The view of Canal & Broadway from the 3rd floor fire escape was awesome. The hustle and bustle on a New York Saturday afternoon in China Town was in full swing. But I wasn’t on the 3rd floor of a building for the view — I was there as part of experiencing New York. The location with the great view was Sacred Tattoo where I was about to get tattoo #5. No silly t-shirt for me to remember the trip.
I wanted to share my thoughts and observations on NYC while they are still fresh in my mind. Although with over 1,000 photos I can easily go back and retrace my steps. I hold some strong beliefs about what makes a city great and specifically what we should be striving for. This trip to NYC as well as recent trips to Chicago and Oklahoma City have confirmed much of my thinking but challenged some notions on others.
While mostly in Manhattan I did spend time in Staten Island and Brooklyn. Most relate to Manhattan except where noted. These are in no particular order:
> It is the older 4-6 story buildings and old high rises that are most interesting. Some newer buildings are also interesting but most are just massive and sterile. Modern can be intimate but not at these scales.
> The Financial District is far more interesting seen from the air or the Staten Island Ferry than from the sidewalk.
> Trump Tower is truly garish inside and out. Acres of polished brass. But, the size and scale of the spaces and their relationships to each other was quite pleasant. The foyer is not some overwhelming scale but this is probably due to the price of real estate rather than sound aesthetic judgement on the part of Trump.
> NYC must be iPod capital of the world. I saw the white headphones everywhere. Some argue it is cutting down on social interaction on subways but I didn’t see many non-iPod strangers talking.
> I felt completely safe no matter where I was. Everyone was friendly. Passing people on residential sidewalks it was not uncommon to have natives say “hello” as we passed. We stopped to see people’s dogs as they were out walking them. Felt very neighborly.
> Public transportation is for everyone in NYC. But with neighborhoods so compact one resident I talked to said he hadn’t been on the subway in weeks — he simply walks where he is going. With a very complete subway system buses are a less visible than in St. Louis. Logically buses are more common where the subway doesn’t go (such as East-West along 125th Street).
> Yellow cabs and black Lincoln Town Cars are the most common vehicles on the road. Lots of both. Nearly saw one accident but it is amazing how they all speed around without getting into more collisions.
> Took a pedicab ride from Central Park to Trump Tower. Very fun. As gas prices rise I think we’ll see more and more of these efficient cabs throughout America. Seems like the pedicab drives and taxi drivers have some sort of mutual respect. At one point we were so close to a cab I could have reached out and touched it.
> Bicyclists were pretty common throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. Not so much on Staten Island but they may have something to do with the hilly terrain. Seldom was a cyclist wearing a helmet. It was common to see cyclists riding the wrong way on the road. All the rules of the road that I am certified to teach were thrown out the window. Very seldom did I see a bike rack — parking meters, railings and anything secure was used to lock bikes. Most have massive chains that are hard to cut. With a 5th floor walk-up apartment you are likely to store your bike outside. Not a place for a pretty bike unless you can keep it indoors.
> The length of mid-town and uptown blocks in the East-West direction are way too long. This is compounded by the fact that most subways go North-South. I found myself trying to decide on which subway to take so that I could save a block or two in the East-West direction.
> Buildings, even in burroughs other than Manhattan, occupy nearly all of the lot. Very little yard or garden space. This is not all bad as parks are throughout the grid. It seems the combination of very little personal yard and small living spaces get people out onto the sidewalks and into the public parks. Could this be the key to a vibrant urban city — reduce living spaces and yards?
> I was amazed at the number of “projects” still in use in NYC including the Lower East Side, Harlem, and the Bronx. We walked through ‘Alphabet City’ on the Lower East Side. The sheer number of people kept the projects from seeming vacant but they certainly were low on life compared to the blocks around them. Jane Jacobs was so right.
> Street vendors were everywhere. Some were selling various foods and sodas while others offered their own original art. Many were targeting tourists with NYC merchandise. Regardless of what they sell they add life to the city.
> I love fire escapes. I must admit I was nervous out on one. I can’t imagine using it to get down multiple flights in an emergency as they have far too little railing for my comfort. I think they add a nice element to the fronts of buildings. The streetscapes would be too sterile without them.
> Window boxes and planters were everywhere. All shapes and sizes. The city felt lush and green in most places.
> The basement level apartments and restaurants are interesting. Shows how valuable the real estate really is.
> Restaurants are small and full most hours of the day and night. St. Louis places could never survive being so small because they depend upon large lunch and dinner crowds whereas in NYC they have a constant stream of customers. The number of restaurants with roll-out awnings on the front to create covered outdoor seating is quite high. I love roll out awnings compared to fixed awnings such as those on Blockbuster. A considerable number of restaurants also had opening windows and/or doors. Keep in mind they have much more severe winters than we do and get just as hot in the summer. If they can do it so can we.
> We saw a taping of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Wednesday. We had to wait a good two hours on the sidewalk and another 45 minutes inside. The studio was much smaller than expected and is in one of the areas that is not the most attractive, Hell’s Kitchen.
> SoHo has become a big chain store stopping district. Still active with lots of people and great architecture but the stores are commonplace. I visited only one — The Apple Store.
I’m sure I have lots more on NYC but that is what comes to mind right now. While St. Louis will never be New York we can certainly apply some lessons of efficient public transportation, creating urban streetscapes and models for urban parks.
