The Prosthetist Pt. 2

Cold-season-Lady-Business

 

As promised, the rest of Harold’s interview! Recap:

Barreto_13

 

Harold:
So, he… [is] a double leg amputee. I think its above the knee… As a teenager, he was building his own prosthetics and that’s how he fell in love with it. And, so in the TED talk, you see how he built feet for a woman who [is] a dancer— Who [is] a below the knee amputee. And she was dancing across the stage and I cried a little bit… It was wonderful. 
And there are women in his team! There are! 
Pebbles:  
So, aside from career-wise, who is the person you look up to the most? 
Harold:
 My mama! Um, one thing I admire is dedication and just sheer resilience and my mom has all of that… She overcame poverty in Dominican Republic. She risked her life to come over here. And now, we’re slowly overcoming poverty here! 
She works really hard to make sure everyone in the family is happy, not just her… She’s a giver… Yeah. Besides her? Elon Musk. If I could make up my own father, Elon Musk would be my father.(Chuckles)
Pebbles: 
What is the biggest thing you’ve learned from her?
Harold: 
From her? Like I said earlier, it’s dedication…. She was on a boat, with more people than should be on a boat. She’s afraid of the ocean. She can’t swim. All of these things! And she still did it.. Because she was determined to make a better life for herself and for her family. She came and had no support, she made friends, she made family. And to create a life like that, all by yourself? I think that would inspire anybody. I’m just lucky enough to have that as a mom, you know? 
Pebbles:
So, for you, does feminism have a specific definition? 
Harold: 
Hmm… I think— What is it generally? It is the notion that women and men are on an equal playing field in all aspects of life. That, I agree with. Except biological things, of course… It’s kind of a varying definition for me because I’ve spoken to women who want equal pay but won’t open a door for me. Its like… You can’t…(Chuckles) Sexism is sexism… Men [also] feel so entitled to certain things just for the sole reason that we’re men. And that’s it. I don’t think anyone should feel entitled to anything… Aside from basic human rights. But, honestly, I’m just rambling. I don’t know if I’m answering the question or… I don’t think I have an answer, which is why I’m rambling. (Laughs)
Pebbles:
That’s alright! It seems obvious to me, but do you identify as a feminist? 
Harold:
  I like to, yeah. I feel like I still need to educate myself more. There’s definitely things that I see more and more often and I get pissed off about. Even in movies, or hearing guys talk about women. You ever hear a guy say, like, “Oh, I would sleep with her!” And I just start thinking, like, “ Bro,  would SHE sleep with you?” (Chuckles) You’re not asking that question. That question is equally, if not, more important… You’re judging… Like it’s only your decision. But it’s not true… [There are] so many things men need to unlearn. It’s easy to say, but hard to do. 
Pebbles:
Would you feel the same way, if women simply objectified you and nothing more? 
Harold:
… My aunt was howling out my window at construction workers who were working right beside my window. Saying, “ Hey, cutie!” And they looked up in disgust… like, “Oh my God, who is yelling these things?!” And its crazy, when a woman will compliment a guy like that, out of nowhere, she must be crazy or something. Something must be wrong with her… It’s like we want women to not want us but only want us… But, yeah, it would bother me if I was seen, for example,  like a piece of meat. 
Pebbles:
Final random question—
Harold:
My favorite color is purple! 
Pebbles:
(Laughing) No! Okay, Justin Bieber, if you were trapped in your favorite place in the world forever, who would you take with you? 
Harold:
Holy crap! That is intense! Because on one level, I know my mom’s gonna take care of me. On another level, I don’t think she give me the level of physical and emotional support I’m gonna need. (Laughs) And if I’m trapped forever… Alright. I’m gonna bring a woman that I can start a family with. We could start over! Yeah! 
Next week: My brothers, Raphael and Erikson! 

I really enjoy getting to know more about my friends and delving into the psyche of the men around me. Hopefully by next week all of my illustrations ill be back on track!

