Powers Street: The Unofficial Tour*

Posted October 1st, 2009 by maya

*aka all the shit you ain’t gonna see on one of those thirty buck double-decker sightseeing tours you get in Times Square

Why waste your time at Saks, when you got your own Powers Street Personal Shopper?

Dolly has lived on Powers Street forev-ah. She knows all the drama. She’ll tell you the history of every hoodlum loitering on every step, and throw in some gossip about his grandfather and great-grandfather for good measure. And don’t even ask about the drunk guy on the third floor of the fourth building on the east part of the street. ‘Cause she’s got a personal vendetta.

Dolly sells stuff in front of her stoop. She’s always got a crowd of old people gathered around her gossiping. Everyday she’s got something new – jewelry and knickknacks and vinyl records and VHS movies you forgot existed. She always greets you with a boisterous, New Yawk “Hooooooneeeeey!” and kisses you on the cheek. Today she had this lovely ensemble. When I teased her to model it, she didn’t hesitate:

She saves things for Emily, who always comes home with the best shit. When you ask Dolly how much something costs, she rolls her eyes and waves a hand through the air and says “Ah, wadda I care? Fifdy cents!” Nothing is ever over two bucks.

Today Emily got this shirt (“Ah, wadda I care? A dollah!)

I told Emily when she has a date she must promise to hide something in the pocket. My theory: if it is a good date, he’ll find it.

Other Powers stuff:

The is a Catholic elementary school across the street. One day there was a street fair:

The hoodlums who live next door and have taken over The Powers Home For Orphaned and Wayward Girls stoop all went to school there. They are tough guys, unless you get them talking about their schoolboy days (‘Member our first mass, man? Yeah, Father _________ could be a real ass if you gave him attitude….”

My favorite time of day is when the kids get out of class. The parents wait on one side of the street for them, milling around.

Across the street, the kids line up by grade:

Then there is a dramatic reunion which, I swear to god, I find more heartwarming than any Hallmark movie:

the embrace like they haven't seen each other for years

There is also a private garden across from Emily’s apartment building. People do tai chi in there. No one is allowed inside, which pisses me off. On a better note, it is on the corner of Olive Street and Powers, so the the sign over the gate says THE OLIVE GARDEN. My dream becomes reality: living next to THE OLIVE GARDEN ! (note: did you know they opened an Olive Garden restaurant in Rome? I’m not fucking kidding you)

Other things I like about Powers: the hipsters.

Hipster chick with precious dog accessories

and their ironic clothing:

Another Powers highlight…the close proximity to many bars where I am privy to the secret ballet of flirtation and can document it for you, my BFF blog readers: