12 Comments

I love Alanna's art; I can tell immediately how good it is; I was raised by a Pacific NW artist. Childhood weekends were visits to Seattle art museums. "Don't ever ask 'What is it?'" my mother would scold/warn, fully onboard with early 20th century Modernism. Once, driving and stopped behind an open junk truck, my mother said, "Look at all those beautiful shapes." Thus, a doctorate in art by age 12.

Expand full comment
author

Thanks so much, Dex! Alanna loved your comments. Have you posted any of your mother’s artwork?

Expand full comment

Great idea, Robert; she always had professional art photographers do her art - for submissions - I'll post!

Expand full comment
author

Super. Let me know when they're up and running.

Expand full comment
Aug 26, 2023Liked by Robert F. Graboyes

After being certain for half a lifetime that it is pronounced SoHo rhyming with Mojo, I'm supposed to start rhyming with Sough How? Not gonna happen. I'm sticking with Mojo, and feel confirmed in that choice by your article that so beautifully transmits the mojo of SoHo.

Expand full comment
author

No, it rhymes with mojo. :). Glad you enjoyed it.

Expand full comment
Aug 26, 2023Liked by Robert F. Graboyes

I always figured the cross street was pronounced "Howston" so as instantly to identify out-of-towners.

I can't imagine someone planning to bulldoze Chinatown and Little Italy. It's sort of scary thinking about what they might have made of it.

Interesting article!

Expand full comment
author

Virginia has a lot of mispronounced town names that act as shibboleths to identify outsiders. In this case, the guy the street was named after really did pronounce his name that way. Someone from Georgia whose father-in-law was a big-wig in NYC. Robert Moses’s feelings toward people were pretty appalling.

Expand full comment
Aug 27, 2023Liked by Robert F. Graboyes

Really enjoyed your SoHo article. But ain’t it grand being from the South!

Expand full comment
author

Alanna is laughing. :)

Expand full comment
Aug 27, 2023Liked by Robert F. Graboyes

Your article inspired me to look this up: http://www.nysonglines.com

Much more superficial information about what used to be where, but then it covers the entire island, more or less. I made great use of this when one of my offspring spent time at NYU in the early 2000's; probably too kludgy for modern smartphones, though.

Expand full comment
author

Nice tours! We did enjoy a lot of walking tours in our years together up there.

Expand full comment