MetaFilter posts tagged with newyorkcity

Sky-high gardens and rooftop oases

madamjujujive — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 10:24:05 -0800

Rich people's rooftops in NYC offers a fun birds-eye view into a few sky-high secret decks and gardens. Roofs are the new frontier for innovative urban architects, but they aren't exclusive to the wealthy. All kinds of people and organizations are starting rooftop gardens. See the impressive results that two Chicago denizens had growing heirloom vegetables on their roofs (2). Prior related posts: Green Roofs by dhruva Vertical gardening in architecture by loquacious A few more interesting rooftop garden projects: Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Awards 2008 Chicago City Hall St. Luke's Medical Center Roof gardens at Derry and Toms, London, now The Roof Gardens, owned by Virgin Green roof art school in Singapore Green Roofs - directory and resources

Times are hard for Mom and Pop

Knappster — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:03:48 -0800

Manhattan's bodegas are struggling to survive, and Brooklyn's butcher shops are vanishing. But don't worry, New Yorkers are in no danger of running out of Dunkin' Donuts outlets. The Center for an Urban Future recently issued a report (pdf) on the number and distribution of chain stores within the city. The best that fans of mom-and-pop stores can hope for might be peaceful coexistence.

Video Vigilante

ericb — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 09:51:24 -0800

I am Jimmy Justice and your days running around this city like a cowboy are over! [video | 2:45]. "He calls himself 'Jimmy Justice,' a self-styled 'cop-arazzi,' armed only with a video camera as he prowls the streets of New York looking for law enforcement officers who are breaking the law. His targets are illegally parked city government vehicles -- particularly cars of traffic cops blocking bus stops, sitting in 'no parking' zones or double-parked. Cop cars blocking fire hydrants make him particularly incensed....He posts his best videos on YouTube and sends regular e-mail to the union representing the city's traffic enforcement agents, pointing out the most egregious parking offenses. And he has gotten results, he said, with some parking enforcers being fined because of his videos. "^* "Sometimes it gets ugly out there. In the two years since he began making his videos, Jimmy said, he has been threatened, punched and spit on, and has had cameras smashed to the ground [video | 0:46]. He said he does not disclose his real name because he fears retaliation by someone whom he has made an unwilling YouTube star. And Jimmy admits that he occasionally crosses the line, sometimes verbally berating traffic enforcers." MSNBC interview with Jimmy Justice [video | 05:32]. ABC News interview with Jimmy Justice. [video | 03:59]. WNBC News segment on Jimmy Justice [video | 02:22].

Urban farming, Architecture, and Art

lunit — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:47:56 -0800

P.F.1 (Public Farm One) is a project designed by WORK Architecture Company for MoMA and P.S.1's Young Architects Program. P.F.1’s intent is to "educate thousands of visitors on sustainable urban farming through the unique medium of contemporary architecture." An artist in Providence, RI developed a similar installation called Green Zone, "an organic vegetable, herb, and flower garden planted in the detritus of wartime consumption: used tires, shopping bags, shoes, and other repurposed containers" at local venue Firehouse 13.

Short and Scrappy

Stynxno — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:17:14 -0800

Mexican and Latin Immmigrants as Superheroes [ via guanabee ]

New York City's High Line

aletheia — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:16:44 -0800

Design plans for the much talked about High Line in NYC were unveiled today. It has been hotly anticipated as one of the most distinctive public projects in generations.

NYC in Black and White (mostly)

cerebus19 — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:04:52 -0800

New York City in (mostly) black and white. A huge collection of photos starting in the 1880s—some beautiful, all fascinating. Previously.

Driving fast and jazzing it up in the 1920s.

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 25 May 2008 18:53:55 -0800

The opening shots of 1920s New York City are wonderful, then you get a zany high-speed Harold Lloyd blazing down the avenues, and that's fun to watch, but the real killer is the horse-drawn trolley absolutely tearing-ass through lower Manhattan, full gallop. Ends badly. Then it's over to San Francisco for one last bit of homicidal vehicular activity with a bus. Well, they sure don't drive like they used to! In case that crazy 20s spirit grabbed you, you might want to spend a little time with the archetypical "jazz age" sounds of Jan Garber and his Orchestra, full of pep, silly humor and choked cymbals: There Ain't No Maybe In My Baby's Eyes Don't Bring Lulu! Since My Best Gal Turned Me Down Baby Face Positively-Absolutely "is she nifty? ABSOLUTELY! under fifty? POSITIVELY!" Louisiana Way Down Yonder In New Orleans Of course, Garber's music was lively, entertaining and well played, but, unsurprisingly, the music of the same era and style as played by black folk had that extra swing, that rollicking but relaxed easy groove that was just a wee bit lacking from bands like Garber's. These musicians deserve FPPs of their own, but for the time being, let's drop by and listen to the music of a couple of early pioneers, Freddie Keppard and Joe "King" Oliver. Freddie Keppard Jazz Treasury (two 1920s gems on this clip) King Oliver's Too Bad and Riverside Blues.

New Yorkers and their quirks

SeizeTheDay — Tue, 20 May 2008 10:04:50 -0800

Why do New Yorkers seem rude? A quirky and interesting article about the culture of New Yorkers.

Grand Theft Auto IV graphical comparison with real life

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Wed, 14 May 2008 07:13:54 -0800

Liberty City vs New York City