Today’s Daily What?! is this view of the East Side Access construction snapped from atop the Long Island City Clocktower. Underground, massive tunnels have been constructed that connect Sunnyside Queens to a new Long Island Railroad Terminal that will sit underneath the current Grand Central Terminal tracks.
Transit
Commuters on the Long Island Railroad are familiar with this sight near Jamaica Station: a vintage car atop a shipping container with the sign WB2AHK@AOL.COM in front of it. Turns out the WB2AHK refers to an amateur radio station which plays a role in assisting during emergencies. The operator of the station, Chester Brown, owns a car shop and set up a Ham radio station there.
Vintage subway trains on the S line this weekend
So much was happening around the Grand Central Parade of Trains yesterday. Families reveled in “Kid Junction” at Vanderbilt Hall, historic railcars were on display on the tracks in Grand Central, 1950s and 60s vintage trains were running along the S train, and Untapped Cities had its “Secrets of Grand Central” tour which concluded with cocktails at The Campbell Apartment.
A freeway in the middle of the ocean, thousands of acres of interconnected parks, LAX under a glass dome, and Disneyland: Burbank. These are just a few of the projects that would have changed the landscape of Los Angeles, that is if they were ever built.
“Never Built: Los Angeles” is an exhibit opening at the Architecture and Design Museum of Los Angeles on July 27th. Using a collection of blueprints, maps, models, and plans, “Never Built” will explore what the past hoped for the future of Los Angeles. Due to a myriad of issues, including politics, bureaucracy, citizen unrest, and money, these grandiose plans never came to fruition. The exhibit tells the story of Los Angeles; a city of freedom, a city of imagination, and a city divided. By examining the well-worn roads (and abandoned housing projects) of the past, we can begin to answer the question of what does the future of Los Angeles hold.
The brainchild of co-curators Sam Lubell and Greg Goldin, both architecture writers and urban planning enthusiasts, “Never Built” was conceived with help by the Getty Center, Clive Wilkinson Architects, and a kickstarter campaign that raised over 43,000 dollars.
We sat down with Sam Lubell at a place that, thank the heavens, was built; Langer’s Deli in Los Angeles. We discussed the beginnings of “Never Built,” the most ambitious projects he’s come across, a Disney Marine Park in Long Beach, and the future of Los Angeles urban planning.
In honor of April Fool’s Day, we’ve put together a guide to NYC’s most hated building, Penn Station. Most of the negativity around Penn Station focuses on its aesthetics, its confusing signage, and the fact that it replaced a soaring piece of McKim, Mead & White architecture. But we’ve always believed that one of its strengths was that it was extremely functional. We agree with Second Avenue Subway‘s Benjamin Kabak who writes, “While Penn Station is ugly and dingy and, at best, utilitarian, the problem with the station isn’t necessarily the way it looks.”
Today’s guide is thus about the hidden “gems” in this oft-traveled yet ignored space.
1. There are subtle reminders of the now lost Penn Station
On an escalator into the Long Island Railroad waiting area, a cross section of the old Penn Station notes “YOU ARE HERE,” beneath the main rotunda:
I started my Sunday morning far from home. I was milling about on a subway platform, with around thirty other people, trying to stay warm. We had all convened for a daylong tour of the neighborhoods along the J train, starting in Brooklyn, winding our way to Queens and then back again, ending at the Essex Street station in the Lower East Side. Our tour guide for the day was Jack Eichenbaum, who also leads tours for the Municipal Art Society of New York and is the official Queens Borough Historian. Born and raised in Queens, Jack has a passion for the history of the city that immediately sweeps you up in nostalgia.
The Broadway Junction subway platform along the J train
