Articles by

michelle young

Michelle is the founder of Untapped Cities. She can usually be found in New York (where she grew up), Paris, backpacking in South America or Southeast Asia, or in-transit between. She has an obsession with buses, shoots with a Nikon SLR camera, and destroys cellos on stage with her indie rock band. She’s traveled to 35 countries, including working for earthquake disaster organizations in Peru and Sumatra. She is an author of 100 Ways to Make History, published by the New York Public Library. She holds a masters in urban planning from Columbia University, a B.A. from Harvard in the History of Art & Architecture, and is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music. Follow her on Twitter @untappedmich.

 
Arts & Culture
05/30/13 7:00am

Concert Hall: A Music Box of Giant Proportions Inspired by Paris’ Cathedrals at the Palais de Tokyo

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A collective of artists, led by Nick Yulman, are building a giant music box at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris called Concert Hall, which opens on June 20th. This interactive installation is for both music nerds and architectural nerds, as there will be animated suspended accordions and automated glockenspiels, powered by visitors, that automate light and sound fixtures, with the entire built environment is inspired by the cathedrals of Paris.

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Arts & Culture
05/29/13 11:00am

Street Art Hotspot: “I Bet You Wished You” Billboard on the BQE in Williamsburg

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I Bet You Wished You Billboard

This street art find by Untapped Cities reader Nicole Bernier is on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) in Williamsburg Exit 33, McGuiness and Humboldt Street exit. Most people passing it probably just wish they weren’t sitting in traffic, but we like the provocative nature of this typeface street art placed on one of the many empty billboards that have dotted major NYC highways since the economic downturn. Amazingly, “I bet you wished you,” has been up since last year.

Get in touch with the author @untappedmich. Hashtag your photos #untappedcities to submit to our photo pool.

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Events
05/29/13 10:00am

Untapped Event: Speakeasy Tour and Cocktail at the Museum of the American Gangster

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At our July 21st Untapped Cities event, discover the secrets of a former speakeasy on St. Mark’s Place in the East Village, with access to mafia tunnel escape routes and artifacts, like one of two original safes that held enough money to buy the entire Lower East Side. The tour guide from the Museum of American Gangster will also give us a walkthrough of the museum that will conclude with a vintage cocktail at the former speakeasy in the museum. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the museum.

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Food & Drink
05/29/13 8:00am

Daily What?! Marathon Day: A 26.2 Drink Bar Crawl Across the 5 Boroughs

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Marathon Day-26.2 Drinks-5-Boroughs-NYC-2013

We love New Yorkers that organize extreme urban events, and “Marathon Day” has been one of our favorites. This 26.2 drink pub crawl across New York City’s five boroughs roughly following the path of the New York City ING Marathon, and making use of all modes of public transportation (perhaps some Citi-bikers as well this time). This year’s event is taking place this Saturday, June 1st. Organized by Janos Marton, you can read more about the origins of the event here and here. Here are the main pieces of information to know:

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Architecture
05/28/13 4:00pm

Finding History in Baja California, Mexico: The First Spanish Missions in North America

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Most people associate Baja California in Mexico with the excesses of celebrity-ridden Cabo San Lucas, so the adventurous side of us was more than surprised to find plenty of history, outdoor sports and exploration in the Loreto area of Baja California. Oceanographer Jacques Cousteau called the Bay of California in Loreto, “the world’s aquarium,” and chose to spend about half the year in this area of the world. Here’s our roundup of what to check out in this beautiful region, with its raw natural environment.

Part one of our series looks at the first Spanish Missions in North America:

The names San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Juan, San Francisco, San Jose, today are better known as urban centers in California, but their origins as Catholic missions are semantically built into their names. These missions were all established within one day’s horseback ride from each other. Those located in modern-day California in the United States were established by the Franciscan order, but the first Catholic missions were located in Mexico, founded by the Jesuits.

In Loreto, the Mission of Our Lady Loreto was founded in 1697 and considered the “mother” of all Jesuit missions in Baja California. The relics that still remain in this mission include a main Baroque altarpiece, an original sculpture of Our Lady of Loreto, oil paintings and liturgical objects.

Our Lady of Loreto-Spanish Catholic Mission-Mexico-Baja CaliforniaOur Lady of Loreto, Jesuit Catholic Mission in Loreto, Baja California, Mexico

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Architecture
05/28/13 12:00pm

Inside the LAX Airport Theme Building: A Modernist Icon

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LAX Airport-Theme Building-Architecture-William Pereira-Charles Luckman

One of LAX airport’s iconic buildings is the LAX Theme Building, hovering like an alien spaceship/UFO in the midst of the transportation hub.  If you have enough of a layover in Los Angeles, we definitely recommend stopping by and having a cocktail or meal at the Scooby-Doo/Jetsons-themed restaurant, Encounters Restaurant (not withstanding that the name sounds like a strip club).

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