Photo Research Gallery

CROSBY STREET HOTEL:  MAY 9, 2012

COOK + FOX:  April 11, 2012

41 COOPER SQUARE:  April 6, 2012

OHNY 2011 Photos
October 15, 2011
Battery Park City, Manhattan
I visited Poet's House, The NY Public Library BPC Branch, and Teardrop Park...

Poets House Facade

Lobby...Looking Down from 2nd Fl.

Events Hall with Outdoor Space

2nd Floor Library

Ceiling Detail

NY Public Library-BPC Branch

Tear Drop Park - Battery Park City

Teardrop

Teardrop

Teardrop

Check Out Poets House "Green" info at:
http://www.poetshouse.org/green.htm


Here is an article about the first LEED certified NY Public Library Branch that was in the NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/nyregion/28critic.html

Here is some info about Teardrop Park, including a rather interesting blog article on why it is NOT a great public space:
http://www.batteryparkcity.org/page/popup/teardrop.html

http://www.pps.org/great_public_spaces/one?public_place_id=869

"Fit" - People in Space
Sept. 19, 2011
This is the assignment in which we were to "take to the streets" and observe "fit"...

#1-The Mission

The Mission, San Francisco

I have visited Northern California and San Francisco many times and this area is one of my favorites, and not just because it has my favorite Taqueria, but because I know where I am without needing to look at street signs or a map.
It is the colorful murals that mark this place.  They emote love, loss, political frustration and anger, love of country, and the list goes on and on.
The subjects are not always going to be comforting and sit well with you, but you appreciate the passion on full display.
Some may find the Mission to be a little jarring and polarizing...rough and tumble.  Some may fear for themselves, or feel that they do not belong, something I did at first as a Caucasian female from the East Coast.  But now, I look at this place as prideful and creative; the ultimate in expression, projection and profession of ones thoughts and ideals.  I find comfort here and while I may be different in my background, I am familiar with the self expression through art and imagery.

#2-The Castro

The Rainbow Flag has come to symbolize LGBTQ rights and is displayed both in pride and to denote a place that is friendly to this population.  The Castro is a historical place in San Francisco that just by its history should be considered safe and welcoming to all, and yet, the Flag still flies...maybe so we never forget to be good to one another.


















#3-MCL at Play

When I was young, and I think that you all can relate to this, all I wanted to do was what I saw my mom, dad, or other adult do.  In this case, my niece wanted to have a play car because she sees that mommy and daddy have a car, and so did her big sis.
So...here is her car, designed to "fit" her.  Not only does it fit her in terms of her body size (tho not perfectly), but it also "fits" her in terms of her personality.
Number one...it had to be pink!  If it was not pink, she would not be sitting in it!  And Barbie has become big with her big sister and her friends, so Barbie it is!
And I am left to wonder...How did pink become so important to this child who was turning 3?  Why not blue, or red, or something sportier? How did we get here?

#4-Santa Fe Church

Statue of the Blessed Mother -Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe

 
This is a statue of the Blessed Mother Mary in a Catholic Church in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Where it is does not really matter, though Santa Fe in general boasts quite alot of religious sites and sacred places to visit.

What struck me when I took this photo is that it reminded me that in most churches I have been in with a statue of Mary, she is depicted with her arms outstretched in a way that "welcomes" you, no matter who you are.  It is how I would like to see my Church be, not just through its iconography, as this is how it is meant to be.  It is just not how it is.

#5-USOPEN Cheap Seats

Arthur Ashe Stadium, Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing, NY - US Open 2010

Here I am with my mom at the US Open.  We have been going every year for a long while.  But if you look just beyond us, you will see this little tennis court down below.  Yes, we are up in the heavens of the cheap seats....Row W (out of A-Z) to be exact...in the largest Tennis Arena in the world.

Now, I am used to attending sporting events and having such seats, and I am cool with it, as is mom, because you really get to see it all.  And in most cases, these sections house the most serious of sports fans.

I should note that these of, of course, the cheaper seats, and the tiers below us and closer to the action on the court are significantly more expensive.  Then there are the "corporate boxes."  In a sense, we do not "fit" in these areas because a) those seats are too expensive for us to afford (or more than that, because I guess I can afford the money, but on principle choose not to spend so much on a game) and b) are really not available outside the "corporate" or "sponsorship" realm.  You really have to know someone.  And not only do these folks that sit there get more roomy seats, but also they get food, passes, cleaner bathrooms with valets, and their own separate and speedier entrance into the venue.