It’s that time of year again where school starts after a long well-deserved holiday break. However, the familiar faces of Milstein were transplanted from the cozy winter settings of Ithaca to the bustling streets of the Big Apple! Adjusting to the new reality of city living, mind you, of New York living, we find ourselves trying to navigate the streets and subways searching for a sense of place while developing new routines. From scoping a local grocery store, to the new coffee break location around the studio, this first week has been high in colour and experiences as we touched ground at 26 Broadway.
The warm welcome given by Bob during orientation contrasted with the frigid weather that awaited us outside as we toured the historical neighbourhood around the studio. From Bowling Green and the Charging Bull, we made our way to the Skyscraper Museum to be greeted by its Founder, Caroll Willis, and a wonderful exhibition which introduced us to the past, present, and future of the New York skyline. Moving from the scaled models of the museum, the sheer size of the real buildings baffled us as we entered the new World Trade Centre complex and the spectacular Occulus.
Over the next few days, we would start to stretch and get back again in the routine of studio only this time the site of the focus would be in Gowanus, Brooklyn. One studio lead by OMA’s Jason Long and Yussef Dennis will be designing a Bath House and Microliving community while the other lead by SHoP Architects’ Dana Getman and Steven Garcia will be conceiving a brewery and office complex.
After the various site visits and rounds of introductions, we concluded this first week’s line of events at RAMSA’s offices on Park Avenue for a full matinee of portfolio reviews. Pro-tips were given by many Cornell Alumni working at RAMSA as well as other grads from leading firms in the city. After a general presentation of do’s and don’ts we then parted in small groups allowing for two to three rounds of individualized portfolio critiques. Hopefully, this will jump-start the first round of interviews for everyone!
As the sun set above the Hudson, with Ellis Island and Lady Liberty silhouetted over the vermilion skies, emerged this great sense of calm thinking about what lies ahead and the opportunities offered. It suddenly felt real; this would be our home for the next few months, I let out a sigh and thought, “Hello, New York.”