A collection of observations through the city.
this is an all day trip. plan to leave early, say 8am, to make the first ferry ride and you can enjoy lunch on Governor’s Island.
checklist
Metamaps, as the name implies, involve a higher order of representation than a cartographic exercise. Metamaps are self-referential and dynamic visualizations involving complex sets of information. A metamap is a living organism that can grow and change in time and refresh itself as its referenced information migrates, mutates or simply becomes defunct. As each of you experience New York, possibly for the first time, you will encounter new places and a different culture. Your experiences will be documented, in part, through the creation of a series of metamaps. These maps will contain geographical information, but only as a reference. Their real content will be in the experiences you add in the form of imagery, video, references and other information. Our metamaps will be assembled using GoogleMaps and will be published in the public domain for anyone to explore. Your maps will certainly tell stories, but they also have the potential to harvest critical information. As a simple example, by publishing the GPS coordinates of a location you plan to visit in the future you will be able to navigate to that location using a GPS device (your iphone, for example). Each metamap in this book contains a brief description of a neighborhood and a guided tour. This will be your starting point for exploration. Your metamap will be your unique perspective through your experiences.
your guide to the
city
Harlem Morningside
Sketch.Film.Photograph.
OUR Experience Chelsea
Greenwich West Village SoHo
Lower EAst Side Financial District
Lewis Acosta Tomlinson
S o H o
L o w e r e a s t s i d e
H a r l e m + M o r n i n g s i d e W e s t V i l l a g e + G r e e n w i c h
F i n a n c i a l d i s t r i c t
C h e l s e a
architecture Scott Keyes Posted on July 15, 2010 at 11:00pm “I visited most of the exhibits at the Whitney, but mainly studied the building itself, as it was way more interesting than the art it showcased. I think that’s a good thing for a museum. I think a museum can and should be as spectacular as the art it holds, though I know many people think the building should sit in the background and not distract from the art. I say screw those people. Also, I like when museums absolutely stick out from and disregard their context. I think it is appropriate, as it is a building that showcases cool art, I feel the building should showcase itself and stand out from its neighbors.“
Chelsea Brandt
experience
Posted on July 15, 2010 at 7:36pm “Our community science center and park project has kicked into full gear now. We are having a mid-project review soon, hopefully with the clients. It will be very interesting to hear their perspective on everyone’s ideas. My design is basically about voids. The shape came form a cube with various voids cut out of it. The shell structure folds around and creates the spaces between its layers. The shell structure is very thick and bold, while the spaces are very light with glass walls. I am also incorporating an elevated walkway from the second floor terrace that goes directly to the promenade around the canal. “
Aaron Peter Posted on June 25, 2010 at 1:53am “The architecture in Greenwich is diverse sometimes unappreciated at first glance. Our first stop was at the Silver Towers by I.M Pei and my first impression was disappointment. It took me a good 10 minutes to start understanding why he did some of the things he did, and the genius ways he did them to make me really appreciate the towers. First, his incorporation of the AC unites into the design so that they divide the different floors was something I began to really appreciate. Also, the recessed windows in each room make perfect sense for keeping the rooms protected from direct light.”
Ellis Taylor Posted on July 19, 2010 at 3:30pm “To any architecture student, it is a well known fact that lack of sleep induces a state giddiness and reduces the human capacity to feel more then one emotion at a time. They are the best of times, they are the worst of times and it all depends on the group you are spending those all-nighters with. If the group is happy and fun, then the night is gonna be a good night. That is why I love this studio group. They broke up the monotony just enough to make Sunday night one of the best all-nighters in my now running total of 3 all-nighters. All-in-all, this was the most fun all-nighters I have ever pulled and we have the best studio group EVER! “
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you are transformed once you enter the building into a lush garden...”
