Street by Street, Block by Block

{I am really sorry if this title gets that song stuck in your head! OOPS!}

NYC is interesting because the neighborhoods change street by street and block by block in a way that I haven't really seen in another city. I felt this very heavily weigh on me when I was searching for apartments and was jumped. I also felt this the other day when I biked from Windsor Terrace (by Park Slope) over to Bushwick. I hadn't realized that I routed myself right through Bed Stuy...not exactly the best place for me to be biking alone in short shorts and a tank top...and also the location of where I was previously jumped...so I felt a bit squirmy and just kept on pedaling!

It is a blessing and a curse that the neighborhoods change so quickly...wandering around by yourself can be a really fun past time...but not if you wander yourself lost in an area where people are no longer friendly.

I work in Harlem, and feel completely safe there...(knock on wood)...even though my friend and I had a bottle thrown at us the other night. I felt completely safe in Bed Stuy and almost signed a lease at an apartment right beside a HUGE community garden...but decided to sleep on it before signing and walked outside one block and was jumped. Getting jumped the first time in that neighborhood didn't exactly scream Home Sweet Home to me! I immediately set my sights for a different area.

The other day I was driven home by my friend in his fancy little BMW (because my crappy car broke down at his house) and when he dropped me off at my apartment building he told me that I live in the projects. To this day I am honestly not certain if he is joking...I MIGHT live in projects? Who knows! I will say this though...I took a walk back to get my car the other day...and you tell me WHO lives in a better area!

My walk in photos:

so in my neighborhood, homemade "lemonaid" stand signs, pretty leaves and a playground...and his neighborhood broken windows, a hanger suspisciously looking like a dead baby chicken (I let my imagination run wild), a stripped and deserted bicycle, and a warning about staying safe hmmm...

I love my apartment in the "projects!"
xoh!
d

Rally for Education Reform

{Here is an excerpt from an article on The Daily Beast covering the rally on Thursday morning.}

New York parents are slamming the civil-rights giant for its role in a turf battle that could put 7,000 eager students out of classrooms. John Avlon on why the group is on the wrong side of history this time.

It was an inspiring sight: a protest rally 3,000 strong in the heart of Harlem. Students, parents, and teachers wielding signs and slogans, all standing up for their right to pursue a quality public-school education.

But the target of their anger was unexpected: the NAACP...

In a role reversal, the esteemed civil-rights organization—which helped secure equal access to education a half-century ago in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education—is now decidedly on the wrong side of history...

This past Friday, the New York chapter of the NAACP filed a lawsuit with the United Federation of Teachers to stop the expansion of 19 charter schools across the City of New York.

Here is a video from the rally Thursday morning.



“I cannot look her in the eye, as a parent, and tell her, ‘Well, the problem is that this group of people that Mommy told you about during Black History Month, that did all those great things a long time ago—they want to stop you from doing great things.”

Manhattan Bites!

{I am really excited to introduce a new feature on my blog!}

This new feature is inspired by 8 Weeks to a Better Me, Week One which was a challenge to name 3 things you would do to be a better blogger. Something I am really interested in is exploring my new city using one of my favorite past-times...eating! For one of my week one challenges, I committed to blogging about this experience...it only took me a few weeks to figure out exactly what I was going to do and start exploring places, but better late than never!

I will be checking out new places, or sharing places that I already love with you via Brooklyn Bites and Manhattan Bites blog posts!

There are so many amazing places to eat in NYC and I used to travel up here from PA and down here from CT, Boston and Providence just to partake in the yummy vegan options this city has to offer.

On Sunday, I met my sister and her hubby in the Village to eat brunch at Atlas Cafe, a super yummy cozy joint that I am sure I will end up featuring here. After brunch, we sought out a vegan ice cream place my sister's friend had hyped up to her.

After visiting we realized that this place was hyped for good reason!

We checked out Stogo on East 10th St. b/w 2nd and 3rd Avenue.

After sampling a few of the different selections, anywhere from a soy based salted caramel pecan ice cream to a coconut based vanilla chocolate chip, it was a tough decision! I usually don't prefer the taste of coconut based ice creams, but their coconut based ice creams actually tasted fresh. I was told that the ice creams are made with a base of young coconut...in this case the ingredients really shine through. I usually steer clear from coconut ice creams and I was sold!

After much deliberation we decided on...what better than...a Chocolate Chip Cookie Mexican Chocolate ice cream sandwich! This Mexican Chocolate ice cream is not for the faint of heart, it has a serious kick to it!

I am definitely heading back here! I even got a frequent buyer punch card, yay!

stogo!

