The Urbanographer

Bird Friendly Glass Design

2012-02-18T12:53:00.002-05:00

My office just finished a balcony repair project at a modern glass building along the West Side of Manhattan.

The contractor had to install sidewalk bridging around the entire building to protect pedestrians from the work occuring above. What I noticed while walking on the bridge was a prevalence of beautiful and small dead birds lying all around -- victims to the confusion created with certain types of reflective glass. Among them were small downy wood peckers.

Downy wood pecker

Rand's president is an avid bird aficionado. He recently pointed me to the Audobon Society's recommendations on better glass design, which are fairly simple to incorporate into new design projects, such as fritted glass, glass divisions, like sunscreens at the New York Times Building, or angling the glass panels to reduce the amount of glare. Here is a short article about bird-friendly glass, recalling Louis Sullivan's coined phrase: Form Follows Feathers. We're hoping to recommend these design elements to our clients if give the opportunity.

Sunscreen louvers at the New York Times Building

Interior view of New York Times Building

Sunset Park

2012-01-27T12:56:00.000-05:00

In my new neighborhood, dumpsters drive themselves around.

I kid.

The rogue dumpster was retrieved eventually.

More change on Brighton Beach Avenue

2012-01-07T19:58:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure how I missed it, but Radin Pharmacy at 1077 Brighton Beach Avenue closed. Prescriptions were moved to Walgreens. Sad. That pharmacy has looked exactly the same for the past 25 years.

Radin, captured by google streetcar

Anyone know why it closed?

Radin today

Odessa - Brighton Beach Avenue

2011-12-31T11:41:00.000-05:00

Finally, something is happening at the shuttered Odessa restaurant and food shop on Brighton Beach Avenue. Odessa was one closing mystery I never solved, but I never asked around. Last night I spotted a sidewalk shed in front of the two storefronts as well as Pat Singer's community center, the Chinese food place and the corner Cute Nail shop, which means that the entire lot will undergo some sort of change. Strangely, from what I saw Pat Singer's shop is blocked with plywood; only the food and nail place are accessible.

The DOB page states the following:
Alteration Type 1 - Construction equipment fence proposed 3rd and 4th floors vertical enlargement. Convert second and partial of first floor to ambulatory diagnostic and treatment health care facilities use group 4. Change use, egress and occupancy as per plan.

It doesn't specify the number of storefronts to be converted. While I don't necessarily mind the increased height, I'm not in favor of a health facility addition, given that we already have the ugly 4-story Dr. Abboud's office further down the block with unfinished cinder block walls visible when pulling into the Brighton Beach train station on the B or Q.

Corbin Place update

2011-12-18T12:43:00.000-05:00

232 Corbin Place, with 230 and 228 in the background.

230 (left) and 228 Corbin Place.

Work continues at 232 Corbin Place and 228 Corbin Place. 228 is a duplicate of 230 Corbin Place. Both have been designed in keeping with the common styles of Manhattan Beach which has been a welcomed surprise. Both houses were put up for sale even before construction is complete.

Change in scale

2011-12-15T12:49:00.000-05:00

This three story building on East 57th Street must have been a hold-out.I can't imagine what the owners thought at the time. The construction of the neighboring buildings must have been extremely suffocating.

mta

2011-12-14T12:52:00.000-05:00

Artistic revision.

Sunset Park

2011-12-11T12:59:00.000-05:00

Eighth Avenue & 42nd Street, Brooklyn

On a personal note, I have moved from Manhattan Beach to Sunset Park.

Manhattan and Brighton Beach will always be my home and I plan to continue to post about these neighborhoods and the changes I witness.

But I may begin to post about Sunset Park as well. I am still in the process of absorbing what presently defines the area so that my eyes can begin to see what change is occurring. So far, the only intriguing change I have been watching is the renovation/restoration of the Ninth Avenue D train station. They recently relocated the token booth and in the process, temporarily revealed the old MTA logo. It was so much more elegant than what they have today!

2011-12-09T14:51:00.001-05:00

One of the reasons why I love my job is the opportunity to be on the rooftops of various buildings and see the city from a new perspective. I forget how cold and snowy it is at times.

232 Corbin Place update

2011-11-20T13:24:00.001-05:00

Foundation walls were poured a while back and aluminum stud skeleton frame of the new structure is in place. I haven't been there in the daytime to snap a picture. Will do as soon as I can.

2011-11-09T06:31:00.000-05:00

US Navy blimp coasting along the Belt Parkway at 11 AM.

