Category: NFN

Here’s another one from inside The Dillon. Instructions for entering the building were simple: “Be careful, it’s dangerous up there…”

I’m playing with the idea that I shall extend my Manhattan Project. When I first came to New York, I was fascinated by Feininger’s idea that, in order to find beauty in Manhattan, you have to move far away and make photographs from a distance, so as to eliminate the clutter. For me, some of his best long distance cityscapes somehow better capture the essence of the place than the street photography by Winogrand, and others. However, my thought was that I wanted to turn things around: eliminate the clutter by moving very close, rather than far away.

By now I feel as if every bit of concrete on the streets of the city is my personal friend. Time to move on. However, I’m still fascinated by how people leave their mark in the ever changing, stony face of the city. In that sense, it seems obvious to record the fleeting surfaces of the vertical sphere as well – houses that are still growing (as in: being built), and the temporary life of builders and designers inside of them.

I wonder how difficult it must be to achieve that – to make your mark as an architect – in the sea of concrete that is Manhattan. A project that immediately interested me is “The Dillon,” designed by Smith-Miller + Hawkinson Architects LLP. You can have a look at it here. They were very kind and gave me access to the site. I came back with half a dozen early sketches that serve my own purposes, two of which you see here, with more to follow. Many thanks also to Building Connexions, who initiated the contact and who will be featuring my Manhattan movie on their site once it goes live in a couple of weeks. More on them then.

Jens is taking photos of a new architecture project around Ninth Avenue and 53rd street, and he took me along to have a look. Of course, you cannot invite me on such a tour without taking time for some eating! So, this was an opportunity to have lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, Roberto Passon at Ninth Avenue, corner of 50th street.

When you walk down that part of Ninth Avenue, you don’t expect to find a peaceful place to rest, with beautifully prepared, tasty, and healthy food. But this is just what Roberto Passon is. According to their website, the cuisine is Venetian. Coming from Northern Italy, I am not sure what to say. Certainly, I wouldn’t have picked up on this. I ordered some octopus that was, according to the menu, Portuguese. But however that may be, it was simply delicious. Octopus on steamed potatoes, with various sauces based on balsamico, tomato, and pesto (so, all in all certainly Italian enough…).

If you ever get to that part of town, you shouldn’t miss Roberto Passon. It has my highest ranking of five stars*****.