New York

The street life is what sets this city apart from all the others in America. With eight million people packed onto a relatively small land mass, there is always something interesting going on outside. There have to be more people sitting on stoops or setting up folding chairs on the sidewalk to watch the world go by than anywhere else on earth. On Arthur Avenue in The Bronx, that unique New York street life thrives. Block after block of quaint Italian bakeries, butcher shops, pork stores, fruit and vegetable stands, pizzerias, and cheese shops as well as discount clothing shops and outdoor cookery sales infuse the neighborhood with shoppers and eaters from every corner of the city. The best place to stop and take it all in is at the wooden bins filled with shellfish and ice on the sidewalk in front of Randazzo’s Seafood. There, for just a few dollars, you can suck down half a dozen freshly shucked raw oysters or clams while The Bronx bustles around you.

Photo:  David Freedenberg