Spring St. (North Side, between 6th Ave. and West Broadway)

Rather than tackle the whole north side of Spring St. in one blitz, I decided to capture just a few blocks at a time. So here are three blocks of the north side of Spring St., between 6th Avenue and West Broadway.

I overexposed many of today's photos, overcompensating for the darkening effect of the polarizing filter. I'll get it right one of these days! Although probably not anytime soon.

It was a warm, gorgeous day out this afternoon . . . and really crowded. I can't decide whether or not I'm annoyed or pleased when people pause on the sidewalk, waiting for me to take my pictures. On one hand, it hurries me, and as it takes me a few seconds to set up each shot (and wait for the flash, if any), and I wait for a clear spot before shooting, I wasn't going to capture the people in the photo anyway. On the other hand . . . well, it's curmudgeonly to complain about people being considerate, isn't it?

The entrance to the Spring St. Subway station for uptown service on the C and E lines, at the corner of 6th Avenue. I like the tile mosaic on the landing back wall, which the city does a reasonably good job of keeping free of graffiti.

Our neighborhood Tasti D-lite at 203 Spring St., for all our ice cream and candy needs. Yeah, I've spent some time in here filling up little bags with candy from the plastic cases. Their low-fat ice cream tastes like weak chalk, but the regular variety is reasonably decent. That big plastic chocolate and vanilla cone verges on the obscene; chocolate ice cream should never be rendered in plastic.

Despite its terrible name, Hair Box, an old-fashioned barbershop at 203 Spring St., is where I get my hair cut. I like the celebrity pictures in the window, which include headshots of James Gandolfini and other Sopranos. The Styrofoam heads in the window with "hair" formed from clay pebbles are extremely mysterious and creepy.

At 195 Spring St. is Variazioni, which updates their clear-eyed windows frequently. This is a no-nonsense display of Valentine's Day party outfits.

Cigarillos, a friendly neighborhood tobacconist (and head shop) at 191 Spring St. I dig the smoking cricket (or possibly a frog) logo and the bare-breasted cigar-store Indian. It also smells wonderful in there, probably from the wide selection of pipe tobacco. No, I'm not doing very well this week with quitting smoking.

Ah, my good friends at Spring Street Wine Shop, what would I do without you? 187 Spring St., conveniently located on the way home from the Subway.

This display has been up since New Year's Eve. Whatever -- Veuve Clicquot never goes out of style.

I love scotch. Go ahead, put Johnny Walker Blue Label up on a pedestal, it's all right by me.

This isn't a window so much as an industrial archway, leading to a miniature indoor lumberyard right here on one of SoHo's busiest shopping streets. (Metropolitan Lumber and Hardware, 175 Spring St.) I love watching the tourists almost get run over by the little forklift the workers use to shuttle the lumber and bags of cement across the sidewalk.

This is the western window of Flying A (169 Spring St.), which I always think of as the boys' window. Flying A is a little bit like Diesel-lite, but I like that bag and those sneaks. I'm not sure why the mannequin (the one with the head) looks so spaced-out. He'd better watch where he's going!

And this would be the eastern window of Flying A, the "girls' window". Basic women's daily wear, kinda cute, a little chilly-looking for the season. Although that bust in the lower right corner is working her hat!

It seems as though this woman selling Russian-themed t-shirts on the street is enjoying her soup.

A street vendor selling accessories on the northwest corner of Spring St. and West Broadway.