475 Kent Avenue is an artist compound, filled with photographers, artists and filmmakers. This past weekend, David Alan Harvey opened up his home again to showcase the work of his students and special guest, photographer Bruce Davidson. These loft apartments have epic views of Manhattan and Brooklyn, but the charm really comes from the gritty graffitied interior and the creativity buzzing within.
Unless you've been before, it's hard to describe what a Danger Party is like. It's a part throwback to '80s New York, where there were simply less rules, but mixed with the self-awareness of the new millennium. Last night, theDanger hosted a four floor warehouse party with hot tub, circus swings, art and film installations and ten simultaneous live acts. As usual, it was a glorious mess and nudity was encouraged.
Tonight, I got sidetracked photographing a thirty minute lightning storm. To see thunderbolts crack above the George Washington Bridge, Central Park and New Jersey within seconds of each other is pretty amazing.
How Ms. Joan Tom, an ex-investment banker from Goldman Sachs, came to be building a Sukkah in Union Square in the middle of the night is an excellent question. She spent a week constructing "Fractured Bubble," and the tasks ranged from weaving twine, collecting phragmites from Queens, de-leafing in Gowanus and finally a midnight installation in Union Square.
Untapped checked out the Château d’Arnouville in Normandy, which happens to be owned by a friend's grandmother. The château dates back to the 16th century.
On a recent Sunday afternoon, we grabbed grub at Lassen & Hennings, a great delicatessen in Brooklyn Heights and headed to Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1 where we would spend the next seven hours. I remember this area of the Brooklyn waterfront from old movies. It was always used for a sketchy exchange, involving a mobster or cop who needed a location where nobody else would be. Not anymore!
The roof at the Metropolitan Museum is that perfect union of creative process and capitalism. It has an unparalleled view of Central Park, a cocktail bar and rotating interactive art installations. The latest is Doug + Mike Starn's bamboo structure, Big Bambà º, that has been a work in process since Spring. It's final size is 100 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 50 feet high and needed a team of rock climbers to build it.
The nondescript facade of the Village East Theater conceals one of New York City's great hidden gems. The theater began as the Yiddish Art Theater, designed by Louis Jaffe and could seat 1,265 persons. Charlie Chaplin, George Gershwin and Albert Einstein have passed through its doors. The interior is in the Moorish Revival style with gilded ceilings, etched stonework, vibrant blue and red paints, and an elaborate chandelier. The lobby has a row of vintage decorative entranceways, a double staircase and gilded coffered ceilings.
Did you know that Trinity Church is one of the largest landowners in New York City? Its been converting the Hudson Square/Tribeca area since the 1920s.
Did you know that a building can be landmarked on the interior but not on the exterior? A talk at the Merchant's House Museum in the East Village of NYC.