Aging In NYC: Photographer Captures Senior Life In The City

Robert was sitting in front of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, having a cup of coffee when I sat down next to him. He was easy to engage and happy to talk to me. He is 78, born in the Heights section of Jersey City, New Jersey and grew up there. He attended St. Paul of the Cross grammar school and St. Michaels High School in Union City, New Jersey. He is a graduate of Rutgers School of Pharmacy.

In 1963, his first job was with Hoffman LaRoche, working on what was a new drug at the time, Valium. He said that while working for Hoffman LaRoche, there were some people that didn't like him, including his boss. He said several times that politically he didn't get along with people, but didn't say why. After a few years of working on prescription drugs, he moved into a new area, Validation, that involved the use of computers. Apparently, this was a process that involved complicated computing that most people at that time were unable to do, and Robert became very important to Hoffman LaRoche. So, even though he did not get along with people at the company, they needed him. He continued to work for Hoffman LaRoche, working on drugs such as Prevnar, until they eventually downsized. By that time, he felt ready to retire. He has now been retired for 14 years.

Robert met his wife, Sally, ballroom dancing. Sally was a Broadway performer who had appeared with Richard Burton in Camelot, had a role in Phantom of the Opera and had two or three roles in Cats. In addition to ballroom dancing, Robert is a model railroad enthusiast and has an extensive railroad set up in his home. He described himself as a high-end audio enthusiast and repeated it several times for emphasis. He loves listening to music and thoroughly enjoys high-quality sound.

Robert and Sally lived on the Upper West Side for many years but now live in Woodland Park, NJ. He still sees himself as a New Yorker, mentioning that all his doctors are at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and that he enjoys coming into Manhattan as often as he can both for his medical and emotional wellbeing. He loves Manhattan but also loves retreating to his home in New Jersey.

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