Friday, October 29, 2010

O16






Downtown From Behind. The perfect way to document the city, the streetscapes, and its riders. The project was started by Bridget Flemming and focuses on "an eclectic cast of individuals ranging from local architects and designers to stylists, decorators, musicians, artists, hoteliers, chefs—anyone who has an impact on their specific downtown neighborhood, be it through their profession or just by living in the area." Who knew New York had dead-end streets? Or lanes, for that matter. This such a good idea for someone who loves the city, taking photos and riding bikes! Why didn't I come up with this?! Too late :) Via GOOD.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

O15



I went for a nice little ride today while the sun was still out. Finally! The bike is totally smooth and co-operative, but the straps will take some getting used to. I'm most likely going to change out the grip tape, and a few tweaks on the brakes. I can't really fuss with it too much now, but maybe in the future. This little guy is still waiting to be taken downtown...next week, I hope. I still need to buy a new lock, and it seems that Kryptonites are going for more than what they were selling for over 2 years ago. For the SAME model! I don't understand it. Plus, with the HST added, I will essentially be paying for another bike off craigslist for the cost of a lock. Ridiculous. I understand the safety that comes with a Kryptonite versus any other generic lock, but I am just shocked by how much they're going for here. Maybe it's an indication of the market here in Toronto. I bought a small Kryptonite lock in New York for $70. And that was already on the more expensive side. And like I said, that was over 2 years ago. So I guess Toronto has a lot of catching up to do...





The bike is most likely made after the 1980s, when all Miyata bikes had their names written in full rather than numerically. The higher the number, the more elite it was. The range began at Ninety. Thus, mine is a low-end touring bike. But I'm very happy with it! My bike in Hawai'i is also a Miyata, but a One Hundred model and bright periwinkle. Beautiful colour. This red one is Miyata No. 3 for me! I think I will name it Charlie. Seems appropriate.

My bike in Honolulu, minus the kickstand:


This frame is actually way too large for me, so the seat has to go all the way down. I'm fit more for a 54cm frame, and I'm quite sure this is a 57cm one. It took a lot of getting used to, and I had to change the location of the brake levers because they were just located in the wrong place...the drop bars are a little too aggressive for my riding habits. As much as I would love to provoke ignorant drivers, keeping a head on my shoulders is more important. There are few extremely useful bike lanes in Honolulu that I'm aware of, and their idea of a bike lane on a busy street is putting up a sign that says "Share the Road." However, these streets are barely flanked with curbs. So where do we go? Cyclists must essentially ride more aggressively to assert their spot on the road. While many might think that Hawai'i must be bike haven, riding on the local streets in town is not that fun when there is a lot of traffic, or buses charging around you. Toronto is not the only city that needs a better policy on bike lanes.


Oh, and did I mention how disappointed I am about Rob Ford winning the election? I hope those that voted for him kick themselves later down the road when they realize their meager savings on the Vehicle Registration Tax actually went to Ford's hilariously unrealistic plan for the TTC aka KFC BUCKET FUND aka NOTHING WILL HAPPEN. I can tell you that I am distracted and angered by the grease on his face, and the fact that I couldn't look into his eyes when he spoke during his election win. How can I respect someone like that? You know, at least Mel Lastman had a more likable personality.

Okay, all stupid comments aside, how can I possibly respect someone who clearly doesn't ride a bike in Toronto to work but can decisively comment that bike lanes are superfluous; and is also the same person who holds the idea of owning your vehicle more precious that preserving the environment? His "stop the gravy train" mantra really is not about Toronto's future, or even about how to use money more wisely. The counter-intuitive idea that spending money can lead to better results doesn't always resonate with tax payers, and I am well aware that David Miller did not necessarily try his best to prevent taxes from rising. But...then what? What vision does he have for a new way of living? Expanding the TTC is not a realistic solution, and getting rid of streetcars will kill a part of Toronto's identity. Does he really think he knows Toronto that well? How many times has he even been to Chinatown, or Kensington, or any of the lower income housing projects? Or even Finch Station? The other North Korea? Does he even know that exists? Does he even know what it's like to take the TTC, every single day? Does he know that it is possible to commute by bicycle 12 months of the year if you wanted to? Probably not. And even if he did, he doesn't seem to have cared to do the research as to how existing infrastructure can be re-purposed and integrated into corridors of higher efficiency that can accommodate all commuters. Is owning your vehicle a human right? Ford seems to think so. There is room for a solution, there always is. I will write a post soon on bicycle commuting and why Ford should suck it. Honolulu should really look at him as a prime example of ignorance and refusal to foresee imminent lifestyle changes to protect the health of our city. We will be watching you, Ford. Every stupid, ignorant, racist thing you say will be broadcast for everyone to hear. Game over.

