Aging In NYC: Photographer Captures Senior Life In The City

This is Tom. I met him as he was leaving his apartment to get his car to go to Teaneck, New Jersey. Although Tom was walking with a cane, he did not want to stand still and talk. He would talk with me if I was willing to keep up with him. And, he was moving at a New York clip despite being 92 years old.

Tom was born and raised in Philadelphia but came to New York City for his college education. He said the only reason he came to New York was that college tuition was free at that time. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, now a part of New York University. Tom became a mathematics teacher and taught at Queens College and in Staten Island.

Tom was married three times. His third wife died in 2011, and she was the love of his life. He met her in school in New York City. He looked forlorn as he spoke about her. He now lives alone but does see his son often. Sometimes, he drives to New Jersey and sometimes his son comes to visit him in Manhattan. Tom said it is very important for him to get out on days that he is not visiting with his son.

He goes for walks at least once a day and sometimes two or three times a day. I asked what he likes best about New York City. The Knicks, the movies, the ballet. I asked what he disliked about living here, he hesitated for a while and thought about it. He finally said he could not think of one thing he dislikes.

He repeated several times that city life makes him feel alive and despite his aches and pains, he does not feel his 92 years. He shocks himself every time he says that number. As long as he feels this way, Tom will continue to get out every day.

Herb Bardavid is a social worker with a passion for photography going back to his childhood years. When he was 12 years old, Bardavid commandeered his family's only bathroom to serve as a part-time dark room for developing photos. At his wife's suggestion, the Upper West Side resident chose to chronicle the lives of New York City senior citizens for a year-long photography project.

Bardavid, who's in his 70s, is inspired by New York City's elders who don't let their age get in the way of how they live their lives.

"Elderly people in New York City are sometimes invisible," Bardavid told Patch. "People walk by and nobody pays attention to them. So when I stop people they are not only surprised but also happy because people don't often talk to them."

Check out Bardavid's blog here.

Photos by Herb Bardavid