1. (Benjamin Hom)
Phillip Johnson's 'daring" AT&T Building in 2010.
The building, which is located at 560 Madison Avenue, is now the Sony Tower.
2. (Benjamin Hom)
Finding any unearthed trolley tracks around the New York City area was much harder than I thought it'd be. Admittedly, I looked in my own neighborhood in the Bronx and key places around downtown Manhattan to find traces of these tracks but to no avail. Defeated, I retreated to the internet for some information on locations of trolley tracks. Apparently when some of the asphalt wears down, tracks stick out of the street. They only remain unpaved, however, for a certain time before the city covers them up again. I also discovered that in my borough, the Bronx, there was once quite an elaborate trolley system, controlled by the Third Avenue Railway. The Third Avenue Railway was a street railroad company in New York during the 19th and 20th centuries that controlled lines in Manhattan, the Bronx and Westchester County. I was shocked to find there was once a trolley that was not that far from my neighborhood.
This is a picture from East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx. The BX 40 happens to go down this similar line. From the 1900s to the 1920s, these trolleys were in demand, but that changed when the Board of Transportation wanted all of the trolleys in the Bronx to be replaced by buses. By 1942, the buses system in the Bronx became an insanely large fleet, and by 1948, there were no long trolleys in the Bronx.
3. (Benjamin Hom)
Phillip Johnson's 'daring" AT&T Building in 2010.
The building, which is located at 560 Madison Avenue, is now the Sony Tower.
2. (Benjamin Hom)
Finding any unearthed trolley tracks around the New York City area was much harder than I thought it'd be. Admittedly, I looked in my own neighborhood in the Bronx and key places around downtown Manhattan to find traces of these tracks but to no avail. Defeated, I retreated to the internet for some information on locations of trolley tracks. Apparently when some of the asphalt wears down, tracks stick out of the street. They only remain unpaved, however, for a certain time before the city covers them up again. I also discovered that in my borough, the Bronx, there was once quite an elaborate trolley system, controlled by the Third Avenue Railway. The Third Avenue Railway was a street railroad company in New York during the 19th and 20th centuries that controlled lines in Manhattan, the Bronx and Westchester County. I was shocked to find there was once a trolley that was not that far from my neighborhood.
This is a picture from East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx. The BX 40 happens to go down this similar line. From the 1900s to the 1920s, these trolleys were in demand, but that changed when the Board of Transportation wanted all of the trolleys in the Bronx to be replaced by buses. By 1942, the buses system in the Bronx became an insanely large fleet, and by 1948, there were no long trolleys in the Bronx.
3. (Benjamin Hom)
The Essex Street Market is one of the very few public indoor markets left in New York City, and certainly one of the only (if not THE only) one that is accessible every day of the week.
The Essex Street Market was one of the most interesting places I've ever been to in New York City. There was so much variety of items to choose from. It was literally a one stop shop for everything anyone could need. It had all kinds of fruits, vegetables, meats, chocolates, cheeses and many other types of food. They had a wide variety of organic foods even a place to get your hair cut.
It was interesting to see all these various kiosks set up around the market that were surprisingly not selling name brand items, but items from local merchants. What didn't surprise me, however, was the large array of people shopping there. There were literally all types of people present during my visit. Essex Street is right in the heart of the Lower East Side, which represents just about every type of race, age and social class (minus the extremely wealthy). The atmosphere was quite refreshing. As aforementioned, all the products being sold at the Essex Street Market were all homegrown products. It was nice actually seeing the people who produced their products actually selling them.
