Artists: unknown
Location: 190 Bowery, Manhattan
Photo: Bella Manu
This past December, my husband and I spent a fabulous weekend in NYC celebrating my birthday – something I’d highly recommend if you’re facing one of those milestone birthdays you’d rather not be facing – because New York makes everything better!
Among the zillions of things we managed to do, one was seeing some of the last graffiti that would grace the walls of the Germania bank on the lower east side. If you’re not familiar with the story, the recent sale of this building, at 190 Bowery, represents one of the craziest deals in the history of NYC real estate. It was originally purchased for $102,000 US in 1966, by photographer Jay Maisel, who recently sold it for $55 million US. Enjoy the photos, and head here for more information about the sale, and here for a look at the building when it was still Maisel’s home.
ArtClubBlog 
Yikes! Kind of a mess according to my own tastes! But I do like the cat and the admonition to express empathy to all species!
Glad you had such a great time in NYC and that it eased the pain of moving up with a new birthday! My “grandmotherly advice” to you, though, would be that eventually it starts to get fun to enter each new decade!
Thanks for the advice! I really have nothing to complain about – life is good. I just find it interesting that there is such a disconnect between the age you become, and how you feel inside. In the end, it’s just a number :).