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Architecture
05/21/13 11:00am

Untapped Secrets of Central Park: Not According to Plan

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Belvedere Castle Central Park photo by Rachel Fawn Alban

 In 1858,  the City of New York in held a design competition for Central Park. The winning plan, by Frederic Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, was named ‘the Greensward Plan’ and featured an English style landscape with meadows, lakes, hills, winding pedestrian paths, and many trees to block the view of city buildings.

Over the years, the park has evolved from the original plan due to changing administrations and in response to the changing needs of New Yorkers. In this post, we look at some quirky and surprising details in the park that were not a part of the original Greensward Plan, yet have become a part of its history and character.

Pictured above is Belvedere Castle which was built to overlook the rectangular Croton Reservoir. In 1931, the reservoir was drained and the site developed into today’s Great Lawn.

Where to find it:  Mid-Park from 79th to 85th Street.  (more…)

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Arts & Culture
05/21/13 10:00am

Daily What?! Find George Washington’s Tooth in Fraunces Tavern, NYC

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Image via New York Insolite Secréte

Image via New York Insolite Secréte

We previously covered Fraunces Tavern on Pearl Street, where George Washington gave his farewell address in 1783, in our roundup of Presidential Haunts in New York City. But did you know Fraunces Tavern is also home to one of George Washington’s teeth and a lock of his hair? Washington had one tooth left when he was sworn in as the first President of the United States, and this solitary tooth was holding together a set of dentures made of cow’s tooth, gold, Washington’s teeth and ivory of a hippopotamus.  (Contrary to a popular misconception that he had wooden dentures).

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Architecture
05/21/13 9:00am

A Watertower Speakeasy Hits Chelsea

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Yesterday The Atlantic Cities and Curbed broke the news of a Watertower Speakeasy in Chelsea–that’s right, a speakeasy IN a watertower. For urban buffs, this is probably the ultimate New York experience, up close and personal inside those ubiquitous characters of the city skyline. The six-week event was produced by N.D. Austin under the organization The Night Heron. Austin is also involved with Wanderlust Projects, an urban exploration group partnered with our friends at Atlas Obscura.

In true speakeasy style, invitations were only had through a previous attendee (similar to another favorite event of ours, The Dîner en Blanc), passed on to new attendees through the gift of a pocket watch. Guests entered into the space via a trap door cut into the watertower and a stage was built inside. The series was deliberately not held in Brooklyn, to keep the “hipster quotient” low, aiming for attendees of a variety of backgrounds and economic levels, mixing high-profile celebs with “struggling artists in threadbare jackets.”

Sadly, the watertower is now closed but you can sign up for the lists of both The Night Heron and Wanderlust Projects to stay in the loop for future events.

Get in touch with the author @untappedmich.

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Arts & Culture
05/21/13 8:00am

At Aksel Paris, Soho Fashion Meets Soho Art

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Aksel Paris_Untapped Cities_Lead

You’ll probably walk into Aksel Paris at 311 West Broadway thinking that it’s just another Soho fashion store, but a pleasant surprise awaits those who enter—this high-end shirt shop doubles up as an art gallery as well. Be it the Gregory Okshteyn-designed bright orange, 3D-printed, wave-like rack displaying the store’s fine garments, or British artist Saroj Patel’s intricate mural crawling over the store’s walls, one can easily tell that this is not just another Soho shop.

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Arts & Culture
05/20/13 5:00pm

Photos: Re-imagining the 1939 New York World’s Fair

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The New York World’s Fair, with its “World of Tomorrow” theme, inspired a legacy of cultural references, from the 1941 film Mr. and Mrs. Smith, to Charlie Chan’s film Murder over New York, to an essay by E.B. White. For urban planners, the Futurama exhibit by General Motors introduced Americans to the idea of the expressway system, which would then dominate city and regional planning for the next 60 years.

Photographer and teacher Walter Plotnick has been melding images of the 1939 World’s Fair with 1930s circus performers, using a hybrid of wet photography and digital processes. He’s inspired by photographers of the Bauhaus and  Constructivist movements, lending a Surrealist influence juxtaposed against familiar vintage imagery of culture and commerce.

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Arts & Culture
05/20/13 4:00pm

The Sing For Hope Pianos Return to NYC!

