What's New In New York Architecture

Chelsea, New York

Another great aspect of the Highline Park is that it offers a nice architectural tour of new projects in the city. It shoots you straight north from the Meat Packing district into the heart of Chelsea. For better or worse, this is what will grace the skyline of the Lower West Side for years to come.

First up, we're back at the Standard Hotel. It's brand new and as I said in the previous post, much in the news. About all I can say about the Standard is that it lives up to its name. It does not suggest long hours of feverish creativity and almost looks as if it was tossed off during a lunch break. I believe it would have astonished in 1958. In Cleveland.

Next, the big guns. The IAC building is Frank Gehry's first project in New York and a lot has been written about it. The critics talk of "billowing sails set against the Hudson", "a sumptuous wedding cake" and the "crisp pleats of a skirt". I am starting to tire of Mr. Gehry's work. His art museum Bilbao was really fresh. The Walt Disney Concert Hall in L.A. looked a lot like Bilbao. This one looks like a low energy version of its predecessors. It looks a little lazy, like maybe the contractor screwed up. It also looks like someone spilled milk all over it. All in all, a bummer.

I don't know who designed this one but it certainly stands out. The main idea seems to be "let's get creative with window size". I try to imagine it at night and wonder if it will look fun or annoying. I can't decide.

I used the work bummer above but I've really got to use it now. You've got that nice, elegant structure on the left and the new "addition" just screams out TUMOR. And, it's a tumor about twice the size of the patient.

By now it must be clear that I am pretty much a philistine when it comes to modern architecture. When I look over to the east, I feel the warm glow of nostalgia. The Empire State was once as jarring a structure to the skyline as any of the others I've seen today. Will these new entries have such a lasting impact? That's gonna be for somebody else to decide.

The nostalgia continues.

This one has grown on me. At first I thought it was garish, like a flash bulb going off in the neighborhood but the size and shape are just right for what surrounds it. The reflections are interesting. In the lower right hand corner, it seems that a giant child is screaming for help. Spooky. Fun?

Ok, now this is New York. The size, shape and function blend perfectly. Like the diner above, it's a classic.

Walking The Highline

Highline Park, New York

New York has a lot of quirky areas but the new Highline Park trumps most. Basically, this is a swath of floating prairie in the middle of Manhattan. At first glance, it looks like a bit of a gimmick but by the time you traverse its present nine block course, it feels like a completely natural and integral part of the city.

The Highline is a 23 block railway bridge built in the 1930's to get freight traffic off the streets. This is an impressive construction and I'm sure it was very helpful at the time but since a train hasn't passed this way in almost 40 years, it wasn't contributing much. Now it is.

Stepping onto the promenade at its southern end at Gansevoort Street, I had immediate criticism for the park's gardeners. A lot of the plantings appear to be dead and the place has only been open for four months! A helpful plaque clued me in on what I was missing. During the years of it's disuse, the Highline became home to a wide variety of wild grasses, shrubs and rugged trees such as sumac. Some smart guy (quite a few actually) thought that the structure's history should play through in the park's design. Hence, not only does the scrappy landscape survive but sections of the original tracks are integrated as well. It give you an eerie idea of what may remain once we are gone.

The park also covers some fascinating urban geography. It begins in the trendy Meat Packing district. Remember that funky loft that Glenn Close had in Fatal Attraction? It was here under the Highline that she first took advantage of industrial elevators for sex. Back then, meat was still packed all along these streets but now it is a landscape of boutiques for those not suffering in the recession.

Just a few signs hint at the good old days of beef and blood.

Making your way north, you'll notice the new Standard Hotel. Actually, you'll walk right under it. To create a bit of sizzle, the newly opened hotel encouraged its guests to indulge in nasty behavior in front of the guest room's floor to ceiling windows. Honest. It worked really, really well and the neighbors were super ticked and the hotel made a hasty retreat on this innovative policy. I did see a guest hammering away like crazy on his laptop. Basically, anything you do up there will be enjoyed by all.