 

The World of Cupcakes

Cupcakes stacked on a tier stand

Image by: Bren Alanis

Cupcakes. There is not much to say about cupcakes when defining them as their name gives away the true necessary reasoning of its existence. It is essentially a miniature version of a cake for an individualized portion that can be served without the hassle of slicing a cake. This ensures the same portion for each person as the sizing of the cupcakes is always the same instead of the varying comparison of cake slices. Hence the coined name of the cupcake…a cake that is shaped like a cup. While cupcakes are the kryptonite to pastry chefs like Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes (you know, the star of Ace of Cakes and many other Food Network television programs), they are innovative creations.There are still varying sizes of cupcakes between the standard size, jumbo size, and miniature size…they all serve the same purpose. Somehow, the world has become so widely in love with all things in miniature versions which is why cupcakes became so trendy as they were viewed as miniature versions of cakes. It is amazing to see the many creations that can be made from such a small dessert of cupcakes.

Food hybrids are still taking both the culinary and confectionary worlds by storm as it allows for two individual foods to be paired together in order to create an entirely new food item. This is what occurred with the cronut which was the pairing of the croissant and the doughnut as well as the pizza cone which is the conjoined duo of the fixings in a pizza slice wrapped in a cone to have the appearance of an ice cream cone. Cupcakes have somehow become a part of this trend especially since it challenges chefs to not only create a food hybrid with a cupcake but to produce a hybrid on a smaller scale to fit the size of a cupcake as well.

There are amazing cupcake hybrids that the dessert world has to offer…one being the flan cupcake. Flan is a spongy caramelized custard that has a syrupy caramel. This is then made into a miniature version and topped onto a cupcake in lieu of frosting.

a small flan on top of a cupcake

Image by: Alma

Another being the crème brulee cupcake which consists of the cupcake center being hulled out to then be filled with a custard filling. Instead of being frosted with traditional frosting, it is topped with the custard before having sugar sprinkled over it then it is blowtorched to get the beautiful caramelized bruleed finish.

a cupcake with a caramelized topping

Image by: beantownbaker

Lastly, there is the croquembouche cupcake which is based off of the famous French dessert which consists of cream puffs that are precisely layered in order to compile into a cone shaped that is then bound together with threads of caramel. This is a dessert that is readily made for special events such as for weddings. This is a complex dessert to replicate onto a cupcake because it must be made on such a miniature scale in which there are miniature cream puffs that are stacked into a very small cone that can fit into the parameters of the cupcake itself before being decorated accordingly with the hot caramel.

a small tower of mini cream puffs on a cupcake

Image by: cupcakegalore

Comment below on dessert hybrids that you would like to be created on a cupcake.

A Ride to Remember

Since September 11th attacks, there has been so many iterations of memorabilia to grasp the honor and respect for the people lost on that tragic day. The scales of grandeur range drastically; we can see or the objects of honor everyday to the point that we forget why they exist. From simple keychains, to water bottles engraved with the devastating date, or that mural you pass by everyday on your way to work, Calatrava’s Oculus, or that large shiny beautiful mass that we all look toward not replacing the towers but emitting the strength and determination of New York City, Freedom Tower. Small enough to fit in one’s pocket or large enough to be the tallest building in the infamous New York City skyline, all objects of honor convey the same thing; remembrance, desire to rebuild, a method to carry such a heavy burden together, and many other beautiful concepts. This post is dedicated to those objects by mentioning a striking piece of art that was made in memorium of 9/11 and the acts of rebuilding thereafter.

a front view of the 9/11 memorial motorcycle

Paul Teutul Jr. (yes, that guy from American Chopper) stylized a motorcycle for the cause and it was named the “9/11 Memorial Motorcycle”. According to 9/11 Memorial organization It made its debut on September 5, 2011 right on the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site. This was a few days before the National September 11 Memorial & Museum officially opened; the motorcycle was built for this congratulatory event. It was commissioned by Daniel Tishman, who is a board member of the 9/11 memorial and chose to reveal it publicly on Vesey Street with, at the time, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels. Another vehicular masterpiece inspired by the 9/11 Memorial Motorcycle was then donated for raffle to raise as much money as possible for the organization.

