http://untappedcities.com Urban discovery and exploration Sun, 26 May 2013 04:41:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/25/inside-the-mercedes-club-for-big-gay-brunch-a-benefit-for-the-trevor-project/ http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/25/inside-the-mercedes-club-for-big-gay-brunch-a-benefit-for-the-trevor-project/#comments Sat, 25 May 2013 19:00:27 +0000 michelle young http://untappedcities.com/?p=402296
We’re super pumped to be supporting The Trevor Project at the Big Gay Brunch hosted by Underground Eats, Next Magazine and Big Gay Ice Cream at the Mercedes Club pool on the afternoon of June 22nd. With food by Top Chefs Dave Martin, Zac Young, and Elizabeth Falkner, music by DJ Whitney Day (from Cielo, PH-D, Pacha NYC, Greenhouse), specialty cocktails and a bloody mary bar, bocce ball, an amateur synchronized Swimming Contest” (yes, anybody can sign up), and a rooftop pool, the event is the perfect kick-off to NYC Pride Week. Join us! Untapped is offering two levels of tickets, VIP at $150 which includes a free ride with access to the VIP area, Uber’s luxury service and premium ABSOLUTE Tune beverage service. General Admission is $90. Sell Tickets through Eventbrite The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to the LGBT community. See more of the Mercedes Club in the… ]]> http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/25/inside-the-mercedes-club-for-big-gay-brunch-a-benefit-for-the-trevor-project/feed/ 0 http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/25/authentic-asian-food-sunset-district-san-francisco/ http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/25/authentic-asian-food-sunset-district-san-francisco/#comments Sat, 25 May 2013 17:00:48 +0000 jenn yoo http://untappedcities.com/?p=400921
From the southeast corner of Golden Gate Park, where the Sunset District begins, to its western border at the Pacific Ocean, the architecture is not so much an eyesore as an eyebore. The Sunset spans more than forty blocks of repetitive single-family homes–a uniformity explained by the fact that most were built by the the same man, Henry Doelger, in the ’40s and ’50s. Most famous for the fog that settles here during the San Francisco “summer,” the Sunset is not exactly a prime tourist attraction (yet). The Inner Sunset’s bustling corner at 9th Ave. and Irving St. But where the Sunset fails to titillate the senses visually, it makes up for and more in culinary possibilities. The area is home to a long Chinatown stretch along the Sunset’s main thoroughfare, Irving Street, as well as a plethora of Vietnamese, Thai, Indian and Japanese establishments. The farther out west you venture, the more authentic your… ]]> http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/25/authentic-asian-food-sunset-district-san-francisco/feed/ 0 http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/25/portuguese-street-artist-alexandre-farto-new-medium-cork-vhils/ http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/25/portuguese-street-artist-alexandre-farto-new-medium-cork-vhils/#comments Sat, 25 May 2013 15:00:49 +0000 maria snellings http://untappedcities.com/?p=402108
Source Vhils on Facebook Yesterday, Portuguese street artist Alexandre Farto debuted his six-meter high Cork Faktory Diorama sculpture at the first day of Portugal’s International Street Theatre Festival Imaginarius in Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal. Farto, whose street name is Vhils, explores lower income areas in cities like Shanghai, Paris, London, Sydney, and  San Juan (Puerto Rico), to meet the people who live there and involve them in his art.  Source Cassandra Kifer In each city he talks to people about their everyday lives, takes their picture and then enlarges their image using old billboard advertisements as a stencil. Farto uses an electric jackhammer to chisel the portraits into deteriorating walls of brick or cement in industrial areas. Farto says, All this ephemeral nature that can be observed in the street says a lot about the state of people and their way of living in a given moment of time. Farto grew up  in Seixal, Portugal. This industrial suburb lies on the… ]]> http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/25/portuguese-street-artist-alexandre-farto-new-medium-cork-vhils/feed/ 0 http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/25/untapped-contributor-kala-barba-court/ http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/25/untapped-contributor-kala-barba-court/#comments Sat, 25 May 2013 14:00:24 +0000 Untapped Cities http://untappedcities.com/?p=402284
In our new weekly column, we’ll be highlighting one of our 250+ Untapped Cities contributors worldwide. This week, we’re featuring Kala Barba-Court, an Untapped Paris columnist. What’s your “day job”? I’m currently on an expat status due to my husband’s job, so my current day job is discovering the city Algiers. I still write and take photos on a freelance status and fly to Paris whenever I can. Favorite piece you’ve written for Untapped? My favourite piece is a toss up between 59 Rivoli and Pagoda Paris… I loved visiting those two places and it was great to be able to share those experiences with Untapped Cities.  What’s your favorite Untapped place you’ve visited while traveling? Where do you want to visit next? I can’t elaborate, but the most Untapped place I’ve ever visited was a nuclear factory in southern France. It was all very top-secret, very exciting. As for the place I want to visit next, it… ]]> http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/25/untapped-contributor-kala-barba-court/feed/ 0 http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/inside-new-delta-airlines-terminal-4-jfk-airport/ http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/inside-new-delta-airlines-terminal-4-jfk-airport/#comments Fri, 24 May 2013 21:56:09 +0000 michelle young http://untappedcities.com/?p=402323