Building Collapse

2011-11-08T21:56:00.000-05:00

Sheepshead Bites reported a building collapse in Brighton Beach. The saddest part is the update from 3:35 PM:

"A neighbor said the three have been pulled out. Also (according to witnesses), one worker on the scene fled before the police and FDNY came out. He reportedly “got in his car and left.”

It's likely these are immigrant workers as many construction workers are. I'm guessing he fled for fear of meeting paramedics and police officers. Sad when regardless of pain, one would have to flee.

This week I've discovered two separate projects in Brooklyn connected to one or two of the following:
Shaya Boymelgreen
Elena Kalman
Bricolage Designs

The public should be wary of any project involving these entities.

Joseph's Haircutting Salon

2011-10-27T06:36:00.002-04:00

google street view of Joseph's Haircutting Salon on 7th Avenue

I just saw that Manhattan Beach resident Joe Volpicelli was given a Proclamation award by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz for the 50th anniversary of his barber shop in Park Slope. Congratulations to Joe. What an honor.

Neptune Avenue

2011-10-15T22:26:00.000-04:00

homing pigeon conference @ Coastal

New DOT signs on Brighton Beach Avenue

2011-10-15T08:59:00.000-04:00

Finally, DOT put up three traffic signs on Brighton Beach Avenue at the entrance to the Oceana Apartments -- two for east/west bound cards entering the driveway to yield to pedestrians and another stating that cars exiting the driveway can only make right turns.

Accolades to whoever it was who proposed these signs. I'm not sure that they will work, particularly because the signs that say yield to pedestrians were installed against the angle of the sidewalk, making it difficult for drivers to see them..

But maybe I can stop yelling like a crazy person at drivers pulling in and out of the driveway. It really befuddles me why on earth the DOT/city and brainless architect thought that putting the entrance on the curve of the street was a brilliant move, on top of the fact that Brighton Beach Avenue is always congested. The main entrance should have been on Coney Island Avenue.

storm rolling out

2011-10-14T22:35:00.000-04:00

Emmons and Sheepshead

The Burger Shop on Brighton Beach

2011-10-06T22:54:00.002-04:00

vintage-looking hanging sign

This entry is my first quasi food review on The Urbanographer featuring the new Burger Shop. The food component however is secondary to my review of the shop as a new commercial space in Brighton Beach.

The Burger Shop seemed to have come out of nowhere. It exists as a parallelographically-shaped subdivision of Kebeer, the darkly lit triangular sports bar at the southeast corner of Brighton and Coney Island. (I still dont know what Kebeer means or if it does mean anything.) It's arrival reminds me of how out of place Starbucks seemed when it was new to the town. American barnacles strapped on to the Russian muscle that is Brighton Beach. (I never make it far enough down Brighton to see who actually buys coffee from Starbucks..Is it the local folk or north-Brooklyn/Manhattan seasonal invaders?) Burger Shop has raised various questions in my mind: who was the architect? who is the developer of the space? is this a chain? how do they know young Americans like thin brown paper colored menus? who decided on their vintage meat processor/churning logo? who are they marketing to with their English signs, American menu, and lack of glitz? Simply put: Has a North Brooklyn-American invaded Brighton Beach?

menu cover

I was impressed by the Shop's muted signage. It has to contend with the horrifyingly ugly building at next door with awfully large and disproportionate lettering letting us know that DR. ABBOUD has an office above the Brighton Bazaar.

I was also impressed by the organization of space for the waiting customers, and the tight but seemingly efficient use of space for the cook and cashier. The nicest feature is that the front glass window has a countertop or ledge running along it. When the window is fully open, one can communicate with people on the inside, while standing and eating on the outside. I don't know another eatery that uses glass and a countertop effect to extend indoor space in this way near by.

Brightly colored cartoony imagery
and text (in English) on raw plywood
= reminded me of Williamsburg.

This gigantic slider window frees up some more space.

I stopped by on Friday to see what the menu looked like and discovered the truth: the owner is not a North-Brooklyn American. How do I know this, you ask? Because a) there is no vegetarian alternative to the beef burger and 2) there are no turkey burgers (which I was really hoping for).

