Better Days

One place you will always try to avoid, no matter where you are, is a run-down, "bad" neighborhood. It could be part of a city, township, county, or other geographical location, and they all have undesirable parts to them. I came across several pictures of poorer sections of New York, and couldn't help but feel badly for a particular picture of East Harlem.

The state of the buildings, and graffiti on the walls are a pretty good indication that this isn't a particularly good neighborhood. It's unlikely people in this area have a good standard of living,

but it pictures like these are a good reminder for those of us

well off, or at least do not have to live in these conditions. It inspired me to try to take a couple of pictures of West Philadelphia on my way to work.

The image doesn't appear to be as bad as the picture of New York above, but this is in a pretty bad neighborhood of the city, between 63rd and 48th street driving east on Lancaster Ave. The buildings in the surrounding area are in pretty bad shape, and the unkept landscape is a pretty good indicator. Both locations have certainly seen better days than their current situation.