John Caveney
Posted on June 30, 2010 at 12:33pm “The first buildings we saw right out of the station were the Chrysler Building and the Ford Foundation Building. The Ford structure was actually one of my favorites so far. With a somewhat austere exterior, you are transformed once you enter the building into a lush garden in a huge atrium extending to the top. The way the architects used light was fascinating, putting windows in the most direct spots, and exposed corten steel was the main structural material. The garden does not need any outside water sources other than that collected on the roof during rainstorms. “
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A place can teach a whole lot if we use all the tools we have right in front of us...” Veronica Acosta Posted on June 22, 2010 at 12:24pm “Designing a place that educates the neighborhood about this problem is going to be our project. A place can teach a whole lot if we use all the tools we have right in front of us; now we just have to put it all together and see how we can get the message across. The dirty and smelly waters that surrounds the neighborhood, in itself, is one of the tools. I live in Seneca, SC, close to lake Keowee, and have seen how water can bring a lot of good things to an area. Water can do so much for an area, if the residents take care of it. “
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New York City is rich in texture. The variety and quantity of the textures I encountered in the city caught my attention and eventually became a motif that filtered my experiences in this urban environment. This map uses texture as a tool to connect imagery to experience: the experience, in the moment, is highly individual and conditioned by the setting, my train of thought at the time, my personality, and the volume of experience I brought with me to the site -of the moment. These personal experiences cannot be fully represented, but each has been connected to a photograph and, sometimes, a brief narrative that lends further context to the image. Then, the images were reduced to thumbnail images focusing on a texture. The textures are impressions: condensed, simplified, patternized fragments of a larger memory. Mapped here, they are organized vertically according to the physical scale of the texture, - smaller textures at the top, larger towards the bottom. Horizontally, they are arranged according to the scale of the thought or memory that I associate with the texture.
free Veronica Acosta Posted on July 10, 2010 at 11:30pm “Went to the Whitney Museum of American Art in the Upper East Side. Keds Shoes was sponsoring a free concert inside. This was my first time hearing about the two bands that played. The band that opened is called Toro y Moi and the other one is called High Places. We got there right on time but learned that’s never enough when trying to get into a free concert. The line to get into the Whitney was making its way around the block, and it seemed like hundreds of people were in line in front of us. It was kind of sad because we could hear Toro y Moi playing from the outside and we wanted to see it so bad. “
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Not much more I could ask for on a birthday than spending it in New York City, having a picnic on the great lawn, and listening to music with fireworks to follow.”
Aaron Peter
experience
Posted on July 15, 2010 at 12:30pm “Following a full day of studio, Scott, Chelsea, Gabrielle, Veronica, Lena and I went up to Central Park for the annual concert in the park by the Philharmonic Orchestra. We got up to the park around 6:30, claimed our ground, then Veronica and I walked over through the Upper West side to get some pizza and wine. There’s not much more I could ask for on a birthday than spending it in New York City, having a picnic on the great lawn, and listening to music with fireworks to follow. Of course, it was difficult and different being away from friends and family, but spending it with my friends in the city I’ve become so fond of made up for the lack of normality in the day.”
Scott Keyes Posted on July 15, 2010 at 11:00pm “After the game, Veronica and I headed to Brooklyn to meet up with Alex, Julia, and Lil John for The Roots concert at Prospect Park. This was the coolest concert I’ve ever been to. The Roots were amazing and I had a fantastic time, I will never forget that moment.“
concerts Henry Wilkinson Posted on July 31, 2010 at 10:43am “The Celebrate Brooklyn concert was real cool, just the kind of music I enjoy and the crowd seemed to be having a lot of fun.“
Scott Keyes Added on July 22, 2010 at 12:29am “During a meta map that Aaron and I did, we passed through Battery Park and came across this concert that was being held. It was cool to see the musicians playing, with the Statue of Liberty in the background. “
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It was cool to see the musicians playing, with the Statue of Liberty in the background. “
John David Gutermuth Posted on July 9, 2010 at 8:27pm “We had a final review looming on Tuesday, but it was 4th of july weekend and that means a lot of fun free stuff to do in the city, like a concert on governors island. WE spent the weekend touring the city and working on our group project, and on the 4th we saw She and Him live for free on Governors island which took most the day. “
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new york city is a mecca for musicians of all kinds, ranging from the street performer to the famous rock star. my study focuses on my experience of music in the city, whether it be a planned concert or a spontaneous street performance. What is represented below shows a unique experience that could never be replicated, and that is what makes it so legendary for me.
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composed by: scott keyes
4th Scott Keyes Posted on July 8, 2010 at 10:42pm “On the Fourth of July, we went to Coney Island to see the Nathan’s Hotdog Eating Contest that happens every year. There were a ton of people there, and shortly after watching a guy eat 57 hotdogs in 10 minutes, having disgustingly shoved them down like a monster, we decided we wanted some hotdogs too. We stood in line, got the dogs, and headed for the beach, where we ate on the boardwalk and looked out over the coast.”
