Wednesday, December 10, 2014

One57 Tower, 157 West 57th St., Manhattan, New York, New York


This view north is from the 68th floor of a building whose design and luxury defies belief, the One57 Tower, designed by Atelier Christian de Portzamparc of Paris. I was referred to a sales exec with Extell, who agreed to show me the unsold apartment (80% are sold, primarily as pied a terres).  As requested I am refraining from showing the interior furnishings.  The jaw dropping reality of these floor-through simplexes with 360 deg wrap-around views is beyond what the imagination can conjure.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Jado Sushi, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, Manhattan, New York, New York

Calamari, dish cool design

2118 Frederick Douglass Blvd. / 115 St.

Sushi Medley


Sunday, November 2, 2014

Beach, Hilton Qingdao Golden Beach, Huangdao, China

view of Hilton towers from Golden Beach






birch trees with bamboo reinforcing

Zhan Qiao Pier, Qingdao, China



Zhan Qiao means "loading pier" and was built in 1930.  The octagonal pavilion is called the Billowing Back & Forth Tower.  It is the symbol of the Tsingtao Brewery.


St. Michael's Cathedral visible from Pier


Wisteria on "steroids", trunk 1 ft diameter !


Battalion House, Qingdao, China

1899 residence of German battalion commanders


Former Kiautschou Empire Court, Qingdao, China

1914, arch. Hans Fittkau



Former Kiautschou Government Office, Qingdao, China

1914, arch. Hans Fittkau
The Kiautschou (German spelling) Bay Concession existed from 1898-1914.  In Nov 1897, the German Navy seized Jiaozhou Bay under the pretext of ensuring that reparations were paid for the murder of two German Catholic missionaries. The Germans set up wide streets, solid housing and a sewer system and a safe drinking water supply, a rarity in Asia.

After a minor British naval attack on the German colony in 1914, Japan occupied the city and the surrounding province during the Siege of Tsingtao after Japan's declaration of war on Germany in accordancewith the Anglo-Japanese Alliance.  The failure of the Allied powers to restore Chinese rule to Shandong after the war triggered the May 4th Movement.  The city reverted to Chinese rule in December 1922 under control of the Republic of China.  Japan re-occupied Qingdao in 1938 with its plans of territorial expansion onto China's coast.


built in final year of German control


adjacent ally






adjascent residences