Aging In NYC: Photographer Captures Senior Life In The City

I met him as I was walking on West 72nd Street. He had his dog with him and was on his way to a veterinary appointment. So he said that he didn't have much time to talk because he did not want to be late. We walked together as we talked. Tom is 78 years old.

When I asked Tom what he did before he retired his face lit up as he said "I still do it." I often get this response when I interview elderly people. He teaches voice and piano from his apartment on the Upper West Side. He had taught at Julliard for 30 years and said 30 years was enough of that place.

Tom was born and raised in Bridgehampton, Long Island and moved to New York City in 1966. He said that he needed to get out of there because of family. He did not get along with his parents and two of his three brothers. He did, however, say that his youngest brother is his closest friend and that he adores him. Tom left home to go to college in Rochester, New York and from there, moved to New York City. He never wanted to be anywhere else. He loves the city and all of its cultural events available to him.

Describing himself as a troublemaker who does not like to follow rules, I got the sense that Tom was someone with lots of spunk and spirit. He said that he is smart and skipped the fourth grade and as a result, can not do addition and multiplication to this day. Subtraction and division were covered in the fifth grade so he can do that. In addition to his family, he could not stand the quiet of Bridgehampton.

His youngest brother still asks how can he stand the noise of New York City. His response to his brother: "How can you stand the quiet of Bridgehampton?" I commented that that reminded me of a Woody Allen movie where he can't sleep in the country because it is too quiet and it drives him crazy. Tom feels the same way.

Tom gets out at least three times a day to walk his dog and loves strolling around the busy city. The people make him feel young and alive, so he does not feel old. As we were talking about what life is like in the current political environment, he became animated talking about his dislike for Trump. He cannot understand how any person of color or any woman could feel comfortable enough to vote for him. He added he wants to be old enough not to care. So, how old would that be? He didn't quite know although he thought perhaps in his mid-80s. He thought that might be old, and he would let me know when he gets there.

Tom never married and has no children. He is an upbeat man who loves living in New York City, teaching talented young people piano and voice and getting out to restaurants, movies, concerts and just walking about the streets as often as he can.

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