#88th street

[haikumaker]

The upper west side in 1970. Biking down Broadway, at 88th Street.

[newplayingsmash]

It’s a little book for kids about a family who moves into a new house and finds out a guy in entretainment business has left his crocodile in the bathtub and he tells them they can keep him because he’s very fun and helpful. And his name is Lyle. It’s pretty short, but sweet. Just like many kids books. It’s among the things I blame for my current ability to speak english. He dances, but... in funny circus way. Not in a “Imma turn some kids into scalies” way.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2022) dir. Josh Gordon & Will Speck

[madeline-kahn]

@pscentral event 25: seasons

"How about meeting Saturday? The first day of spring. 4 P.M. There's a place in Riverside Park at 88th Street where the path curves and when you come around the curve, you'll find me waiting." -- You've Got Mail, original script

[meazalykov]

blocked from memory

lena oberdorf x exwolfsburg!reader

summary: you forced your mind to block out one of the best parts of your life, which was her.

warnings: angst

orlando pride has been good to you. it’s hard to believe how far you’ve come in the two years since arriving in florida. 

the final whistle blew, and the explosion of cheers drowned out everything else. the scoreboard read 2-0, and you barely had time to process it before you were swallowed in a blur of exhilaration. you had done it. you were nwsl champions.

your teammates rushed toward each other in a frenzy of elation, and you were no different. arms outstretched, you found yourself running toward banda, the two of you colliding in a breathless hug. 

her laughter was as loud and joyful as your own, her face damp with tears of joy as she pulled back to shout, “we did it, y/n! we actually did it!”  

“hell yeah, we did!” you shouted back, jumping up and down with your arms around banda as the words barely audible over the chaos erupting around you.  

your teammates were embracing each other, some jumping up and down, others sinking to the ground in disbelief. the fans in the stands were on their feet, their roars blending into one deafening sound that seemed to vibrate in your chest.  

your heart raced, adrenaline coursing through your veins as you took it all in. it wasn’t just the victory—it was the culmination of everything. 

it all led to this. 

marta was the next to find you, her arms wrapping around you tightly as she lifted you off the ground. 

“you’re a fucking champion, y/n!” she yelled, her voice cracking with emotion.  

“marta are you fucking kidding me? YOU are the champion, THE GOAT!” you shouted back, laughing through the happy tears that were now streaming down your face.  

the celebration continued, the team coming together in a circle on the field, jumping and shouting as someone started a chant. the trophy presentation hadn’t even begun yet, none of you cared though. this was your moment, a shared triumph you’d all fought so hard for.  

as you stood there, surrounded by your teammates—your family—you couldn’t stop smiling. banda’s goal in the first half had set the tone, a stunning strike that sent the crowd into a frenzy. and then, in the 88th minute, the ball found your feet.  

you could still feel the moment: the perfect pass from angelina, the way time seemed to slow as you lined up the shot, and the way the ball curved past the goalkeeper, hitting the back of the net.  

the eruption of cheers had been instant, your teammates piling onto you as you celebrated what you knew was the championship-clinching goal.  

you were so happy.

but it hasn’t always been like this.  

there was a time when you weren’t so happy.  

the memories of wolfsburg come to you sometimes when the nights are quiet, and the ache you thought you’d buried surfaces just for a moment before you push it back down. 

you spent three seasons there. it should’ve been everything you wanted—a dream fulfilled—but wolfsburg also gave you lena.  

she had been your teammate from the very beginning, the two of you quickly forming a friendship that felt effortless. lena made you laugh in ways no one else could, her dry wit perfectly complementing your playful humor. you’d spend hours together after training, getting lost in conversation over coffee or while walking through the streets of the small german town. 

your personalities clicked, the kind of connection that felt like it was meant to be.  

you hadn’t realized you were falling for her until after your first season together. by then, it was too late to stop it. the way her eyes lit up when she laughed, the way she cared so deeply about her teammates, the subtle touches that lingered just a second too long—they all pulled you in.  

but you never told her.  

you convinced yourself it was better this way. lena was your friend, and you didn’t want to ruin that by confessing feelings she might not return. you thought you could be content with just having her in your life, even if it meant burying your love for her.  

that illusion shattered one afternoon in the locker room.  

the locker room was loud after training, the usual mix of banter and laughter filling the space. you sat on the bench near your locker, toweling off your hair and half-listening to the conversation happening a few feet away. 

jule and jill were leaning against lena’s locker, their expressions alight with mischief. lena sat between them, her cheeks slightly flushed, her body language a mix of annoyance and amusement.  

