NYC ICONIC YELLOW CAB
Many decades ago I found myself working on a project, back in New York City after moving to New Orleans with the intent of never returning to The City, where I had been living and working for some time. I’ll always remember being stopped by Rick, a much older executive I had previously worked for, who said to me with a big knowing smile, “I knew you’d be back. When your from New York, you never really feel at home anywhere else.” At the time I was highly skeptical. Although I was born in NYC, I grew up on Long Island and, although we visited The City regularly, I certainly never meant to actually live here or work for a large corporation. I wanted a small college town - the countryside with intellectual stimulation and a position as an art therapist - joining my passions into a manageable life and hippy-crunchy-granola leanings. Well those of you that know my story can attest that’s not exactly how it worked out - on ANY dimension. I stayed in NYC for twenty more years, had boyfriends, married, had complex responsibilities in fortune 100 companies, could walk miles in heels and didn’t own more than one pare of jeans until I was nearly 50, although I did learn to make an excellent granola and did canning of farmer market finds in my kitchen. And Rick was right - no matter where I live or travel, as soon as I’m back in New York, I know I’m home - with my tribe.
HUDSON YARDS - “VESSEL” AND LOOKING WEST OVER THE WEST SIDE YARDS
On a VERY damp and chilly day, my Mom and I made our way to Hudson Yards. This is an area on the west side of NYC, around 34 to 36 Streets that reaches from the Long Island Railroad and will have platforms extending over the West Side Yards, the train storage area, which you can see above. Upon its completion, it will be the largest private real estate development in the US by area and be comprised of green spaces, mall, cultural facilities, hotel, office and residential buildings. The ground breaking was in December 2012. It first opened in 2019, with the focus on green, cultural and mall spaces. “Vessel” is a massive sculpture and the project’s centerpice. The intent of its British designer, Thomas Heatherwick, is to “lift people up to be more visible and enjoy the views and perspective of each other.” It’s 154 interconnected staircases that create over a miles worth of climbable pathways provide that opportunity. We instead opted to view the Vessel while having a small-plate inventive seafood lunch at Estario Milos. We’d go back in a heartbeat!
“I WAS HERE” - A WALL OF SEQUINS By LARA SCHNITGER
The contemporary open, airy 1,000,000 square foot mall space has 100 shops and 20 restaurants. Neimum Marcus occupies the top 3 stories. The other retail offerings are broad - spanning little known designer, tech in all forms, accessible stores such as Muji, Zara and H&M. Need to grab groceris on the way home? The lower level has FAIRWAY - the local NYC can-NOT-do-without-it food store. Truly shopping for everyone, which is its developer’s intent. The art installations within the shopping area are meant to be interactive for all ages - note my Mom and the 4-year old, both drawing on the sequin covered wall. The brightly covered sequin fabric wall is equally exciting, inviting and oddly soothing as one moves their fingers across; changing the material’s color, with the option to move in the other direction to “erase” your creative mark making. You really could spend hours just here. It’s NYC, or maybe Asia - no it’s NYC - and there really is nowhere like it.
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