Aaron Peter
experience
Posted on July 8, 2010 at 5:42pm “Sunday (4th of July) - Spending the 4th of July in New York City..nothing could be more American. Scott, Gabrielle, Chelsea, Drew, and I went to Coney Island for the annual Nathans Hot Dog eating contest. It was our first trip to this part of New York, and our first to the beach. The train ride there was much longer than we expected, but a lot of it was above ground which made it exciting.“
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the water very blue, and the views...just breath-taking.“ Evaline Dadulla Posted on July 4, 2010 at 11:30pm “Coney Island was amazing. Though, it would have been awesome to go today, I figured yesterday was just as good because it wasn’t as crowded as it would have been today. The beach, though a little dirty, was one of the better beaches I’ve been to (I haven’t been to many beaches however). The sand was really soft (and really hot...I could feel the heat through my shoes), the water very blue, and the views...just breath-taking.“
of july William Brantley Posted on July 8, 2010 at 11:30pm “For the 4th we grilled out on the roof, while watching an awesome fireworks show on the Hudson.“
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It was a pretty decent view and I was happy we didn’t have to fight out the crowds to get right on the riverfront.“
Julia Lewis Posted on July 9, 2010 at 8:05pm “Sunday: 4th of July: We went to Governor’s Island on the ferry. It was a quick trip by water. We walked around the island and hung out in the shipping containers that have been converted into seating for a while. It was pretty fun. We saw She and Him in concert at 4. It was quite unbearably hot, but the music was good and water was cheap:) We came back and watched fireworks on the rooftop. It was a pretty decent view and I was happy we didn’t have to fight out the crowds to get right on the riverfront.“
John Oxenfeld Posted on July 5, 2010 at 10:00am “First of all... great 4th of July. We took the ferry over to governor’s island to see the 4th of july concert headlined by she and him... who happens to be lead by zooey deschanel, aka my future wife. (Don’t tell my girlfriend!). Seriously though, the concert was great. They sounded just as good, if not better, than what I’d heard on their CD’s. While it was ridiculously hot, it was still a lot of fun. “
It may be a problem but I have a slight obsession with color. I could be standing at the feet of the pyramids, this huge colossal and historic thing, and be more fascinated with the blanket of the back of a camel that is every color of the rainbow or a beetle with jewel green wings then the pyramids themselves. Thus I decided to map color for my Metta Map. It started as a random whirl wind of ever sort of graffiti and color I could find but eventually patterns emerged. I began to realize how some areas favored colors over others and from that spark, my map was born. I assigned a different color to each neighborhood or Metta Map that we went on and, using a photograph taken in that area, isolated that color and grayed out all the rest. Each pixel of color is linked to the photo with that respected color isolated (red pixel links of a photo with red isolated). And they are arranged my favorite Metta Maps on top( Red: Harlem, Orange: Greenwich, Blue: Union Square) and my least favorite on the bottom (Green: Lower East Side, Yellow: Little Italy and China Town). The final string of “color� was my absolute least favorite and it was assigned grey because of its complete lack of color and soul, the Financial District.
nightlife William Brantley Posted on July 8, 2010 at 11:30pm “We spent Saturday relaxing in Central Park. The park is huge. We had a great time just throwing the frisbee around and laying around in the shade. It was a nice break from the regular chaos in Manhattan. Later a few of us went to Greenwich Village for an eventful night. We talked a limo driver into a free ride around the block and I also learned a card trick from a street musician.“
Aaron Peter
experience
Posted on August 5, 2010 at 11:00am “We rented a limo from 9-12 (Scott, Will, John, John, Ellis, Gabrielle, Chelsea, Lena and myself) and got driven all over the city to wherever we wanted to go. It was by far one of the coolest things I’ve done in the city. We started by crossing over the Brooklyn bridge and got out at a park along the East River in Brooklyn to look at Lower Manhattan. Lower Manhattan at night is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Every time we got back into the Limo, people would start taking pictures of us thinking we were famous or something..little do they know we’re poor college kids.“
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It was really fun to see all the places we had been from above.” Julia Lewis Posted on August 2, 2010 at 10:58pm “On Saturday I finally went to Top of the Rock, which provided a beautiful view of Manhattan, Jersey City, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. John and I timed it so we could have day time, sunset, and night pictures. It was really fun to see all the places we had been from above and I’m really glad I waited to go here until the end. It was sad to leave, I feel like I was just getting to know the city and where to go and then had to leave.“
Aaron Peter Posted on July 22, 2010 at 5:15pm “Tuesday night, Will, Scott, John and I took our studio table up to the roof and had the greatest studio location I’ll probably ever have. We worked on the roof until midnight, looking out over Manhattan and enjoying the great weather. I don’t know if I’ll ever find a better place to work.“
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I don’t know if I’ll ever find a better place to work.“
Evaline Dadulla Posted on July 4, 2010 at 11:30pm “Everybody in studio gathered on the roof earlier to watch the fireworks. We didn’t have the best view of it, but it was enough to be able to appreciate it. The fireworks lasted quite long and they used ones that I’ve never seen before or even thought was possible: fireworks that burst into cubes, smileys, Saturn-like ones, and ones that burst with such a large radius it lit up the sky so brightly and it was as though the sun was up for the night.“
Veronica Acosta Posted on July 1, 2010 at 10:00am “We went to Times Square. It was awesome. The last time I was there it was about six years ago. It was full of people, like it always is, and I really enjoyed the energy. We took tons of pictures, sat of the red PKSB steps for a while admiring all the lights and then went to the Apple store cube by Central Park.“
The core of this map, the point from which everything originates is the Strand Bookstore. From this center point, a ten minute walking radius was established as a boundary for the map. Three locations were then selected (the Shake Shake at Madison Square, Washington Sqare NYU and Mc Sorleys Old Ale House). In collaboration with another mapper (Path of Least Resistance), the paths between these points and the Strand were then walked in accordance to the stipulations of the ‘path of least resistance.’ This map shows the outward paths. The purpose of this map is to show the deviations of circulation between points as defined by path restictions (pedestrial traffic, walking signals, constuction).