“come on, lena,” jule teased, a sly grin spreading across her face. 

“you’re going to have to tell her eventually.”  

lena rolled her eyes, her lips curving into a reluctant smile. 

“you two are ridiculous,” she muttered, shaking her head.  

“oh, we’re ridiculous?” jill chimed in, crossing her arms and arching an eyebrow. 

“says the one who gets all flustered every time her name comes up. it’s adorable, really.”  

you froze mid-motion, your towel slipping slightly from your hand. your heart gave a sudden, hopeful thump. was it you?  

lena groaned, burying her face in her hands. “i’m not flustered,” she protested, her voice muffled. 

“and can you not do this here? seriously.”  

jule snickered, leaning in closer. 

“oh, but it’s so much fun. we’re just trying to help you out, you know. give you a little push.”  

“yeah,” jill added, her tone exaggeratedly supportive. 

“you need to shoot your shot. we’ve all seen the way you look at her.”  

you felt heat rise to your cheeks, your pulse quickening as you tried to keep your expression neutral. your mind raced, replaying every interaction you’d had with lena over the past few weeks, searching for any sign that she might feel the same way.  

lena peeked out from behind her hands, glaring at the two of them. 

“if i tell you to shut up, will you drop it?”  

“nope,” jule said cheerfully. 

“we’re invested now. you’ve got to tell her.”  

“seriously,” jill agreed, giving lena a nudge. 

“what’s the worst that could happen?”  

“oh, i don’t know,” lena said dryly, her tone laced with sarcasm. 

“she could laugh in my face, or it could make things awkward, or—”  

“she wouldn’t,” jule interrupted, her voice softening slightly. 

“trust us. you’ve got nothing to worry about.”  

their voices blurred together after that, their teasing laughter and lena’s halfhearted protests swirling in the background as you stared down at your towel, your thoughts spinning. was it possible? could she really be talking about you?  

it wasn’t you.  

she told you a few days later that she had a girlfriend. you plastered on a smile, forcing yourself to be happy for her while your heart broke in two.  

the change in you was immediate. your once-bright personality dimmed, replaced by something heavier, clouded. you couldn’t shake the ache in your chest every time you saw her with her girlfriend throughout the months. you tried to stay her friend, but it was impossible.  

her girlfriend noticed.  

one day, lena cornered you in the empty locker room, her expression a mix of concern and frustration. “what’s going on with you?” she asked, her voice firm but not unkind. 

“you’ve been acting so different lately.”  

the locker room felt suffocating, the air thick with tension as you stood there, staring at lena. she had cornered you, her concerned gaze boring into you as she demanded to know what was wrong. her tone wasn’t angry, but it wasn’t gentle either—it was the voice of someone who cared enough to push, to try and unravel the storm you were holding inside.  

you couldn’t take it anymore. the knot in your chest tightened until it snapped, and the words you’d been swallowing for months tumbled out like a flood.  

“what’s going on with me?” you echoed, your voice trembling with suppressed anger and heartbreak. 

“you really want to know, lena? fine. i’ve been in love with you. for over a year. and you—” you gestured wildly, your hands shaking, “you don’t even see it. i’ve been here, right in front of you, and you’re completely blind to it.”  

her eyes widened, her lips parting as if to speak, but you didn’t let her. the floodgates were open now, and you couldn’t stop.  

