Contemplation

When I travel I often visit a museum.

View the Slideshow.

Why?

 

This past Thanksgiving my family and I journeyed to New York City. The week was dreary—cold with rain, sometimes turning into face-stinging sleet. In short, a perfect time to see The Cloisters. Part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the museum sits like a medieval castle on top of a hill overlooking the Hudson River. The immense grounds have the feel of a countryside, rather than being in the nation’s largest city.

The winter darkness created a contemplative mood. The collections of the museum feature Medieval European works, which focus on the religious, and include sculpture, stained glass, tapestries, painting, manuscript illumination, and metalwork.

 

Looking through the artifacts my daughter asked me about Lilith. Remember Adam’s first wife before Eve in the Garden of Eden?

Me neither.

From Wikipedia:

In Jewish folklore, from the 8th–10th century Alphabet of Ben Sira onwards, Lilith becomes Adam's first wife, who was created at the same time (Rosh Hashanah) and from the same earth as Adam. This contrasts with Eve, who was created from one of Adam's ribs. The legend was greatly developed during the Middle Ages, in the tradition of Aggadic midrashim, the Zohar, and Jewish mysticism. In the 13th century writings of Rabbi Isaac ben Jacob ha-Cohen, for example, Lilith left Adam after she refused to become subservient to him and then would not return to the Garden of Eden after she mated with archangel Samael.

 

I was reminded we are never too old to learn. In my own writing I am l learning I haven’t developed my evil characters well enough. The author Margaret Coel advises the antagonist should be as well developed as the protagonist. What better example than Lilith? She is a complex character, Adam’s equal, who leaves the Garden to be replaced by the younger Eve. Lilith is the original member of the First Wives Club, along with the embodiment of evil.

 

 

People of the Middle Ages spent much of their time, resources and energy on their spiritual lives and the hereafter. While modern society offers a much longer and more comfortable lifespan, I was reminded we can get so focused on daily living we forget the bigger picture.

Do we spend enough time in contemplation? Have we contributed enough to our community? What legacies do we want to leave behind?

View the Slideshow.

 

Brooklyn, NYC

 

 Park Slope

My Family and I spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Brooklyn. A couple decades ago I attended college at Pratt Institute. While I was a student I worked at Helene von Rosenstiel in the then unremarkable neighborhood of Park Slope. We heard rumors people were starting to talk about moving there, but most of us didn’t believe it.

My job was restoring antique costumes and textiles for private collectors, Sotheby’s auction house, and museums across the country. I once helped to prepare the sequins to be sewn on a pair of ruby slippers from the original Wizard of Oz movie. To restore old quilts, we often mounted them to stretchers, similar to a canvas used for painting. We built the frames ourselves, which required supplies.

One day the manager sent me down the street to the local hardware store. I gathered the nails and other supplies and went to the counter.

Asked the guy, “Do you want me to put this stuff on your tab?”

I looked around the otherwise empty store. He had to be talking to me.

 

“Wait a minute,” I said. “I’m standing here in a city of eight million people. You’ve never seen me before and you’re going to let me put this on a tab? How do you even know where I work?”

(If you ever want to feel like a true New Yorker, you must obey rule number one, which is to always get into an argument with the clerk behind the counter, no matter how trivial the debate.)

 

 

He replied, “I know you have to work at Helene’s. Nobody else ever comes in here looking like you guys. So, do you want this on the company account?”

I said yes and left without having to show ID or pay.

 

 

While in the past couple decades quite a bit has changed—soaring property values, upscale restaurants and fancy boutiques—other things remain classic New York. We rented a VRBO apartment for our vacation in Park Slope. To get the keys we stopped by the corner deli to ask the guy behind the counter for an envelope. Upon leaving, we returned them to the deli. I wouldn’t have a set of keys floating around strangers where I live, but it seems to work in Brooklyn.

View the slideshow of photo illustrations of Park Slope.

Santa Fe, Nov 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dia del Dulce (Day of Candy) in Old Town, ABQ

ALBUQUERQUE

Dia del Dulce, Day of Candy, in Old Town

View the photo journal of Fall Festival celebrating Halloween in Old Town.

