Dan Antion

Thursday Doors – New York Mix

Saks Fifth Avenue Dressed up for Christmas
Saks Fifth Avenue Dressed up for Christmas

John “Hannibal” Smith of The A-Team was famous for saying “I love it when a plan comes together.” I wonder if he had a saying for when a plan went off the rails? I had such a plan for Thursday Doors. The plan is coming together, with the help of a good friend, but the holidays, combined with the Twilight Zone Marathon denied me the time I needed to get it in A-Team shape.

That’s why we have extra door photos.

In between Another Walk to the Javits and the doors of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, there was a walk from the Javits. My path was somewhat predictable, in that it included a stop at the Molly Wee Pub. Then I followed the well-accepted method for getting up-and-over in the least amount of time:

Go with the Walk signal.

At each intersection, just go with the light until you get as far as you need to go. It doesn’t matter which way you’re going, as long as you don’t go farther in any one direction than you need to go. Not only is this method fast, it introduces a random element into your doorscursion. What’s a doorscursion?

Doorscursions are the treasure hunts we take in search of interesting doors. Once we have our photos, we take them to Norm Frampton’s place. It’s a painless process. Upon arrival, we are treated to Norm’s doors. Then, we look for the blue frog thingie. That’s our ticket to the door collection. Click the frog and you can share your doors and see 20, 30, 40, 50, or perhaps as many as 60 collections of doors – from around the world!

My traffic-signal-randomized doorscursion took me past Macy’s, Saks Fith Avenue, the New York Public Library and a bunch of other interesting doors. The gallery includes as much information as I know. I hope you enjoy my trip from 38th and 10th Ave to 50th and 5th Ave.

By the way, if you’re wondering why I have a distant photo of the Empire State Building, fear not, there is a door in that photo. If you want to read more about the secret door on the 103rd floor, click here.

This is the main branch of the New York Public Library.
The French Building has a pretty amazing entrance.
R. H. Macy & Co
Food truck
Office space for rent here. 385 5th Ave – Nice address.
I like the scalloped overhangs above these doors.
The arrow points to the location of the secret door.
Those are doors. In the summer months, the entire front wall is open.
No doors, except on the cars. I thought I’d share a photo of one of these garages. Drive it is, stack it up.
I like the door and the entrance way.
I like the color and the shape of the Dentil & Crown Molding above this entrance.
Entrance door on the back (9th Ave) side of the Post Office building.
This is a side door into the 8th Avenue Post Office building. The school bus wouldn’t move for me.
The door to B&H is always busy.
Simple door, but green.
On a rainy day, these doors were brightly lit.
I think I like the side lights even more than the door.

68 comments

  1. I love the term “doorscursions,” Dan. Hope it gets into the Oxford Dictionary. I’m going to use it from know. I clicked on the link and the shots brought back memories of when I looked down from the Empire States Building some time ago. My toes curl even now as I look at those images.

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  2. You have an interesting approach to a random search for doors. I just may take it for a “test-walk” some day :)
    Macy’s wins it hands-down for me. It has everything going for it, but the clock pushes it easily into the lead. Clocks will do it every time :)

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    • It’s funny that you mention the clock, Joanne. I had photos of several different doors at Macy’s (their flagship store is huge) but I chose this one because of the clock. Walking around in a city is a great way to capture a slew of random doors. I think I’ve about exhausted the supply from this trip, but I think I still have NYC doors from previous trips.

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  4. My favorite door at the moment is that of the food truck, but only because I’m really hungry this morning. If I wasn’t hungry, my favorite would be the Molly Wee doors as they remind me of what summer can be like…open air, warm air, and beer! Thanks for sharing your NYC doors, Dan, and giving us a tour of your walk signal theory.

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  7. Nice collection Dan. I often use the randomized by traffic light method myself. There’s something to be said for keeping moving and I’ve made some wonderful discoveries going down streets I might not have considered otherwise.
    NY public library is my fave in this collection. I’ve never been in there but from the outside it is such a majestic beautiful building.

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    • Thanks Norm. You should go inside the library, it’s really beautiful. I do like to keep moving in cities, and you’re right, I end up on streets I might walk passed if not for that walk signal.

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  8. Beautiful doors this week! NYC has so many great doors. I love those scalloped doors you found, and both the French Bldg, and Macy’s Doors.

    The decorations at Saks are fun!

    I hope I get to go back to NYC one day. And to think I never had any interest in going until last year!

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  10. Some wonderful doors you found for this post, such diversity, lovely to peruse but of course, I just had to click the secret door link…. wow, not for the fainthearted, my toes curled and the vertigo feeling happened just looking at the shots!