“do you know how hard it’s been? watching you with her, pretending to be happy for you when all i wanted was to be the one standing by your side? i tried, lena. i tried to be okay with just being your friend, but i can’t. i can’t do it anymore.”  

your voice cracked, the raw emotion spilling out as tears welled in your eyes. 

“and you... you act like nothing’s wrong, like i’m not falling apart every time i see you together. it’s not fair, lena. it’s not fucking fair.”  

she looked stunned, her mouth opening and closing as if searching for the right words, but the silence was unbearable. the frustration, the pain, everything you’d bottled up finally exploded.  

“i hate this,” you snapped, your voice rising. 

“i hate that i love you, and i hate that you don’t love me back. and you know what? i hate you for it too. i hate you for being so oblivious, for making me feel like this. i hate—” your voice broke again, a sob catching in your throat.  

you turned away, your chest heaving as you tried to catch your breath. the room spun for a moment, the weight of your confession crashing down on you. you could feel her staring at you, but you couldn’t bear to meet her eyes.  

“i can’t do this anymore,” you muttered, your voice barely above a whisper. 

“i can’t keep pretending everything’s fine. it’s not. i’m not.”  

you didn’t wait for her to respond. the sound of your footsteps echoed through the empty locker room as you stormed out, leaving her standing there in stunned silence.  

the door slammed shut behind you, and as you walked away, tears streaming down your face, you felt a strange mix of relief and devastation. you’d finally told her the truth, but it didn’t make the ache in your chest any less suffocating.  

you avoided her after that. lena tried to give you space, but it wasn’t enough. her presence was suffocating, a constant reminder of everything you couldn’t have. when lena and her girlfriend broke up, you thought maybe things would change.  

and they did, but not in the way you hoped.  

lena started spending more time with you again, her touches lingering, her words dripping with something that felt like promise. you let yourself believe she was falling for you, that maybe she’d finally realized what was right in front of her. 

the hookups, the stolen moments, the sofy kisses and whispers in the dark—they all felt real.  

then summer 2023 came.  

you were scrolling through instagram one evening when you saw her post: a picture of her and her ex-girlfriend in ibiza, laughing together in an instagram story. 

your heart sank, your hands trembling as you stared at the screen. she had been leading you on, using you as a rebound while still holding on to her ex.  

you couldn’t do it anymore.  

when you left for orlando two weeks later, you didn’t say goodbye. lena texted you, asking why you’d left without a word, but you ignored her. 

you blocked her on everything, determined to erase her from your life.  

orlando became your fresh start. you threw yourself into therapy, finally confronting the pain you’d been carrying for so long. over time, you learned to love yourself again, to find happiness in the little things.  

you made it clear to everyone that you didn’t want updates about lena, and your teammates at the club and national level respected that. you didn’t know she’d moved to bayern or that she’d torn her acl. you didn’t let yourself care.  

until now.  

the NWSL championship celebrations have died down, the locker room quieter as your teammates bask in the glow of victory. you’re sitting with marta and carrie, a beer in your hand, when marta smiles at you.  

“it’s good to see you happy,” she says. 

“after everything you went through.”  

you laugh, shaking your head. 

“don’t bring that up, marta. i don’t need to hear about it.”  

“whats it?” marta teased. 

“her.” you slightly frowned.

carrie hesitates, then speaks. 

“you know she left wolfsburg for bayern, right? the season after you left.”  

you freeze, the shock hitting you like a punch to the gut. 

“for real? bayern? seriously? um.. i thought she’d never leave wolfsburg.”  

“people change,” carrie says with a shrug. 