Link to 2013 Schedule of Events

Halloween in Huning Castle, ABQ

ALBUQUERQUE

Halloween in Huning Castle, aka the Country Club Neighborhood

View the photo journal of the neighborhood decorating for Halloween.



The Huning Castle neighborhood attracts trick-or-treaters from around the city. Neighbors decorate their houses and hand out tons of candy.

ABQ: Winter Garden

ALBUQUERQUE

Sasebo Japanese Garden at the BioPark


City of ABQ:

Built in honor of Sasebo, one of Albuquerque's Sister Cities, the four-acre Sasebo Japanese Garden hosts a majestic waterfall, an elegant koi pond and a mixture of Japanese and local plants. Stone lanterns and pagoda sculptures dot the grounds and stone and wooden bridges straddle small streams.
Upon entering the garden, you'll walk past the large bell tower, through huge wooden gates, and along immaculately manicured paths. You'll be surrounded by traditional Japanese plants, along with native New Mexican trees pruned and sculpted in the Japanese aesthetic.

Noted landscape architect Toru Tanaka, founder of Portland Landscape Design and Japanese Garden Speciality, designed Albuquerque's garden which opened in September, 2007.
Just inside the gates and to the right, visitors will find the Japanese Garden's newest feature, a 'garden-within-a-garden' designed by five members of the Ogata Kai organization of Japanese landscape architects. The five architects, trained under the late Kenzo Ogata, created this beautiful garden in just four days (September 14-17, 2009).

Sasebo Garden is included with general admission to the Botanic Garden.
Docent-led Garden Tours are offered on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

ABQ: Solstice

ALBUQUERQUE

Winter Solstice


“I stood transfixed, the silence ringing in my ears. From the field of wild grasses; cocksfoot, tufted hair, wild oat, tall fescue, reed canary and perennial rye, their subtle shades of green, ochre and pink softly patching and blending in rustling movement, suddenly rose a small flock of starlings that had been feeding quietly unseen among the tall waving stems, the swish of their glossy wings startlingly loud in the stillness of midday. Heat held me captive.”
― Nell Grey

ABQ: Postcard 1950

ALBUQUERQUE

Postcard 1950


Central Ave., Route 66, in Downtown Albuquerque. The Kress sign still remains. The KIMO recently erected a new sign that is similar to the one in the postcard.

At the time of this postcard, Downtown was still the center for shopping in the city. In another decade that would change as many of the department stores left Downtown to locate in new shopping malls in the NE Heights, like Winrock Mall. They featured plenty of parking near the new housing subdivisions being built.

The abandonment of Downtown had started earlier, however, when autos allowed people to move to new neighborhoods, like areas around the university. One of the earliest auto strip malls was Nob Hill.



Winrock Mall:

In 1961, Winrock Shopping center was completed as a joint venture between soon-to-be Arkansas governor Winthrop Rockefeller and the University of New Mexico on a sandy lot at the edge of I-40. The development included a covered shopping center (the first for Albuquerque and New Mexico) with Safeway, J.C. Penney, Fedway and Montgomery Ward. A freestanding movie theater and attached motor hotel opened in 1963.

The mall was built as an outdoor shopping hub with a screened canopy roof above the main stretch of the mall and acres of parking on all sides. This design allowed for a pleasant shopping experience in the dry summer heat as well as the cold high-desert winters. The 82 acre mall site was bounded by the busy I-40 freeway to the south, with off-ramps to Louisiana Boulevard to the west.

ABQ: Holiday Windows

ALBUQUERQUE

Holiday Windows


Getting ready for Christmas. Decorations in the Peoples Flower Shop windows on Central Ave. (Route 66) in Downtown ABQ.

In the background on the right is the KIMO theater sign.

ABQ: Happy Thanksgiving

ALBUQUERQUE

Happy Thanksgiving


This photo was taken the evening before Thanksgiving from the fourth floor of the Sunshine Building in Downtown Albuquerque.

ABQ: Heritage Farm

ALBUQUERQUE

Rio Grande Heritage Farm at the BioPark

View the photo journal.