I ordered the 1st item on their menu -- a burger, fries and drink-- which comes to $5.00. I asked for the burger to have nothing on it, and then went overboard and asked for ketchup since there is no condiment station. It took about 25 minutes before I could walk out food in hand. It seems that my order slip fluttered away from where it was tacked. That accounted for the first 10 minutes. As the burger was grilled, the cashier double checked and asked if I ordered mayonnaise on it. I said no, only ketchup. Eventually, the burger was boxed and handed to me sans fries and drink, so I then had to wait for the fries to be cooked and the soda to be poured.

When I got home, I found mayo and ketchup on the burger and the fries too salty. The cashier did say they only opened the previous Tuesday.

brighton rainbow sky

2011-10-06T21:58:00.000-04:00

global worry

2011-10-06T07:46:00.001-04:00

In the same week, I read this disturbing New York Times article about our global tree loss , I watched the documentary Vanishing of the Bees. (I've posted the official trailer above for those interested. The movie can be seen through Netflix.) Everyone should take the time to read and watch both.

We are in trouble if society continues to think that the purpose of our short life on this planet is to consume without guilt or hesitation.

Commuter news

2011-10-03T06:30:00.001-04:00

Today, the B express train resumes service. I can't tell you how exciting this is for me. I remember reading the 2012 completion date listed on the MTA fliers in agony. (Work isn't complete entirely, but I think it's far enough along that the public can use the stations.)

Friday night, the B and Q were running express from Kings Highway to Prospect Park probably to finish last minute touches so that the MTA could keep to its goal. I was so proud, watching the contractors with flashlights walking the express tracks in the dark as I commuted home to Brighton. Our subway system is its own living organism-- living, and breathing us into and out of Manhattan each day, and requiring regeneration.

No . dot . No . stop

2011-09-17T19:01:00.000-04:00

Just saw the new MTA map called The Weekender. It looks wonderful in my opinion but I think they still have a few kinks to work out.

Berta

2011-09-16T06:46:00.001-04:00

The remaining two sections of Berta are currently being subdivided. This week, they removed the old signage and apparently the terra cotta facing to expose the back-up brick masonry behind. It kind of reminded me of this 1940s Cushman photo that I was shown earlier this week of New York. Note the building on the right. The store signage looks as though it was inserted between two bands along the brick facade. This is such a refreshing way to advertise rather than completely obscure the building with an awning. Particularly hideous is this one on Coney Island Avenue.

United Methodist Church - update

2011-06-01T06:24:00.004-04:00

Tim Stelloh at the New York Times wrote a follow-up on the church's stablization:

Sheepshead Bay Steeples to Be Stabilized, Not Removed

Erin Durkin of the Daily News did the same:

United Methodist Church of Sheepshead Bay finds temporary fix to save 142-year-old steeples

Hooray for follow-ups!

232 Corbin Place

2011-05-19T10:06:00.004-04:00

232 Corbin Place

2011-05-17T07:48:00.001-04:00

Demolition started yesterday. The roof has been torn into.

What made the little house significant to me:
1) Wood siding
2) Large glass window panes along the front room extension and wood detailing along the spandrel beam level
3) Matching front and back extensions
4) The simple, dock-like terrace off the back of the building (which seemed to signify how close the ocean water used to be)
5) Blue everywhere
6) It has predated the construction of most of everything else
7) It was a part of the Manhattan Beach Estates
8) Formerly owned by Joseph M. Newmark - the owner of the Riverside Viaduct Realty Company (citation to be provided soon)

1878 print

2011-05-17T07:41:00.000-04:00

232 Corbin Place

2011-05-11T07:43:00.000-04:00

Sadly, I report that plywood sheathing has been delivered to the site which means that demolition will start soon.

United Methodist Church - update

2011-05-02T06:22:00.001-04:00

Steel cables and bracing have been installed to support the load of the steeples. Due to some upcoming personal deadlines I haven't had a chance to speak to the Board of Trustees to discuss the next course of action, which I hope will be a full scale building evaluation and repair program. I will provide an update once I speak to them.

Bobby and Violet

2011-04-30T10:13:00.002-04:00

Bobst Library. The hawks are in the second window from the corner.

Nest twigs visible


View of nest from directly below building.

I have been taken with the Bobby and Violet story at my old school, NYU. If you haven't heard, two red-tailed hawks have nested along the north facade of Bobst Library. Yesterday, I went to Washington Square Park to see if I could spot the nest from the Park. These are the pictures I was able to capture.

old signage at Jack's Hairstyling

2011-04-23T10:51:00.002-04:00

5 cent Barbers

Manicuring

I think within the left circle shape it says 5 cent Barber. The first word after "Special Attention to" seems to be "children." Might need Frank Jump's help.

