Check out "The Sandpit." I promise you've never seen anything like it. Only someone who truly loves NYC could take the time (and the 35,000 still photos) to make this charming film. Kudos to all.
http://vimeo.com/9679622
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
TAXI!
I was most dismayed to learn from the New York Times that many taxi drivers have been using a depressingly simple method to cheat their fares of millions of dollars. Apparently they have left a long and wide computer trail, and the Taxi and Limousine Commission is on the case. Let's hope they fry the appropriate oysters.
As a college student, I briefly drove a "gypsy" cab in Queens. The cars were retired NYC yellow cabs that were in predictably terrible shape - the first question I was asked upon arriving at the garage was "Brakes or lights?"
I worked the night shift in the dead of winter and, as the lowest rung on the seniority ladder, got few radio calls and had to rely on street hails. Gypsies could not work the airport without incurring the often physical wrath of the regular cabbies - except for one flight that arrived at about 4 AM from Miami and was rarely serviced by the yellow cabs.
My career didn't last long, but it gave me an appreciation of just how hard a job taxi-driving can be. Because of that I have always been an inordinately generous tipper.
Not any more.
If you have had any interesting taxi experiences, comment below.
As a college student, I briefly drove a "gypsy" cab in Queens. The cars were retired NYC yellow cabs that were in predictably terrible shape - the first question I was asked upon arriving at the garage was "Brakes or lights?"
I worked the night shift in the dead of winter and, as the lowest rung on the seniority ladder, got few radio calls and had to rely on street hails. Gypsies could not work the airport without incurring the often physical wrath of the regular cabbies - except for one flight that arrived at about 4 AM from Miami and was rarely serviced by the yellow cabs.
My career didn't last long, but it gave me an appreciation of just how hard a job taxi-driving can be. Because of that I have always been an inordinately generous tipper.
Not any more.
If you have had any interesting taxi experiences, comment below.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Only in New York
I was strolling up Broadway yesterday when I came upon one of our regular beggars. He was holding the usual sign explaining his predicament; "Homeless. Jobless. Family to Feed." I tried to give him a dollar, but I could not get his attention. He was too busy talking into his cell phone.
Only in New York.
Only in New York.
Friday, February 12, 2010
A New York Moment
The movie version of the 30's musical Roberta was on the tube last night and it made me think of my mother and a truly wondrous New York moment.
In 1933, my mom, all of 20 and fresh from the Bronx, was working as a secretary for the Broadway producer and agent, Leland Hayward. She was asked to bring a contract to be signed by the actress known as Tamara to the New Amsterdam theater where this exotic performer was wowing audiences with her sultry rendition of Jerome Kern's "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes." When my mom arrived she was ushered into Tamara's dressing room and sat politely (and I'm sure, nervously) waiting for the actress to appear. Finally, Tamara emerged from another room, totally nude. She ignored my mother and stood before a full-length mirror, brushing her famously long black hair. As she brushed and brushed, her hair contrasting sharply with her pale, glowing skin, she began to softly sing "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" to herself.
As you can imagine, my mom was awestruck - she said it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen.
Only in New York.
In 1933, my mom, all of 20 and fresh from the Bronx, was working as a secretary for the Broadway producer and agent, Leland Hayward. She was asked to bring a contract to be signed by the actress known as Tamara to the New Amsterdam theater where this exotic performer was wowing audiences with her sultry rendition of Jerome Kern's "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes." When my mom arrived she was ushered into Tamara's dressing room and sat politely (and I'm sure, nervously) waiting for the actress to appear. Finally, Tamara emerged from another room, totally nude. She ignored my mother and stood before a full-length mirror, brushing her famously long black hair. As she brushed and brushed, her hair contrasting sharply with her pale, glowing skin, she began to softly sing "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" to herself.
As you can imagine, my mom was awestruck - she said it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen.
Only in New York.