Just a few decades ago, almost everyone in America had a connection to a farm.

Revive that connection at the award-winning Rio Grande Heritage Farm, a re-creation of a 1930s era farmstead.

Located just northeast of the conservatories, you'll find a large kitchen garden, crops in the field, an orchard, vineyard and berry bushes surrounding an adobe farmhouse. Canning, quilting and other demonstrations take place in the farmhouse and a cider press in the wooden barn turns much of the fall apple harvest into vinegar and cider. The adobe animal barn houses a Percheron draft horse, Paint horse, Alpine goats, a Jersey cow, Churro sheep and Dominique chickens. During the winter months, early morning visitors might catch a glimpse of sandhill cranes feeding in the fields.

Programs for this year-round working farm include interpretive presentations, hands-on demonstrations and farm activities.

Entry to the Rio Grande Heritage Farm is included with regular Botanic Garden / Aquarium admission.

ABQ: Bird Blinds

ALBUQUERQUE

Bird Blinds

This photo shows one of two bird blinds under construction at the Wetlands Restoration Project at the Tingley Ponds, between Tingley Beach and the Rio Grande.


From Wikipedia:

A bird hide (or hide, also known as a blind or bird blind in North America) is a shelter, often camouflaged, that is used to observe wildlife, especially birds, at close quarters. Although hides were once built chiefly as hunting aids, they are now commonly found in parks and wetlands for the use of bird watchers, ornithologists and other observers who do not want to disturb wildlife as it is being observed.

A typical bird hide resembles a garden shed, with small openings, shutters, or windows built into at least one side to enable observation.
Variant types of bird hide include:

• the tower hide, which has multiple storeys and allows observations over large areas
• the bird blind, which is a screen similar to one wall of a typical hide, with or without a roof for shelter
• the machan, a covered platform erected to observe birds and wildlife in high trees or on cliffs, particularly in India where it was originally used by tiger-hunters.

SECRET ABQ: Veterans Memorial

ALBUQUERQUE

Veterans Memorial at Alvarado Square


On the grounds of Alvarado Square in Downtown is a memorial to people who have served in the military. While the monument is open to the public, it's not visible from the street. The memorial is accessed by walking into the courtyard behind PNM's large fountain at the sidewalk.

This is my favorite memorial in Albuquerque. It's public while still creating a sense of quiet and seclusion within the middle of the city. There is a globe with plaques below to commemorate each branch of the service. A few feet away is a tall wall, covered in ivy, with a bench. It provides a serene space to sit in silence to view the memorial. People seem to treat it reverently as I have never seen anyone sitting on the bench to eat lunch or talk on a cell phone.

The complex is for sale. I haven't seen any discussion of who actually owns the memorial and whether it will move when PNM leaves the building.


Alvarado Square:


Notes NM Business Weekly:

PNM, the building's current occupants, are vacating and the square is for sale.

The building is unique in Albuquerque as it spans Silver Avenue and might be the only building Downtown that has an airspace agreement with the city. PNM kept it in immaculate condition, but a new owner most likely will have to invest in new finishes and other cosmetic upgrades. The building has eight floors and all its mechanical systems are operational.

Emporis:

Technical Data

Height (architectural)

184.00 ft

Height (roof)

184.00 ft

Floors (above ground)

12

Construction end

1974

ABQ: Grocery ReOpening

ALBUQUERQUE

View drawings.

Food and Fun at your new Downtown ABQ Grocery Store

Lowe's Corner Market invites you to attend the grand re-opening and dedication of their beautifully rehabilitated store on the corner of 11th and Lomas Blvd. NW Albuquerque, NM. A special fund-raiser for the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd, providing direct services to downtown Albuquerque's homeless population.



Sunday November 18th · 2:00 - 4:00 PM

Please join us for hors d'oeuvres and samplings of both food and beverage offerings including a tour of the new store. Admission is free to all.

Dedication and Ribbon Cutting: 2:00 PM
Meet and Greet: 2:15 PM
Deluxe Sampling: 2:15 -  4:00 PM
Music by Chava and Paid My Dues Rhythms and Blues

Come see the newest Urbanist gem in greater Downtown Albuquerque

Event by: Urban at ABQ: Advocacy for Positive Urban Change

Please RSVPOnline  

This event will also be a fundraiser to benefit
Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd
Direct Services Agency for the Homeless

Suggested donation: $20.

