The pristine integrity of the building's concrete expanse has been marred by this sign announcing... red label something. It's almost as if the owners of the structure don't respect the architects or their vision of functional materialism.
photos - cell
brutalist duane reade
First-time visitors to NYC sometimes ask the astute question, "Who's Duane Reade?" These pharmacies can be found on every corner and even wedged into Brutalist buildings.
There was never a good answer but it's moot since Walgreens bought the chain. Shortly after that happened (but not before), slick signs appeared in every Duane Reade plugging the chain as a "New York institution." (Walgreens is based in Chicago.)
Update: By word of mouth I learned that the company that became Duane Reade was founded near, and took its name from, a block bounded by Duane and Reade streets in what is now Tribeca.
Machines in Music (cell photos)
Photos from my visit today to Machines in Music: New York's Modular Synthesizer Exhibition & Events, a two-day festival concluding tomorrow.
Installation by Benton C Bainbridge
Photographic print by Benjamin Laposky
View of exhibition tables with modular gear (faces blurred by my special "shakyware" to protect the unwitting)
More tables
Walked around and looked at gear and talked to exhibitors from the various small companies demonstrating Eurorack modules. Some things I learned: (i) Erica Synths is pushing to have its Graphic VCO finished by Christmas; (ii) The Qu-Bit Nebulae went out of production because Raspberry Pi was re-designed in such a way that it no longer worked as a Nebulae component (a Nebulae II is planned -- with its own inbuilt PC -- but hasn't been announced); (iii) ALM's Sidguts only had a run of 50 modules; (iv) If you are interested in a SIDGuts Deluxe ask the dealer to include a SwinSID chip -- they should have one; (v) The WMD/SSF Pole Zero lowpass filter sounds beefy -- I liked it; (vi) Synthrotek's Dirt Filter is interesting and bizarre and might work in my "pallette." Nice to see Wizardishungry and catch up. The Knockdown Center in Queens (a rehabbed factory) is a vast and impressive space for events of this type. A lot of oscillators humming in one room.