Arghh forgot to take pictures of the two loverly couples!!! [two pictures here] We were supposed to go to Governor's Island to have a picnic, but with the threat of a thunderstorm later in the day, we opted to stay in Manhattan instead. Well anyways, today got off to a pretty long train ride to 14 St. My buddy J and I walked to Union Square before heading back to 7th Av to meet up with his girlfriend and his two other Columbia friends, G & D. As we passed by the L train stop at 6th Av we coincidentally saw his gf emerging from the exit. Greetings exchanged - this is E, this is JC!
Went to a really cozy but humble restaurant, Elephant & Castle (not the bar chain) in Greenwich Village to have brunch. Apparently, D was able to tell from the restaurant's decor and age of the furniture that the venue has been open since 1976. Or maybe because we all saw the menu, dated 1976 and with the pre-inflated prices on it, hanging by the entrance! :) The menu wasn't too expensive for the food we received. $11.50 for the "Canyonland Poached Eggs (two), with Balsamic Jus, Fresh Tarragon, Tomatoes, Avocado and Wild Mushrooms, and Toasted English Muffin." I felt that the best part about the restaurant was the restaurant physically stretched from one street to the next because of the relatively awkward block geometry (windows on both sides!). Also the antique cash register - it had rows of push-buttons with some going from 10 to 90! All 4 of us treated J, with my total coming to $18 - not bad compared to Jean-Georges last year haha.
Afterwards, we walked back to Union Square to
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Cooper Exploits New Building, Hopefully for Cash
Ever since the opening of the Cooper Union's New Academic Building, otherwise known as 41 Cooper Square, photographers and film crews have been all over the site. Every so often, I see such people outside and inside the building, from small photo shoots for a new line of Tumi luggage on 3rd Ave earlier this Spring, to huge productions such as the one for Ugly Betty in 2009, which I covered here. Most recently, I have also seen IBM film an ad with actors playing doctors and patients, with old IBM equipment placed as props around the building. Hearsay indicates that just a few days ago the show "White Collar" also filmed there. But some of the most widely-seen shots of the building are probably in advertising.
Although most of the ad for Cadillac features a fake museum-like interior, the final 4 shots are of 41CS, in the following order: 1 shot facing North 3rd Ave of a couple exiting the (empty as of now) rental space on the southwestern corner of the building, 1 closeup head shot with the doors closing behind them, 1 of them staring back at the building's "skateboard ramp" aka emergency stairs with the car next to them, and 1 of them entering the car, now MAGICALLY parked on East 7th St, with a view of the Foundation Building in the background.
EV Grieve: Cooper Union fit for a Caddy and the ad it's referring to Youtube: 2010 Cadillac CTS Gallery Arsenal FX
Bowery Boogie has a link to the Time Warner Cable ad, featuring Yes, Dear's Mike O'Malley on a tour bus passing southbound by Cooper Square on 3rd Ave. As the blog points out, "Landmarks featured most prominently are the new Cooper Union academic building (spacecraft) and the Cooper Square Hotel (glass dildo)."
Bowery Boogie: Time Warner Cable on Cooper Square
With the shortest feature of 41CS, Samsung shows a slanted Eastern elevation of the building, which then cuts to a closeup of the lobby windows with fake TVs inserted in the lobby.
Youtube: Samsung Apps
And in a recent viewing of the indie film Win Win, Fiat had a pretty long commercial before the film to introduce itself to the US market. A shot of the building from across the Square with the words "Derivative of Nothing," implying that the building and the car were originals. I've got to admit, the ad was pretty catchy, confusing at times, but well-produced.
Post 205 (Dated Today)
What do you think? Comment below!
