.
Bridge For Sale Gary Ricketts gricketts gricketts.com Manhattan New York New York City River black and white Water Building Clouds Smugmug Capturing History Throught Photography City Photography by Gary Ricketts winner Brooklyn fine art photography
Sunday Night In Times Square
Until 1904, when the New York Times Newspaper moved its headquarters to 42nd street just off Broadway, the area was known as Longacre Square. Longacre Square in New York City and London, England was originally the carriage trade center where carriages were built and repaired.
The New Year’s Eve tradition of lowering a lighted ball in Times Square was started by the newspaper. The first ball descended from a flag pole in 1907. Made of iron and wood, with one hundred 25 watt light bulbs, it was dropped one second after midnight.
Sunday Night Times Square Building Gary Ricketts gricketts gricketts.com Manhattan New York New York City Sign Times Square City Smugmug Photography by Gary Ricketts Black and Whire Fine Art Photography black and white
Sidewalk ATM
This newsstand at Columbus Circle, with its ornate tapered roof, was used in a scene by Woody Allen in “Bullets Over Broadway”. Of the 1,500 newsstands in New York City in 1940, only 280 remained in 2008.

The Columbus Circle newsstand’s ATM, candy, soda, magazines, newspapers, and lottery ticket sales came to an end in December of 2011.

It is now a rental office for a bicycle rental company, Bike and Roll, which pays a fee of $30,000 or 10.5 percent of gross revenues per year. The former newsstand operator paid the city $120,000 in 2010.
Sidewalk ATM Building Central Park Gary Ricketts gricketts gricketts.com Lamp Post Manhattan New York New York City Night Smugmug Tree black and white Capturing History Throught Photography Photography by Gary Ricketts fine art photography
Hudson Night—Third Place 2013
Cruise ships, including the Queen Mary II, regularly embark and debark passengers from Piers 88, 90, and 92 at the New York City Passenger Ship Terminal on the West Side of Manhattan.

In 2004, New York City invested $200 million in capital improvements at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal to secure its position as a first-class passenger cruise terminal. With upgrades to the docking facilities and a $4 million dollar investment in passenger boarding bridges, Pier 88 and Pier 90 are able to serve the world’s largest passenger ships.

Starting in 1984, the Unites States Navy docks an aircraft carrier and other ships at the west docks during the week long Fleet Week. During the week, demonstrations and tours are open to the public. It is estimated 4,500 Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen participate in the various activities.
Hudson Night Gary Ricketts gricketts gricketts.com black and white City Smugmug Winner Capturing History Throught Photography Manhattan New York New York City Photography by Gary Ricketts fine art photography
Give My Regards to Broadway—Third Place 2015
The Producers, Mel Brooks’ hit musical, ended its six year New York run after 2,502 performances on April 22, 2007. The show is responsible for creating the era of Premium Tickets where theater goers paid as much as $480 for the best seat in the house. Now all Broadway shows include with their ticket sales Premium Tickets, where the price is anywhere from $100 to $250 more than regular price tickets.

The New York theater district was not always located in the area known today as Times Square. During the 1870s the Union Square area in Southern Manhattan near Broadway and 14th Street was the main theater district. At the beginning of the 20th century the city boasted of thirty-three theaters, but there was demand for more as the population moved north.

In 1904, subway service began. Eleven lines converged at 42nd Street and Broadway’s Times Square became the obvious choice for a new theater district. It made it possible for New Yorkers to easily and quickly get to the theater and back home.

As of late 2016, there were forty-one legitimate theaters in Times Square.
Give Regards Broadway Automobile black and white Building Car Door Gary Ricketts gricketts gricketts.com Lamp Post Manhattan New York New York City Night Sign Smugmug Taxi Theater Times Square Trash Can Winner Capturing History Throught Photography City Photography by Gary Ricketts fine art photography
One Up
On May 14, 1959 President Dwight D. Eisenhower broke ground for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. New York City's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts became a reality in September, 1962 when the first of its performing spaces, Philharmonic Hall (now Avery Fisher Hall), was inaugurated with a concert of music by Vaughan Williams and Mahler (among others) played by the New York Philharmonic conducted by its Music Director of the time, Leonard Bernstein.
One Gary Ricketts gricketts gricketts.com Photography by Gary Ricketts Manhattan New York New York City Lincoln Center Black and Wnite Smugmug fine art photography black and white
No Walking
As of 2017 nearly 49,000 New Yorkers rode a bicycle to work. During the 2020 pandemic, that number grew dramatically.

793,000 adult New Yorkers regularly ride a bicycle in the city averaging 490,000 trips per day.
Walking Gary Ricketts gricketts gricketts.com Photography by Gary Ricketts Manhattan New York New York City Street Scene Black and Whire Fine Art Photography Street Photography Automobile Car Bicycle black and white
Signage
In 2005, the Howard Johnson's Restaurant at 46th street closed after serving locals and tourists for forty-six years.

In 1925, 27 year-old Howard Deering Johnson took over operation of a small patent soda fountain in a section of Quincy, Massachusetts. Wanting to expand the number of flavors and improve ice cream quality, he experimented with an old fashion hand crank ice cream maker, doubling the butterfat content and using only natural ingredients. Soon he had that superior ice cream. He added hot dogs and other items to his offerings and expanded with another restaurant in 1929.

The stock market crash later that year jeopardized Johnson’s expansion plans. He then came up with a unique American business plan, franchising. He persuaded a restauranteur to pay a fee to use the name Howard Johnson’s on a Cape Cod restaurant and buy food and supplies from Johnson.

