Along the Van Wyck Expressway in Queens, not too far from the Jamaica train station, stands a mosque clearly converted from an old factory. A painted turquoise dome rises above the drab factory exterior as well as a simple minaret. The building has been the New York headquarters of the Imam Al-Khoei Benevolent Foundation.
Writing this from Paris but heading to NYC in 12 hours, I thought it was appropriate to share this newly popular blog that has been humorously comparing the two cities using graphics. The taxi graphic is one of my favorites, having experienced this late night many a time in Paris.
K-Mart: Making flu shots more palatable in the main corridor of Penn Station via Japanese folding screen and potted plant.
After the overwhelming popularity of Untapped's preview about the new restaurant at Lincoln Center, we were pretty excited to check out the restaurant for my birthday. The review in one word (or three): hit-or-miss. But the place is beautiful.
One of my favorite passages in Paris, the Passage Bourg L'Abbé still retains some of the imagery conjured up by Walter Benjamin's descriptions of the arcades in the 19th century. Places that blurred the line between interior and exterior, not just through the architecture but by the nature of the objects on display.
Scott Jordan calls himself a "digger," and he looks for urban artifacts on lots set for redevelopment, in old wells and in landfills. His stand caught my eye amidst the other generic stalls because it made a connection between consumerism and the city around us. Turn an object upside down and he has written about where it came from.
When my bandmate asked me if I wanted to attend his "friend's performance art wedding celebration at an art collective in Queens," I said yes without hesitation. Wonderland Collective is a community art space in Astoria that hosts a wide range of activities from capoeira to rowdy dance parties, concerts, drawing, hula hooping, open mics, art shows and more.
On Saturday, I checked out the substation at 53rd Street and 8th Avenue, across from Roseland Ballroom for Open House New York. As a member of the Transit Museum, I get first dibs on cool tours like this and the inaccessible Old City Hall Subway Station. This substation was part of the original IRT subway line and was built in 1904. It's still in use and is currently undergoing a renovation.
It's not just the re-purposing of historical architecture that's important about this gesture, it's the concomitant recognition and elevation of the electro movement amongst the venerated art pieces exhibited inside. Still however, there was an element of lo-brow mixed in...
Lots happening this weekend in NYC. Besides Comic-Con at the Javits Center and Open House New York, the Vimeo Festival took over Frank Gehry's IAC building tonight, turning the facade into a digital canvas! Plus a shot of some of the goodies in the goodie bag!