Showing posts with label World Trade Center. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World Trade Center. Show all posts

Thursday, April 20, 2017

New York City Street Food

Kabir Ahmed cooks to order during the early shift in his food cart. Photo: An Rong Xu, for The New York Times
A Day in the Life of a New York City Food Vendor
Great story in a recent edition of the New York Times profiling Kabir Ahmed, one of New York City’s more than 10,000 mobile food vendors. Now 46, Mr. Ahmed, a Bangladeshi immigrant who moved to New York 23 years ago, operates a halal food cart with two partners on Greenwich Street, close to the World Trade Center. They are there all year long, rain, hail, snow or shine.

If you have ever been to New York City, you will of course, have seen many of these vendors on the streets of Manhattan, and to a lesser extent in the other four boroughs. In four extended visits to the city, I think I have eaten a New York hot dog just once, but I have eaten many ‘chicken over rice’ meals from food carts similar to the types in this New York Times feature.
These vendors are a fixture of New York’s streets and New Yorkers’ routines, vital to the culture of the city. But day to day, they struggle to do business against a host of challenges: byzantine city codes and regulations on street vending, exorbitant fines for small violations (like setting up an inch too close to the curb) and the occasional rage of brick-and-mortar businesses or residents. Not to mention the weather, the whims of transit and foot traffic, and the trials of standing for hours, often alone, with no real shelter or private space.
The location of Mr. Ahmed's food cart
Using Google Maps and their Street View software, I took a ‘walk’ down Greenwich Street using as my guide, clues in the article—“near the World Trade Center”, “in front of the BNY Mellon building”—and found what I am certain is Mr Ahmed’s food cart on the corner of Greenwich and Murray Streets.

If you have ever wondered, like I have, about the source of food used by these vendors, the article provides the following:
The food comes from a commissary kitchen attached to the garage in Long Island City, Queens; the city requires that food carts be serviced and supplied by a commissary, and there are many of them, of varying sizes, with different owners, all around New York. At an extra cost, this one has provided everything Mr. Ahmed needs for the day: heads of lettuce, a few dozen tomatoes and potatoes, ready-sliced halal lamb, several bags of boneless chicken thighs, two 12-pound bags of basmati rice, four large plastic containers of potable water for cooking and washing, clamshell containers and napkins.
While I have had many a ‘chicken over rice’ plate, the article praises Mr. Ahmed’s chicken biryani:
“…regulars know to ask for the chicken biryani, flecked with fried onion and cilantro, garnished with half a hard-boiled egg, all for $6, with a drink. He’d like to raise the price, but worries that he would lose customers.”
Stock photo of food cart meals
Wow, six dollars! This must be one of the cheapest, if not the cheapest meal of this type in New York City. Later in the article readers learn that after paying the man who delivers the cart to Greenwich Street (and then returns it to a secure garage at the end of the day), and also paying the garage, Mr. Ahmed earns about $125 after splitting the day’s takings with his colleagues.

Again, Wow. For an eight-hour shift this works out to around $15/hour, which may seem good given the low wages most American workers receive, but to me this seems low given the amount of work that goes into running such a food service.

The article, by Tejal Rao, provides a fascinating glimpse into a way of life that millions of visitors to New York—and millions more locals—have come to rely on for their daily meals and snacks. I will be back in New York for almost three months from mid-June, and you can be sure that I will make a point of seeking out Mr Ahmed's food van for one of those chicken biryani meals.

Read the full article here… 

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

TED on Tuesday: Philippe Petit, High-Wire Artist

Philippe Petit during his 1974 Twin Towers walk
Philippe Petit is a French high-wire artist who gained fame for his high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, on 7 August 1974. Petit, who was born in France, discovered magic and juggling at an early age, and at 16, he took his first steps on the wire.

"Within one year," he told a reporter, "I taught myself to do all the things you could do on a wire. I learned the backward somersault, the front somersault, the unicycle, the bicycle, the chair on the wire, jumping through hoops. But I thought, 'What is the big deal here? It looks almost ugly.' So I started to discard those tricks and to reinvent my art."

