New York
We arrived at new York after a fun flight and tasty food. I thought the flight was 3 hours but it was 8, so a good chance to catch up on some rest.
My first impression of NY was of imposing, volume blocks, enslaved to a grid, with a gritty industrial feel.
Despite all the hype about bed bugs in our hotel, I could find any, but the nylon sheets are pretty good at delivering small electric shocks, so they have probably all been executed.
Day one was a visit to the Empire State Building. This was the first truly high rise reinforced concrete building. The trouble is the internal space is just circulation and structure! more a statement than a useful space.
I took the shot below from the roof. It is of an adjacent building. It was snowing, but I like the silhouette of the white structure behind.
Silvio and I visited the Seagram Building. Its a black block with bronze coloured glass, an enticing front courtyard and clean lines. He has forgotten more than I know about Architecture, so it was good to learn a little from him.
Day 2 we visited the MOMA. It is probably the best museum I have ever been in. There was a Frank Lloyd Wright exhibition of a new town he planned for 'anywhere'. The models and drawings are detailed beyond belief.
To me, Frank Lloyd Wright's ideas for 'A new freedom for living in America' were big brother socialism. He has prescribed how the city would work, interact and conduct itself. Just who does he think he is! I would'nt let him tell me how to live.
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