EcstaticE.blogspot.com
Although most of the ad for Cadillac features a fake museum-like interior, the final 4 shots are of 41CS, in the following order: 1 shot facing North 3rd Ave of a couple exiting the (empty as of now) rental space on the southwestern corner of the building, 1 closeup head shot with the doors closing behind them, 1 of them staring back at the building's "skateboard ramp" aka emergency stairs with the car next to them, and 1 of them entering the car, now MAGICALLY parked on East 7th St, with a view of the Foundation Building in the background.
EV Grieve: Cooper Union fit for a Caddy and the ad it's referring to Youtube: 2010 Cadillac CTS Gallery Arsenal FX
Bowery Boogie has a link to the Time Warner Cable ad, featuring Yes, Dear's Mike O'Malley on a tour bus passing southbound by Cooper Square on 3rd Ave. As the blog points out, "Landmarks featured most prominently are the new Cooper Union academic building (spacecraft) and the Cooper Square Hotel (glass dildo)."
Bowery Boogie: Time Warner Cable on Cooper Square
With the shortest feature of 41CS, Samsung shows a slanted Eastern elevation of the building, which then cuts to a closeup of the lobby windows with fake TVs inserted in the lobby.
Youtube: Samsung Apps
And in a recent viewing of the indie film Win Win, Fiat had a pretty long commercial before the film to introduce itself to the US market. A shot of the building from across the Square with the words "Derivative of Nothing," implying that the building and the car were originals. I've got to admit, the ad was pretty catchy, confusing at times, but well-produced.
Post 205 (Dated Today)
What do you think? Comment below!
EcstaticE.blogspot.com
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Neighborhood Crime Wave - We're Just Never Safe
Despite the Mayor saying that violent crime in NYC had fallen since 2001, similar to the nationwide fall, there has been a spike in the past 2 years in NYC, such as in Queens - NYTimes: Steady Decline in Major Crime Baffles Experts
The following is my eyewitness account. Times are based on approximate durations.
2:10 A.M.: Earlier this morning, I awoke to some loud sounds, as if people were hitting garbage cans and yelling. I then heard a car alarm - sounding like our car's - and lurched out of my bed and peered through my window blinds, looking for signs that it was our car. Indeed it was. The car lights flashed and I saw one person running to the right, another next to the side of our car. In retrospect, I probably should have waited to see the perps' clothing, but my fight or flight response made me turn on my and another room's lights. I yelled out to my parents that it was our car and that there were people outside. Running back to my window, I saw that the criminals had now ran off.
2:12 A.M.: Dad went outside to take a look - front windshield was badly damaged from their using a neighbor's bundle of cuttree trunks wooden fence slats waiting to be thrown out by the garbage truck later that day; the bundle was still sitting on the front hood. Worker across the street came out but said did not see anything. Several neighbors from the left side of the block came over - they said that some of their cars had been similarly vandalized. The first one had already called police.
2:14 A.M.: An SUV charges down to the right side of the street (against the one-way); I thought it was the perps' vehicle.
2:16 A.M.: SUV comes back; driver actually lives at the end of the block and heard the commotion and attempted to give chase as soon as the goons started running away. He said that he saw some teens at the gas station.
2:20 A.M.: One police car arrives. Hearing about the gas station, they go down
The following is my eyewitness account. Times are based on approximate durations.
2:10 A.M.: Earlier this morning, I awoke to some loud sounds, as if people were hitting garbage cans and yelling. I then heard a car alarm - sounding like our car's - and lurched out of my bed and peered through my window blinds, looking for signs that it was our car. Indeed it was. The car lights flashed and I saw one person running to the right, another next to the side of our car. In retrospect, I probably should have waited to see the perps' clothing, but my fight or flight response made me turn on my and another room's lights. I yelled out to my parents that it was our car and that there were people outside. Running back to my window, I saw that the criminals had now ran off.
2:12 A.M.: Dad went outside to take a look - front windshield was badly damaged from their using a neighbor's bundle of cut
2:14 A.M.: An SUV charges down to the right side of the street (against the one-way); I thought it was the perps' vehicle.