The move of Delta Airlines from the aging, near decrepit Terminals 2/3 into Terminal 4 at JFK Airport came with the addition of 9 new gates and some key new tenants, including Shake Shack. The new area was heralded by balloons today on opening day (attended by Mayor Bloomberg), but most interesting to note, in our opinion, was that the line for Shake Shack at 5:30pm was almost as long as the security line (unless you had TSA Pre-Check, in which there was no line for security). The architecture of the terminal mirrors the rest of the existing Terminal 4–generic but nice.  Line for the new Shake Shack at Terminal 4 The new Sky Club, Delta’s largest to date, was open today as well, featuring a roof deck. Also in the new Terminal 4, the upscale, Uptown Brasserie: Cake Tin with the claim, “Life is sweeter with a cupcake”: La Brea Bakery: New Shake Shack… ]]> http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/inside-new-delta-airlines-terminal-4-jfk-airport/feed/ 0 http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/delta-air-lines-new-rooftop-lounge-at-jfk-airport/ http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/delta-air-lines-new-rooftop-lounge-at-jfk-airport/#comments Fri, 24 May 2013 21:00:37 +0000 maria snellings http://untappedcities.com/?p=402283
Source: Architectural Digest Delta Air Lines beats their SkyLounge by opening an outdoor sky deck where travelers can watch planes lift off the ground and step outside JFK airport without missing a flight. The terrace is on the roof of Terminal 4′s Concourse B, where Delta hopes people will find the space’s red, silver and black color combination to be a warm and casual feel. Our friends at The Culture-ist talked to designer Thom Filicia about the project, which is Delta’s largest Sky Club to date. Travelers will find long couches facing short coffee tables, several chairs from the Janus et cie MOOD Collection neatly aligned with a small bar area at the end of the terrace. The bar does not serve alcohol. There are outlets to charge electronic devices for the ride. This adds to Delta Air Lines’s hope to make their passengers’ wait more enjoyable. Will this be a return to the stylish… ]]> http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/delta-air-lines-new-rooftop-lounge-at-jfk-airport/feed/ 0 http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/flip-this-temple-the-hidden-past-of-carmonas-elephant-tomb/ http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/flip-this-temple-the-hidden-past-of-carmonas-elephant-tomb/#comments Fri, 24 May 2013 20:00:25 +0000 kelli trapnell http://untappedcities.com/?p=402314
Researchers have recently discovered that a Roman tomb in Carmona, Spain may have originally been a Mithraic temple years before. Photo courtesy of Universidad Pablo de Olavide.  Long thought to have been solely used as a burial site by ancient Romans in the 1st century B.C. and the 2nd century A.D., a tomb in the necropolis of Carmona, Spain (just outside of Sevilla) surprised researchers from Universidad Pablo de Olavide last week, who announced that the tomb was actually first used as a temple by the devotees of Mithraism, a cult that came to exist during the Roman empire. “In some stages, it was used for burial purposes, but its shape and an archaeoastronomical analysis suggest that it was originally designed and built to contain a Mithraeum [temple to Mithras],” said study researcher Inmaculada Carrasco, in an interview with the Spanish news agency SINC. This view is supported by the structure of the Elephant… ]]> http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/flip-this-temple-the-hidden-past-of-carmonas-elephant-tomb/feed/ 0 http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/featured-app-of-the-week-the-silent-history/ http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/featured-app-of-the-week-the-silent-history/#comments Fri, 24 May 2013 19:36:14 +0000 kelli trapnell http://untappedcities.com/?p=402297
There are so many apps out there that sometimes it can be a little difficult to decide which to download, and whether an app is worth the money. Every week, we’ll be spotlighting an app that we find particularly interesting or helpful and giving you the rundown on what it does and why we like it.  The promo video for The Silent History, a fictional account of an apocalyptic plague whose main symptom is silence. Have you ever liked a novel so much that you wished you were part of the story? That you could go and explore the setting of the book itself, crawl around in the inner workings of its world? Well, if you’re a fan of futuristic, apocalyptic stories, or even if you’re just a fan of exploring your city, looking at your surroundings in a new and different way, The Silent History is the app/novel for you. Created just last year by… ]]> http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/featured-app-of-the-week-the-silent-history/feed/ 0 http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/new-blog-alert-los-angeles-valley-blahg/ http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/new-blog-alert-los-angeles-valley-blahg/#comments Fri, 24 May 2013 18:00:12 +0000 michelle young http://untappedcities.com/?p=402287
Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley map in 1924, from Valley Blahg For fans of the Brooklyn blog, F’d in Park Slope, the founder, Erica Reitman, has transplanted herself across the country to Los Angeles and launched Valley Blahg, dedicated to showcasing unique real estate in the “Valley” through an architecture and design lens. We’re of course also fans of Erica’s dual NYC-LA mindset in general, since Untapped Cities has just arrived to LA too. Some favorite posts so far from Valley Blahg: VALLEY HISTORY: What Things Looked Like In 1924 Hollywood Legends Hanging Out In Their San Fernando Valley Homes ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY: Joseph Eichler & The Balboa Highlands Tract in Granada Hills As Erica tells us about the Valley, There are so many unique little neighborhoods, different styles of homes, indoor/outdoor living, and different terrains like mountains, valley). But I also want to ensure that we are looking at all the interesting historical aspects of what’s going on–featuring fab architecturally… ]]> http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/new-blog-alert-los-angeles-valley-blahg/feed/ 0 http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/berlins-stattbad-a-former-pool-repurposed-as-cultural-center/ http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/berlins-stattbad-a-former-pool-repurposed-as-cultural-center/#comments Fri, 24 May 2013 17:00:03 +0000 eude de montgolfier http://untappedcities.com/?p=401565
Designed by the renown German architect Ludwig Hoffmann, Stattbad (formerly Sadtbad Wedding) – which has nothing to do with marriage but refers to a public swimming pool in one of Berlin northern districts – hosts something that is quite different from its original conception. Built in 1907, the building was supposed to meet a sanitation need for a poorly-equipped workers neighborhood nearby. The architectural design consisted of two pools, officially called “large” and “small.” The first one was strictly dedicated to men’s bathing, whereas women were only admitted in the second one. The building endured severe damage during WWII and its reconstruction finally commenced in the late fifties,  as seen in the grey glass panels of the façade: Stadtbad Wedding had to close its doors in 2001 for hygienic reasons. The site was sold to a property investor, Arne Piepgras, who has re-purposed the space for cultural events and concerts with a… ]]> http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/berlins-stattbad-a-former-pool-repurposed-as-cultural-center/feed/ 0 http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/celebrate-local-talent-at-san-franciscos-offside-music-festival/ http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/celebrate-local-talent-at-san-franciscos-offside-music-festival/#comments Fri, 24 May 2013 16:00:21 +0000 jackie spear http://untappedcities.com/?p=402210
You do not have to be a jazz aficionado to appreciate the workings of San Francisco Offside Festival’s co-founders – musician Alex Pinto and local music presenter Laura Maguire. Rather, at its core, the festival is about expanding the awareness of unique, local talent. The plethora of talented musicians all share the commonality of having cultivated their art in the Bay Area. Underscoring these sentiments, the festival’s founders exalt the local San Francisco music scene in their mission statement – “Our hope is that the San Francisco Bay Area ultimately gets the recognition it deserves as home to a rich, diverse, and exceptionally talented jazz community.” SF Offside Festival co-founders Alex Pinto and Laura Maguire. So what better way to spend your holiday weekend, than participating in the second annual SF Offside Festival. The festival spans three nights, introducing creative and genre breaking music performances each evening. Details about the schedule and how to purchase tickets… ]]> http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/celebrate-local-talent-at-san-franciscos-offside-music-festival/feed/ 0 http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/the-art-of-style-by-kit-mills-023-summer-colors/ http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/the-art-of-style-by-kit-mills-023-summer-colors/#comments Fri, 24 May 2013 15:00:19 +0000 kit mills http://untappedcities.com/?p=402201
Contrary to what the Starks up at Winterfell would have you believe, summer is coming. For those of us who feel exposed and uncomfortable without a scarf and blazer on, this is a tragic time of year involving a lot of forlorn sweating, sunburn, and gin-and-tonics with a very high ice-to-tonic ratio. On the plus side, not everyone is a total curmudgeon about putting away their collection of wool sweaters until September, which means there are cute people everywhere enjoying their breezy summer duds in the great outdoors. People-watching is better in warm weather, for obvious reasons, so one of my favorite low-intensity things to do is put together a good summer playlist (usually a lot of the White Stripes, Violent Femmes, and Van Morrison) and go for a walk.  Bright colors are an obvious staple of fashion in the heatstroke months, and I love seeing people matching them in… ]]>
