New York is not a place for the timid or the weary. It is a city which seems as though it has the entire world revolving around it, and those who live within the metropolis are often imaginitive and creative. They take hold of the environment in which they live and mold it to be what they see as their singular vision. A wonderful by-product of this is the dynamic nature of the city and the trendsetting which occurs because of it. Each resident seems to be vying for the next great idea to set them apart from the crowd. It's amazing, energizing, and inspiring.
I took the opportunity three years ago to live and work there and while it was perhaps one of the more difficult episodes of my adult life it is also something I will always be thankful for having the opportunity of doing.
One of the many events held each year is Open House New York. An incredible opportunity to tour parts of the built environment which you often only get to walk past/under/or in to the lobby if you even know they exist in the first place.
Lucky Lisa and I managed to get a spot on the Highline Tour a couple of years ago while the project was under construction. Having read about this project over the years and having heard Diller Scofidio + Renfro discuss the project at one of their lectures we were very excited to experience the city from a completely different vantage point and see if we too could imagine their vision.
Needless to say it was pretty amazing walking along this structure which had played such a significant role in Manhattan's early history.
Now, a portion of the Highline has been completed. I'm adding it to my list of places to visit when I head back for a vacation. If you head to New York, make sure you take a walk along the completed portion. To see images of the completed work and gather your enthusiasm take a look at this article on the Dwell website.
Which brings me to Tacoma. Perhaps you know about the old railroad tracks running through downtown. They cross through the University of Washington Tacoma campus, past Tollefson Plaza and the Tacoma Art Museum, and head down to the waterfront. There is a community group working on including the old tracks in to a county wide trail system. The opportunity for assisting in creating a new experience for residents and visitors of Tacoma is enticing and begs to be explored. As part of Jon and my submission for the Tacoma Art Museum Plaza Redesign (see last post), we're proposing TAM takes "ownership" of a portion of the trail to assist in some of the issues with their existing site but also to extend the fingers of the museum via a sculpture garden - or rather walk.
Enjoy the journey!
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