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    • Thanks. I’ve been to the observation deck on the 102nd floor, but you’re behind a glass wall on that. Standing behind a short railing isn’t my idea of fun. I’d probably do it, for one or two quick pictures, but I wouldn’t stray very far from that door.

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  11. Well done! I love the rich warm wooden door in its stone entrance best. Is a great combo, I never tire of those.
    I enjoyed the Walk light bit, too. Moo and I had a doorcursion a few weeks ago, and that’s how we did as well. We had the misfortune of being in one of those areas where there are many diagonal streets, so many more crosswalks. But it was worth it :)

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    • Introducing a random element in your day is fun, sometimes. Diagonal streets do mess with your progress. In Pittsburgh, you really have to pay attention and get to and then stay on one of the main streets if you hope to make progress. I do tend to like any wooden door in a stone entrance. I thought of you when I saw the lights, because you’ve commented on those before.

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    • Thanks Marian. New York has so many interesting doors, it’s really easy to find interesting ones. I am always amazed that I can find a couple dozen doors by changing up the way I walk between the same two points. I’m glad you like this group, today.

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  14. Awesome to have these many beautiful doors, as I would expect in New York. Somehow my “plan” in San Francisco did not work, because we came home without a single door on my camera! I think it is because my family loves nature and craves the ocean waves.So, your post and that one of Norm’s makes it right:):)

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    • Thanks. Nature and ocean waves? What were they thinking? :)

      I can understand. I’ve been to San Francisco a few times, but not since I’ve been looking for doors. I probably don’t have door photos either. There are some door lovers from that area of CA, so you can very often find some SFDoors in the mix at Norm’s list.

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      • Yes, at least two I know of:) Distance and time are my “enemy” to get a good door every week, since I moved 2 years ago to the mountains, in the forest (and since painting is an addiction). Am not complaining though, we are living in a very beautiful area.

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    • Yeah, I’m not sure the Gov is interested. I think they’re turning that massive building into a train station or part of the train station or something. I hope it works out, because it’s a beautiful building.

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  19. *sigh* Every time I come here your collection in that darn gallery gets bigger, or so it seems. You are putting us all to shame, those of us who have a measly one photo per post. And what’s that about a secret door on the Empire State Building. Who on earth would put a door there unless that person was contemplating sky diving? Terrific set of doors and I looked oohed and ahhed all the way through. Very awesome display, even though you are putting me to shame. Thanks, Dan! <3

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    • Thanks Amy. I don’t often have photos like yours. Believe it or not, I try to use about 10 photos and to never use more than 15. Sometimes, I fail. It’s like One-liner Wednesday. I’m not sure I’ve ever stopped after one measly line. It’s hard to pass up the chance, I get more people looking at my photos here than I do on Flickr.

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      • Me thinks you do flatter, Sir. ;) And I cannot quite picture you with just ONE line, sorry, nope, not possible. Ah good for WP peeps who LOVE to look at your pictures, Dan. I Love this community, don’t you, even IF WP on occasion stirs up mischief? *sigh* It’s worth it for the friendship, encouragement, and downright good reading and viewing here! :)

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  23. Lots of elegance and beauty in this collection, Dan! I liked the Dentil and ___ crowning but forget what the other word was!
    I thought the marble etchings on one arched framework was gorgeous. . .Too many favorites but the first (Saks) was a feast for the festive season! :)

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  26. The doors are diverse and interesting, Dan, but I was most caught by your go with the light method. In Craig, we only have 4 widely separated lights — whoops, 5 since they had to put one in for the new Walmart that draws folks in from all over including Dinosaur on the Utah/Colorado border and Baggs, Wyoming; so I will have to wait for our net trip to Denver to give it a go.

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    • I use that method in New York, but I don’t use it in all cities. In Boston, for example, I tend to cross in the middle of the block on narrower streets because the drivers don’t observe the “people in crosswalk have right of way” all that well. In Hartford, there just aren’t that many intersections or places to go. Thanks for dropping by.

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  29. As for that 103 floor. Nuh uh…..i’ve been known to plaster myself against the wall at any height that has no high rails or mesh for protection. It is a completely involuntary thing. But I love the sensation of flying. I just have to feel secured. I doubt I will get to New York in this lifetime. Thanks for the great walking tour!

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  30. I see i missed this one. I know I’ve been struggling to keep up this year… between Crystal and my own stuff. Anyhow… I’m not seeing your number references, but that’s okay. The 5th Ave door would be great for a dream sequence. Thanks! :D

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