World Trade Center walk
On August 7, 1974, Petit stepped onto a wire strung between the Twin Towers. Balancing 110 stories in the air, Petit played on the tightrope for 40 minutes to the wonder and amazement of the people watching on the ground. Petit was arrested as he left the wire, but as the police cuffed him, he had a huge grin across his face—for he had achieved a feat everyone, including himself at times, had thought impossible.

“The impossible — we are told — cannot be achieved,” Petit tells the TED blog in a Q&A about his new eBook. “To overcome the ‘impossible’ we need to use our wits and be fearless.”

The story of Petit’s walk was brilliantly told in the documentary film, Man On Wire, by UK director James Marsh. Petit has told the story in his own words, in his book To Reach The Clouds, also republished as Man on Wire.

In this TED talk, Philippe Petit recalls the walk, talks about finding your passion, and makes the case for confronting your fears and attempting the ‘impossible’.


Today, Petit shares his time between New York City where he is an artist in residence at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, and a home in the Catskills.

If you are unfamiliar with Philippe Petit and his walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, this YouTube video includes a number of images of Philippe taken during the event.


More Information
Philippe Petit on Wikipedia... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Petit]
Buy the Man On Wire DVD at Amazon.Com... Man On Wire [DVD]
Buy the Man on Wire book at Amazon.Com... Man on Wire

Sunday, September 11, 2011

World Trade Center in Figures

I love this infographic on the History website, about the new World Trade Center. It provides much essential information about the building and site. For example:
 

  • It is estimated that when it is completed, the complex will attract 3 million annual visitors

  • Once completed the WTC complex will consist of six office buildings

  • The memorial itself will include a plaza and museum

  • The site will also include a performing arts center

  • And it will include a new state-or-the-art transit hub

  • The World Trade Center in Figures:

  • 1 full office floor per week is built at peak construction

  • 2 Private developers

  • 16 acres (6.4 hectares) - the size of the WTC site

  • 19 Public agencies involved in construction

  • 33 designers, architects and consulting firms are involved in construction

  • 45 seconds - the time it takes to rise to the top of 1 WTC

  • 71 elevators (five high-speed lifts moving at 2,000 ft per minute)

  • 101 contractors and sub-contractors are involved in the construction

  • 104 floors

  • 400+ swamp white oak trees have been planted on the the new plaza

  • 408 foot antenna (a rotating beacon flashes the letter 'N' in morse code)

  • 1,362 feet (observation deck at the height of former WTC Tower 2)

  • 1,368 feet (glass enclosure at the height of former WTC Tower 1)

  • 1,776 feet (the height of 1 WTC represents the year of American independence)

  • 2,500+ workers are involved in construction on an average day

  • 2,983 names etched into the bronze papapets surrounding the pools

  • 7,500 tones - the total weight of all trees

  • 45,000+ tons of structural steel (six times as much as used in the Eiffel Tower)

  • 450,000 gallons of water - the amount of water that can be held in each pool

  • 2.6 million square feet of office space

  • 3.1 Billion - the cost of rebuilding


  • And one more thing
    If every member of the 1 WTC construction crew tried to travel down to the ground for breaks, it would take nearly half a day. To prevent delays, restroom facilities and even a sandwich shop are raised up to each floor by a hydraulic lift as work progresses.

    Click here to see the full image...  Thanks to History.Com for this infographic and information.
    -o0o-
    World Trade Center: Past, Present, Future 102 Minutes That Changed America World Trade Center - In Memoriam

    Sunday, September 4, 2011

    The Viewing List #1

    Photograph by Damon Winter
    Yesterday’s Reading List is complemented today by our Viewing List – a selection of slide shows and video’s that have caught our attention and interest while trawling across the far reaches of the Internet over the past week.

    Ironworkers of the Sky

    For those readers lucky enough to live in New York and who have had an opportunity to watch the building of the new World Trade Center over the past three of four years, I hope you have taken the time to spare a thought for the thousands of workers who have been labouring day and night on the new tower.
    The New York Times online has a great feature on the new 1 World Trade Center, and the men who are responsible for its construction. The photograph above is one of many that can be seen in a video entitled TheSky Cowboys, which features the photography of Damon Winter.