Services Provided by Good Shepherd:

• Daily communal meal for men, women and children
• Temporary overnight accommodations for men
• Men’s clothing distributed on weekday mornings
• Seven month residential drug and alcohol abuse recovery program for men without income.
• Clients are referred to other area service agencies for a continuum of care. 18 Iron SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102

 

Please RSVPOnline

INFO:

Living and working in Downtown Albuquerque just got a whole lot better. A new and improved place to shop for groceries is a welcome addition!

For years people have wanted a more modern grocery store that reflected current needs of the neighborhood. For years it was little more than a complaint, something for someone else to tackle. Then some new neighbors moved in and made some phone calls. Come...

see what happens when a little neighborhood idea meets a responsive business partner.

Lowe’s, the Asher Family, Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd, Urban@ABQ and the Downtown Neighborhoods Association are pleased to announce the Grand Reopening of Lowe’s Corner Market.

The dedication and ribbon cutting celebration will take place on Sunday November 18, 2012 from 2:00 to 4:00pm. Lowe’s Corner Market is located at the corner of 11th and Lomas NW.

Everyone is welcome at this open house event to meet and greet the people involved, including representatives from city, county, state and federal government.

The Lowe family have been grocers since the 1940’s and strive to give their customers the freshest meats, fruits, and veggies, fantastic promotions, and a fast and friendly checkout, while creating an atmosphere of fun.

This rehabilitation project includes many energy efficient improvements to the building and parking lot. The layout of the aisles maximized the space so more food choices are being offered, including organic, glutten-free and ready to eat options. A full liquor department offers a nice variety of wines and micro brews.

 

ABQ Plaza: Tallest Building

ALBUQUERQUE

Albuquerque Plaza (aka the Bank of Albuquerque Building)

Tallest Building in New Mexico


Allegiance Realty Corporation

Brochure

PROPERTY NAME:	Albuquerque Plaza
LOCATION:	201 Third Street Albuquerque, NM 87102
TYPE:	Class AA
SIZE:	357,000 square feet
DATE OF ACQUISITION:	February 07, 2005

Description:

Albuquerque Plaza is one of the highest profile properties in Albuquerque's Central Business District. The building is a mixed-use project that includes a 22-story office tower, a retail arcade, underground parking facilities, meeting space and is attached to a 395-room luxury Hyatt Hotel.

Albuquerque Plaza has a state-of-the-art infrastructure and superior architectural design known for its pyramid peaked roof and colored granite exterior. Due to its proximity to Federal and State courthouses, Albuquerque Plaza has successfully attracted Albuquerque's most prestigious law firms and GSA tenants.


Emporis:

Technical Data

Height (architectural)

351.05 ft

Length

137.99 ft

Width

124.80 ft

Floors (above ground)

22

Construction end

1990

Elevators

8

Parking places

476

ABQ: 4th St Ped Mall

ALBUQUERQUE

Fourth Street Pedestrian Mall

Downtown's pedestrian mall was created by closing and bricking over part of 4th Street, which was the original alignment, north and south, of Route 66 running through Albuquerque. By the time the outdoor mall was created Route 66 has been changed to run east and west on what is now Central Ave.

The pedestrian mall hasn't been very successful and the city is considering tearing it apart and reopening the street to road traffic. While some pedestrian malls, such as Denver, have been successful in lining the space with retail shops, restaurants and outdoor vendors, ABQ has not. Only a couple tables are set up regularly for street retailing and the space mostly collects homeless people.

The Hyatt wasn't built yet when the pedestrian mall was created. While the hotel restaurant has some closed-off outdoor seating, pictured above, their building was designed as a fortress against the street and public gathering was expected to take place in the central atrium indoors. In fairness to the hotel, Downtown ABQ was rather rough when the project was built.

Most of the street scape is rather barren, except for the patio seating on the south end of the mall by Central Ave. The best features of the mall are the shade trees that run down the center, which along with the tall buildings, provide welcome shade in the summer.