2:16 A.M.: SUV comes back; driver actually lives at the end of the block and heard the commotion and attempted to give chase as soon as the goons started running away. He said that he saw some teens at the gas station.
2:20 A.M.: One police car arrives. Hearing about the gas station, they go down
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Healthcare Reform: Sept. 2009
"Postcard from Canada: Why I Missed Obama’s Speech" - Single Payer Westerchester. 9/13/09. After President Obama's speech on his push for healthcare reform in Fall of 2009, this blogger remarks on the benefits of a single-payer healthcare system based on their experiences in the Canadian system. An interesting first-hand account that many naysayers often hide.
"Class Warfare" - Tim Allen Journal. 9/21/09. When I first read this I was amazed that Tim Allen wasn't only a funny man, but also someone who is able to understand certain economic ideas that some politicians and people just refuse to accept or think about. He makes a good point about how social programs such as a public option in the healthcare reform package are intended to be subsidized for the good of all, and profit-making isn't a primary goal. Only point is that the USPS is not directly subsidized by tax money.
"Class Warfare" - Tim Allen Journal. 9/21/09. When I first read this I was amazed that Tim Allen wasn't only a funny man, but also someone who is able to understand certain economic ideas that some politicians and people just refuse to accept or think about. He makes a good point about how social programs such as a public option in the healthcare reform package are intended to be subsidized for the good of all, and profit-making isn't a primary goal. Only point is that the USPS is not directly subsidized by tax money.
"What’s the fuss with a public option?
Well, the post office for one...As a business it’s hard to defend sometimes with lines and spotty service. As a ‘social’ program it’s a wonderful place to assure a reasonable fee to get written or printed material and packages anywhere. If you asked FedEx or UPS to mail a letter, the carrier would scan it and you would wonder why you are paying $12.96 to send something when you could use the Post Office and mail it for under 50 cents. That’s the cost advantage provided by a ‘public option’. We are taxed to keep the price ‘fixed’, the fix augments the price of
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
41 Cooper Square is a Cleanroom Wrapped in Foil
A cleanroom is typically thought of as a very sterile, white-finished place. It might look exceptionally clean, but it is not a place you would want to spend a lot of time in. The same can almost be said of Thom Mayne and Morphosis' new building for The Cooper Union in New York City. Cooper is a long-standing institution that has a (total) student body of about 1,000 each year, and has three major disciplines: art, architecture, and engineering. In 2007, the Cooper-Hewitt building located at 3av between 6th and 7th streets was torn down to be replaced with a new structure coined the "New Academic Building." This new building would be used by all three disciplines, with the engineering school moving from its place at 51 Astor Place. 51 Astor Place would be, like all other Cooper property, leased to a developer for 99 years and developed into a mixed-use condo.
[For those of you too lazy, pics taken Fall '09 at the end]
Now for the juicy bits. After 2 years of construction, the project's price tag reportedly ballooned 68%, with plenty of construction-related delays, leading to an unfinished building opening Fall of 2009. Among those delays, courtesy of Sciame - the construction management company hired, are slanted concrete floors (a lot of places are awkwardly sanded down), unfinished spaces (Engineering office, Frankie's Lounge, faculty bathrooms), malfunctioning HVAC systems, and improper signage. A Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) was issued only because Cooper had to move out of 51 Astor by Summer 2009 for the new tenant or face penalties. (The development deal has since appeared to have gone sour, as the New York Film Academy has moved in instead of new condos being built.) All of this led to construction crews working around the clock, during the school day and during the winter break to finish the job. Some bathrooms (e.g. 5th floor) have leaking sinks and stalls that flood. Even one year after the grandest opening where a bunch of politicians and Cooper's Board of Trustees had a nice photo op, the building is still not officially closed out (finished).