I peeked through the security gate. Looks like they may have transferred over the equipment from the other location.

small leaves, leaflets, leafilini's in prospect heights

2011-04-21T11:25:00.000-04:00

spring time on dean street

United Methodist Church of Sheepshead Bay finds temporary fix to save 142-year-old steeples

2011-04-21T08:01:00.000-04:00

Another article about the church by the Daily News!

Jack's Hairstyling on Brighton Beach Avenue

2011-04-14T20:42:00.009-04:00

today

by jackszwergold @ flickr

Jack's Hairstyling for Men has left its spot at 1103 Brighton Beach Avenue. I had seen the dumpster out front yesterday and wrongly assumed that it was for Odessa since that place has been closed for so long. (Although in retrospect that would not have made sense to locate the dumpster so far from the restaurant. Too far a distance to carry debris.)

The sign out front says they have moved to the block where Tiffany Fruit Store used to be. I hope they took their old signage.* I loved it.

Interesting discovery underneath: "Special Attention Given To"...who?

That's the second vintage barber shop sign we've lost in the past year I think. The other was on Avenue Z.

I bet the reason was the building requested an unaffordable rent increase, just like they did to Green Farm, the fruit store that was right next to it.

(*update. After posting this, I noted that they have vinyl sign at the new location.)

United Methodist Church

2011-04-12T07:36:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to collect pictures of the interior of the church from as far back as possible. If anyone knows who has old photos please send them my way. Thank you!

Hudson Street

2011-04-07T23:12:00.012-04:00

A construction fence running along Hudson Street was decorated with sunburst/spider spaces coming through voids in the netting. I wondered how this came to be installed and by who.

The spider legs appeared to be clear plastic tubing which is not the same as Med44's concept of construction site art: that all materials are not typical construction site materials.

Beautiful railing emblem

jeez louise

2011-04-07T22:37:00.000-04:00

Doing some research on leaning steeples and found this on wikipedia.

Suurhusen Church, East Frisia, Germany

strays

2011-04-07T06:37:00.000-04:00

The number of stray cats has always fluctuated over the years. We used to worry at their alarming reproduction rate and investigated the catch, neuter and release programs, but with the recent construction/demolition of several houses, the numbers have dwindled fast. The construction has occurred in their favorite spot.

I spotted this sign on Saturday, and I guess the poster is suggesting the cats haven't packed up and moved due to the construction but have been killed. Sad.

wednesday in brooklyn

2011-04-06T22:37:00.006-04:00

prospect heights eye sore..

scaffolding + yellow blooms in sheepshead bay

Sheepshead Bay/Plumb Beach Civic Association

2011-04-06T05:46:00.000-04:00

I attended the monthly meeting at Sheepshead Bay/Plumb Beach Civic Association last night in an attempt to introduce myself to the chairpeople and inquire as to whether they received my email from several weeks ago. Apparently none of them had received it or knew what I was talking about. I will try again to gain their support of a fund raiser for the Church at some other point in time.

more photos from my weekend mapping

2011-04-05T23:04:00.002-04:00

Courier Life article

2011-04-04T22:43:00.001-04:00

The Bay News has an article on the church's decision to restore the steeples: Steeples Saved!

I am very happy as you can imagine.But this is not necessarily a victory since the church is still in the same financial position. They still need our help.

Sheepshead Bay architecture

2011-04-04T21:04:00.004-04:00

2235 Emmons Avenue

Beautiful balustrade & porch design

This is first on the list of buildings I will add to my map.


Home for winged creatures

update

2011-04-03T23:02:00.000-04:00

I met with the Board of Trustees at the church and am really excited about what we might be able to accomplish together. I will post more soon.

There may be a small piece in the Bay News about this campaign, so keep a look out for it!

Thoughts

2011-03-31T22:01:00.002-04:00

In the grander scheme of things, United Methodist Church should belong to a league of historic buildings in South Brooklyn. We all [subconsciously] know which ones they are but only realize we have this knowledge (of which structures deserve preservation) when they are threatened by change or decay.
I am working on a map of South Brooklyn to locate these buildings.

Whether or not they should be landmarked to ensure their future existence is a topic for another time. But in the meantime, if we had a map maybe building owners would be convinced to maintain them in keeping with the intent of the original architect.

Sheepshead Bites article !

