Beneath the Pavement

1st Avenue and 61st Street – August 11, 2010

Cobblestone streets.

Every so often New York scrapes away its layers and you can get a glimpse into the past. There was a time when many of New York City’s streets were paved with what are popularly called cobblestones, but in actuality is Belgian Block.

Last summer, the city repaved a twelve block section of First Avenue and huge swaths of Belgian Block were uncovered for a few days by the road milling machine. These vestiges of the past could be seen for the first time in decades.  Within a week, they were covered again.

For the short time they were exposed, late at night, if you listened very hard, I bet you could hear the horses hoofbeats.