Tag Archives: city limits

Walking Through Time

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Throughout Downtown Brooklyn one experiences the wonder of exploring and getting to know the city to build what Colsen Whitehead calls in “City Limits”, one’s own “private New York”. Brooklyn is known for its diversity and growth throughout the years. As New Yorkers, we all get the feeling of nostalgia for the places that make up our New York.There are these two buildings that stood out to me as I walked down Metrotech towards Myrtle Ave. One being glass like with a contrasting material that seem to look like speed bumps bending out of the building. Whereas the other was a classical honey brown brick building. Despite their location next to each other on the block, these buildings differ in architectural structure. A juxtaposition is the act or instance of placing two things side by side to compare or contrast or to create an interesting effect (Merriam-Dictionary).

As you walk up Meteotech towards Myrtle Ave and Flatbush Extension, you start to see the trees and below them are are a garden. In front you’ll see the street split from a intersection into a one way that stands in between these two buildings. The first thing that may catch one’s eye may be the honey brown building with the words “Myrtle Gold” spelled out across it. Or maybe they’ll see the other building next to it being juxtaposed with its unique architecture with its glass and speed bump like material. Colsen Whitehead writes “City Limits” which talks about the appreciation is our “private New Yorks” and how everyone’s will not always be the same but we should appreciate the things we see. Whitehead’s work relates to my juxtaposition because not many will see what I see. I’m going to discuss the two buildings’ architecture being juxtaposed next to each other.

The brown building is nice and classical. It’s one of those buildings you rarely see because everyone likes to see those tall glass buildings. You see the people walking in and out of the building and the busy New Yorkers crossing the street from Myrtle Ave intersection headed towards the Metrotech traffic. The sounds of cars passing and drivers honking, all in a rush. The smell of flowers from the garden arouse the noses of its visitors. The sound of people sniffling and sneezing as they pass & the kids running and playing. Those that are near can see the Chase bank diagonal to the brown building, as if they were to be twins. Straight across from the brown building are some lots where cars go in and out sometimes. Other times truck are parked in front for deliveries. The Myrtle Gold building represents the old New York. The building represents the old New York because the outside has a classical look that one can’t help but be fascinated by. It’s brick structure and color coordination draws attention to its visitors. In the near future, buildings like this may not exist so you must admire it while you can. They building may have a more glassy look than the brick structure that I see today. For example, the building to the right that fits that description and is being juxtaposed to this one.

This building is a beauty and it’s unique architecture that catches eyes more easily. Once one sees it, they tend to question or wonder what the purposes of the building is. There are few assumptions but it is a grocery store and apartment buildings. The glass building represents the new New York. This is because it is more modern and caters to the desire for more futuristic looking buildings and areas. The building has a similar look to the City Tech building being built across the street from the Namm but it’s a little more advanced. It’s has this unfamiliar structure that may be seen from one quarter of the building. It looks like the speed bumps used on sidewalks. The building is grayish white with the glass following all the way to the top. More and more buildings are starting to look like this one so it wasn’t that interesting to me, although it’s colors drew me in.

These buildings are similar because they both stand for our beautiful New York or Downtown Brooklyn. They are both the tallest building on that block with they’re juxtaposed architecture. With both of their unique purposes being a commonality between the two. These buildings draw attention mainly during the day but their night view is even better to see their differences. The glass like building looks like a weird L shape at night. Whereas the brown building just looks tall and nicer in the areas where it’s lit the most. When looking at the two buildings I see the juxtaposition of our greater New York. There’s a great influence these building have for their community because of their unique patterns and designs which allows them to be an amazing attraction site or area.

In conclusion, everyone’s New York is different in their own way. These two juxtaposed building pay homage to the old and the new, New York. The opposing buildings show the change in structural design over the years. Whereas the glass building representing modern day architecture. Although in a whole we are colliding and coming together in our different views of one thing. According to Charles McGrath, “Actually instead of looking at individual buildings, it makes more metaphorical sense to think of New York as one enormous chunk of masonry that has been cut up and carved away. It says ‘This is the ultimate polis, through which humans move like nematodes’ ”. McGrath implied in this quote that we are a very diverse group and often referred to as a melting pot.

 

Work Cited

  1. Whitehead, Colson. “City Limits.” The Colossus of New York: A City in Thirteen Parts. New York: Random House, 2004. 1-12.
  2. McGrath, Charles. “A Literary Visitor Strolls in From the Airport.” The New York Times, December 6, 2006.

why there?

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I chose this place because it looks like a place that had many hidden details just sitting there, as if it was waiting to be discovered. When looking in this area you feel as though there was a lot going on back then. From the strip across the street that has all the signs torn off and what used to be the dime savings bank building across the street that was there around the same time as the other stores you can feel that the area holds a sense nostalgia. I want to know more about the area in a whole, because I started searching to see what it looked like before right now but I couldn’t seem to find anything. In Colson Whitehead, “City Limits” it stated ” Or fifteen, twenty-five, a hundred neighborhoods. Thousands of people pass that storefront every day, each one haunting the streets of his or her own New York, not one seeing the same thing”. My area can be related to this package, because you can see the hidden history and as the dime savings bank is under construction to become something different, it won’t be the same place to everyone. It also stated ” Our old buildings still stand because we say them, moved in and out of their long shadows”. While the area i see is a place that is broken down that holds history, people who lived there are seeing the place they lived through.

The Confirmation Before Our Eyes.

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In the passage “City Limits ” Colson Whitehead described what being a New Yorker is, and what living in New York is as well. He stated that the past is more important than the present. He went further to say New York is not New York if you did not see it, then don’t believe it. Whitehead, then explains that everyone views New York and react to its different situations in a different way because we are all different. He specified, as he began to shape the passage, by the way New York began and how a person may have encountered it. Then in our heads we begin to build a point of view of New York. He describes the old New York to the new, New York. He says new, New York because old buildings are being broken or torn down and established with modernized buildings. Whitehead believe, we do not notice the changes because we as people; must accept and change with New York because we do don’t have a choice therefore, we confirm.

Colson Whitehead “City Limits” Summary

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“City Limits” is a post from The Colossus of New York written by Colson Whitehead, the entire article is about their experience living in New York City. The entire article has a very conversational tone, like the author is talking to a friend rather than millions of people on the internet. Whitehead goes into detail about his initial thoughts of New York City, he remembers looking out the subway window as the train left the tunnel and thought that everything is filthy and he still calls a building he saw the Pan Am building simply because that is what he grew up with. New York City is a city that never stays the same after a day, there is always some old building being torn down for a new coffee shop or some random new open space that appears out of nowhere. This article is talking about the differences between tourists in New York and natives of New York. Tourists always come to New York City for the many different fun things to do and fantastic places to see, however, to a native of new york some new shopping center used to be an old park or the old and dirty sidewalk you used to walk down is now new and sparkly. In New York City there are a lot of nameless cities in new york city, filled with people who have different versions of what their new york city is like. However, it doesnt change the fact that one way or another new york city people are all neighbors. I think that is the point that Colson Whitehead is trying to make at the end of his article, despite the many, many differences there are in the city everyone is still close to each other one way or another.