911 memorial

When my parents where visiting we took them to see the 911 memorial, it was something that I wanted to do since it opened. The memorial was designed by architect Michael Arad in conjunction landscape architect Peter Walker, their design has been selected in a design competition and evolves around two reflecting pools in the footprints of the twin towers. The names of every person who died in the 2001 and 1993 attacks are inscribed into bronze panels surrounding the Memorial pools, there are 2,983 names in total that have been chosen to be displayed in a random order. All the trees on the memorial site are Swamp white oaks except for one Callery pear tree that was found in the rubble in the plaza of the World Trade Center. The damaged tree was originally planted in the 1970s has been now nursed back to health and planted at the memorial and is now know as the Survivor Tree.

My initial reaction upon seen the pools was how beautiful the water looks cascading down into them but then I started thinking about what had happened in that exact spot and I felt my chest tighten and the water rushing down turned into something more sinister. I am not sure if it was the intent of the architects but the falling water reminded me of the falling towers and looking at the black bottomless hole in the center of each pool gave me a chill down my spine. It was really interesting to observe the reactions of everyone looking into the pools, I saw a couple of people crying, some just quietly looked around but I haven't seen anyone that was not moved in some way. Standing in a spot where so many people have lost their life is definitely something emotional and everybody's emotions are as different as the people experiencing them. Have you ever visited the memorial and if so what did you experience?

PS. Unfortunately the museum on the grounds is not open yet and I could not find a specific date when it will be opened. 

 

 

 

 

 

week thirty nine

Wow, today marks the beginning of October. Where did September go, didn't it just start?

My parents left on Friday and because P is on a business trip I had the house to myself all weekend. Of course with so much time on my hands I made an ambitious to-do list. Ever since taking the Blogging Your Way class I wanted to add an about page and a menu bar to my blog, so I wanted to use this weekend to get these things done. May I remind you that I took the class last October! Also on my list was to give this chair one more sanding. My Dad was nice enough to already strip it and start sanding. But of course I didn't get anything done. I have to admit I have spent my weekend doing pretty much nothing. Saturday night I went out to see the Global Citizen Festival concert on the Great Lawn in Central Park, that was the only time I left the house the past weekend. On Sunday I was in my pj's most of the day but managed to shower in the afternoon and switch into sweatpants and a t-shirt. Classy! Honestly I loved just hanging around reading, watching TV and mindlessly browsing the web. I guess I needed a weekend off as well because I was running on empty physically and mentally...

Hope you all had a relaxing weekend as well! Here is to a great and hopefully well balanced October!

PS. Since I obviously need a good motivational kick in the b*** to change some things around on my blog I signed up for the Blogging Your Way bootcamp to whip myself and the blog into shape. Did anybody sign up for it as well?

ohny weekend 2012 - coming up soon

Next weekend will be the 10th year of openhousenewyork. OHNY is dedicated to give New Yorkers and tourists alike the chance to experience the architecture of the city. Participating locations range from historic landmarks to private residences and everything in between. For more information visit the www.ohny.org website, also if you are not in New York check if your city is part of open house worldwide. This will be my fourth year working as a volunteer and I am already busy planning what places I want to see when I am not working at my site.

Here are my highlights from last year. If you click the highlighted name on the top of each photo you will be directed to last years post where you will find more photos and information to each site.

Have a great weekend!

PS. I made the bowl on the last photo, check out how here

Austrian Cultural Forum

Hotel Americano

Nolitan Hotel

 Residence in Nolita

Wunderworks Design Studio

painting lounge

Last month a friend of mine asked me to go to Painting Lounge with her. They offer different paintings each night and you basically you do a paint by numbers, without the numbers ;), for grown ups. To make it more fun you can bring your own beer or wine, liquid encouragement if you will. We thought we would be chatting throughout the class but ended up working in quiet concentration on our paintings. It was so much fun and I can't believe I was able to pull off a van Gogh in two and a half hours.

Happy hump day!

week thirty eight

Another week passed by...My parents have been staying with us for over a week now and will be leaving on Friday. I love having them but on the other hand it's a bit stressful. Have a lot going on at work and want to spend the remaining time with them, so I don't really have time for anything else.  I will be catching up on all your blogs next weekend!

Last week was also pretty sad one good friend is moving back to Germany after five and a half years and she had a little get together on Thursday. She was one of P's co-workers and became a dear friend. I am not good at saying good bye but I know we will stay in contact and she already promised to visit us next year. See you again soon Steffi!

Yesterday we visited the 9/11 memorial, something that has been on my list for a while. I will share my experience in a separate post.

