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.
As I was walking on Broadway with my camera, I saw a man walking in front of me, Tom. He was bent over, using a cane and looked very old. As I came closer to him, he called out to no one special, "Can someone please tell me where I am?"
I stopped and told him he was walking north on Broadway between 75th and 76th street. Of course, you know I was not going to let the conversation end there. I asked him if he gets out often? He said whenever he can, he enjoys the city and taking a walk is one of his pleasures.
I asked him if he was married - a long time ago for a very short time. He never had children and said that he has no family and very few friends. He lives alone. He commented that when the money left so did the woman. Before retiring he was in a rock and roll band. He said I might have heard of the band, it was called The Left Banke.
Find out what's happening in Upper West Sidefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Didn't you record "Walk Away Renee?" Tom picked up his cane and pretended it was a guitar and began to sing Walk Away Rene. We both laughed.
Tom played base for the group. I was surprised to find out that he was only 69 years old, as he looked much older. His face lights up when he realized that I knew his music. However, after our brief conversation, he put his head down and continued to slowly shuffle away like the lost old man that he so much feels is his life now.
Find out what's happening in Upper West Sidefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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."