    You can also view some of Damon’s images in the eleven image slideshow, Raising High Steel Atop 1 World Trade Center by following this link…
    Note: Although initially available online at no cost, much of the New York Times’ online content is eventually available only by subscription. As of this posting date, the above video and slideshow is freely available, but may not be when you try to access the content.
    -o0o-

    Blade Runner Convention Reel (1982)

    With talk of prequel to Ridley Scott’s classic Sci-Fi masterpiece Blade Runner doing the rounds online, this thirteen minute featurette produced by M. K. Productions was used to promote the film through America’s horror, fantasy and sci-fi conventions.
    The short promotional film features interviews with Ridley Scott, Syd Mead (visual futurist), and Douglas Trumbull (special effects), gives viewers some insight into the making of the Blade Runner universe.


    -o0o-
    Time Lapse New York
    This time lapse film by James Ogle uses hundreds of New York City images woven together to create a lovely homage to the "city that never sleeps". I don't know how long it took James to put the film together or how many images were used, but it flows together beautifully, and on viewing it, I immediately wished I was back in New York again, seeing this amazing city with my own eyes.

    Most of the iconic buildings and locations you associate with New York are here: the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, Grand Central Terminal, Staten Island Ferries, and of course the Statue of Liberty among many others.

    TIP: Click on the cluster of four arrows (located between the letters HD and the word VIMEO) to enlarge the video to full screen view for optimum viewing pleasure.

    Saturday, June 4, 2011

    World Trade Center Panorama

    Click image to view the panorama
    Really enjoyed this panorama of the World Trade Center site via the New York Times website. The panorama allows you to look around the construction site (from a fixed point) within the location.

    You can see newly planted white oak trees, and 1 World Trade Center beyond the South Memorial Pool that marks the site of the former South Tower.

    Make sure you click on the ‘Full Screen’ button to view the panorama at its best. Also you can speed up or slow down the rotation by using your mouse to manoeuvre the panorama to all points of the compass: up, down, backwards, forwards, and every direction between.

    Amazing stuff. All they need now is a permanent 360 degree camera providing the same panoramic view in real time, and you could watch the complex being built from anywhere in the world.

    Since the panorama can’t be embedded on this page, you will need to go to the New York Times site to view it, but it is well worth the trip!
    -o0o-

    Here are a small selection of books and DVDs that mark the passing of the Twin Towers and commemmorate the momentous events of September 11, 2001. All are available directly from Amazon.Com. Simply click on one of the images to go to that items page on Amazon where you will find independent reviews and ordering information.
    ...
    102 Minutes That Changed America The World Trade Center Remembered World Trade Center - In Memoriam
    City in the Sky: The Rise and Fall of the World Trade Center 9/11 - The Filmmakers' Commemorative Edition Last Man Down NY City Fire Chief Collapse World Trade Center

    Friday, September 11, 2009

    Friday Photo #10: Remembering September 11, 2001

    Click image to view full size


    St Pauls Church, New York City

    Late afternoon sun casts long shadows across the gravestones of St. Paul’s Chapel, New York, while in the background, dust rises from the site of the former twin towers of the World Trade Center.


    Located on Church Street between Fulton and Vesey Streets, the Chapel is opposite the east side of the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan. It is the oldest surviving church building in the city, and indeed the oldest public building in continuous use in New York City.


    The Chapel survived the Great New York City Fire of 1776 when a quarter of New York City (then the area around Wall Street) burned following the British capture of the city in the American Revolutionary War.


    St Paul’s Chapel was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960. Its status as such was further strengthened after the destruction of the twin towers of the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001, when miraculously the Chapel survived without so much as a broken window.


    The Chapel was turned into a makeshift memorial shrine following the September 11 attacks, and served as a place of rest and refuge for recovery workers at the WTC site. For eight months, hundreds of volunteers worked 12 hour shifts around the clock, serving meals, making beds, counselling and praying with fire fighters, construction workers, police and others. Massage therapists, chiropractors, podiatrists and musicians also tended to their needs.


    I spent a several hours at the Chapel over the course of two or three visits, and was intensely moved by the many artefacts, exhibits and audio-video displays that are permanently located inside the building.