Now, construction-related delays are common, and every job has them. But what about the design of the building? Treehugger, the New York Times, and the architecture world might absolutely adore it, but from a practical standpoint, it is not all that brilliant. Standing from 3 Av or Bowery, you see a large metal mesh-covered building that stands out from the neighborhood. Boy, does it stand out - people have been calling it "the Death Star" for its resemblance to the Star Wars' enemy base. Now don't get me wrong - incorporating "green elements" in design is important these days - and if the mesh does really reduce energy usage then fine. But it sticks out like a sore thumb in a brick and stucco neighborhood. Every time I bring someone around the area, when they turn the corner at St Marks Pl they gasp and say something to the effect of, "Ugh, what's that?!" Sure, the folded metal letters spelling out the name of the place maybe cool - Daily Dose might refer to it as an interesting juxtaposition of "solid and void" - but the building stands out too much. So much so that during the first 3 months, wayward tourists often found themselves gawking at the building and attempting to enter the building, only to be strictly told by security that there is no tour available and that no picture taking would be allowed of the lobby/staircase. In my opinion, the building looks too much like a museum rather than an educational institution.
And to some extent, that was Thom Mayne's original intentions. The 2-story art gallery open to 7th St, the two aptly-nicknamed "Fish Tank" classrooms (each featuring at least 2 sides of glass walls open to the street and the hallway) and the gigantic space-hogging staircase all make it oh-so distracting. In fact, the original design was to have ALL classrooms have glass walls opening to the hallways-boy would that be very distracting, as evidenced when Ugly Betty visited. The classroom windows only open with much force, and when the sunshades are in use, conflicts and accidents (like the window corners tearing the shades) arise. The positioning of recycling/trash areas on one side of the building on most floors led to the addition of wastebaskets in the corridors. On a side note, Cooper does not recycle - they just wanted a LEED point for having recycling areas. The fire stair on the Southwest corner of the building - originally intended to be an exterior staircase, was boxed in with a glass curtain wall and is always HOT HOT HOT. And whether they forgot to change it after they boxed it in or did not have the money for it, that staircase is not for one with vertigo or acrophobia since the treads are metal wire mesh, whose original intent was to not factor into the square footage of the building as an exterior staircase, according to professors related to the construction. Oh, and the building has 20% less space than 51 Astor and more students will be using it than before. Example: the student lounges never have enough space during peak hours of the day. To add to that, the Board of Trustees have now taken over a much-needed room in the Basement that was used for classes because 'classes can't take place in our boardroom!' So thoughtful of them.
Last, but not least, is the grand staircase every critic ogles over. Initial fears by the faculty, staff, and students that its continuous 4 story path and (somewhat) polished concrete would lead to many trip-and-roll accidents and potential deaths (one professor named it "the Death Stairs") fell by the wayside to a general critique that it is a tremendous waste of space. I for one appreciate good design and it is a strong symbol that encourages the building's occupants to exercise more (NYC's Dept of Design & Construction loves it) and use the stairs (which is also why 2 of the 3 elevators are each about 30sqft. and one of those is an express elevator, although the sign on the Ground floor says "Express Elevators" and the other small elevator is frustratingly slow because like the freight elevator, in actuality stops on every single floor.) Digression aside, the staircase takes up a lot of space and has created plenty of small, cramped, offices underneath it on each floor it tramples over; which when added to the 20% less space has led to plenty of classes either not being offered as often or programming difficulties and class size restrictions (even into required classes in a major.) And one engineer remarked, "Is it a staircase for the building or a building for the staircase?"
One more thing - as if the staircase hasn't already created awkward spaces, the walls and traffic spaces are also dangerous. Walls diagonally cut to create the bench space behind the gash on 3 Av are occasional hazards to the distracted passerby (yes, I have hit my head on them.) Obtuse staircases serving the 4th to 5th, 5th to 6th, 7th to 8th, and 8th to 9th (no 6th to 7th can be a pain when you have to walk to the ends of the building to use the fire stairs), built to encourage people to take the Express Elevator(s) to Express floors (LL2,LL1,G,5,8) and walk (to save on energy usage) are way too narrow for people to pass by, especially with the high protection wall obscuring your view of people walking in the direction against you. These staircases also have awkward railings that jut out into the open, creating negative spaces in between them and the protection walls.