“she tore her acl before the olympics, by the way. that’s why you didn’t see her when you played germany.”  

throwback to the olympics, the paris stadium looked huge, the hum of the crowd filling the warm summer air. you were on the pitch, stretching alongside your teammates. 

you’d dreamed of this for years. but as your eyes wandered across the field, scanning the german squad warming up on the other side, you couldn’t help but notice something—or rather, someone—missing.  

lena wasn’t there.  

it struck you in an instant, the realization settling like a strange weight in your chest. for a moment, your mind raced, trying to piece together why she wasn’t here. lena, the backbone of germany, whose commanding presence on the field was practically synonymous with german football. her absence felt... wrong. even to you.

you tried to shake the thought away, refocusing on your routine. the last thing you needed was to get caught up in old memories, especially not during a game of this magnitude. 

the curiosity lingered, beating at the edges of your mind. as much as you wanted to convince yourself you didn’t care, your gaze kept flicking back to the german players, searching for a sign of her.  

alex popped into your line of sight, jogging over with a grin. it had been months since you’d seen her, but the easy camaraderie between you hadn’t faded.  

“hey, fremder!” alex greeted, pulling you into a quick hug. 

“alex,” you smiled, your voice warm but a little distracted. 

“how’s it going? how’s... everything?”  

the conversation was light at first, a quick exchange of updates and small talk. you asked about her life, her form, her excitement for the tournament. 

as alex spoke, your thoughts kept circling back to lena.  

you hesitated before asking, your words careful. 

“so... how’s everyone back at wolfsburg? i haven’t caught up with you guys in a while.”  

alex lit up, eager to share. she mentioned some familiar names, updates on performances, and even a few funny anecdotes about the team. you nodded along, doing your best to seem genuinely engaged. 

when she didn’t mention lena, you felt a pang of something you couldn’t quite name.  

you wanted to ask. the question was on the tip of your tongue, heavy and insistent. though you stopped yourself, the same stubborn pride that had carried you through the aftermath of wolfsburg holding you back. 

asking about lena would mean admitting that you still thought about her, that you still cared in some way. you weren’t ready to give her that power, even indirectly.  

so you nodded, forcing a small smile as alex continued talking.  

“it’s good to see you,” you said finally, cutting the conversation short before your curiosity could betray you.  

as alex jogged back to her side, you stood there for a moment, your hands on your hips as you stared at the german squad again. the questions swirled in your head: why wasn’t lena here? was she injured? had something happened?  

you pushed them down, shoving them into the box where you kept everything else about lena. she wasn’t here, and you told yourself it didn’t matter.  

even as your chest tightened with the weight of unasked questions, you told yourself it didn’t matter at all.  

back in the locker room with marta and carrie, the news sits heavy in your chest, the first real crack in the wall you’ve built around your memories of lena. 

that night after the championship, you go home and unblock lena on instagram.  

her posts from the past two years paint a picture of someone who’s grown, someone who’s stronger now. you see her smiling with her teammates, working hard in rehab, living a life that seems so far removed from the girl you once knew.  

for the first time in years, you feel like you can let go.  

you refollow her before going to bed, a small act of closure. the past is the past, and you’re ready to leave it there.  

masterlist

[todaysdocument]

Reverend Guilford Larimer Speaking about Burnside School

Record Group 21: Records of District Courts of the United StatesSeries: Civil Case FilesFile Unit: Anthony P. Burroughs, et al. v. Benjamin Willis, et al. v. the Board of Education of the City of Chicago and Benjamin C. Willis

December 16, 1959

Rev. Guilford Larimer--Representing Chesterfield Community Council--

Speaking about Burnside School, 91st Place and Langley Ave.

I speak this morning representing the Chesterfield Community Council

and its concern with the overcrowded conditions at Ambrose Burnside School.

Perhaps the most direct method would be to list the conditions at the

school and then present for your consideration what we think will help rem-

edy these conditions on two levels, the long run and the immediate future.

Simply stated, the problem is this: there are far too many children for

the facilities of the school. Here are the facts:

1) The ratio of pupils to teachers is 40.9-1

2) Perhaps an even more importation ratio is that of pupils to actual class

rooms. This is 45-1

3) I say actual class-rooms because there are classes meeting

a)on the stage of the auditorium

b)in the teachers' lounge

c) in the teachers' cafeteria

d) in the library.

It is an understatement to say that adequate teaching cannot be done under

these circumstances.

