Community Corner
Aging In NYC: Photographer Captures Senior Life In The City
Photographer Herb Bardavid focuses on seniors getting out on the town for a long-term project. Here are some stories he's shared with Patch.
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I met Bill as he was resting against a metal gate on 72nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue. He was clearly out of breath. I stopped to chat.
Bill is 80 years old and lives by himself. He has been widowed for ten years. I asked about children and grandchildren. He has two children, one lives in Virginia and the other in California. When I asked how often he sees them, he became crestfallen and said: "Let's not go there."
Bill, retired now for ten years, was a Social Worker in Queens and worked for Jewish Child Care Association. I told him that I too am a Social Worker. We traded stories. He asked me about the kind of work I do and of course I shared some of my work histories with him. He really misses working and would love to be able to work again. He misses the interaction with co-workers and the feeling of being productive.
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Bill said he misses having family and friends around and often feels lonely. It is for that reason that he goes out every day despite his difficulty breathing. He said living in New York City is very important. Since it is so difficult for him to get around, it is important that he shop no more than four or five blocks from his home. He said that he feels alive when he is walking the streets of New York, enjoying being among people.
As we parted Bill called out to me that he hopes we meet again.
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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."