2011-03-30T14:58:00.003-04:00

Sheepshead Bites posted an entry today, "Campaign To Save Methodist Church Gains Steam" about my efforts to save the steeples. I have received several responses already and am inspired to continue. Thank you to all those who are reading and pushing for my success.

6 AM/6PM

2011-03-29T22:26:00.009-04:00

When day broke around 6:30 AM, I saw this on Brighton Beach. Plumes of gas fumes funneling straight into the air, and no one inside the vehicle. These trucks in the photo assist long flat bed trucks that are transporting new boardwalk concrete slab and wood sections to the Ocean Parkway section under construction. They [the city?] began using Brighton 15th Street last summer since there are few wide entry points to the beach.


6 AM

The problem is the flat bed trucks often get stuck making the turn around the abandoned red building, and so these other caterpillar trucks spend hours smoothing out the sand for the flat beds, OR pushing the flat bed trucks out of sand when they inevitably get stuck in ruts.

It's hard to say if the flat beds going back and forth all day is the most efficient option available. Where are the concrete slabs being loaded from?

6 PM

Anyway, I was horrified by the fumes. Once I came home from work, I prepared three letters to post in each of the three trucks and went onto the beach to tapes these missives onto the inside of the glass for the drivers to find tomorrow.

proof i'm the note bandit

exterior view of my note on the yellow truck

taped note from inside truck

143 new boarwalk pieces

Forest Stewardship Council approved!

.

Poll:
What will the construction crew with the notes?
a) rip them off like angry giants and throw them to the ground with a huff
b) look for people like me spying through windows
c) keep the ignition off til the last possible second
d) write me back

My trip to the beach gave me a chance to inspect the collection of other things they are storing on the beach. They currently have 4 blocks/crates of 143 Forest Stewardship Certified wood slats ready to go. That makes me happy. But idling sort of undoes that environmental consciousness, no?

I also had a chance to take a picture of the rear facade of the blue house aka 232 Corbin Place.

United Methodist Church

2011-03-29T09:13:00.000-04:00

The recent news about the steeples appears to have drawn attention of other fields of study, aside from architecture.

The New York City Chapter of The American Guild of Organists has an entry about United Methodist's organ history. http://www.nycago.org/Organs/Bkln/html/SheepsheadBayMeth.html#Moller

Avenue U

2011-03-28T06:26:00.001-04:00

L and I were craving the $8.00 antipasto salad from Tre Fratelli on Avenue Z on Saturday. It was midday, but they were closed, which was weird. So we went to Rocco's (formerly Bari and formerly next to the Capri Bakery, I think?) Pork Store on Avenue U and bought an equally tasty salad for $7. When did Richard Yee's close?* I've always wanted to see what the interior looked like. I hope Shulman's holds on.

*My sister tells me it's been closed for 2 years already!

42nd Street @ 6 PM

2011-03-25T18:27:00.000-04:00

232 Corbin Place

2011-03-20T11:29:00.004-04:00

Demolition of the garage and front of the house started today. Heartbreaking loss of architectural design. No one would make a decorative wooden frame like that anymore.

electric signs at stillwell

2011-03-18T19:54:00.003-04:00

I haven't been to Stillwell in a while, but was there tonight and saw new electric signs. The sign pointed to one that was being retired for the night however, the next one that left departed from the track to the right.

October 1901 article re: United Methodist/Sheepshead Bay Methodist Episcopal Church

2011-03-16T22:51:00.003-04:00

Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online

July 18, 1902 The Brooklyn Daily Eagle article about United Methodist

2011-03-16T22:39:00.004-04:00

Taken from The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online

Campaign to save the steeples

2011-03-11T09:17:00.003-05:00

Existing and Proposed

I am continuing the campaign, started by media agencies such as Sheepshead Bites, the Daily News and the New York Times, to publicize the planned removal of the steeples at United Methodist Church in Sheepshead Bay.

Any interested parties can contact me so that I can send this letter out on their behalf to everyone I can possibly think of in an effort to discover funding options which do not appear to have been pursued by the parish yet.

I really believe that the greater Sheepshead Bay community loves this building and does not want to see it changed. Regardless of whether we belong to the parish, it belongs to our collective memory of the neighborhood. Therefore, I am also distributing surveys to the local community to collect memories/stories about the church or the building. Anyone interested, please contact me via the comments section.

Please see letter below:

For those of you who would like to copy and paste the above letter, here is the basic text:

_______ __ , 2011

Dear local community leader,

I am writing to express my concern over the removal of the steeples at United Methodist Church in Sheepshead Bay, located at Ocean and Voorhies Avenue.