Now I feel like I just ruined this post.




Leaves are just so nice in the fall. These were taken just around my block. Toronto, October 2010.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

O14



Sometimes the best places in the city are the ones that were never planned to occur.

If you haven't been here, or seen how crazy it gets when Back to the Banks is on, then you never knew what New York skate culture was all about. This is probably one of the most badass places to skate, ride and eat it. It has the perfect curves, vistas and avenues for skateboarding, but notably, this place has also been a bmx, fixie and scooter (yes, scooter) hub too. Steep curves? Lots of open space? Damn. This underground-but-not-so-underground place is located under the Brooklyn Bridge next to the police station, Manhattan side. The Banks are unlike any other urban space, and without much warning, it's become a prized and cherished place to do pull off mean tricks. All you have to do is pick your poison. It's amazing when its filled full with riders, and more amazing that skateboarders will find places like these to get what they can out of New York's concrete jungle.


On the Back to the Banks Days, this is what it's like. I was here, 2008.

The area lies in the interstitial space between the the on and off ramps along the bridge, where the cars set a backdrop to all the insane action happening below. It's a place to socialize, to gather, and to practice. The Banks come with their own raised seating too -- the concrete dividers. On the big days you sit there with cars zipping by you, and you're at the very back because thousands of people are crowded in front, watching the same guys do the same tricks. Or you're down in front, watching people bomb the steep curves. Or you're on the upper level, watching guys below ride the rails. So many options, don't you think? The collective spirit here is incredible, I can tell you that.





Unfortunately it's been under construction since earlier this year, and while the Department of Transportation (DOT) cites that the Brooklyn Bridge is in need of "urgent rehabilitation," I can only worry about what this space is going to look like after their done. They will be painting. All of it. What about the long lived graffiti? All the small additions to this place over the years will be wiped out, and that beloved gritty feel won't exist anymore. 



The grey areas indicate where the "staging" will occur. A red portion has been highlighted by Steve at 5Boro, where he hopes the DOT will allow that area to remain open and unchanged while construction occurs in the residing parts. Construction will go until 2014. Full article here.

I'm sure it won't be long until the Banks get back to their old shape after construction is done, but there is something about being able to feel and see the layers of history in this one place that cannot be replicated or renewed in any other way. People may hate graffiti and scoff at it as "street art" but its these uncomplicated, earnest pieces of expression that give voice to a whole other face of the city. Through these tags, however amazing or ugly they are, one can begin to understand a voice of a generation that cannot be represented in any other way. It's raw, and it's real.


When this place is empty during the winter, you can still feel that energy that rises during the peak times in the summer. The residual matter of stickers, rails, pipes, ramps and broken boards are visual indicators of a culture that exists throughout New York City, and the Banks set an example where raw, unplanned urban spaces can be re-purposed into magical keys to understand how an urban city on this scale has accommodated street riders alike. Architects can't plan for all the possibilities of how a space will be used, and we certainly can't predict how an uprising in street culture will affect public spaces. How does that make our job as architects any easier? It doesn't, but it sure makes it exciting. We can't account for every single possible perspective when you plan a community (although we can try), and we can't foresee how all the interstitial spaces will be used either. I think this breathing room gives us an opportunity as a city to grow...to self-experiment, rather than live in a highly designed place. Le Corbusier's La Ville Radieuse, for example, is so highly designed it begs for mono-culture. Sterile, clean, efficient. Our cities certainly aren't perfect, and I think that's where the beauty lies. New York, although multifarious in buildings and culture, has very little open space to experiment with, and I think that's why the Banks are so special and successful as a space.

