Urban Planning and Public Space
Keeping Cities Weird
Recently, I visited “To Fast to Live, Too Young to Die,” an exhibit showcasing the graphic art of the early punk scenes in New York and London, at the Museum of Art and Design. The exhibit captured a raw, wild creative moment in New York.
Trees Grow in Brooklyn
Last week, I ventured from my cozy nest in Jersey City to Brooklyn, the epicenter of the contemporary creative world in New York. I didn’t seek out live music, funky cafes, eclectic bookshops, or farm-to-table restaurants. I rode the subway to Brooklyn to enjoy nature. Yes, nature.
Oases in the City: Looking to One Future
While deep in my research at the New York Public Library on a undisclosed topic, I recently came across the 1923 edition of New York Walk Book, a hiking guide for the metropolitan area. The book provides itineraries, guides, and maps for both urban flaneurs and nature lovers. This wonderful volume inflamed my imagination.
A Quiet Moment (in New York?)
After a late winter snowstorm a week or so ago, I walked along Central Park and paused to admire the landscape art of Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux. For a moment, the world seemed quiet and calm. I felt a closeness to nature and forgot the everyday thoughts and worries haunting my mind. Those…
Shattering Concrete: Urban Agriculture
Recently, I watched Urban Roots, a documentary on the urban agriculture movement in Detroit, Michigan. The film was released in 2011, just as the Motor City approached the height of its fiscal and governmental crisis. The state of Michigan assumed control of the city in 2012, and the city declared bankruptcy in 2013.
Talking with a Legend
Last week, I had the honor of discussing Left Bank of the Hudson with New York City radio legend and brilliant conversationalist Leonard Lopate on his new program, Leonard Lopate at Large, on WBAI (99.5 FM). A dream come true! Thank you, Mr. Lopate. You can hear the interview here.
This Main Street is Alive
Recently, the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania invited Perfume Professor to give an afternoon lecture on Edward Steichen’s recently restored and showcased murals, “In Exaltation of Flowers.” (Her talk was well attended and received.) The Perfume Professor graciously asked me to accompany her on this brief adventure. I’m glad that I tagged along.
Yes, People Live in Lofts
When discussing my book, Left Bank of the Hudson: Jersey City and the Artists of 111 1st Street, at a public event or even among a handful of people, a fundamental question invariably arises: what might be done to retain–or better yet, draw–artists to a city undergoing development and gentrification?
We Need Some Milk
2019 is starting right! We Need Some Milk, a podcast jointly based in Boston and Jersey City and focusing on urban issues and politics, invited me to appear on its first 2019 episode. A real honor.
The Jersey City of Yore
During the past several weeks, I’ve been researching the early history of Jersey City. Mainly, this consists of me pouring over books, prints, and ephemera in the research rooms of the New York Public Library and the Jersey City Free Public Library. Mind you: this is not a chore. The hours fly by.