I read on Manufacturing.net that Teutul felt this project was the most important to ever be completed by the company. He worked vigilantly with Tishman Construction who were responsible for the building of Freedom Tower and the Oculus. Daniel Tishman is the CEO of the construction team and was how so much attention to detail was implemented to the finished product. Teutul expressed his utter honor and dedication to the project, he explained “We built the bike to be a sculpture and pay tribute to 9/11. It speaks of the resiliency of America and the new beginning that the new towers represent.”

a back view of the 9/11 memorial motorcycle

The motorcycle was housed in the 9/11 Memorial and Museum for an entire year before it was moved for preservation against Hurricane Sandy; it was temporarily held in Teutul’s warehouse. Nearly a month after the storm, the bike was replaced to its innate home. The motorcycle, once again, was a small sign to rebuilding the city after a devastating occurrence; giving us hope that we can reconstruct ourselves as we once did before.

a side view of the 9/11 memorial motorcycle

Sparkle Galore

Good Afternoon City Tech, it’s your friendly nature loving blogger here and I just want to welcome everyone back from the thanksgiving break. I hope everyone had an amazing week, but now it’s back to business! On the topic of the break, I started  vacation early; its outcome was a wonderful experience. Last week before the break began, I was invited to the Sterling Hall. This beautiful assembly hall is located in Hicksville, Long Island.

I was invited here for a family wedding, it was beautiful to experience new customs as this was a Hindu wedding. Did you know that a Hindu Wedding lasts three days? Their culture is so beautiful and graceful. It meant the world to me to have the ability to see a whole new perspective of life. I loved going to their temple and seeing the interior designs, and their customs. The clothing was beautiful, as was the bride and groom.

This Hall had very considerate and professional staff; whom of which were pleasant to talk to. The interior of this building was exquisite and simply breathtaking, it’s not something I normally talk about within my posts but I couldn’t help myself on talking about what I had experienced within the week! Do you have an important event and can’t yet decide a place? Then I highly recommend this place! You won’t regret it and, oh, the food was just perfect. It’s even better during cocktail hour as they called it. The  food and drinks and were just very fulfilling. To my viewers/ readers If you wish to know more about the experience within the hall, lemme know! I’d love to tell you all about it! Cheers to one and all!

 

Trying Something New: Brooklyn Escape Room

One day as I was walking home from school, I found myself on Pacific Street and a building caught my eye. The bright LED lights that were coming from the scaffold in front of the building were bold and brazing. This tiny building completely enraptured my mind to the point that I made a complete stop to glance inside. When I peered inside I noticed that there was a young lady sitting at a table, concentrating intensely on the work in front of her. I also noticed that the décor within this tiny building was simple yet sophisticated. I said to myself I must research this establishment, and find out what occurs in this building. That same night I looked up The Brooklyn Escape Room on google and to my surprise, I found out that this tiny building actually held an escape the room adventure! I decided that night that I would return, and take a chance at seeing how great my analytical skills, actually were. A few months ago I decided to take that chance and see how fast I could escape the room.

My cousin and I caught the train to Atlantic Avenue and walked two or three blocks to Pacific Street between 4th and 5th avenue. Although it was sweltering hot outside, the walk was short because I was so excited about this new life changing experience! As we entered the establishment we were greeted warmly by our host Samuel Walker, and after paying, we signed waivers for our own protection. After everything was squared away, we were led down a corridor with lockers. We were told to put all of our belongings into the locker, including our cellphones!! After we locked up our stuff, we were briefed on all the rules of the game. We were then blindfolded, separated and led into a dark room. Then, we were locked in separate cells, and our host left the room. I was so uneasy, and uncomfortable that I was locked up, that I began to panic a bit. Eventually after talking to my cousin through the cell, I calmed down and we began to work together to escape the room. We were given exactly an hour to find all the necessary clues to escape each room. Did I mention that we had to escape several rooms??!!