Contrary to what the Starks up at Winterfell would have you believe, summer is coming. For those of us who feel exposed and uncomfortable without a scarf and blazer on, this is a tragic time of year involving a lot of forlorn sweating, sunburn, and gin-and-tonics with a very high ice-to-tonic ratio. On the plus side, not everyone is a total curmudgeon about putting away their collection of wool sweaters until September, which means there are cute people everywhere enjoying their breezy summer duds in the great outdoors. People-watching is better in warm weather, for obvious reasons, so one of my favorite low-intensity things to do is put together a good summer playlist (usually a lot of the White Stripes, Violent Femmes, and Van Morrison) and go for a walk.  Bright colors are an obvious staple of fashion in the heatstroke months, and I love seeing people matching them in interesting… ]]> http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/the-art-of-style-by-kit-mills-023-summer-colors/feed/ 0 http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/untapped-cities-instagram-pic-of-the-week-brooklyn-bridge/ http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/untapped-cities-instagram-pic-of-the-week-brooklyn-bridge/#comments Fri, 24 May 2013 14:00:26 +0000 timothy davidson http://untappedcities.com/newyork/?p=32897
This shot was submitted to the Untapped Cities photo pool by @brooklynpoets via Instagram. Introducing the Untapped Cities Instagram “Pic” of the week. We’ll be pulling images from our Untapped Cities Photo Pool, which you can submit to simply by hashtagging #untappedcities in your Instagram and Twitter photos. This week’s Untapped Cities “Pic” of the week, titled “Well Hello Little Bridge”, is by @brooklynpoets. Here at Untapped, we try to look for the view less seen, perhaps never before captured by a camera. We also look for unique angles of well-known places, such as this spot in DUMBO that frames both the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. From the Belgian block (commonly mistaken for cobblestone) street to the Brooklyn Bridge (happy birthday today Brooklyn Bridge!) peering through a break in the warehouses, elements like this are what make this the Untapped Cities Instagram “Pics” of the week. To have one of your photo’s featured for the #untappedcities… ]]> http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/untapped-cities-instagram-pic-of-the-week-brooklyn-bridge/feed/ 0 http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/the-historic-hotel-pennsylvania-saved/ http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/the-historic-hotel-pennsylvania-saved/#comments Fri, 24 May 2013 13:00:21 +0000 samantha schnell http://untappedcities.com/newyork/?p=35163
Front entrance to the Hotel Pennsylvania. Last month, the Hotel Pennsylvania Preservation Society finally breathed a deep sigh of relief. The historic Hotel Penn, across the street from Penn Station, has been denied landmark status several times in recent years and its owner, Vornado Realty Trust, planned to demolish it in order to build a new office complex in its place. After a five-year battle, however, Vornado gave up its plan to tear down the hotel and has launched an effort to restore the hotel to its former glory instead.  The Hotel Pennsylvania was built in 1919 by McKim, Mead and White, the same architects who designed the original Penn Station which, to the great chagrin of many New Yorkers, was demolished in 1963 to make way for Madison Square Garden (check out our April Fool’s Day guide to the new Penn Station, the most hated building in New York). The Cafe… ]]> http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/the-historic-hotel-pennsylvania-saved/feed/ 0 http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/daily-what-watertower-hangout-times-square/ http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/daily-what-watertower-hangout-times-square/#comments Fri, 24 May 2013 12:00:10 +0000 michelle young http://untappedcities.com/?p=402221
Today’s Daily What?! is this watertower “hangout” we found on 8th Avenue between 45th and 46th Streets. Normally, watertowers fly solo or in pairs, depending on the size of the buildings they serve. Sometimes watertowers come in unique forms, like the speakeasy watertower or the glass watertower by Tom Fruin. But these watertowers in the Times Square Theater District are the social type, clustering in a group of seven. They also seem fond of unique architecture, situated in between The Paramount Hotel (which has a storied history), the Golden Theater and the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. We also like to think they look down scornfully at the parking lot next door. Looking at historical images, there’s has been a parking lot there at least as far back as 2001, a building that partially filled the lot was demolished around 2009. Get in touch with the author @untappedmich. Have a quirky find you… ]]> http://untappedcities.com/2013/05/24/daily-what-watertower-hangout-times-square/feed/ 0