Garment Wear Arcade

Midtown West might be one of a most miserable sectionS of Manhattan–a perfect storm of commuters’ aggressive sidewalk maneuvers and tourists’ dawdling and map unfolding in the hellish triangle of Times Square, Port Authority and Penn Station–but here and there one can find bits of charming details from the pre-glass highrise era.

One such detail is the Garment Wear Arcade on West 36th Street by 8th Avenue: an unusual Medieval/Renaissance-y typography (the Author is open to more qualified guesses), decorative cast iron grate and odd collection of words. Garment Wear Arcade? In any case, there are some things worth slowing down and looking up for.