After we escaped our cells, we entered another room that was intricately designed. The décor was thoroughly thought out to the point that I felt like I was really in a dungeon. There were torture devices, wooden floors that squeaked, candle lit walls, knives, gates that were dripping blood and various trap doors, which will keep you on your toes. We were allowed a limited amount of clues.They were cryptic, yet extremely helpful. Each room that we entered tested us physically, as well as mentally. There were also hidden surprises at every turn that made us pay attention to every single detail. Each room had hidden clues, and each room was connected which made escaping the room difficult.
The most difficult room that we encountered was at the end of a dimly lit corridor. There was a contraption made of levers that required a specific sequence of numbers, in order to open the door into the final room. It took my cousin and I, at least 20 minutes just to get through this one specific door. With help from our host we were able to get through this door, and enter into the final room. Our host told us that we had six minutes on the clock, and we went into commando mode. We started running around the room trying to find the hidden clues to open the final door. When we finally found the key, the treasure we found inside left us puzzled. What were we supposed to do with the map that was provided to us ? We eventually figured out how to make the best of what we were given. There were clues in the room that led us to a trap door. After completing the task within the trap door, a key fell to the floor, as our host yelled out we had one minute remaining. I grabbed the key, tossed it to my cousin and he raced to the door. After pushing the key into the keyhole, MY COUSIN OPENED THE DOOR AND WE ESCAPED THE ROOM!!!!! We were so excited to finally have escaped the room, that we greeted our host with open arms.

I must say that this was an amazing experience, and I am so glad that I took the chance to try out something new. This escape the room was so trivial, yet so fun that I found myself wishing that I could do it again. In the beginning I was so scared, that I let my fear hinder me from figuring out the puzzle as soon as the clock started. The dark hallways, scary sounds, and difficult puzzles gave me a real run for my money. However, when we finally escaped the room, I felt accomplished, as well as ecstatic. The Brooklyn Escape Room is definitely more than it appears to be on the outside looking in. I would recommend this escape the room to anyone who is looking to have a fun time, while working all parts of their brain. I give this escape the room 5 out of 5 stars. The experience was amazing, and so was the service we received from our host. I would definitely return to this escape the room again!! Have you ever been? What did you enjoy about it?

‘Tis The Season

So let me guess, you’ll be having salad and water all week right? lol. Yea sure, me too.
I don’t know about you but I think during thanksgiving weekend I ate enough for me and you and your family too. I feel sick right now thinking about all the things I ate, or I should I say, overate. I actually got sick! Just shameful.

So anyway it’s like a holiday countdown at this point. One down, one more to go.
Me and my family have been bombarding our group chat with screen shots of things we want, providing “gift budgets” lol, and checking off what we’re getting for who.
My 6 year old niece started off saying she only wanted one thing, a Barbie dream house, and I thought “oh what a simple girl!”. As of sunday, her list is now at 6 or 7 items. What changed? I don’t know lol.

As the holidays approach whether you celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa or Hanukkah, It’s always my favorite time of the year. It’s a festive time of tradition, happiness, and gift giving between family and friends. Everywhere you go you hear cheery music and see bright beautiful lighting, it gets annoying lol but I appreciate it.

                              * cues Mariah Carey’s  “All I want for Christmas is you” *

Granted it isn’t this “great exciting time” for everyone. For some this may be a time of recurring sadness due to events like the loss of a family member, current living circumstances, current financial status, or other burdens. That’s why it’s our job to use our privilege to spread love and cheer, as corny as that sounds. Take this time to maybe donate gifts or a blanket to your local shelter or agency. Those old clothes and coats you don’t wear, donate it. As the weather gets colder, consider helping someone who can’t afford winter clothing so that they can stay warm. There is more than enough local charities and volunteer groups hosting coat and blanket drives for homeless shelters and families in need. I’m sure there’s even one on campus. No gift is too small.

