Bank St. Irregular

It's been a while since I spent any time on the Bank St. Irregular blog. I've been reading through some of the old posts, and there...

(Above: St. Mark's Church in the Bowery) On the corner of Tenth Street and Second Avenue in Manhattan, you’ll find St. Mark’s in th...

(Above: The Cemetery Gates) As soon as you pass through the gothic gates of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, you will find yourself in...

(Above: The ghost's stomping ground) The oldest church in Manhattan is St. Paul’s Chapel . There are many reasons one might choose...

(Above: The dearly departed.) Many New York visitors who want a cheap, scenic boat ride will hop on the Staten Island Ferry at the tip...

(Above: Oh do watch your step, dear!) You may have seen a movie or two about old New York in which women glided through the streets in ...

Located on the scenic banks of one of the most polluted bodies of water in the United States is the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatmen...

In a city like Amsterdam, which is famous for its canals, living on a houseboat is as good as it gets. However, as you may have already...

(Above: The former Public Bath #7 in Brooklyn) If you’re exploring the Gowanus Canal, you should pay a visit to Public Bath #7 on the ...

Go for a stroll through Manhattan’s Greenwich Village or Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by so many old hou...

I promised to post about a few of New York City's underground attractions, and I will honor that promise. However, I do so with a heavy ...

(Above: The Waldorf Astoria) Underneath the luxurious Waldorf Astoria Hotel in midtown Manhattan lies a mysterious train station. Few ...

**Some entries may seem a bit familiar to regular readers.** Two hundred years ago, a strange parade took place in New York City almo...

(Above: Minetta Street in 1928) The next time you’re in Greenwich Village, stop at the intersection of Minetta Street and Minetta Lane*...

740 Park Avenue has long been considered one of the most prestigious addresses on the island of Manhattan. Built seventy-five years ag...

Somewhere on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, on the second floor of a building in the East 80s, is a secret (and technically illegal) ...

Bryant Park is a lovely public space adjacent to the main branch of the New York Public Library at Forty-second Street and Fifth Avenue....

At the intersection of Tenth Street and Sixth Avenue, on the site of a former market and fire tower stands Jefferson Market Library . Bu...

CH Presents: The Conjuring Arts Research Center from Cool Hunting on Vimeo . (Yes, this is a rerun! But a good one!) Hidden on the i...

Located in an alleyway on the border between Chinatown and Tribeca in downtown New York City, resides possibly the worlds’ smallest...

You all know how fond I am of New York. I don't think I've ever written about my obsession with London. I adore big, sprawling ci...

Last week, three fire engines were dispatched to Cambridge University in Britain. The firemen had been called by university officials...

I love knowing the crazy origins of everyday things. Take, for example, the blue shown above. You see this and similar "watery...

(Above: Can you spot the fake house?) I can't believe I've never posted on this subject. It's one that's fascinated me f...

(Above: Don't get any closer.) I have a strange relationship with plants. I adore them, but they seem to die in my presence. (Alt...

(Art by Joanna Hellgren . Based on the Henry James novella, The Turn of the Screw . If you haven't read it, do.) Here's the m...

(Above: On the hunt for sewer pigs?) We all know that New York's sewers are home to alligators. (Oh, you didn't know that? Wel...

I once knew a guy who had a rather unusual way of making a few extra bucks. He and a friend would sneak onto golf courses under cover of ...

(Photo from New York Daily Photo .) If you live in New York, you know there's nothing more magical than a rooftop house. They'...

Observing wildlife? Hunting Bigfoot? Spying on the neighbors? Looking for something to wear to your wicked stepsister's wedding? The...

I try to avoid the world of advertising on this blog. But I doubt any of you are in the market for a European refrigeration system, so I...

I wish I lived in a part of the world where well preserved 700-year-old mummies are lying beneath the streets, just waiting to be disc...