I appreciate good design and especially great architecture. I actually wanted to become an architect when I was deciding which college major I wanted to take. But the problem that I often see in architecture, often with "starchitects" (the famous ones), is that design becomes the number one priority and overshadows functionality, which is what matters most to the occupants of the structure. And when that happens, the building sucks. A good architect may dream of wondrous buildings and places, but unless he puts himself in a 1st person view of someone who will be a daily end user and brings a portion of those dreams into reality, then they have failed their primary role as an architect. And as one of the great architects of our times, Frank Lloyd Wright, said, "Form follows function - that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union." (Viewing some of his drawings and models at the Guggenheim's exhibit last Summer titled "Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward," might actually attest to a priority of function over form, as evidenced from the title of the exhibition)
And for that cleanroom reference? 41 Cooper's walls and desks are white; the ceilings are made up of dropped metal grids hiding the ductwork, metal sheathing is offset from elevator walls, and classrooms are windowless. Enjoy the building kids!
Album of 41 Cooper
Post 202 Dated 9/14/09, see 200th post for reason
What do you think? Comment below! EcstaticE.blogspot.com
[For those of you too lazy, pics taken Fall '09 at the end]
Now for the juicy bits. After 2 years of construction, the project's price tag reportedly ballooned 68%, with plenty of construction-related delays, leading to an unfinished building opening Fall of 2009. Among those delays, courtesy of Sciame - the construction management company hired, are slanted concrete floors (a lot of places are awkwardly sanded down), unfinished spaces (Engineering office, Frankie's Lounge, faculty bathrooms), malfunctioning HVAC systems, and improper signage. A Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) was issued only because Cooper had to move out of 51 Astor by Summer 2009 for the new tenant or face penalties. (The development deal has since appeared to have gone sour, as the New York Film Academy has moved in instead of new condos being built.) All of this led to construction crews working around the clock, during the school day and during the winter break to finish the job. Some bathrooms (e.g. 5th floor) have leaking sinks and stalls that flood. Even one year after the grandest opening where a bunch of politicians and Cooper's Board of Trustees had a nice photo op, the building is still not officially closed out (finished).
Now, construction-related delays are common, and every job has them. But what about the design of the building? Treehugger, the New York Times, and the architecture world might absolutely adore it, but from a practical standpoint, it is not all that brilliant. Standing from 3 Av or Bowery, you see a large metal mesh-covered building that stands out from the neighborhood. Boy, does it stand out - people have been calling it "the Death Star" for its resemblance to the Star Wars' enemy base. Now don't get me wrong - incorporating "green elements" in design is important these days - and if the mesh does really reduce energy usage then fine. But it sticks out like a sore thumb in a brick and stucco neighborhood. Every time I bring someone around the area, when they turn the corner at St Marks Pl they gasp and say something to the effect of, "Ugh, what's that?!" Sure, the folded metal letters spelling out the name of the place maybe cool - Daily Dose might refer to it as an interesting juxtaposition of "solid and void" - but the building stands out too much. So much so that during the first 3 months, wayward tourists often found themselves gawking at the building and attempting to enter the building, only to be strictly told by security that there is no tour available and that no picture taking would be allowed of the lobby/staircase. In my opinion, the building looks too much like a museum rather than an educational institution.