4. (Benjamin Hom)
A "reverse commuter" is a person who resides in an urban area but commutes back and forth to a suburban area for work. I went to Grand Central Station at a little after 5 PM to find someone who was commuting back to the city after work (rather than getting up early and finding someone on their way to work). It was difficult finding someone who was willing to talk about their personal life with a stranger, but I was lucky enough to catch a gentleman who was kind enough to spare 2 minutes for me on his way home. He worked at a law firm in White Plains, and commuted there for several reasons. First of all, he lived in the city all his life, and didn't see that changing for a while. He then explained how he and his wife have no children, so they had no need for a house. I asked him why he didn't just get a job at some firm in the city, and he just laughed and said it's not as easy as it sounds. He said that he didn't mind it though, because the commute isn't stressful at all. The trains to White Plains are not crowded in the morning and vice versa in the evening. He also said that a good job in the suburbs is just as good as a job anywhere else, and commuting is just a part of life, even if it is "reversed."
6. (Danielle Nicolosi)
The Essex Street Market was one of the most interesting places I've ever been to in New York City. There was so much variety of items to choose from. It was literally a one stop shop for everything anyone could need. It had all kinds of fruits, vegetables, meats, chocolates, cheeses and many other types of food. They had a wide variety of organic foods even a place to get your hair cut.
It was interesting to see all these various kiosks set up around the market that were surprisingly not selling name brand items, but items from local merchants. What didn't surprise me, however, was the large array of people shopping there. There were literally all types of people present during my visit. Essex Street is right in the heart of the Lower East Side, which represents just about every type of race, age and social class (minus the extremely wealthy). The atmosphere was quite refreshing. As aforementioned, all the products being sold at the Essex Street Market were all homegrown products. It was nice actually seeing the people who produced their products actually selling them.
4. (Benjamin Hom)
Grand Central Station
A "reverse commuter" is a person who resides in an urban area but commutes back and forth to a suburban area for work. I went to Grand Central Station at a little after 5 PM to find someone who was commuting back to the city after work (rather than getting up early and finding someone on their way to work). It was difficult finding someone who was willing to talk about their personal life with a stranger, but I was lucky enough to catch a gentleman who was kind enough to spare 2 minutes for me on his way home. He worked at a law firm in White Plains, and commuted there for several reasons. First of all, he lived in the city all his life, and didn't see that changing for a while. He then explained how he and his wife have no children, so they had no need for a house. I asked him why he didn't just get a job at some firm in the city, and he just laughed and said it's not as easy as it sounds. He said that he didn't mind it though, because the commute isn't stressful at all. The trains to White Plains are not crowded in the morning and vice versa in the evening. He also said that a good job in the suburbs is just as good as a job anywhere else, and commuting is just a part of life, even if it is "reversed."
6. (Danielle Nicolosi)
After reading The Geography of Nowhere by James Howard Kunstler, I understood that a "frontier neighborhood" is one that is developing. From this understanding, i visited New Brighton. I knew this was a developing, or frontier neighborhood because on one street, alone, (as you can see in the videos) there are old beaten down houses on one side, and a brand new, nicely built developement of low income houses.
7.(Danielle Nicolosi)
I looked up on google 'which area in Staten Island has the highest foreclosure rate' and the zip codes 10302 and 10303 came up. I drove around the area with my dad since he knows the area rather well. I took a few pictures of some of the houses with for sale signs. My dad explained to me that the house never has a 'foreclosure' sign. When you call up to say your interested in the house, you will learn that it is owned by the bank. These houses also typically have big locks on the outside of the doors of the houses, which is also a giveaway.
The weather was nice when i went, therefore there were children on their bikes and people walking around. the houses themselves looked pretty gloomy, but didn't look as gloomy as it could have on this particular day.
9.(Danielle Nicolosi)
Gated communities are very common in New York City. There a way for New Yorkers to get away from the fast-pace traffic life. Statistics say it's safer for kids to grow up in, also. There is a farily new gated community right near my neighborhood. It is a beautiful 55 and over community called The Tides At Charleston. It is recently started being built, however seniors started living there about 4 years ago and there is still more of it being built. The Tides at Charleston is a gated community consisting of 190 single- family homes set in an attractive waterfront location. These buildings combine privacy with low maintenance desired by empty nesters; active adults whose children have grown thus allowing them to enjoy the rewards of their years of hard work.
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