Notes From The City: An Abundant Life

One of my favorite things to have happened in recent years is the creation of pedestrian walkways and open air seating spaces in Times Square. I know for anyone in a car or a truck, the idea of closing down parts of Broadway and creating space for people to walk and talk and play and sit and rest and enjoy the area is probably not their favorite topic, but for me as a pedestrian and long time walking traveler in New York City and beyond, having an area closed off to vehicular traffic that is designated for simply enjoying the space is wonderful. Times Square is the center of the universe in some people's eyes, the center of the world in others, and at the very minimum the center of Manhattan. It's where art and culture and tourism, commerce and trade and restaurant businesses meet and mingle, and the sheer numbers of people traveling through the area on a daily and even hourly basis is staggering. Years ago I had the opportunity to work on an Off-Broadway show on 44th Street, and coming out after the show came down at 11:00pm or so was always an amazing thing to do. It doesn't matter what time of day or night it is, Times Square is always hopping. The addition of the open air spaces has brought more people to this crossroads than ever, and though the cabs and cars and trucks have had to find new routes, the flow of people and energy has increased in ways that have created a feeling of community even as the diversity of the people in the area has become greater. In addition to affecting the area around 42nd Street, the new spaces that have been created have encouraged seating and artwork and fun community events like free lemonade, free yoga, gourmet food trucks and Wellness Wednesdays all the way down to Greeley Square on 32nd Street. Planters overflowing with seasonal flowers and foliage and landscaping and artwork abound. In this once congested area people sit and talk and share a meal, and the greatness of the neon lights on Broadway is shown in its full majesty.

A few months ago when I was talking to a friend of a friend at a party, I discovered that I knew someone who had been a part of this wonderful project to create open air spaces in the middle of Times Square. Joe Sopiak, a landscape architect I have known for some years now, was the Senior Design Liaison for the New York City Department of Design and Construction, Infrastructure Division at the time of the project's launch, and was there to see it through to completion. In his words, his role was "to manage for the Division the hiring of the design consultants and manage the design process." He is such a humble person that I would not have found out about his involvement in the project except for our mutual enjoyment and deep love of this great city and wonderful municipal projects, and unless I had asked, I never would have known about his impressive and long history of working on beautiful and important projects in New York City and surrounding states as well as in France and Saudi Arabia for twenty years prior to his work with the New York City Department of General Services which became the New York City Department of Design and Construction, with Quennell Rothschild Associates where he was a Principal and Schnadelback Partnership where he was Head Designer.

I asked him if he would meet with me to walk through the spaces of the Times Square project and talk about the design elements, and he suggested something even better. We started off at Gallagher's Steakhouse, a New York City icon in its own right, and after having one of the best lunches of a lifetime, took a walk down Broadway and through the various places and spaces that make up Times Square. Architectural details that I had not known about were brought to light, helping me understand that great design doesn't shout at you, but gives you a feeling deep inside that brings comfort and enjoyment and delight. Things I'd always only half noticed, but had always had a recognition of interest in, like the paving stones that line the walkways, were explained, and I understood that the reason I'd liked them all along and why they had been reminding me of something was that within the granite at different intervals are reflecting circular pieces of steel that were designed to echo the neon lights and star studded marquees of the famous Broadway theaters. There are also designs and patterns within the paving stones that are reminders of historic paving and street designs, and everything was designed for comfort and usability, while also keeping in mind crowd safety, maneuverability, longevity and flexibilty. Because of all of the careful thought and creative work that was done, this area is now in my eyes better than ever before. My heartfelt thanks goes out to the Sponsors of the overall Times Square Project: The New York City Department of Transportation, Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, Chief of Staff Margaret Newman, and First Assistant Commissioner for Public Spaces, Andrew Wiley-Schwartz; those responsible for the management of the design and construction, New York City Department of Design and Construction, Commissioner David Burney, Deputy Commissioner Eric Macfarlane, and Joe Sopiak, Senior Design Liaison for the New York City Department of Design and Construction, Infrastructure Division; the project maintenance partners, The Times Square Alliance, President Tim Tompkins; the designers, Snohetta Architects, Principal Craig Dykers and the design staff of landscape architects and architects, Maura Rockcastle, Claire Fellman, Nick Koster, and Misako Murata; and the construction company, Tully Construction.

Joe Sopiak In Times Square

At Gallagher's Steakhouse

http://www.gallaghersnysteakhouse.com/

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