HP5, Rodinal
Taken while Kevin Allen and I walked down West 23rd street in September, just before I captured the image of the two women on their cell phones.
I remember distinctly glancing across the street as we walked along the north side of the block and thinking ‘Live Bait, what an odd name,’ framing the shot, clicking the shutter and moving on. After I developed the roll, I kept staring at the image, wondering why it called out to me, if anything, louder after the image had been developed than on the day I grabbed it. Today, as I was working on the image, it hit me.
My first job in the game business in 1980 was at a company called SPI (Simulations Publications, Incorporated), whose original offices were located at 20 East 23rd Street. If you look at the image above, that building is not actually in the frame, but it is just to the left of the frame — you can see 16 East 23rd street right there, however.
I never worked in the 20 E. 23rd Street building, I did work at the next address they inhabited, which was Park Avenue South, about three blocks South of this building. The one year that I worked for them, they held their Christmas party at a bar near their old haunts which was, you guessed it, at a bar called ‘Live Bait.’ That’s why I knew that building so well, we used to hang out at this bar and drink quite a bit of Jameson’s.
New York, for me, is like that. Having worked there for eight years in the game business, and having done off-broadway theater there for years prior to that, there probably aren’t many restaurants or bars south of 23rd street I haven’t been in at least once, whether I remember them or not
Somehow, to me, having a company Christmas party as a bar called Live Bait is something that could only happen in NYC. Not quite the same as Mesa or Gilbert Arizona, where the last company I worked for wouldn’t have considered dumping their garbage in a place that looked or felt like this place did (does). But for those of us who worked at SPI, there couldn’t have been a better place to celebrate that holiday.
Glad I snapped this one, for sure.
Looks and sounds like my kind of place Chris. I like your city images they have a real ‘life’ feel to them. I don’t know how else to describe it.
That’s pretty cool that you snapped the picture and figured it out later. So many times, we don’t get to make the connection. I’m sure that if you had made the connection instantly, you probably would have taken a peek inside and made a few photos, if possible.
Though I found it intensely tiring, I really enjoyed NYC and want to return a few more times to photograph it. The next time, I really want to linger about and experience a whole day in the city … I think.
Paul, hey, there’s a Cartier-Bresson exhibit that opens at MoMA in April. You COULD come up, I could meet you, we could go in, see the exhibit, shoot a bit . . . like that . . .
I remember when you took that shot. I’ve never been to ‘Live Bait’ but it stands out as one of the many places I still need to visit in NYC.
Great Shot Chris.
Years ago I was walking past this bar with my brother, an avid fisherman and hunter. He turned to me and said “Why would a bar in the city sell live bait? That place should be down the shore.”
Chris: I’d love to do that. As long as you drive to NYC. After driving up there for those 8 hours, I think that I’d rather ride! Is there, perhaps, a train that we could catch to NYC?
That’s really a coincident, interesting to hear that you’ve been in the game industry that long. Hey, 1980, I didn’t even think think games were invented by then. Thinking a little bit harder, I do remember we got to play Pong somewhere during those years.
It’s a really cool name of that bar, btw. And the photo is good too, such ones that get invaluable in ten or twenty years. I like this documentary style!
Thanks, Ove, I appreciate your post; at that time, I was doing board games and role-playing games, not computer games, Long time ago.