Friday, February 5, 2010
100 New Yorkers Tell You Where to Go #2
Across the New York Harbor, in St. George, Staten Island – next to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, is a majestic, elegant, and elegiac memorial to those from Staten Island who died in the World Trade Center disasters. Name "Postcards," the memorial consists of two thin, white, hauntingly beautiful 40-foot-high, 30,000-pound slabs sculpted by artist/architect Masayuki Sono. Shaped like two postcards, bent in the winds like origami wings – the sculpture is reminiscent of the postcards that one sends to loved ones while on a journey...or perhaps on a quest. From afar, they might appear to be outstretched wings or a flower about to blossom. To some, they create a shrine.
Masayuki Sono was born in Kobe, a seaport in Japan. For the Staten Island September 11 Memorial, he thought back to the ten years he spent as a boy in Fort Lee, New Jersey, when his father traveled daily to Manhattan for work. Sono imagined the horror of losing his father as others had lost those they loved on September 11. Through this "painful and scary" process of trying to place himself "in their shoes," Sono focused on the victims and their families, and what they would want.
Masayuki Sono and his collaborator Lapshan Fong won a design competition sponsored by Staten Island’s Borough President James Molinaro that attracted 179 entries from 19 countries. Of his simple winning design, which he describes simply as postcards, Sono said, “I didn't want anything too grand or abstract, just something very direct, almost childlike, a common object used all around the world. People can see various things in it, use their own imagination and find different meanings.”
On the inner side of the 40-foot-high panels, the memorial features individual profiles (sort of "commemorative stamps") of each of those 268 Staten Island residents who lost their lives in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks in both 2001 and 1993. Masayuki Sono worked closely with family members to ensure that they were satisfied with the silhouettes of each individual depicted. Each of these white granite profile "stamps" is designed in a panel that is 9” by 11” – a subtle reminder of the day that still haunts the memories of many around the world. Sono’s unique design allows each granite profile to be lit as the sun passes. The twin walls of postcards frame the view of Ground Zero, as seen from Staten Island. Shaped like wings outstretched in a gentle V, the monument appears as if it could soar. When one looks back, the profiles create a profound sensation of a “congregation” of familiar faces.
For the best approach, depart from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and turn right at Richmond Terrace. Walk to the end of the Richmond County Savings Bank Stadium for the Staten Island Yankees, where you’ll see a sign saying “Postcards.” (This is a relatively short walk.)
Turn right and proceed down the ramps and stairs toward the North Shore Waterfront Esplanade. Before you know it, you’ll undoubtedly find yourself walking in a rhythmic manner toward the monument at the waterfront. Think of the rhythm of a graduation march, the walk down the marriage aisle... The rhythm of your steps will underscore the importance of what you are about to experience. Your attention will be drawn to the empty space between and beyond the postcards...the place where the Twin Towers once stood. The absence is palpable and haunting....
Step into the shrine-like enclosure of the Memorial. View the individual profiles of those who are remembered. Note the names, the occupations, the birthdates, and the absent date of their demise. Again, the absence is palpable and haunting....
Look across the harbor and envision the Twin Towers that once loomed over the waterfront and feel the power of their absence.
The Memorial has been well embraced by Staten Island residents. Behind each profile, there are spaces for people to leave mementos for their loved ones. You might see a rose, a cigar, or an inscribed Holy Card created for one who will never return.
The official dedication took place on September 11, 2004.
Masayuki Sono was born in Kobe, a seaport in Japan. For the Staten Island September 11 Memorial, he thought back to the ten years he spent as a boy in Fort Lee, New Jersey, when his father traveled daily to Manhattan for work. Sono imagined the horror of losing his father as others had lost those they loved on September 11. Through this "painful and scary" process of trying to place himself "in their shoes," Sono focused on the victims and their families, and what they would want.
Masayuki Sono and his collaborator Lapshan Fong won a design competition sponsored by Staten Island’s Borough President James Molinaro that attracted 179 entries from 19 countries. Of his simple winning design, which he describes simply as postcards, Sono said, “I didn't want anything too grand or abstract, just something very direct, almost childlike, a common object used all around the world. People can see various things in it, use their own imagination and find different meanings.”