If you are a bit disappointed that you missed out on the Standard's exhibition policy, fear not. A few blocks up the way in Chelsea, there's a nice billboard of Victoria and David Beckham in their underwear.

Next year, another 10 blocks of the park are scheduled to open, leading you almost all the way up to Penn Station. I look forward to revisiting this lovely new park and watching in slowly grow into maturity.

Walking The New York Marathon: The Finish Line

Columbus Circle, New York

Leaving the serenity of the Conservatory Garden behind, we're back on the race course for the grand finale. It is a lovely stretch that trots past the Guggenheim, behind the Met and flows through a perfectly autumnal Central Park. I hope that these folks are able to enjoy it.

Though the leaders were long ago crowned and have probably finished up most of their TV interviews, you can see that a good deal of the 42,000 participants are still working on it. It is my first marathon and I was surprised to see that many runners have their names plastered in large letters across their chests. It seemed pretty vain to me. "Look at me! Big, cool guy named Hank, running in the big important race!" Then I realized that this is a tool that allows the crowd to shout out encouragement and we quickly joined in. I tell you, if I were out there, I'd need all the help I could get.

It's another hour before we make it to Columbus Circle where they have thoughtfully erected a giant screen so that the runners have physical proof (besides all that pain) that they are indeed about to finish the race.

I think that the sign below must be one of the most beautiful sights in all the world. I cannot imagine covering 26.2 miles in 2 hours 19 minutes, 4 hours 22 minutes or 13 hours 55 minutes. I would tackle this course with a three day strategy and a list of the great restaurants that line the way.

From a spectator's point of view, I have to rank this event far above the Giro d'Italia which captivated me for a little over a minute. A ramble from Harlem to Columbus circle is worthwhile on any day but on race day its a unique treat. My sincere thanks to those 42,000 that made it possible.

Walking The New York Marathon: Central Park

Across 110th Street, New York

It is incredible how quickly the mood changes when you step across 110th Street and enter Central Park at its northeast corner. I guess it's no surprise as Bobby Womack wrote the R&B hit about the experience and it's been used in a couple of films, one by the same name. The song was written about stepping in the other direction however, into the grit of Harlem. I'm wondering what type of music would be written making this journey in reverse, probably the Pachelbel Canon.

This is one of my favorite corners of the park. The Harlem Meer greets you as you enter and even on race day, families make the short detour over to feed the geese. A few steps further south is the Conservatory Garden. This is Central Park's only formal garden and it is an insider's tip. Many of the trees and plants that you see throughout the park were cultivated here. The formal layout and ornate statuary of the area never change but the plantings often do. Despite its beauty, I've never seen more than a handful of people in these tranquil surroundings. The woman below obviously didn't come to watch the race.

We did though, so it was time to conclude our brief zen exercise and amble back over to see what the field looks like during the 4th hour.

Walking The New York Marathon: Harlem

Harlem, New York

Last year at this time, we were hosting a couple of German students here in Queens and I thought that a great way to tackle some of the sights of Manhattan would be to tag along for the last few miles of the New York City Marathon.

On race day morning, just as Duke Ellington suggested, we took the A-Train to Harlem and headed over to the Abbysinian Baptist Church for a little spiritual strength and music. I had no idea what a hot and worldly ticket these services are. The line for visitors resembles a soup kitchen for European tourists. It winds around three corners and all along its length you can practice your French, German, Italian, Russian, Swedish etc.

I could not imagine that the church could hold a fraction of these interesting white folk, so we abandoned this plan and headed over to Silvia's for a quick brunch. Unfortunately, there was no music here either (too early) so we carbo-loaded on grits and finally caught up with the marathon at 125th Street and 5th Avenue.

This has got to be one of the most enjoyable places to experience the race. Wandering down the avenue, the stoops are packed with families and friends cheering the runners along. Every other block or so, there is a impromtu DJ or rapper or band to lend a little rhythm to the proceedings (music finally!) Check out the experience on my pathetically amateurish youtube video.

One thing you'll notice. Marathoners pose a severe littering problem.