Dede Emerson in the News
Dede Emerson, known by many as a long-time UNDP Economic Development Officer & Deputy Res. Rep. in Trinidad and Tobago, a talented jazz pianist and an active AFICS (NY) Governing Board Member, has added a new credit to her resume: author/photographer! Her new book, A Different Kind of Streetwalker … Manhattan by Foot, One Block at a Time, was published in December 2009.
Retired, but a frequent visitor to New York City, one day in 2005 Dede realized how little attention she had ever paid to signs indicative of daily life in Manhattan's many neighbourhoods and resolved then and there to walk every street in the borough, bringing along her camera. "I thought it would be an interesting adventure," says Dede, "and it was, and so much more."
This is no ordinary travel book showing the city's tourist attractions. "I knew from the pictures I took on my first walk that I was focusing on the unusual, offbeat, and ordinary things that are part of the essence of New York but seldom photographed," she says.
Dede's approach to what seemed a monumental task was thorough and methodical. "I didn't skip any streets because I learned from my first few walks that you never knew what was around the corner," she says. "Some of my best shots were in very non-descript neighbourhoods. Furthermore, I didn't read up on any of the areas I was going to walk because I wanted to be surprised by what I'd see … that was one of the allures of this odyssey."
The results are evident in her Introduction and intriguing photos with captions in this 80-page book. These range from a sign on Stanton Street urging passersby to "Beware of Pickpockets and Loose Women," to 10 pairs of shoes and boots carefully lined up outside a school on 19th Street, to ice-skaters in Bryant Park, to chickens walking loose in Harlem, to a "Peace Place Mural" painted on the whole side of a building on 124th Street.
The project turned out to be a huge physical as well as artistic challenge. "I was determined to finish it, not only for the sheer adventure of it all but also to demonstrate that you can undertake a huge, physically challenging effort like this even in your 70s," says Dede.
After two years, nine months and two days, the author/photographer completed her journey on 26 January 2008 – with a total of 2,200 photographs. Altogether she walked 6,718 blocks, or 504.3 miles – the equivalent of hiking from Manhattan to Philadelphia five times – in all kinds of weather. The dedication reads: "Dedicated to my feet. They never let me down."
What is Dede's overall impression of the city, having completed this unique personal journey? "After walking all of Manhattan I can say with conviction that it is a cleaner, safer, prettier city than the one I came to in the fifties," she says. "Its people are incredibly friendly, helpful, kind, fun, and extraordinary on many different levels."
A quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson best describes how Dede feels about her achievement: "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."