Blue condominium on the Lower East Side

Back in New York I’ve done a lot of walking around. My friend Anamarie from Berlin was in town, and we strolled the Lower East Side where both of us lived when we were in school at Cooper Union. I wanted to check out the progress of Blue, the condominium designed by architect Bernard Tschumi. 2/3rds of its glass is now in, and it is unquestionably one of the most striking new buildings in New York. I have no doubt that many will hate the insistent blue of Blue, but I think it looks great, especially blue glass against the blue sky on a beautiful summer day.

Irish Hunger Memorial, Battery Park City

We walked downtown past Ground Zero and entered the Irish Hunger Memorial, a facsimile of the landscape of the western coast of Ireland complete with a ruined stone cottage brought over from County Mayo. To the north are the towers of the newest part of Battery Park City. Nearby, vacant lots are under construction, most notably, the site of the future Goldman Sachs headquarters.

Time Warner Center

Today, I walked by the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. Coming out of the subway, I pointed the camera up to the towers with the stainless steel globe mounted in front of the Trump International Hotel. Not an original view, I’m sure, but hard to resist. On the other side of the park I photographed the new Apple Store designed by Bohlin, Cywinski, Jackson architects set in the plaza of the GM building. Fifth Avenue was jammed with tourists, the plaza crowded, and the glass cube with glass spiral staircase magnetically draws people into the Apple (theme park) store.

Apple Store