Photos from the Growing Up + Old on the Lower East Side (@ The BMW Guggenheim Lab)

There’s an old saying that goes, ‘you can never go home again’. This may mean the bookstore that you spent your childhood in was replaced by another Trader Joe’s, or, maybe those sweet old neighbors moved away after 30 years. These types of changes are sometimes hard to bear when they happen in or around our homes. But what would it be like to grow up or grow old in a place where no two days are ever really the same? That is what thousands of people, of all backgrounds, are doing on the Lower East Side. Amidst all the topographical, cultural, demographic, and economic changes, they remain firm in calling these streets home. On October 2, 2011 PenTales invited long-time Lower East Side writers and artists to share stories about Growing Up and Old in The Lower East Side. Here are some photos from this eye-opening event. Many thanks to our great storytellers: Royal Young – Laurie Gwen Shapiro – Bonnie Lucas – Barbara Browning – Fred Gutzeit