An Adventure Story

Sophomore year, my interest in photography was increasing. I had taken a class in high school where it really started. I really loved taking photos, and the way the class was designed, I got to practice taking all different types of them.

Warren Rati, someone who I had gone to high school with, is really big into photography. He probably has close to 10 cameras at this point. He had told me of a store called B&H Photo that, if I ever wanted to go somewhere looking for anything photography related, this was the place. So, at the start of sophomore year, we decided to make the trip to this store so he could introduce me to the world of photography properly.

We knew Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur had passed, and that it was not a Saturday so we'd be in the clear. If you are unfamiliar with B&H, which is very possible, the store is run and mainly employed by Jewish individuals. I was very excited to check this place out. I had considered looking into purchasing a serious camera and starting to work on photography and this would really be my jumping off point. B&H is on the corner of 34th and 9th and so we made our way through the subway system taking the D to the A and then walking along 34th street, only to be dissapointed. Turns out that there was a lesser known Jewish Holiday currently being observed. Succos is a week long and it was the middle of the week. It would be wasted trip.

But as with any trip Warren and I take into the city, it would not fall apart. Instead we decided to wander. Looking south along 9th, we noticed what seemed to be an abandon warehouse style building that looked pretty cool. It's like out of a tv show or movie, one where kids hand out in and maybe throw rocks through the panes of glass for entertainment. We headed in the direction of this place passing a very large scale construction site and a few, seemingly out of place, high end car dealerships before reaching the building. We walked down the street and to our dismay found that what looked abandoned from six block away was actually a fully functioning building. Once again the day seemed to be shot.

Then we turned around. There was, on the first level of this other very tall building a glass door which a name on it. The door frame and door itself seemed very out of place. They were new, or at least much newer and cleaner than the building. We approached it, and opened the door. We had no idea we had just stumbled upon the Chelsea Art District. For the next few hours we wandered from door to door down this street checking out every gallery, talking to the people inside, collecting cards and pamphlets, and just taking it all in. This was the most out of place and intriguing setting for a series of art galleries. If anyone were ever to hear of the Chelsea Art District or stumble upon this place not knowing what it was he or she would be equally surprised and confused.

After having our minds literally blown and the discovery of such a community we headed to the water and then continued south. The day would not be over for us. Warren is a little more free when it comes to adventure in the city than I am. As an example, we noticed what looked to be a very cool barge docked along the water front. The dock itself, unlike the rest of the docks leading to docked boats, was open. Warren, for whatever reason, wanted to go explore this barge. How this was not trespassing, I am not sure, but other than my hesitation that the gate should have been locked and was not so accidentally, I did not think this way either. We climbed onto the barge and Warren started snapping pictures. We circled around it and headed to the back, facing the water. It was a beautifully calm site. There would be no great sky or sunset, as it was a cloud covered day, but view and the water still had a soothing effect. At this end of the boat, directly behind us, was a wall of glass which had an elevated wooden floor area. In our time out there two individuals actually showed up and started to do some sort of yoga in this area for a short while. We continued around the barge, heading back down the other side and looked a little more closely now. It became apparent that this barge was once a restaurant. There were stove tops and counters, elements of a small but unquestionable kitchen area. Eventually, someone emerged from below the deck to confirm that this in fact was a restaurant that is closed in the off season. They were going to totally rennovate the place. We then realized that this wooden floor area resembled a ballroom floor. It was not large, but it backed with the glass wall looking out onto the water just seemed to be the most interesting and out of place site I ever came across.

To top things off, there was a Foosball table amongst all of the junk piled at the front end of the ship. Most likely brought by one of the renovators, we found ourselves playing Foosball for about another hour. We finally left the barge after it grew cold, and walked north along the water before heading back in town and up to the Bronx.

It would take me over 2 years before I would ever get back to B&H photo with Warren for my inagural walk through. This would fall a year and a half after purchasing my first digital camera, a bit late for this walk through to be my jumping off point, but no less awe inspiring. The store is massive and really does have it all.

I've never forgotten this trip Warren and I took. It really is a prime example of what a day in the city for the two of us might result in, and only glimpse at the strange encounters of Warren's daily routine. With no other person could I have come home and told someone that while the store we intended to go to was close we did stumble upon a secret art gallery street in the first floor of warehouses followed by wandering onto a barge that doubles as a restaurant where I played foosball for an hour. I think everyone owes it to themselves to go on an adventure like this. It is almost impossible, with this city, that you won't find something worthy of a story later on.