Since Cornell insists on having class on Labor Day, the doorman of our studio building had the day off and we were 
locked out. We had to migrate Mary Wood’s first class to Union Square Park. Our slow-paced, lectured walk culminated on some park benches in Union Square. We quickly attracted some extra students in our new location—namely elderly men and their dogs–listening intently with 20 Cornell students sitting around them. Then Mary announced that the park had a wireless internet connection, and I tested it out on my laptop right then and there. It’s actually a strong signal! Maybe I’m the last to know this fun fact about the Square, but that’s no surprise… And Union Square Park is a great location to unwind after classes, since it is only a couple of blocks from studio. There’s also the daily farmers market where you can buy organic fruit and vegetables, eggs, meat, and pastries. I find these market stalls quite a hectic mess when I’m rushing from the 6-train exit to class, but I make amends by purchasing one of their delicious offerings and nibbling on while walking to studio. But back to the WiFi: call me archaic but there’s something unnatural about going to sit in a park to use your laptop and surf the World Wide Web. Also, the less techno-savvy crowd might look at you funny.
Just a note: Mary Wood’s history class “What Would Gordon Do?” will be visiting many known artists at different sites around the city, who have some relevance or personal connection to Gordon Matta-Clark. Gordon graduated from the Cornell School of Architecture in 1968, but went on to make a name for himself in the NYC art scene of the 1960’s+70’s. I will include entries about our sure-to-be exciting excursions!