4) In the last five yearsthe enrollment at Burnside has had a net gain

of about 500, bringing it over the 1600 mark at the present time. And the

future promises no relief from this pressure. Due to the change in the racial

character of the neighborhood, which has seen families with young children

replacing many middle-aged and older folks whose children are now grown, and

due to the extensive building in the area between South Park and Indiana Ave.

and 87th and 95th Sts., all of which is in the Burnside district, there is

every reason to believe that the load on the school will continue to increase.

Here then is the problem. In view of the plans for building indicated

in the tentative budget for 1960, and keeping in mind an already pressing

situation, we offer the following for your consideration:

1) For future needs, not only of Burnside School, but of the larger

area bounded by 87th, 95th, State, and the Illinois Central tracks, we strong-

ly recommend the building of a full 8 grade school on the McDade site at 88th

and Indiana. We submit that a minimum figure of $600,000 rather than $300,000

is more in keeping with both the present and the future need in that area.

We feel that the present plans which would culminate in the building of a

school accomodating approximately 250 pupils would be an unrealistic approach

in view of the fact that there are already 537 children now attending Burn-

side who live in the area bounded by 87th, 95th, South Park and Indiana.

2) Along with the building of McDade we then would recommend re-district-

ing, moving the western boundary of the Burnside district to South Park Ave.

3) For Burnside's immediate needs we request the following alternatives

as providing a measure of temporary relief--

a) Build "portables" on the Burnside grounds

b) Consider the use of the facilites of Tuley Park for some class-

es. This park is in the block diagonally adjoining the school property.

c) Consider the use of the facilities of Vincent Methodist Church

for class-rooms. The church is immediately across the street from the school.

There are, no doubt, many factors to be considered in these remarks,

not the least of which is the availability of money for building. We do not

presume to be experts in this field. But we do justly claim a great concern

that the children of our neighborhood have the best education possible.

Under the present circumstances at Burnside, we know that this educational

process is severely hampered.

EXHIBIT "B"

[postcardaday]

Guggenheim Museum Newest and most modern art museum Ramp-like construction designed by Frank Lloyd Wright 1071 Fifth Avenue (88th Street)

[solarbird]

what was this bike route?

This thing – this sign and the route it indicates – is NOT on Seattle’s official Bike Map.

And it’s old. It’s pretty dang old.

The sign is on Burke-Gilman, on the left side, as you bike south. The picture’s from Riviara because Google Maps is annoying that way, but at least with this you see the trail itself.

Is this a leftover sign from a dead route that just never got removed? What is – or maybe more accurately was – this route?

If you go down any of the streets in that direction, you don’t find any followup signs. At least, I can’t find any. Nothing on Lakeshore, which would need it the most and right away, if nothing else to tell you go to north or south, even if south is obvious. No sign of one on NE 103rd, 100th, or 97th.

I’ve noticed it for ages biking by, and never bothered trying to track it down until I got into building bike maps (Greater Northshore shoutout) and it’s not even in my primary coverage area, but now I’m curious and interested and it just goes…

…nowhere.

And now I’m wondering, where even could it have gone? 103rd and 100th both stop at Sand Point Way which is your first opportunity to continue south, and you don’t want to be biking on that. 97th goes past tho’, continuing two blocks further, to 45th Ave NE, and that’s a reasonable bike road if you’re okay with hills… but… again, no signs.

You can get back onto Burke-Gilman from 45th NE via … NE 94th and 93rd both, though. But that’s a weird and short “bypass,” and isn’t UW, so I don’t know what’s up with that.

Past there, you’ve got to get off 45th as quickly as you can because there’s nowhere else to go, it spirals down into dead-end side streets with no way out.

Going west on NE 92nd gets you onto 43rd NE gets you to NE 88th to… 35th NE? Is that what they were doing? I hope not, dang, that’s scary riding.

Let’s say they put you on 40th NE off of 88th instead. That’s not terrible. It’d get you back to Burke-Gilman in close-to-UW territory, at one of the more unpleasant crossings. It’s not my favourite idea but it’d work.

