June 2003

See also 4.10.

Satan’s Laundromat: House of signs, Queens.

L’Institut du Monde Arabe, designed by Jean Nouvel, is covered in light-sensitive mechanical irises. (This page from 1998 says “the system no longer works.”) Via Kottke. Update: Red says, “Actually, I think the irises have been broken at least since 1996.” Techno-architectural fraud.

They totally ripped off our idea!

The NYT’s Herbert Muschamp likes Richard Meier’s new apartment buildings in the West Village, seen here on 5.13.

Some of the trains have no divisions between cars, so you can watch the whole thing snake around the curves. See also 10.4.2002.

Some fine NYC sites whose people I met last night: Gothamist, 601am, LockhartSteele.com.

Picard is a chain that sells nothing but frozen food. How… American.

Last week’s joke about Lady Liberty generated some confusion overseas. So in the interest of global peace and understanding, there will be no more subtle international humor on this site, apart from the occasional Polish joke. See also 9.18.

Fotologgery: Pirate, fgcwjh, Lois, Natalie, 0x99.

The Promenade Planteé is an old elevated railway that’s been turned into a long, skinny park. There are artsy shops in the arches underneath. New York’s mayor is interested in doing the same thing with the High Line, which runs down the west side of Manhattan. Some design proposals will be on display at Grand Central next month.

See also an article about the Promenade and my High Line photos.

Creative Time launches Whatiswhat.com, devoted to the crutches-and-skateboard-based sidewalk performance art of Bill Shannon. A slick site.