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Sing for Hope pianos Untapped Cities

High above the bustle and noise of Times Square, piano keys tinkled as guests of the Sing For Hope Pianos Launch Party admired the 88 new painted pianos that the organization will be scattering throughout public places in the city’s five boroughs over the next two weeks. (The organization chose to debut 88 new pianos because there are 88 keys on a piano).

A nonprofit charity whose primary focus is making art “accessible to all,” Sing For Hope was founded in 2006 by best friends Camille Zamora and Monica Yunus, two world-renowned sopranos who met while at Julliard; the idea behind the joint project was to provide a way to connect working artists to elementary schools in need, health resources, and the community at large.  (more…)

Food & Drink
05/20/13 3:00pm

Potala Fresh Momo: Tibetan Food Cart in Jackson Heights, Queens

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Cart_Potala Fresh Momo_Jackson Heights_New York_Untapped Cities_Matthew Dorian Corbin

The momo, the Tibetan dumpling, could be considered the unofficial “spokesfood” of Tibetan Cuisine. You might feel inclined to dismiss these as merely ubiquitous dumplings within our fine metropolis but the difference is in the details.

Taking its name from Potala Palace, former home of the Dalai Lamas of Tibet, Potala Fresh Momo in Jackson Heights, Queens is a symbol of the fairly recent rapid influx of Tibetan, Nepalese and Himalayan people making the cultural blend even more complex. It’s one thing to see a sit-down restaurant in an area, but when something as casual as a food cart appears, you know that the culture has a stronghold in the neighborhood.  (more…)

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Arts & Culture
05/20/13 2:00pm

Untapped Google Keyword: Slums of Paris

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Last week’s popular Google Keyword was “Slums of Paris.” Did you know there were even slums in Paris? We previously showed one such prominent informal settlement along the RER B train line from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to the center of Paris, visible to many visitors to Paris. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was notorious for his push to clear out slums and illegal residents (mostly Roma gypsy populations). Photographer Steven Wassenaar has been photographing the Parisian gypsy populations since 2005 and told us, “I have met many Roma that just go from campsite to campsite in Greater Paris. Sarkozys eviction policy was very limited, mostly a communication action and it did not change anything.”

Get in touch with the author @untappedmich. Untapped also previously reported on the ongoing urban renewal of Roma gypsy populations in Istanbul.

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Arts & Culture
05/20/13 12:00pm

Street Art in Venice, Los Angeles

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Street art of chipped brick and plaster on Abbot Kinney by Alexandre Farto

With Venice’s history as a hub of art and culture, most notably with the Beat Generation, it’s not surprising that street art is scattered throughout the neighborhood, both built into the façade of storefronts and hidden in back lots. (Jean-Michel Basquiat  and Dennis Hopper both had studios in Venice.)  In 2011, French artist JR put up pieces in Venice as part of his “Wrinkles of the City” series, which included 20 large-scale portraits of 20 ethnic Angelinos.  You can still see a piece of one mural left here:

Venice_Los Angeles_Street Art-009

There’s a wide range of techniques as well, including wheat paste and chipped brick and plaster. Do you recognize other street artists in the slideshow below?

 Get in touch with the author @untappedmich.

 

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Featured
05/20/13 11:00am

Untapped Secrets of Central Park: Waterfalls, Caves and Prehistoric Rocks

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Kwanzan Cherry Blossoms, photo by Rachel Fawn Alban

In 1857, the city held a design competition for Central Park. The winning plan, by Frederic Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, was named ‘the Greensward Plan’ and featured an English style landscape with meadows, lakes, hills, winding pedestrian paths, and many trees to block the view of city buildings. The park was envisioned to be world class, on par with the greatest parks in London and Paris.

In today’s post, we focus on some of the most naturalistic features and areas of the park that were included in the original Greensward Plan. Like all the landscapes in Central Park, these beautiful areas are all man-made in areas that were irregular, containing swamps and farms. Most of that was completely razed, though some existing trees and many rock outcrops were incorporated into the plan. These naturalistic areas and elements were intended by the designers to allow city dwellers to connect with nature and experience the change that comes with seasons, weather conditions, and different times of day.

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