Hope you all have a great week!

kentuck knob & fallingwater

Sunday morning we left Pittsburgh behind and started driving towards Kentuck Knob, our first stop following the footsteps of Frank Lloyd Wright in rural Pennsylvania. The house was build for I.N. and Bernadine Hagan with construction starting in 1953 and being finished in 1956. The Hagans asked Frank Lloyd Wright to design them an usonian home after liking nearby Fallingwater so much, which was owned and commissioned by their friends the Kaufmanns. Frank Lloyd Wright was 86 years old when designing the house and also busy working on the Guggenheim Museum and the Beth Sholom Synagogue. Kentuck Knob was one of the last houses completed by Wright . The Hagans lived in their house year round for almost 30 years. It is owned by Lord Palumbo since 1986, who initially bought it as a vacation home and generously opened it to the public for tours in 1996. 

We had booked the regular tour of Kentuck Knob which took about 45 minutes and allowed us to see but not photograph the interior. After finishing the tour P and I walked around the premises and then headed to Fallingwater because we were afraid to miss the start of our in-depth tour over there. But the good planners that we are we had plenty of time to spare. The in-depth tour of Fallingwater guides you through the whole house as well as the guest and staff quarters, all in all it took about two hours. When our tour came to an end the grounds were already closed but we were allowed to roam around for another half hour, thus allowing us to take exterior shots of the house without random people. And you guys know of how much I dislike random folk in my shots ;) I took hundreds of photos but unfortunately I will not be able to share them with you because publication of the photos visitors take is not allowed without permission. And you guessed it I didn't ask for permission yet...

The construction of Fallingwater started in 1936 and the main house was finished in 1937. The Kaufmanns had built it as their nature retreat to replace cabins on the site. I would not mind living above a waterfall and feeling one with nature. Edgar Kaufmann Sr. wife Liliane insisted on a plunge pool that is fed by the stream, which I think is a great idea. Wright didn't like it but headed his clients wish. My favorite area of the house was the top floor, the area the Kaufmanns son Edgar Jr. used to stay at. With being so close to the trees and the big windows everywhere it felt like living in a tree house. The Kaufmanns used the house until 1963 as a weekend retreat and in 1963 it was donated to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and opened to visitors in 1964. If you are ever in the Pittsburgh area I highly encourage you to visit both Kentuck Knob and Fallingwater.

Have you visited any cool houses lately? Or do you have any on your list you would like to see?

Have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

pittsburgh

 Wow I can't believe that our trip to Pittsburgh has already been more than two weeks ago. Time just seems to fly by...

We left Thursday after work and drove about four hours and stayed a night in Harrisburg so P didn't have to drive all night and to be closer to our destination the next morning. Unfortunately we closed the black out curtains of our hotel room and didn't wake up as early as we hoped so we skipped breakfast in Harrisburg and started our drive to Pittsburgh. After a quick nap (for me) at the hotel we started exploring the city. Our first stop was the nearby tourist information where we got a map of the city. Our hotel was in Downtown Pittsburgh, also know as the golden triangle, that is formed by the Allegheny River and the Monogahela River joining forces to form the Ohio River. From the tourist information we headed straight over one of the many bridges to the Duquesne Incline. Because it was quite hot and humid that day I needed another nap once we made it back to Downtown as I had not fully recovered from my flu. After resting we walked into the strip district where supposedly a lot of restaurants, bars etc. are. There were some restaurants/bars but not a lot of people on the streets, mostly the businesses seemed to be wholesale markets that had already closed for the day but we found a place to eat and walked back to our hotel.

The next morning we met with friends at the Andy Warhol Museum, who were in  town for a wedding. Unfortunately as it is in all museums no photographs allowed, so I have nothing to show you from that experience. After the museum we ate lunch at a sandwich place that serves all their sandwiches topped with fries, even the salad came with a topping of fries. My turkey breast sandwich was quite good actually, loved the cole slaw. Lunch gave us enough strength to head back to the Strip district, which during the day was bustling with people. For dinner we drove into Lawrenceville to eat at an Italian restaurant called Piccolo Forno that friends recommended. The food there was delicious!

What I really liked about Pittsburgh is the contrast between old and new, just like New York only smaller. There was also a lot of public art displayed around the city. The Magnolia tree you see in one picture is not real but instead a piece of art that is creating a little oasis on an empty lot. Of course I only found out about self guided public art walking tours after researching for my post, if you are ever going to Pittsburgh check out the Pittsburgh Art Council website for the walking tours. That would be something on my list fr the next time as well as the Frick Art & Historical Center.