Bring donuts to work for your co-workers one morning. Hand out christmas cards with personalized messages this year. There’s so many simple ways we can make this time better for someone; and remember not everyone’s sadness is visible.

You can make a difference without spending a penny. You can donate TIME. There are always ways to help in your local community. Even if it’s just for a couple hours, the time that you give will make a difference to at least one person and that’s really what the holiday season is about. Heck, babysit your neighbor or your friend’s child for an evening if they look like they need a break.

One of the most important things to do in order to spread joy to others is to appreciate the joy in your own life. We have so much to be grateful for, but sometimes we get caught up in our busy schedules and forget about all the blessings in our lives. Even the things that stress us out the most are usually our biggest blessings: our jobs, family, school obligations.

I am grateful for my annoying family members that no matter how many times I tell them their gift cannot cost more than $50, they continue to send me pictures of things that cost $120 lol. I am grateful to be stressed out with term papers and studying for finals. It took me a long time to get back into school and I’m grateful and definitely not taking it for granted. I am grateful for this platform and even if only one person reads my post each week, I know they are taking something positive away from it. When you are grateful it seeps from your pores and everyone around you feels it because it reflects in your attitude and how you treat others. This holiday season, reflect on the joy in your life and intentionally take time to feel gratitude for those things and pass the feeling on to someone else.

Love Ya, Neffi
picture of quote


 


Racism or Racism?

By Robine Jean-Pierre

The other night, during my week away for Thanksgiving, I sat down with my two sisters and cousin to watch a brief BBC documentary on Netflix called “KKK: The Fight for White Supremacy.” When my cousin first recommended it, I had felt a bit hesitant and reluctant, not wanting to go to bed with angry, uneasy thoughts swimming around in my head. Seeing as it was only fifty something minutes long, and the only complaint anyone else had was “it probably won’t teach us anything we don’t already know,” I gave it my mostly undivided attention.

The interviewer, Dan Murdoch, spoke to active members of the Ku Klux Klan, namely the Loyal White Knights chapter. (To be honest, every time I write “KKK” I feel like I’m writing a curse word or “666” or something. I almost expect the Internet to report me or highlight it.) There is a lot I could say about the interesting remarks they made. What stood out to me the most were the blatant contradictions the interviewees made. All of their comments revolved around a central theme of preserving their heritage and expressing pride in their white identity. This sounds so innocent, at first; after all, other races are allowed to do this without being questioned. No one has a problem with Latino Pride or Black Pride. However, this changes once you hear their outrageous claims about Black people being savage and uneducated, bringing drugs to the community and increasing the crime rate. The interviewer asked different members whether they considered themselves to be racist, and nearly everyone said no, even after making explicitly racist comments. It makes me wonder what they believe racism is.

The textbook definition for racism is:

“A belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human racial groups determine cultural or individual achievement,usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to dominate others or that a particular racial group is inferior to the others.” (Dictionary.com)

With increased travel, globalization, and education, racism is something we are becoming more socially aware of, and it is becoming more publicly condemned. Most people, even those who are unwittingly racist, identify racism as something negative, something undesirable. “Racists are bad people, and I am not a bad person,” they think to themselves. Very rarely do people want to admit that they are racist, even when it is clear that they are. That is why you can have some members of the KKK say that they are not racist, when we know that the KKK is entirely race-fueled. Part of the problem is a heavy, surreal ignorance clouding many of the secluded towns where the KKK thrives. In these communities, White people could go most of their lives without ever seeing a Black person, let alone talk to one. It’s extremely easy to make an enemy of the unknown. 

People in general have this self-preservation instinct that is not just physical, but psychological as well. We will do just about anything to defend our opinion, behavior, emotions, etc. One defense mechanism we use all the time is wordplay. We begin to scrutinize words, change the definitions to suit our standing, create all these technicalities and nuances in order to weasel our way out of responsibility. Many of the members of the KKK justified themselves by doing just that. One person said of a ritual they practice, “We don’t burn crosses, we light them, to represent that Jesus is the light of the world.” (I could go on a whole sidebar as to why this statement is so problematic. To keep it simple, Jesus Christ is supposed to be a pure, righteous figure, so of course, putting his name into anything would supposedly validate their actions.) Making that distinction between “burning” and “lighting” is also a way of making what they do sound less threatening.