Three locations within ten minutes of the Strand Bookstore were chosen. Walking for ten minutes by the path of least resistance, I saw what path I was lead on and whether or not it got me where I was going (The Strand Bookstore). The Path of Least Resistance was defined as the direction where there was a “walk� sign in the most desirable direction with the least amount of obstruction on the sidewalk (i.e. people, construction, loading, etc.). Additional interesting comparisons were overlaps of different paths and overlap with another path from the Strand Bookstore outwards.
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central John Oxenfeld Posted on August 1, 2010 at 11:00pm
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“I just have to say this, Central park is amazing. By far, with out a doubt, my favorite part of the city. I find it so amazing that you can leave such a busy and loud city and just disappear into the thick foliage of central park. It’s not just a simple park either, each turn, each new hill climbed, each pond, seems to have it’s own individual personality and character. From long flat lawns, to rock encrusted hills, to massive water features, to even a castle. I love the park. I’ve gone for a couple runs by myself, each time trekking a new trail to a different place. I feel like I could spend a month just hiking and camping in that park. I really enjoy everything about it.”
each turn, each new hill climbed, each pond, seems to have it’s own individual personality and character.” Alex R Tomlinson
experience
Posted on July 8, 2010 at 10:11am “Last night we went to see Shakespeare in the Park, which was located in Central Park. It was a different experience than I was expecting, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was hard to decipher at first the language of the play, but by the second half I was catching on and enjoying myself. While thinking if I knew the actors, I was kind of glad that I did not recognize them. I feel that sometimes, that takes away the “grandeur”, if that makes any sense. It almost takes you away from the story, and I find myself studying their acting instead of enjoying the performance.“
John Caveney Posted on July 17, 2010 at 6:30pm “I was completely awed at the vastness of Central Park. Right in the middle of the city, a huge area with grass, trees, plants, amphitheaters, baseball and softball fields, lakes, a small amusement park, street performers; they got it all. We sat down for the day on the Great Lawn near all of the softball games. The castle in the foreground really gave this place a unique and spectacular look. Being a monday morning quarterback, I think it was a real good idea that the city planners had to designate this much land as public park. I feel like they might’ve been thought as crazy back in the day, but every time I go through the park, it is crowded.“
park Scott Keyes Posted on July 8, 2010 at 10:42pm “Saturday, we went to Central Park to the Great Lawn where we kicked the soccer ball around and threw frisbee for a little while. We had a great spot under a huge tree in the shade, it was awesome. Central Park is amazing, I would give up a backyard in the suburbs for the park any day. We only saw a small portion of Central Park, and I can’t wait to go back and check out the rest of it.”
Aaron Peter Posted on August 5, 2010 at 11:00am “On the top floor of the museum, there is a restaurant that we sat and got drinks at that overlooked central park. I was an amazing view and none of us wanted to leave.“
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I think it was a real good idea that the city planners had to designate this much land as public park.”
Veronica Acosta Posted on July 1, 2010 at 10:00am “Sunday we decided was going to be Central Park day. It is just such a big park, so we figured that each week we would discover a new part. We walked around the park for a few hours and found Dave and Kate. It was a wonderful day all together. We even got to watch a little bit of a play. It was my first time in Central Park and I really enjoyed it. Next time I think I will bring a blanket and some food, maybe even a frisbee.“
this memory map catalogs all of parks and green spaces i have spent time in over the past six weeks. each photo representing a speciďŹ c site is arranged on the page to reect my idea of its location in space. each picture is sized to reect the relative dimensions of each site. also represented are the paths taken to reach each site and the mode of transportation used. various links are included that provide additional information for each space.