Pedestrian Malls:

Notes The Atlantic--American urban history is dotted with failed (and occasionally infamous) pedestrian malls. But there are success stories too, which offer lessons in designing walkable, mixed-use districts.

The world's first planned pedestrian mall was built in 1953 in Rotterdam. Six years later, Kalamazoo, Michigan, became the first American city adopt the concept. Austrian-born architect Victor Gruen (most famous for his American shopping malls) envisioned a project that would resemble Vienna's Ringstrasse. Instead, a much scaled-down concept was built in 1959.

The Kalamazoo Mall did well at first, with a fourth block added in the 1970s. But by the 1990s, it had become a sore spot for many residents. The "mall" had less parking, less weather protection, and more vagrants that the traditional shopping center. When the city decided to reopen part of the street in 1998, citizens excitedly competed, via raffle, to drive the first car down the mall.

Others have been more successful. Some of the best pedestrian malls in America are located in college towns like Charlottesville, Ithaca, Iowa City, and Madison.

ABQ: Postcard Night

ALBUQUERQUE

Postcard of Downtown at night.

Route 66, which is now Central Ave.

Date: 1970.

The tallest building on the left, behind the ABC sign, is now the Banque Lofts. It is, of course, a former bank building.

The intersection at the Walgreens and Woolworth's is now the Fourth Street Pedestrian Mall.

ABQ: CC Halloween

ALBUQUERQUE

Halloween in Huning Castle, aka the Country Club Neighborhood

View the photo journal of the neighborhood decorating for Halloween.



About.com has a list of Halloween events around Albuquerque.


The Huning Castle neighborhood attracts trick-or-treaters from around the city. Neighbors decorate their houses and hand out tons of candy.

ABQ: Postcard Copper Ave Homes

ALBUQUERQUE

Postcard: Copper Avenue Homes 1940


This postcard is Copper Avenue in Downtown Albuquerque. The house in the foreground is now used by MRCOG, the Mid-Region Council of Governments.

I can't read the postcard clearly, but it may say that the homes were located in the Roundhouse District. I have never heard this reference to a Downtown Albuquerque neighborhood. Usually when people talk about the Roundhouse, they are referring to state government in Santa Fe.

The Wheels Museum has records about the Albuquerque Roundhouse that was used to service trains at the Rail Yards in Barelas.


AT&SF Albuquerque, NM Roundhouse

According to the Wheels Museum:

"The 32-stall Albuquerque roundhouse was built in 1914-15. It included four "long" stalls on the east side that could accommodate Mallets and other large engines. The turntable was an 85-foot through plate girder table that was extended to 120 feet.

MRCOG:

The Mid-Region Council of Governments is a multi-county governmental agency that is helping our region plan responsibly for the future, in light of anticipated growth in New Mexico's mid-region.  Representing the counties of Bernalillo, Valencia, Torrance, and Sandoval, we provide planning services in the areas of transportation, agriculture, workforce development, employment growth, land-use, water, and economic development. We also manage the popular commuter rail service: the New Mexico Rail Runner Express. Our regional water planning effort addresses a fundamental concern of local governments: how will we meet future water needs? Likewise, the Agriculture Collaborative focuses on another scarce resource: local farmland, which as a result of urban encroachment, is dwindling.

ABQ: 2nd Tallest Building

ALBUQUERQUE

Hyatt Regency

View the drawings.


The second tallest building in New Mexico, and the tallest hotel, is the Downtown Hyatt Regency.


Wikipedia:

The Albuquerque Plaza complex was designed by Hellmuth, Obata, & Kassabaum and built in 1990.

The hotel offers a Southwestern decor with a mountain or city view. Amenities include a heated rooftop pool, hot tubs, 24-hour attended gym. The 24,000 sq ft (2,200 m²) conference center contains four ballrooms, three boardrooms and 22 meeting rooms.


Emporis:

Technical Data

Height (tip)

256.00 ft

Height (architectural)

256.00 ft

Height (roof)

256.00 ft

Floors (above ground)

21

Construction end

1990