Art Happenings: NYC Thursday May 5, 2011

I was SO excited to get this email and I wanted to share it with all of you, especially those of you in the NYC area!
~~~
Hello!

We are excited to reach the final stage of our project called Looking for a Home, which is a lounge area created solely with furniture found in garbage on the streets of New York collected over a period of one month.
Please join us for the Reception and Artists' talk which will include also other projects of the EXPRESS +LOCAL: NYC Aesthetic

This Thursday, May 5 from 5 – 8pm at the Queens College Art Center, CUNY

Looking forward to see you !

Kristyna and Marek Milde

www.mildeart.com

Address:
Queens College Art Center
Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library, Level Six
Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, NY 11367-1597

Our installation is on the 3rd floor (ground floor), right behind the main entrance and the gallery is on the 6th Floor

CLICK HERE for DIRECTIONS

LOOKING FOR A HOME

Kristyna and Marek Milde

Looking for a Home is an installation concerning the themes of consumerism and the culture of disposal. The public space is populated with furniture and domestic objects dumped on the streets of the New York metropolitan area, which the artists found during their one month residency. The objects are cleaned, repaired and categorized; the progress is monitored and documented. The resulting piece is fully equipped living environment, which the public is encouraged to use as a private working area.

The objects, which assumingly have been replaced by new commodities, are, in Looking for a Home, kept relevant by the artists’ discovery. This site-specific environment reflects the state of abundance and rejection and recalls environmental awareness in the realm of domesticity. While the sale of anonymously mass-produced household objects is encouraged by the supportive framework of fictional stories around the objects and designers, Looking for a Home focuses on the stories of the objects’ lives and their use, adding an enriching personal layer of a real story connected to specific people and their environment.

Part of the EXPRESS +LOCAL: NYC Aesthetic

By bringing New York-area artists to the Queens College Art Center in Flushing for a month long residency, EXPRESS+LOCAL: NYC AESTHETICS explores the possible effect of locale on their works. Artists (Ellis Avery, Becky Franco, Carl Gambrell, Naomi Grossman, Erin Hanke, Rob Kimmel, Howard Lerner, Kristyna Milde + Marek Milde, Tommy Mintz, April Nett, Antonia Perez, Anne Sherwood Pundyk, Derek Vadala + Jon Wohl) from diverse disciplines and divided into three groups, will share gallery space for one month at a time (Jan. 28-Feb. 28; March 1-31; and April 1-29). The public will have the opportunity to view the works-in-progress and talk with all the participants during an Open Studio one night each month and at varied times during their residency. A free culminating exhibition (May 5-June 30) will showcase pieces created during their time in Queens and feature artists’ talks with the curator, Tara Mathison.

Depending on their chosen residency, the visual artists, writers, musicians, and curators will work separately or together within the gallery space to respond to the idea of place. EXPRESS+LOCAL aims to offer insight into the varied studio practices documenting their creative response to New York and specifically, the borough of Queens. While some of the artists are very familiar with Queens and Queens College, others have had no direct experience before the residency; EXPRESS+LOCAL may lead each artist to forge a new sense of place.
~~~
If you aren't in the area or cannot attend, you should still check out their website here! You will be glad you did!

Thankful Thursday V.8

I am thankful for...

Walks in my neighborhood,
first thing in the morning...

...and last thing before going to bed.

Going to see the WORST opera ever, only saved by the ability to heckle and say "really?! really?!" with them...

Warm days and lounging in Central Park...

with Malomar...

...and this beautiful lady.

Dinner and catching up with Dominic, who was visiting from Portland.

and this one...

It is going to be 80 degrees today!

The weather is amazing today and I am going to the Opera tonight! This will actually be my first time going to an Opera, I am going to see Seance on a Wet Afternoon. Excited!

Also, since it was actually light out this morning when my alarm buzzed I resisted the snooze button this morning and with the extra time made myself a smoothie. Almond milk, frozen banana and blackberries...yum, bring on the spring!

MoMa visit

Wednesday I headed into the city and met up with my sister to check out the Abstract Expressionist exhibit at MoMA.

One of my favorite sites was this man videotaping the painting. I pictured him sitting his family down and making them watch videotapes of paintings on a loop, sort of the equivalent to the horrors of watching family vacation slides.

After seeing the Abstract Expressionist pieces, we headed over to the music exhibit, Looking at Music 3.0.

I wish we had more time, and I will certainly have to go back to the music exhibit...zines and Le Tigre and the creation of the music video, so cool!

As the Museum was closing, we headed over to Cafe 79 and had dinner, which was awesome...and then we checked out the Design opening at the Czech Center. Days and nights like these make me feel so happy to live in NYC!

PS. I know the responsible teacher in me should not find this funny...but I love the little details, and seeing this at the Museum gave me a laugh.

Nature in the City

Even though it was overcast, it was a very nice day today to take a walk in the park, listen to the sounds and snap a few photos. I was in the park for hours wandering around, sort of forgetting that I live in NYC. At one point, I turned the corner and saw a blue heron resting by the water. It flew away swiftly and I wasn't able to snap a photo of it, but it was a beautiful site to see!

Here are some photos from my walk in the park.

Back to my bathroom and kitchen painting adventure: I will give you a little hint:

!