On the inner side of the 40-foot-high panels, the memorial features individual profiles (sort of "commemorative stamps") of each of those 268 Staten Island residents who lost their lives in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks in both 2001 and 1993. Masayuki Sono worked closely with family members to ensure that they were satisfied with the silhouettes of each individual depicted. Each of these white granite profile "stamps" is designed in a panel that is 9” by 11” – a subtle reminder of the day that still haunts the memories of many around the world. Sono’s unique design allows each granite profile to be lit as the sun passes. The twin walls of postcards frame the view of Ground Zero, as seen from Staten Island. Shaped like wings outstretched in a gentle V, the monument appears as if it could soar. When one looks back, the profiles create a profound sensation of a “congregation” of familiar faces.
For the best approach, depart from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and turn right at Richmond Terrace. Walk to the end of the Richmond County Savings Bank Stadium for the Staten Island Yankees, where you’ll see a sign saying “Postcards.” (This is a relatively short walk.)
Turn right and proceed down the ramps and stairs toward the North Shore Waterfront Esplanade. Before you know it, you’ll undoubtedly find yourself walking in a rhythmic manner toward the monument at the waterfront. Think of the rhythm of a graduation march, the walk down the marriage aisle... The rhythm of your steps will underscore the importance of what you are about to experience. Your attention will be drawn to the empty space between and beyond the postcards...the place where the Twin Towers once stood. The absence is palpable and haunting....
Step into the shrine-like enclosure of the Memorial. View the individual profiles of those who are remembered. Note the names, the occupations, the birthdates, and the absent date of their demise. Again, the absence is palpable and haunting....
Look across the harbor and envision the Twin Towers that once loomed over the waterfront and feel the power of their absence.
The Memorial has been well embraced by Staten Island residents. Behind each profile, there are spaces for people to leave mementos for their loved ones. You might see a rose, a cigar, or an inscribed Holy Card created for one who will never return.
The official dedication took place on September 11, 2004.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Nothing ever really changes
I've been reading Jon Meacham's terrific biography of Andrew Jackson and came upon a speech that seems precisely relevant to the current state of political discourse. It was made by Edward Livingston of New York, during a particularly vitriolic period of debate.
"The spirit of which I speak creates imaginary and magnifies real causes of complaint; arrogates to itself every virtue - denies every merit to its opponents; secretly entertains the worst designs...mounts the pulpit, and, in the name of a God of mercy and peace, preaches discord and vengeance; invokes the worst scourges of heaven, war, pestilence, and famine, as preferable alternatives to party defeat; blind, vindictive, cruel, remorseless, unprincipled, and at last frantic, it communicates its madness to friends as well as foes; respects nothing, fears nothing."
What I can't figure out is how Livingston was able to access blogs in 1830.
"The spirit of which I speak creates imaginary and magnifies real causes of complaint; arrogates to itself every virtue - denies every merit to its opponents; secretly entertains the worst designs...mounts the pulpit, and, in the name of a God of mercy and peace, preaches discord and vengeance; invokes the worst scourges of heaven, war, pestilence, and famine, as preferable alternatives to party defeat; blind, vindictive, cruel, remorseless, unprincipled, and at last frantic, it communicates its madness to friends as well as foes; respects nothing, fears nothing."
What I can't figure out is how Livingston was able to access blogs in 1830.
Monday, January 18, 2010
A Tour to Remember
I had the pleasure of experiencing Justin Ferate's top-notch tour of Grand Central on Friday. The word "tour" seems too mundane to describe this two hour odyssey, which combined fascinating facts, lively and often very funny stories, and a real introduction to the potential of architecture to touch people's lives in a positive way.
Justin is a natural teacher (and entertainer) who knows how to involve his charges in the experience - the attached photo shows him teaching a fellow participant how to wave like the Queen Mother from the balcony near Michael Jordan's steak house. His point - how the architects planned that looking down on the floor of the terminal from this spot would make visitors feel that they were looking down on their loyal subjects and, as Justin said, "Who wouldn't want to feel that way?"
By the end my face hurt from non-stop smiling, so I just had to fill it with some Oyster Bar chowder.
I would recommend this experience to both New Yorkers and visitors. All you have to do is show up in the lobby of the Atria building any Friday at 12:30 PM.
And, I kid you not, it's all for free.
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