    The first one when entering is "Healing Hearts and Minds", which consists of a policeman's uniform covered with police and fire fighter patches sent from all over the country, and from around the world. The most visible is the "Thread Project", which consists of several banners, each of a different colour, and woven from different locations from around the globe, hung from the upper level over the pews. There is much to see and reflect on at St Paul’s Chapel, and I highly recommend a visit there during your New York stay.


    As you might imagine there are many online resources and sites memorialising the attacks of September 11, 2001. Make your first stop the website of St Paul's Chapel itself, which has a wonderful audio/visual selection of many of the artefacts on view in the Chapel. Another excellent online location is the Make History – National September 11 Memorial and Museum site.


    Visit the St Paul’s Chapel website here…

    Thanks to Wikipedia for the background information…

    Saturday, August 29, 2009

    The Week That Was #10

    Click image to view full size


    Welcome to my weekly collection of the Odd, the Useful, and the often Bizarre.


    The Odd: Finland Talks Trash: Finland has developed a series of talking trash cans to help keep their cities cleaner and make visitors more aware of carelessly tossing trash. The trash cans also have the added benefit of teaching visitors a bit of the Finnish language. The talking trash bins greet passers-by and encourage them to throw their trash away. They are never at a loss for words. Tourists will be delighted to hear that the talking trash bins speak not only Finnish and Swedish, but also Japanese, English, German, Polish and Russian. Tourists can also learn the basics of the Finnish language, such as: “One of the sure signs of summer in Finland is that the trash bins start talking.” Read more here… or Watch a video of the talking trash bins on YouTube…


    The Useful: World Trade Center Transportation Center. Consumer Traveller reports that the first rib-like forms of Santiago Calatrava’s World Trade Center Transportation Center (see image) are rising from the giant pit at the base of Ground Zero in Manhattan. This stunning structure is expected to cost more than US$3 billion and will not be completed for another four years. The building will be the transportation hub for the train station below the World Trade Center. Construction will involve miles of walkways for pedestrians below ground as well as facilities for repair and supply of the trains, and hundreds of thousands of square feet of retail space. Read more here…


    The Bizarre: Naked Swiss Hikers Must Cover Up. No, I’m not suggesting it is bizarre that naked hikers cover up, I’m with the Swiss authorities on this one. It seems the tiny Swiss canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden has voted to prohibit the phenomenon of naked hiking. Anyone found wandering the Alps wearing nothing but a sturdy pair of hiking boots will now be fined. Apparently the locals have been outraged by an upsurge in hikers who think the best way to appreciate the mountains is with their clothes off. The vote, taken at Appenzell's annual Landsgemeinde (an open-air meeting of all registered voters held in the town square), showed there was a big majority in favour of prohibiting naked hiking, and introducing fines of Sfr 200 ($175). Read more here…


    Photo courtesy of the Spanish Institute

    Friday, August 14, 2009

    Friday Photo #6: America For Sale

    Click image to view full size


    I encountered this massive mural on the wall of a building on the corner of Garnet Street and Smith Street, in the Brooklyn suburb of Red Hook (close to the Smith St/9th St., station for the ‘F’ and ‘G’ trains).


    The artist is Scott LoBaido, who has made a name for himself by painting huge murals featuring the American flag on buildings in every U.S. state. I should point out that America For Sale is the title I gave the photograph, it is not (as far as I am aware) Scott’s title for his mural. In fact, after looking at his website, I think it is fair to say that Scott is a flag waving patriot – and unashamedly so. So I’m not sure what he would make of my title for his mural.


    However, while I was setting up to take photographs of the mural, a man who happened to be passing stopped to tell me how appropriate the juxtaposition between the ‘For Sale’ sign and the mural on the wall was. Of course, it was exactly this juxtaposition that had caught my attention in the first place.


    America is being sold off to the Chinese’, he loudly informed me, clearly not happy with the idea. All I could do with empathise and tell him that the same thing had been happening in Australia for years. I’m not sure he left any happier, but maybe he found some comfort knowing others were suffering the same fate!


    The New York Daily News site has a short article and 3:38 minute video of Scott talking about his 50 mural Flags Across Staten Island project…

    Photograph: America For Sale, by Jim Lesses

    Location: Brooklyn, New York, April 2008.

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