Crossing the Blues

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Out and about


from Flickr

It's a full week in the NYC public space sphere.

Monday night, go to the second of the DOT's public input sessions on Broadway, including the pedestrian islands and bike lanes that run from Columbus Circle to 23rd Street and the "Greenlight for Midtown" project (aka, the coolest, most innovative public realm change this year). For those who tell me they are too busy to click through to event details here they are: Broadway Public Feedback Session, 6-8PM, New Yorker Hotel, 481 8th Ave at 34th Street. Seriously, if you like this project at all, please come out and say so. Public meetings have a tendency to attract the "no's" so if you're more of a "yes", please come out. I know that people want to pick apart the dots, the lanes, the chairs, and every other little thing, so if you're so inclined, you should first read this article by Michael Beirut and then go back to Times Square, stand on Broaday and simply enjoy watching people fill in all the space that used to go to cars.

Tuesday night is the opening night for the international conference on pedestrians, Walk 21. There's loads of great sessions at the conference which runs from Wednesday to Friday this week.

It's Architecture Week too, and for those who can't afford the Heritage Ball, the AIA NY's annual benefit ball on Thursday, the Center for Architecture throws an awesome after party with a more palatable admission.

Hope to see some of you out there this week!

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Who says Block Party season is over?

One of the pleasures of living in New York City is that you'll stumble on out-of-the-ordinary events while on your mundane every day routine. This is what Cybill and I came upon on our way back from the dog run.


The Cranberry Street Festival!





And then on my way to look at refrigerators (the most mundane of all errands) there was the Dean Street Block Party.



How many types of alternative transportation can you spot in the photo below?



Summer might be over, but block parties live on! (horrible quality, I know, still figuring this out...)


UPDATE: On my way to Windsor Terrace late Saturday night, Dean Street Block Party was still happenin'...a screen had been set up for movie watching. A beautiful way to spend the evening.