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blog metaMAP/map park association wikipedia ny parks dept other info events canal st metro ferry walking train bus
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Millions of people come to New York City each day to work, tour, live etc and in doing so spend money. This city runs at such a fast pace, that in order to provide quick and easy service to its inhabitants, vendors have moved to the street creating very interesting relationships between street, sidewalk, and building. Over the past 6 weeks I studied the vendors it the city and have begun analyzing why they set up where they set up, why they sell what they sell, and if there is any correlation between the two. This map will take you through my experience.
When I think back to different things I’ve seen during my stay in NYC I can remember in vivid detail the place, pictured perfectly in my head. But when I ask myself how I got there or what I did directly before, I often don’t remember. Its the complete opposite when I jog though. I remember the transition between landmark to landmark . Instead of a memory of just a specific place at a specific time, I have a memory of a series of places and the transitons between them all merged together as a memory of the jog not a particular place or thing. My meta map documents these different jogging routes. Routes that I only jogged once are remembered and documented in story form. The stories of routes that I’ve jogged multiple times overlap and my memories becomes more about the character of the jog more than a particular story. Every place I’ve jogged in NYC, even my route through Central Park was along the water. The waterways of NYC are presented with my routes layered on top of them. Routes that were only jogged once are lighter and routes that I’ve jogged multiple time get darker with the number of times I’ve jogged them.
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reflections Lena Roper Posted on August 30, 2010 at 1:30pm “What impresses me most about my experience in NYC Summer Studio is the opportunity to observe the city at several different scales – we mapped the face of NYC by neighborhood, undertook urban planning within one of those neighborhoods, designed a structure for a single street corner, and everywhere saw, smelled, tasted, and felt the tiny textures and details of life in the Big City. In the end, this last scale is perhaps the most lasting impression of New York City.“
Ellis Taylor
experience
Posted on July 27, 2010 at 10:37pm “So here I find myself, in New York City, drowning in a concrete jungle but there is hope! The truly heartfelt interest in green roofs and sustainability gives me warm fuzzies inside. I believe that green architecture is not a fading notion or fad but that it is becoming a corner stone for the new architectural and societal era that we are entering into. Designing sustainability will become both a requirement and even one day tradition. I look forward to that future and, since i am trapped in the presence, will do everything i can to push forward to make it come true.“
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I have no idea how anything can top the experience I had living in New York City this summer.” Gabrielle Conlon Posted on August 6, 2010 at 2:56pm “My older sister really encouraged me to and said “I think it will be your best college experience.” And what do you know, she was right. I have no idea how anything can top the experience I had living in New York City this summer. Not only did I leave with a tremendous amount of new architectural experiences, I left with new friends, amazing memories, and an appreciation and love of New York City.“
Alex R Tomlinson Posted on August 1, 2010 at 2:33pm “As I write this, I am sitting in my living room in south carolina. Here, coming back from another part of the US, I am very shocked. First the humidity is way worse, but it is a cleaner humidity; one lacking dust, exhaust fumes and pollution. The sky is clear at night, and everything is on such a low scale that you can see for miles in different directions. I must be clear that I am not sure that I like these changes more than the scenery and environment in New York. In South Carolina, there is also not such a mix of people, a wild mix of wildlife scenery and lights, and a fast paced sense of reason, all of which I miss and enjoy dearly. “
John Caveney Posted on August 3, 2010 at 12:20pm “I can honestly say that deciding to do this studio in New York was probably the best decision in my life. I haven’t been abroad yet so this was a totally new experience for me. Even though we stayed in the states, I know that the city was still foreign to a lot of us. We were able to experience the city in a much different way than most people do. This is probably due to the fact that we are all architecture students interested in the built environment (which NYC is the epitome of) but also because Professor Lee was able to organize tours and trips for us that were different from the norm. I am grateful for that because by doing this we immersed ourselves in the city. “
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bye-bye studio-downstairs-bed-upstairs...”
Evaline Dadulla Posted on July 31, 2010 at 12:30pm “After the concert, we cleaned up a little. And then, a few of us went up to the roof and shared wine that JD had (or just shared in the conversation). We reminisced about our time in NY, the good, the bad, the funny, the sad (uhhh, wait...I don’t really think there were any...but oh well, for opposites sake), the highs, the lows, but most of all, the best of our time here. I’ll be missing New York. In just a few weeks, Hello Clemson!!! (*sigh* bye-bye convenience, bye-bye-nightlife, bye-bye multitude of food choices, bye-bye studio-downstairs-bed-upstairs, bye-bye awesome free events...bye-bye) New York chapter: end. That’s all folks! “