Cat Alley (Manchester, NH)

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Date Of Visit: January 12, 2019

Location: Dean Ave (off Elm St), Manchester, NH (about 20 minutes south of Concord, NH and 1 hour northwest of Boston MA)

Hours: Accessible 24 hours a day

Cost: Free

Handicapped Accessible: Yes

Dog Friendly: Yes

Parking: There is plentiful parking on Elm St.  Just don’t forget to feed the meter.

Summary: Images of cats painted on the walls of an alley in Manchester, NH.

Highlights: graffiti, family friendly, historical

Tips:

  • cat alley is located on Dean Avenue between The Bookery, (844 Elm St) and Lala’s Hungarian Pastry (836 Elm St)
  • parking meter timers are enforced strictly
  • The street sign for Dean Avenue can be found on the shingle of LaLa’s Pastry Shop

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New Hampshire is known for being a dog friendly state.  It turns out it’s also cat friendly.

 

The artists involved in this artistic display include Peg Lipin, Bill Earnshaw, Brian Lapree, Noonan, Cindy O’Rourke, Del Christensen, Aimee Cozza, 11-year-old Kaitlin Gould, Brianna Gould, Caroline Chavette, Emily Drouin, Alex Mathieu and Anita Huddlestun.

Painted in 2009, Cat Alley has an assortment of cats in different poses and situations and professions.  Paintings of cat burglars, copy cat editors and cat barbers line the walls of the alley.  I never knew cats were such barbers.  Whenever I go anywhere near my cat with a of scissors, she freaks out.  They’re also pretty good in the kitchen too.  Maybe they should open a deli-cat-essen.

 

 

The alley is a little hard to find.  But, if you set your GPS to 844 or 836 Elm St you will be able to see it.  Unless you get there early, you may have to park some distance from the alley.  But, once you see the sign for Dean Avenue that can be found on the shingle of LaLa’s Pastry Shop you will know you’re there.

 

A plaque at the end of the alley gives a historical background about the alley.

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If you want to ride your bicycle to Cat Alley, you’ll be pleased to find these cat shaped structures to lock your bicycle.

 

Someone took an interest in my photography.  So, of course, I photographed him as well.  He did approach me and when he noticed what I was photographing we both went on our separate ways amicably.  Just something you may want to keep in mind if you do go for a visit.

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Below are a  few similar places I have visited and blogged about on my New England Nomad blog.  Please check them out and follow me at https://www.facebook.com/newenglandnomad/

Legal Graffiti Wall (Beverly, MA)

Murals (The Point, Salem, MA)

Nearby Attractions:

The Amoskeag Fishways

Currier Museum Of Art

 

 

Author: New England Nomad

Hi I'm Wayne. Welcome to my blog. I am a true New Englander through and through. I love everything about New England. I especially love discovering new places in New England and sharing my experiences with everyone. I tend to focus on the more unique and lesser known places and things in New England on my blog. Oh yeah, and I love dogs. I always try to include at least one dog in each of my blog posts. I discovered my love of photography a couple of years ago. I know, I got a late start. Now, I photograph anything that seems out of the ordinary, interesting, beautiful and/or unique. And I have noticed how every person, place or thing I photograph has a story behind it or him or her. I don't just photograph things or people or animals. I try to get their background, history or as much information as possible to give the subject more context and meaning. It's interesting how one simple photograph can evoke so much. I am currently using a Nikon D3200 "beginner's camera." Even though there are better cameras on the market, and I will upgrade some time, I love how it functions (usually) and it has served me well. The great thing about my blog is you don't have to be from New England, or even like New England to like my blog (although I've never met anyone who doesn't). All you have to like is to see and read about new or interesting places and things. Hopefully, you'll join me on my many adventures in New England!

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