During the 1960/70s more than a thousand Howard Johnson’s were alongside America’s roadways. As of August 2016, only one orange roof Howard Johnson’s remained in business— Lake George, New York.
Signage Gary Ricketts gricketts gricketts.com Manhattan New York New York City Night Smugmug black and white Capturing History Throught Photography City Photography by Gary Ricketts fine art photography
No Coin Required
Every April through October the Manhattan Street fair scene is alive with one or more streets closed to vehicular traffic. Millions roam past stalls with games of chance, crepes, and all manner of merchandise for sale. Restaurants along the route expand out into the street with curbside dining.

With over 300 street fairs each year, there is a sameness about them. That’s why the street fairs with a cultural flavor are special — such as Japan Block Fair, Bastille Day Festival, and the San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy—New York City’s oldest.

The Feast of San Gennaro was first held in September 1926 when immigrants from Naples gathered to celebrate Saint Januarius, Naples Patron Saint. Originally began as a one-day religious commemoration it is now an eleven day street fair held each September on Mulberry Street with annual attendance in excess of one million. Cannoli Eating and Meatball Eating contests are open to the public—should you feel up to it. The Grand Procession occurs at 2 p.m. on the last Saturday of the festival followed by Mass at the Church of the Most Precious Blood.
Coin Required Gary Ricketts gricketts gricketts.com Manhattan New York New York City Photography by Gary Ricketts Sign Everyday People black and white Capturing History Throught Photography Smugmug fine art photography
Standing Still
New York City’s famous street, Broadway, is associated with live theater and Times Square, but Broadway is also one of the world’s longest streets. It originates in Lower Manhattan at Bowling Green Park and ends in Albany, New York, a distance of 150 miles. Bowling Green Park is believed to be the location where Native Americans held council and where Peter Minuit bought Manhattan from them.

Everywhere Broadway crosses an avenue is a park created by the triangle or square space as a result of the crossing. The only exception is where Broadway crosses 5th avenue at 23rd street–the famous flatiron building takes up the space.

Broadway’s original name was the Wiechquaekeck Trail, an Algonquin Native American trade route.
Standing Still Automobile Columbus Circle Gary Ricketts gricketts gricketts.com Manhattan New York New York City Night Smugmug Traffic Light Truck black and white Capturing History Throught Photography City Photography by Gary Ricketts fine art photography
Opposites
The first electric marquee appeared on Broadway in 1891 at a theater on Madison Square at Broadway and 23rd Street. The famous Flatiron Building now occupies the site.

Soon there were so many theaters with bright white lights, Broadway became known as the “Great White Way”!

In 1917, the first electric billboard arrived in Times Square. The mechanically animated sign advertised Wrigley's Spearmint gum using 17,500 lights. The sign was a gum pack, eight stories tall and two hundred feet long.
Today, New York City zoning requires buildings in Times Square be covered with billboards, and the billboards be one and a half times brighter than a typical lighted billboard.

The cost of a billboard for an advertiser? As of 2012, between $1.1 million and $4 million a year, some with a non-cancellable contract for five to fifteen years.

1 Times Square recognized by the tall tower of billboards at the south of Times Square took in $23 million dollars from the billboards covering it.
Opposites Gary Ricketts gricketts gricketts.com Manhattan New York New York City Night Times Square Smugmug Automobile Car Sign Bus black and white Capturing History Throught Photography City Photography by Gary Ricketts fine art photography
Fireworks On The Hudson
During the summer months, fireworks light up the Saturday evening sky.
Fireworks The Hudson Night New York Manhattan New York City Gary Ricketts gricketts gricketts.com Photography by Gary Ricketts Hudson RIver Black and Whire Fine Art Photography black and white
Bright Lights
Until 1904, when the New York Times Newspaper moved its headquarters to 42nd street just off Broadway the area was known as Longacre Square, named after Longacre Square in London, England. Both namesakes were originally the carriage trade center where carriages were built, repaired and accessories sold.

The New Year’s Eve tradition of lowering a lighted ball in Times Square was started by the New York Times. The first ball dropped one second after midnight in 1907. Weighing 700 pounds, made of iron and wood, with one hundred 25 watt light bulbs, the ball was lowered from the top of a flag pole. Since 2008, the ball dropped on New Year’s Eve weighs 11,875 pounds, made of Waterford Crystal triangles, with 32,256 LED lights.
Bright Lights Gary Ricketts gricketts gricketts.com Manhattan New York New York City Night Smugmug black and white Capturing History Throught Photography City Photography by Gary Ricketts fine art photography
One Stop Shopping—Upper West Side
Since 1965, the Zoitas family has provided the Upper Westside with hundreds of gourmet, speciality items, and everyday groceries.

John Zoitas, born and raised on a farm on the island of Lefkada, Greece, came to the United States with a love of fresh garden produce, Greek food and a commitment to quality and service.

The Westside Markets offer attentive customer service with guaranteed freshness and premium quality. In addition to providing a full catering service, the five locations offer an extensive lunch menu, from Bologna sandwich to prime rib and nearly everything in between.
One Stop Shopping Apartment Arch Automobile Building Car Gary Ricketts gricketts gricketts.com Manhattan New York New York City Night Smugmug Window food black and white Capturing History Throught Photography Photography by Gary Ricketts cafe lunch menu fine art photography

New York Soul-Manhattan. What was and is.

All photos © 2004-2023 Gary Ricketts. All rights reserved.

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