New York City is spread out over a dozen islands. How many of them have you visited?
Islands, by definition and necessity, have microcultures, miscroeconomies, microsocieties and microclimates. They mirror the mainland as much as they re-invent and parody it. In NYC, urban development has progressed backwards: this expanded archipelago reminds me of a body with its vital organs (factories, ports) on the outside, while the central island - Manhattan - remains the processing center for thought and money operations.
Today I drove over the Verrazano bridge in a car and with a dog borrowed from my new roommates, and watched sprays of fast-moving snow breaking against its concrete railings, resembling fountains in the glow of artificial illumination. My point of entry onto one island.
Superior Mirage of the Boats, by Frank R. Stockton
About Me
- MG
- Global New York
- An urban landscape architect imagining, finding, restoring and creating livable spaces within contemporary reality - through gardening, translation, pictures and words.