I hope that by writing to you, you can reach out to the United Methodist Church Board of Trustees and parishioners to advise them that their building is iconic and an essential part of Sheepshead Bay's history as well as part of the neighborhood's present architectural landscape.

I also hope that with publicity the church may find funding to restore them instead of removing them.

Sincerely,

____________________

United Methodist Church

2011-03-05T02:26:00.000-05:00


2004 Voorhies Avenue

It's been a week since I learned about the planned removal of the two steeples at United Methodist Church.

I am still trying to figure out what should be done, and can be done to convince the church not to proceed. It appears that the church has not try to obtain funding.

I would like to meet the architect to hear how the scope was determined and particularly why the steeples could not be restored in place, and why the project could not be accomplished in phases to save on costs. The cost affidavit says the demolition (and I'm assuming the capping work) is $22,000. We don't know however if the contractor a) is doing it at cost, and b) whether the scope was bid out to many contractors to obtain the best price.

Conapac Services Corp. is the contractor who pulled the sidewalk shed permit. It is not clear whether he will be performing the demolition work since the demo permit was pulled by the architect.

Hotbird

2011-03-05T01:56:00.000-05:00

There's a new HotBird right near one of the iridescent, indestructable yellow signs off of Atlantic Avenue.

At the Clinton Washington G train station, they could have replaced the old wood railing but that wouldn't have been as fun. Look at the care that went into this. I love it.

333 East 54th Street

2011-03-04T16:48:00.000-05:00

Saw this building on my way to a site visit and had to take a photograph on my way back to the train. A modernist building sneaking in some traditional detailing at the cornice level and some pistachio-colored, french-styled fire escapes. The colors in the photos don't convey how nice it was, so you'll have trust me.

636-638 Pacific Street

2011-03-03T22:48:00.000-05:00

I can't believe this building is gone. I took these photos April 17, 2009

232 Corbin Place

2011-03-01T07:34:00.000-05:00

Change is on it's way. It appears that the house was recently sold. There are signs for pesticide and bait posted on the outside of the house.

The most recent plan exam to build a one family house on the existing foundations was disapproved.

The house second from the left has just been sold. The application to rebuild on the existing foundations has been rejected for now.

Brighton Beach Avenue

2011-01-02T22:50:00.000-05:00

1120 and 1150 Brighton Beach Avenue, two amazingly well kept Art Deco buildings lost some of their decorative features on the main roofs.

photo by Emilio Guerra @ flickr

I'm not quite sure what purpose they served.

Coney Island’s Shore Theater Is Named a Landmark

2010-12-14T23:17:00.000-05:00

The New York Times reports the landmark designation of the Shore Theater on Surf and Stillwell Avenue.

It is proof that you don't need the owner's approval to get a building designated. While it is usually easier, the Landmarks Preservation Commission knows that community members may understand a structure's significance apart from land value, which is usually the landowner's primary concern, moreso than the building itself.

230 Corbin Place

2010-02-23T07:39:00.001-05:00

Med44

2009-07-08T23:07:00.000-04:00

I love Med44's work.

Here are remnants of an installation downtown Manhattan. A successful attempt at adding life to a construction zone with the typical materials found at a job site.

Return trip to the Waterpod

2009-07-05T23:04:00.000-04:00

The Waterpod!

2009-07-03T22:59:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure of speaking with some of the artists inhabiting the Waterpod. It's so wonderful to see educational exhibits in my neighborhood.

252 Exeter Street

2008-05-04T07:30:00.000-04:00

old photos

2008-04-11T07:22:00.000-04:00

My Public Spaces professor Elliott Maltby had our class meet in Coney Island and walk to Brighton Beach via the boardwalk to discuss the changes that are underway-- mainly the acquisition of space by Thor Equities and the loss of old elements that connect the present to Coney Island as an entertainment district.

It brought to mind some photos my sister took circa 1999(?) which I share here.

Leading toward Brighton Beach however, the discussion turned optimistic. Brighton Beach Avenue under the tracks and continuing eastward toward Brighton 15th is bustling with activity she explained. It is a successive mall at a scale accessible to all. Low-rise buildings

blimp

2007-09-27T06:12:00.000-04:00

There's been a mysterious, unmarked blimp flying along Brighton Beach heading east and west (toward Coney Island and Manhattan Beach) for several days now. Still can't figure out what it is doing. There is hardly any activity on the beaches these days.