Esquire Magazine Highlights Janette Sadik-Khan

Came across this link from one of the blogs I frequently read on Google Reader. I warn you right off though; it’s a long article. (Update: yep it was from the Planetizen network, their link is Here)

Many in the New Urbanism movement know of JSK, many in the cycling and walking communities know of her, and certainly in NYC, they know of her work. She is an international superstar, and is very popular with livable streets and transportation equity folks (along with Mr. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood)

So who is Janette Sadik-Khan, Esquire magazine (yes That Esquire) has a very good article looking at her in relation to another giant of NYC; Robert Moses.

The way she works to get around red tape and bring people on board, even if they were originally against her, can be a model for cities and DOT's nations wide. She has the facts to back up her claims, and to show naysayers that they really don't know what they are talking about, but without bluntly telling them off (as was Moses's style).

Her work is transforming NYC back to a future where people are king, not the car. She is the anti-Robert Moses and her timing couldn't have been better.

Take a read:
Janette Sadik-Khan - New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Profile

Friday Feature, The High Line

Its been a few weeks since my last Friday feature, annoyed at myself for that but that’s what I get trying to do too many things at once. However we are back and hopefully will be able to keep it up for a good long time. I will put up a generalized post about my goings-on in bike life from the past couple weeks maybe later today or tomorrow but for now I bring you back to mid august and to a Saturday of NYC Summer Streets (pictures from that will be coming too) and a visit to the High Line.

For those that have not followed the story of the High Line Park revitalization project, this is a former section of elevated freight track on the west side of Manhattan, it was constructed and opened to trains in 1934 and ran until 1980. It sat in derelict and threat of demolition until the Friends of the High Line group, was formed in 1999 for restoration as a public park and green space. The first section finally opened in June of this year, with the second section due to open next year. I have been following the project since the middle of last year and when I knew I was going to the city this August, I made it a priority to go and see it and document, at the time for personal reasons, but once this blog was launched as a way of showing the beauty that can come from reuse, and turning industrialized sites to public spaces. So without further ado, I present the High Line, elevated park in pictures.



The map from the website is very useful, I edited it down to show just the area that’s open and the subway stops nearby. Click the image for the full 2 page PDF map from the High Line website.



This is southern end main entrance to the Park, the line further south was demolished many years ago. It was quite crowded and the area is certainly experiencing a revitalization that is quite apparent with many new restaurants and shops. If you wish to see it as it was when the google street car last came through, the link is Here






I wanted to point a really cool feature out on this last image. If you look in the upper left corner you see separated wooden lawn chairs, well these can roll together on train trucks as the rails are restored, so you can combine two or three together and make a huge one or move away from the woman talking on her cell phone, very nifty. A closer image can be found Here



This stained glass piece is one of a number that hang on a wall inside one of the buildings the high line runs through. The artist took 700 pictures of the Hudson then digitalized them and added color depending on the water, he then created this piece by putting together the 700 pieces by hand. It’s quite beautiful. For more information on the Artist, who’s name is Spencer Finch, you can visit his website for the project Here. (there are arrows in the upper right, click them and you can see the progression of the installation). For information on the current exhibitions and upcoming works visit the High Line Public Art page Here



It was a warm day when I visited, and there were a good number of people enjoying the park, it was great to see people from all walks of life and all age groups enjoying this space. I would imagine, once its novelty wears down a bit and the full length is open, it would be an amazing space to do art or read or just sit and enjoy life.

Thanks for visiting the High Line with me
For more information please see their website or their blog. There are lots of ways you can get involved if you live in the city, as well as more resources, pictures, and video of the project and its completion.

For more of my pictures from my High Line visit please see my Flickr album.

Be sure to check out Jim’s post below as well!
-John

Welcome to NYC

Yep its been a while since a post by me, nothing bad happened, just lost high speed access(summer job ended) and the connection is worse then dial-up at home now, thanks to the wonderful cable company and the internet providers. You really cant do anything with 14.4 speed, thankfully we are not paying for that.... Anyway as I mentioned, I think, I was in NYC this past weekend for various goings on, seeing some exhibits, Summer Streets, visiting the High Line Park, and the Tesla motors store. A good trip overall if not hot. There was one thing I experienced for the first time though, a pedicab. Yes, you see them all over Europe and they are around times square in NYC, the pedal taxies. It was really good, my parents and I managed to squeeze into the back of one and we were off, now our driver was one of the lucky ones with a front mounted electric assist, but it was only slightly noticed, except for the whine of the regenerative breaks turning on at the lights. One interesting thing did happen in the 4 blocks we took it to Grand central, a large tour bus, you know the big coach ones, pulled right up in front of the bike and stopped on an angle, making our driver screech to a halt, with full re-gen whirring. If he was going any faster or we were a single cyclist we would have been coach smush. The idiot knew we were there, he drove right past us, yet didn't have the care to pause for 10 seconds and let us make it past where he wanted to stop. I think it opened up my parents eyes to the ever present dangers of cycling in a car based society, more so then anything I ever say would, I think they better understood the things that cycling planners are working against. I got a picture of the number to call on the back asking “how's my driving” so will need to do that as soon as I can, cause his was reckless and down right crap. NYC is making progress, especially for the recreational cyclists, but for the commuters, for the people making their living on the bike, as messengers, as taxi's, as vendors, they know the true horror of cycling in NYC, and their lives are not improving nearly as fast. NYC is the only city in the US where the majority don't even own a car for christs sake! I would hate to try that in LA. I give my best to them all, (and an extra large tip) because these are the true hero's on the road, and they know where the problems are, yet are too often ignored by those making decisions.

I will be posting again, regularly, as I gain high speed access again, I have a bunch of infrastructure pictures from NYC, as well as from the High Line Park, which will be going up in the coming weeks, and looking ahead I am going to start training with the hopes of cycling ~130 miles round trip up to Montreal for the weekend in October, I can do ~75 in a day but that was on a bike more designed for on road cycling, then my current mountain bike, and that was when I was doing a5-10 miles day commute. Did I mention I want a new bike now too?

NYC Pedicab Association

Thanks to PRI The World's photo stream for the picture Really good show if you have not listened to it.