This stegosaurus of a standpipe connection is just one of the many tushie terrorizers conspiring to make the city's streets inhospitable to the weary keisters of pooped-out pedestrians. The sprinkler connection outside this building, pictured below, is equally unwelcoming.



But don't despair. While this callous indifference to the suffering of others may be on the rise, there are still plenty of other Siamese connections that continue to welcome the tired, the poor, and the huddled asses of the world with open arms (a.k.a. spikeless sitting surfaces). Just around the corner, in fact, I found one providing refuge for run-down rumps in three different Street View photos — a sanctuary sitty, if you will.

You can see a wider shot of the building in Street View. And here's what the place looked like in 1932.

From the building's 1994 landmark designation report:

The house at 12 West 129th Street, erected c.1863 when the village of Harlem was undergoing development as a suburban center, stands as a rare survivor of Harlem's early history, prior to its rapid development as an urban neighborhood. Built for two carpenters, William Paul and Thomas Wilson, and their families, it was a two-and-a-half story frame structure characteristic of suburban architecture. Subsequent changes to the house reflect adaptations by new owners to their needs, as well as changes in the surrounding community. In 1883, piano merchant John Bolton Simpson, Jr., added the distinctive Moorish-inspired porch, the most significant architectural feature of the house, with its perforated ornamentation created by the use of a scroll saw. In 1896, the house was acquired by an order of Franciscan nuns which was expanding its mission in the greater New York area. In order to accommodate a new use as a convent and children's home, the building was enlarged to a full three stories. Since that time, the building has continued in institutional ownership; it was purchased in 1979 by the Christ Temple Church of the Apostolic Faith, which plans to convert it to a senior citizens' residence.

Stepping off a Metro-North train in Harlem, I see that a reasonable approximation of the old Corn Exchange Bank has risen atop the ruins of the original building.

Memorial #127 can be found outside the 13th Precinct police station. I photographed the main part of the memorial when I first passed by back in 2013. Here are a couple of additional components that I must not have noticed at the time.





The truck reflected in this plaque is dedicated in memory of Officer McDonnell.

An old painted plea for noggin safety here at the 169th Street F train station

Cutty's is where the late Knicks forward Anthony Mason went to get his cranial canvas carved by Freddy Avila, "the Rembrandt of Barbers".

This is an amazingly bountiful little yard: tall rows of corn, a couple of fruit trees, and all kinds of vines stretching around back. It was too dark to see the vines well, but here's what they looked like a year ago.