At the bottom line I believe that it's successful places like this that almost defy logic or reason, that make cities so vibrant and alive. Don't you remember as a kid, how you would just find ways to do what you wanted? Where you would build your own ramps because there wasn't a skate park near your house, or make riding a bike as dangerous (and exhilarating) as possible by putting plywood over rollers, etc etc. Maybe some of you didn't do this. Maybe you did, but to greater extremes. Either way, all these things we did as kids, we can still do as adults. We will find those spaces the suit our needs, and we will learn how to fill our lives with those necessities. It's in our inherent nature to adapt and survive, and at the Brooklyn Banks, it's never been better. Here, there are no rules. It just is.

Images via web. Brooklyn Banks, New York City.

Monday, October 25, 2010

O13


If you don't know...now you know. Leslie and The Lys. Click on Videos!!!

O12








Small snapshots of another half. Home life in Honolulu. O'ahu, September 2010.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

O11

The last several days has been eventful, from getting a new bike to finally graduating from architecture school (yes!). My mom's flower store is still underway, and I have been helping her for the last two weeks managing tradespeople, giving her time to be a florist for and not worry about everything at once. That's taken up quite a bit of my time in Toronto since I got back from Hawai'i, and it's been busy to juggle that, my own personal work, and also attend to my grandparents. But I have made time to see old friends, and that has definitely been a good change from moving around city to city and missing everyone in between.

I'm slowly integrating myself into a groove of managing my own design work, and I am very excited to see the final results. My, er, "website" has been less of a site, and more of a download page since I bought the domain four years ago. This is something I am very determined to change, immediately. My graphic sense has changed and grown considerably since 2006, and I am extremely eager to finish my site for good. Or, at least let it remain unchanged for more than four months ;) A sneak peek for the opening page:




Aside from design work and mild project management, I have also been meeting up with friends a lot. I'm making the rounds slowly...sorry if I'm not moving fast enough! One thing that has been doubly nice about this is also getting to go to new restaurants and bars that I hadn't been to before. It's been a really long time since I felt like I lived in Toronto, and I'm just so, so happy to be able to re-discover the city again. There is a part of me that is ignited when I see how many people are biking now, and how many new and hip joints are popping up. Toronto is expanding its markets and filling those fine niches, that's for sure. A good thing, all round. There is potential here to grow as a designer (in all trades), and as we are a relatively young city, we possess a diversity and opportunity for change that is unmatched in other global city such as New York or London. You could say that Toronto is large enough to keep the masses content with the number of different venues, but it's also small enough that it's maybe at most 3 degrees of separation in the art/design/architecture circle. And yes, it's a circle. Possibly an incestuous one. Joking. Hmm, no, not really.




Went to Guu for the first time. Sake + Asahi followed by 8 shots of soju at another bar (pictured...this was night #2). I kept losing at the drinking games. Never again!




A night out with the architecture kids. Kensington Kensington Kensington.






Toronto is also gifted with a plethora of textures. Urban textures. Leafy textures. I like it.



I also met Celine for lunch at Swan the other day, and had an excellent curry squash soup. We both agreed that Swan had the BEST french toast. Ever. So, if you're wondering where you should go for brunch next, Swan would be a perfect choice! Celine has been up to no good by being an amazing photographer in her spare time (among other amazing, amazing things) and she will be shooting her own weddings next year! Check out her blog. It's always a great place to go if you're looking for some inspiration :)

Exciting, also! I also graduated today, which means I can officially close that undergraduate chapter of my life. It's been a long time coming, so I'm very happy it came and went without too much fuss. Although it seemed to rain the entire day...pathetic fallacy? Perhaps. I didn't trip, shook my hands correctly, and got the diploma in good speed. Too many flashes went off today, but it was worth it.








Just a few of my favourite people :)

Other equally exciting news! I also just bought a bike off craigslist. It's a bright red Miyata to add to my collection. Rides super smooth, and is dying to get a test through downtown Toronto. SOON! Photos to come. More Toronto tidbits too. Yum. Until then, I'll be thinking of a good Halloween costume...



Thinking of new ideas. Painting the town, Honolulu. O'ahu, October 2010.