The climax of the documentary was a KKK parade, where a Black-power group was also determined to make their presence and cause known. The KKK members were alright with using racial slurs against Blacks since even before the parade, earlier in the interview. Their excuse was a common case of “fight fire with fire”: “If they can call us ‘cracker,’ then we can call them ‘n***er.’” One of the Loyal White Knight leaders explained how he had been called many harsh names in a mostly Black school growing up.

By no means do I have the cure for racism, but what I can say is that we need to take some responsibility on a local level. Stop blaming the other side, whoever that “other” may be; stop focusing on the past; stop playing word games and beating around the bush. To coin Shakespeare, racism by any other name would smell just as rotten. We need to be honest with each other, facing head-on those residual, stale beliefs passed down by experience and our ancestors, if we could ever even hope to change our world.

“Let them be just that, our ancestors beliefs, not ours. Let them be something we read about in textbooks and not what we see in the news.”
                                                                              –Samantha P., blogger for The Buzz

Virtues from Motherhood: Everyone makes mistakes

Have you ever said or done something and then a second later wished you could take it back? I have, and I’m sure everyone can share my dislike of “putting your foot in your mouth” and the embarrassment that follows. The reality is everyone is going to make mistakes, have a lapse in judgment or just do something innocently foolish without meaning any harm. It’s human nature to mess up, to break things or to say something you didn’t really mean in the heat of the moment. It’s how you handle these moments though, that really define them. Do you make the mess worse? Or do you clean it up with dignity and own up to your shortfall and move on?

When you slip up or make a mistake the first thing you need to do is own up to it, don’t pass the blame, don’t make excuses, just own up and admit you’re wrongs. People see responsibility, humility and responsibility as signs of maturity. Additionally, why complicate an already uncomfortable situation by skirting the truth or omitting things? Even when you don’t understand how you messed up or why you’re in the wrong, ask for help rather than get defensive or hostile. Learning from your mistakes will help you avoid them in the future and it shows the other person, or people, you’re willing to learn and grow.

Why do we do these silly things? Well, psychology would give you some deep-rooted meaning into our mind and patterns of behavior, but in the short I believe that we’re all just trying to be the best versions of ourselves. In that quest though, we sometimes ignore better judgement to keep the thing we’re focused on at the moment afloat. For example, say you’re really behind on your homework and your friend keeps asking you to help her find an outfit for a date. In the heat of the moment while you’re stressed out with this work, you snap at her and tell her the date probably won’t go well anyway. Now your friend is upset with you, your work isn’t getting done because you’re trying to apologize to her, and you’re just in an overall bad mood. You didn’t really mean it– you were just under a lot of pressure. So, what are you to do? Well, apologize, admit you were wrong, and then explain to her what you’re dealing with at school.

These silly little mishaps can be avoided most of the time, with honesty. Instead of one wording your friend or getting frustrated, she’d probably have understood if you’d just said “hey, look I’m really swamped with work, anything you wear looks great” and got back to work. Similarly, instead of just calling in sick at work, be honest with your boss when you have an outside commitment or need to come in later, rather than just blowing off an entire day. At the end of the day we’re all human and when we’re sympathetic with ourselves we can better empathize when it comes to other people.

The Prosthetist

Before you read:
I accidentally erased my hard drive and need to find a way to get the files back. Because of this, I’ve lost the original Lady Business logo, but now, I have the opportunity to make seasonal versions! I hope you all enjoy!

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In this week’s installment, I interviewed Harold Barreto over some Tex-Mex. He has lots of ideas and a lot to say, so this will be part one of the interview!

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Please excuse how deconstructed the post looks today, but I hope you like it! Back up your back up drive, kids! 