And to some extent, that was Thom Mayne's original intentions. The 2-story art gallery open to 7th St, the two aptly-nicknamed "Fish Tank" classrooms (each featuring at least 2 sides of glass walls open to the street and the hallway) and the gigantic space-hogging staircase all make it oh-so distracting. In fact, the original design was to have ALL classrooms have glass walls opening to the hallways-boy would that be very distracting, as evidenced when Ugly Betty visited. The classroom windows only open with much force, and when the sunshades are in use, conflicts and accidents (like the window corners tearing the shades) arise. The positioning of recycling/trash areas on one side of the building on most floors led to the addition of wastebaskets in the corridors. On a side note, Cooper does not recycle - they just wanted a LEED point for having recycling areas. The fire stair on the Southwest corner of the building - originally intended to be an exterior staircase, was boxed in with a glass curtain wall and is always HOT HOT HOT. And whether they forgot to change it after they boxed it in or did not have the money for it, that staircase is not for one with vertigo or acrophobia since the treads are metal wire mesh, whose original intent was to not factor into the square footage of the building as an exterior staircase, according to professors related to the construction. Oh, and the building has 20% less space than 51 Astor and more students will be using it than before. Example: the student lounges never have enough space during peak hours of the day. To add to that, the Board of Trustees have now taken over a much-needed room in the Basement that was used for classes because 'classes can't take place in our boardroom!' So thoughtful of them.
Last, but not least, is the grand staircase every critic ogles over. Initial fears by the faculty, staff, and students that its continuous 4 story path and (somewhat) polished concrete would lead to many trip-and-roll accidents and potential deaths (one professor named it "the Death Stairs") fell by the wayside to a general critique that it is a tremendous waste of space. I for one appreciate good design and it is a strong symbol that encourages the building's occupants to exercise more (NYC's Dept of Design & Construction loves it) and use the stairs (which is also why 2 of the 3 elevators are each about 30sqft. and one of those is an express elevator, although the sign on the Ground floor says "Express Elevators" and the other small elevator is frustratingly slow because like the freight elevator, in actuality stops on every single floor.) Digression aside, the staircase takes up a lot of space and has created plenty of small, cramped, offices underneath it on each floor it tramples over; which when added to the 20% less space has led to plenty of classes either not being offered as often or programming difficulties and class size restrictions (even into required classes in a major.) And one engineer remarked, "Is it a staircase for the building or a building for the staircase?"
One more thing - as if the staircase hasn't already created awkward spaces, the walls and traffic spaces are also dangerous. Walls diagonally cut to create the bench space behind the gash on 3 Av are occasional hazards to the distracted passerby (yes, I have hit my head on them.) Obtuse staircases serving the 4th to 5th, 5th to 6th, 7th to 8th, and 8th to 9th (no 6th to 7th can be a pain when you have to walk to the ends of the building to use the fire stairs), built to encourage people to take the Express Elevator(s) to Express floors (LL2,LL1,G,5,8) and walk (to save on energy usage) are way too narrow for people to pass by, especially with the high protection wall obscuring your view of people walking in the direction against you. These staircases also have awkward railings that jut out into the open, creating negative spaces in between them and the protection walls.
I appreciate good design and especially great architecture. I actually wanted to become an architect when I was deciding which college major I wanted to take. But the problem that I often see in architecture, often with "starchitects" (the famous ones), is that design becomes the number one priority and overshadows functionality, which is what matters most to the occupants of the structure. And when that happens, the building sucks. A good architect may dream of wondrous buildings and places, but unless he puts himself in a 1st person view of someone who will be a daily end user and brings a portion of those dreams into reality, then they have failed their primary role as an architect. And as one of the great architects of our times, Frank Lloyd Wright, said, "Form follows function - that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union." (Viewing some of his drawings and models at the Guggenheim's exhibit last Summer titled "Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward," might actually attest to a priority of function over form, as evidenced from the title of the exhibition)
And for that cleanroom reference? 41 Cooper's walls and desks are white; the ceilings are made up of dropped metal grids hiding the ductwork, metal sheathing is offset from elevator walls, and classrooms are windowless. Enjoy the building kids!
Album of 41 Cooper
Post 202 Dated 9/14/09, see 200th post for reason
What do you think? Comment below!
EcstaticE.blogspot.com
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