'In Relation to' Map

(Taken near Joralemon Street in downtown Brooklyn)

In the pursuit of that special (or not so special) someone, you may get on or off (or merely make a transfer) at one of these stops.  Loathing and apathy are conspicuously absent and could not be reach for comment.

Beaming

The Flushing line, also known as the IRT Flushing Line, or simply the 7 train, is unique in many different ways.  It quite possibly one of the most ethnically diverse lines in the system, but what is demonstrated here, is a fragment one if its many phases of architectural styles.  In Woodside, where this is photographed, this elevated section bears of a more utilitarian girder feel, but as you get to Queens Boulevard, it beings to resemble that of an old European Viaduct.

A Brooklyn Summer

The neighborhood as seen from the apex of Sunset Park.

Titled Reflection

Uphill Architecture

A few specimens of representative architecture in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

To Gain Access to the City

One must have Cash, Cash, Cash (or EZ Pass).  The entrance of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel as seen from the Pulaski Bridge.

Top of the World

Summer is on the horizon in Soho.

Lower East Side Rooftops

Well Armed Architecture

One of the buildings with the coolest Romanesque architecture in NYC is the Kingsbridge Armory in The Bronx. Its future use has been somewhat of an area of political contention for the city and the Bloomberg administration.

A Flatbush & Fulton Saturday Afternoon

Umbra

Winter sunlight induced visual occlusion of an indistinct highrise in downtown Brooklyn.

Atlantic Avenue

This is one of those places I've walked by countless times, but have never given it much photographic attention; an issue I remedied this afternoon. Taken at the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush in downtown Brooklyn.

AutoCondo

I typically find parking garages to be a monotonous necessary evil within cities.  There are however, exceptions I’ve spotted in many different places I’ve visited.  This parking garage on Fulton Street in Lower Manhattan is one of those exceptions.  Unlike many distinctive garages that sport an architecturally distinctive façade, its minimalistic and dense (but slender) frame gives it a certain grace.  In my humble opinion of course.

Its All Here

Just about every classic architectural New York City feature is composed in this photo. Taken on Nassau Street, near Fulton in Lower Manhattan.

Untitled

Its Sexy…

Time has been a commodity that has been in short supply as of late, so in response to this, many of my photographs have been taken in my own neighborhood.  This shot is no exception.

Taken near De Kalb in the Bedford Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn.

The ‘Escapes’ Of Turtle Bay

The Tales that Tiles Tell within the Subway

 

The New York City Subway system is an old rapid transit system, which is the source for many of the issues it faces, however it is also responsible for much of it distinctive character.  Much of the stations in the system are either over or approaching 100 years old, a different time when greater detail was focused on the aesthetics of the architecture of public spaces and infrastructure.  One of the most distinctive features within the New York City Subway systems is its mosaic tile work.  What’s even more interesting is the story that this tile work has to tell.

The operation of the system has a complicated history, which is worthy of its own post in the future, but lets just say that in the past, before a single agency operated it, there were three separate companies operating their own lines throughout the city.  The Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT), Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT), and the Independent Subway System (IND) all competed in servicing the passengers of the city’s boroughs.  Each company has their own style of tile work that was implemented in the stations.

IRT Style

This is from the 86th Street Station on the Seventh Avenue-Broadway Line (Manhattan, 1 train).  I fully admit, I indulged myself a little in the composition of this photo, but I felt only a wide angle photo would tell the complete story here.  Much like the IND style, the station name is plainly identified within a mosaic.  Unlike the IND style however, is the use of frieze around it and as a border.  The older the station, more of this is used.  This station was opened in 1904 and most of the original tile was removed in renovation years ago, this small section still exists.

More of the station featured above, showing a more human perspective.

The Bleecker Street station on the Lexington Avenue Line (Manhattan, 6 Train) uses faience tablets to identify the station name.  Like the previous station, much of the original work has been removed, by a few remain preserved.

IND STYLE

The Metropolitan Avenue Station on the Crosstown Line (Brooklyn, G Train) features a very standard form of tile work featuring plain lettering that is used widely on the old IND lines.  The IND lines tend to be newer than the IRT and BMT lines and the style and the tile work tend to have a more streamlined look.

This work is a little more unique and is located on the Smith-9th station on the Culver Viaduct (Brooklyn, G and F Trains).  This station (and the viaduct as a whole) is undergoing renovation, and I hope this remains untouched.

Many station also use individual letter tiling to identify the station.  Carries much less prestige, but hey its easier to maintain I guess…The modern attitude of how infrastructure is treated.

BMT Style

The tile work in BMT stations tend to be a little more intricate than IND tile work and use monogram frieze work.  This work was taken from the 42nd-Time Square station on the Broadway Line (Manhattan, N, Q, R Trains).

Taken from the Prince Street Station on the Broadway Line (Manhattan, N and R Trains), demonstrating a BMT Style name tablet.

‘Modern Style’

This tile work is typical in stations that have been renovated or relatively new stations built in the ‘60s and ‘70s.  Many stations in Brooklyn use this light blue tile, such as Court Street Station (R Train) (Pictured).  Many other stations use similar tile in that 1960’w rusty-red color, such as the Lexington Avenue-63rd Street (Manhattan, F Train) and 125th Street Station (Manhattan, A,B,C,D Trains).  Others use an off white, such as the 57th Street Station (Manhattan, F Train).

Shadow Lurker

Taken in front of the 225 Broadway-Transportation Building near the Financial District in Lower Manhattan.  Obviously taken several months ago when winter attire was required.

Fury. Forsaken. Etc.