 

All art by Pebbles

The Things We Love to Hate

North of Houston Street lies one of my hideout spots, my “rain or shine” type of place to scurry off to and disappear from civilization for a few hours. The photos alone, surfaces so many memories. Back in my freshman year of college, fellow blogger, Brianna, and I were pining for months to see a small independent film by the name of “Room”. Before it became so famous and won various amounts of awards, it was just a small film that was anticipated by a small group of folks. We ran there after class on a brisk Friday night with no expectations of the theatre itself. We only had one focal point in mind that day; MAKE THE SHOWTIME! Upon arrival we were greeted with the smells of a great cafe as the warm lights shined upon our glistening foreheads. The area was moderately crowded and there was a particularly buzzy nature to the environment. Voices clashed over each other as people congregated in the cafe sipping caffeinated drinks and discussing the previously watched film. It all amazed me; in the total ten seconds I had to soak in the new territory, it reminded me of a social club for film enthusiasts, a communal spot for real film lovers to geek out and feel unapologetic about it. Our tickets got clipped and we headed downstairs to the auditoriums. Stumbling into the theatre, we quietly found seats and enjoyed the film.

The marquee of the Angelika Film Center

I found on Angelika’s website that the entire chain began in 1989; the NoHo (North of Houston) location being the theatre’s birthplace before its roots spread, overtaking the country like a viral infection. It supplied a major demand for independent movie houses in the US. I always thought of these theatres as the rebels of American commerce; they didn’t conform to big sales and branding, instead they played what they thought would be a regional hit. They didn’t care about what society would think, they only desired to please the audience and what would possibly enrich their lives and overall perspective of life, itself. Admirably, Angelika now has five locations around America.

the Cafe at the Angelika Film Center

The Cafe Selection at the Angelika Film Center

The New York Times published an article pertaining the previous use for the building before Angelika Film Center and a plethora of other stores invaded the space. Its original name was “The Cable Building” and its primary use was as such. McKim, Mead & White was the architectural firm that was responsible for the creation of this Beaux-Arts style building. It was built in the years 1892-1894. The eight stories was used as office space while the gears grinded, twisted, and turned in the basement. The never-ending, winding cables weighed over four tons but was able to move sixty cable cars at the rate of thirty miles per hour on average. This system was in place for about a decade before it proved to create more harm than efficiency. Eventually, the cables were discarded from societal use and electric cars came into place. By natural selection the basement of “The Cable Building” was no longer necessary and reached its unfortunate demise. Untouched for years the room would patiently wait. Until 1930, in which the space was cleared out, making way for various companies,A chandelier at the Angelika Film Center

The Ceiling of the Angelika Film Center

Ceiling of the Angelika Film Center

who used the area for manufacturing space. It wasn’t until 1985 that Harry Feldman, Jules Demchick, and a group called Cable Building Associates bought the building including the tenants and renovated the building. Four short years after their purchase, Angelika Film Center would take home to the old building.

Perspective view of the auditorium at Angelika Film Center

Art instillation of an animal in flight

I didn’t like the theatre at first, the auditoriums were sub-par, if that. They are also underground and too close to the nearby train station; so at the climax of a movie, there’s a slight chance of  feeling and hearing the rumble of a passing train. As if the current transportation system is constantly jeering the failure of its predecessor, the cable car. The auditoriums are not stadium seating and the rooms are rather intimate. The size of the auditorium can be a real deal-breaker for some, but I don’t mind at all; in fact, I have grown to love the cinematic intimacy. I can name so many more initial complaints I had about Angelika proving the very reason for my utter dislike. But ever since that first movie experience, I impatiently wait for the next opportunity to catch a flick at Angelika. As a society, we love to hate something regardless of how we actually feel about the subject. Angelika Film Center and I have that type of relationship; I think it’s beautiful and, at times, a beautiful disaster. But there is no other place like it! Where else can you buy macaroons, gelato, and a delightful cup of coffee as a movie snack?

 

 

Angelika film center auditorium

Image Credit: Sabrina Vasquez