Cheery Observations

The High Line is one example, in a growing list of examples, of NYC’s dedication to creative, well-maintained outdoor space.  Besides the huge swaths of land dedicated to Central Park and Prospect Park, New York has recently undertaken the Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier Renovation and will be renovating McCarren Park.  There are even future plans to make Governor’s Island into an Eco Park.  (Check out the ideas here!).  In a city where living quarters can be cramped and limited, it’s imperative to have a variety of outdoor spaces for catching up with friends, enjoying an outdoor concert or activity, or simply for getting some fresh air.  For all of NYC’s density, it is surprisingly easy to find a space for reflection or quiet conversation.

Running through Chelsea, the Meat Packing District, and Hell’s Kitchen (spanning Gansevoort Street to 34th Street on Manhattan’s West Side), the High Line was a working freight train track from the 1930s-1980, created in ‘order to remove dangerous trains from the streets of Manhattan’.  In 1999, Friends of the High Line was formed to turn the decrepit structure into a public elevated park.

The team of James Corner Field Operations, a landscape architecture firm, and Diller Scofidio + Renfro, an architecture firm, concentrated on making the space both natural and cohesive.  In 2006, a preliminary design was even shown at the MoMA.

(more…)

This is definitely worth a read for anyone, especially those who are in support of school gardens, Farm to School programs, and have followed the media frenzy surrounding the White House Garden. Written by Sarah Bernardi, art teacher at DC’s Bancroft Elementary (and instrumental in DC’s recent Local Flavor Week), she gives us a clear picture of the daily battle she must wage to keep Bancroft’s garden up and running.

Please click on the picture to read the article:

I am a Top Chef fan and have always appreciated Tom Colicchio’s even-tempered analysis of the chef’s dishes. His comments are short, though perhaps a bit too short, and to the point. It’s always been clear that his palate and skill-set are impeccable and his confidence comes from years of practice.

Colicchio, as explained in his book, ‘Think Like a Chef’, grew up around food: his first job was at an open-air food market in Elizabeth, NJ, he went crabbing and fishing with his grandfather, and he prepped and learned valuable skills at a slew of restaurants. His first restaurant job in NYC was at 40 Main Street, before moving on to The Quilted Giraffe, and then trying his hand abroad at L’hotel de France. It’s nearly impossible to recap the variety of experiences Colicchio has had in the restaurant industry; he eventually ended up at Gramercy Tavern, before opening up his series of Craft Restaurants. Most recently, Colicchio has shut Craftsteak NYC in order to open up Colicchio & Sons. Colicchio & Sons appears to be a revival of what Colicchio loves about cooking: fresh ingredients and honoring traditions. I haven’t been yet, but Serious Eats has a good write-up of their dining experience.

(more…)