Or if you wanted or need to stay off Burke-Gilman you could go right onto to NE 52nd off of 40th Ave, then left onto 39th Ave, then right onto NE 50th. I’ve done this; it doesn’t actually save you time, despite saving you distance. That road would dump you onto Blakeley, which points you straight at UW campus north but doesn’t give you a good way in. Or you could drop down to NE 49th, which gets you to 24th NE and from there Pend Oreille, which does.

No matter how you do it, it’s gonna be a weird goddamn bypass and I don’t understand why you would want to do that.

It is a M Y S T E R Y O F B I K E R O U T E S!

To me, at least.

Somebody has to know what this used to be. Is that person you?

If it is, let me know! I’m really curious, because seriously – what the hell? ٩๏̯͡๏)۶

[polwarth]

88th Street, part of the Relics exhibit

[workersolidarity]

[The Zayed Mosque in central Gaza City's Al-Katiba area was severely destroyed by Israeli forces, leaving the site in ruins.]

🇵🇸⚔️🇮🇱 🚨

ISRAELI OCCUPATION KILLS PRISONER, MASSIVE DESTRUCTION IN GAZA ON 88TH DAY ISRAELI GENOCIDE

The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continued with their genocide of Palestinians in Gaza on the 88th day of Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip.

Dozens were killed and many more wounded in overnight bombing raids by occupation warplanes, with the current death toll standing at nearly 22'000, with an additional 56'697 wounded in the fighting.

In Khan Yunis, IOF warplanes carried out a firebelt, along with several individual bombing raids across various parts of the city.

Four Palestinians were wounded as a result of an IOF bombing raid targeting a house in Jourat al-Aqqad, west of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

In Raffah, occupation warplanes targeted a security site near the border with Egypt. No one was injured in this particular attack.

In central Gaza, the Israeli occupation army destroyed a home in the Nuseirat Refugee Camp. Occupation warplanes also targeted the Matar Family home on Abu Arif Street in Deir al-Balah, killing 15 and wounding several others.

Another 15 were killed in bombing raids targeting several family homes in the al-Maghazi Refugee Camp in central Gaza.

IOF warplanes ran several bombing raids across northern Gaza, leaving a number of dead and wounded as a result. However, the occupation army withdrew from several northern Gaza neighborhoods after several hours of incursions into the area.

Previously, several rumors were going around suggesting the occupation army was arresting and executing Palestinian civilians caught in areas being invaded, after which an occupation spokesperson acknowledged that last night, a prisoner taken from Gaza was arrested, investigated and then transfered into the custody of an occupation soldier who then executed the prisoner in cold blood.

An investigation by the occupation military authorities has been opened into the assassination of the prisoner.

#source

#videosource

@WorkerSolidarityNews

[mannytoodope]

Kramer: Hey. Oh, uh, yeah. Uh, here are your pliers back....Weak hinge.

Elaine: Well, I guess I better go and price fur coats.

Kramer: Oh, go down to 88th Street. They're free.

Elaine: What are you talking about?

Kramer: Well, they're hanging from the trees. You know, Newman found one there yesterday. Man, that guy can climb like a ring-tailed lemur!

Elaine pushing Kramer in her 'get-out!' style.

Elaine: 88th Street? That's where Joe Mayo lives. That's the coat!

Jerry: What was that pop sound?

Kramer: Well, I had some hard candy in there.

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1920 – Following a mutiny in India by soldiers of the Connaught Rangers in protest at events in Ireland, Private James Daly is court-martialled and executed by firing squad.

The Connaught Rangers (‘The Devil’s Own’) was an Irish regiment of the British Army originally raised in 1793 as the 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers), which gained a reputation both for indiscipline and for its prowess as shock troops and street fighters with the bayonet while serving under the Duke of Wellington during the Peninsular War in Spain. It was one of eight Irish regiments…

[haikumaker]

A rare shot of Murder Ink, a mystery-themed bookstore on 88th Street near West End Avenue, in the 1980s.

[jasminebutintaiwansojiemin]

July 12th, 2024 星期五 - Taipei101 + 饒河街觀光夜市

We met around 10:30 am, then took the brown and red lines on the subway to Taipei 101, where we walked through a huge high-end mall and got to see Taipei from its highest point. To get from the info-desk area to the observatory level, we took an insanely fast elevator that went probably around 80 floors or more in less than 40 seconds. Inside the observatory level, there were a surprising amount of floral photo-op set-ups for visitors to take pictures, however I think the backlight from the floor to ceiling windows did not come out well in the pictures.

The view was pretty amazing. You can see the actual city as well as the lush mountainsides which remind me of the countryside of Jamaica. After taking some pictures in different scene in spots and admiring the view, I went to the gift shop to look at the souvenirs. These days, I try to buy souvenirs or merchandise that I’ll actually use, because I feel like it then carries more meaning to me. After browsing for a bit, I settled for a gold metal bookmark that was cut out in the shape of the Taipei 101 building and a postcard/necklace set. I’m not exactly sure what the necklace is but I thought it was pretty lol. Later, I went to the 90th floor to see the view from the sky deck. It was slightly underwhelming because of the wall/anti-jump gate but it was crazy being that high up and being outside to see the clouds at eye level. After coming back inside, I got the envelope of my postcard stamped with the free ink stamps. At around 12:30, the tour group met back together and we took the stairs to see the massive damper on the 88th floor. After finishing the tour, i went with some of my group-mates to eat at a banquet style restaurant about five minutes away from Taipei 101.

After eating, we took the red line to Taipei Main Station to try to meet some others in the underground mall but it got complicated and we just ended up going to a different above-ground mall. I bought some stationary from one the shops on the 4th floor. I noticed that in this mall, many stores weren’t completely walled off from others. For example, there was a section selling Hurley stuff and quite literally a couple steps to the right a whole other store. At first I figured it was just a giant department store we had wandered into, but now I think that’s just how the mall was. The mall was also connected to a mass bus terminal, which makes sense since it was across the street from the Taipei MRT main station. When one of the other girls went to the bathroom, I noticed there was an option of both western toilets and squat toilets. After shopping, we found another one of the girls in the program and figured out how to ride the red line to the green line transfer. We got help from this Taiwanese lady who spoke perfect English even though she’s Taiwanese. Her American accent was probably better than mine. When we got to the green line transfer platform, we ran into even more of the girls in our group and planned to visit Raohe Night Market after resting for a bit.

I started doing homework when I got in the hotel before decided to attempt to do my laundry. The washing part went fine and I took a nap in the meantime. I woke up to transfer the clothes to the dryer and then went back to sleep. The dryer did not dry much. After trying to figure it out for a while, my roommate came to help but she didn’t have any luck either. We opted to just put it to cold dry in the washer and figure it out later. While it ran, I went to get dressed. I wore pants all day and drowned myself in mosquito spray before because the day before, I got bit up by mosquitos. Before heading out to the night market, I brought my clothes back to the hotel room to finish drying. We took the green line of the MRT to the last stop and spent a few hours walking through the night market. I bought Guava, a brown sugar donut, and some hello kitty playing cards. We headed home closer to 11pm where I showered, FaceTimed by boyfriend, and did more homework.

Academic Reflection

Today’s reading focused on the building of and structural integrity of Taipei 101. It describes the unique damper, structural limits, and safety limits. The reading described how the World Trade Center in New York City went down because of fires, not because of the planes’ impact. It also mentioned that in Hong Kong, every 25 floors of a building must have a refugee floor that is empty and designed to resist smoke accumulation. Reading about safety limits in comparison to the World Trade Center after visiting Taipei 101 made me think a lot about when I went to the 9/11 memorial in New York City. I did notice that when we went down the stairs to the 88th floor, the rest of the stairs were blocked off. Aside from these stairs and the elevators, I didn’t see any other marked and visible exits. Thinking about safety, perhaps it was not the safest. The readings talks about how typhoons and earthquakes are serious concerns in Asia, which makes me think about the lack of clearly marked exits.

Something else I found interesting was the damper on the 88th floor of Taipei 101. The reading describes how the swinging of the internal damper would dissipate wind energy and prevent the building itself from swaying too much and possibly falling over. Our tour guide said that the damper was built to withstand a 10.0 magnitude earthquake. Recently in Taiwan, there were 6.0 and 6.2 magnitude earthquakes on April 23rd, 2024. This made me think about how perhaps being in a building like Taipei 101 would be good as an earthquake shelter. When walking down the street in Zhongshan, I noticed that there were signs showing certain areas to be aerial attack shelters. I have yet to see any signs pointing to earthquake shelters though.

[austin-in-taiwan]

July 12 - Taipei101

Today was the first full day of this trip with the entire group. Our first and only stop of the day was to the famous Taipei101, which was the tallest tower in the world when it was built in 2004. Now, it is the 11th tallest tower in the world, standing at 508 meters. The view from the 89th floor was breathtaking. We could see the mountains surrounding the city from every side, the Taipei Stadium and Taipei Dome, the rivers, the Elephant Mountain, and many other exciting sights. Besides the beautiful view from the top, Taipei 101 had a mall and food court downstairs. This is the first time I have seen such a wide variety of the most prominent designer stores in my life. 

After we toured Taipei 101, we had the rest of the day to ourselves. A group of 11 of us went down the street to a restaurant inside a convention center, and we all paid about 420 NT for a selection picked by the restaurant staff. There was a lazy susan in the center of a round table, and we all got to try a bit from about 7 dishes. Once we ate, we convened at a mall called QSquare and browsed around the 7 stories of different stores.

Earlier in the day, I had asked our tour guide, Peter, if he knew where I could find a Taiwan national team jersey. He directed me to a small store inside a metro station. Unfortunately, they didn't have the authentic CTFA jerseys I was hoping for. Instead, they had a jersey with 'FC Taiwan' printed on it. I decided to return at the end of our Taipei trip if I cannot find a real one.

Academic Reflection

Today, I read the articles in our textbook after experiencing Taipei101 in person. When actually in Taipei101, I already learned a lot about the building and how the damper (an 800-ton ball on the 88th floor) works to counteract and help absorb the high winds and earthquakes, keeping the building stable. Our tour guide, Peter, and the information video inside the building helped explain to us how the damper works. The gold steel sphere is suspended by cables and acts like a pendulum that counteracts any motion. I also learned how the building is used in times of celebration, specifically New Year. Taipei101 is a significant landmark that shoots off fireworks and is very similar to our “ball drop” experience in the United States. 

However, the book and the readings later helped me appreciate some of the architectural significance of this building. I had already learned how it was once the tallest building and had the fastest elevators in the world. However, I had yet to understand the significance of the number 8 in this building. The number 8 is considered a very lucky number in Chinese. In Taipei101, the building has eight distinct tiers, which have 8 floors each. On top of that, the 800-ton ball (the damper) is on the 88th floor. Overall, the lucky number 8 was very significant when the architects designed this building, which also helps the luck of the stock exchange which is housed inside the building.

[wanderingnewyork]

Looking eastward along the A line from the 88th Street-Boyd Avenue Station, #Queens.

[gothjeffskinner]

Good news! The last building is by Freddie Mamani, a Bolivian architect who has created the new style of Neo Andean architecture. His work is entirely 21st century and focuses on indigenous aesthetics. El Alto is now defined by this aesthetic with over 100 buildings featuring the architecture style.

The Capella Hanoi is a hotel made in the 2020s specifically to capture art deco aesthetics.

The Takism Mosque, which is controversial for its placement, is an art deco creation whose construction started in 2017.

Drake's home, designed by Ferris Rafauli, is (on the interior) art deco inspired all the way down to the basketball court.

The Paradiso Ibiza art hotel has a Memphis style aesthetic but the exterior has a much stronger deco vibe to it.

180 east 88th street added some art deco to the NYC skyline with its completion in 2021.

we have to bring back art deco like right now