Monday, April 9, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Halprin landscapes, downtown LA
I admire the work of late landscape architect Larry Halprin. In his work, he carefully considered landscape ecology and processes, especially the flow of water, as well as considering individual people's experience of places, including movement and choreography of space (his wife was Anna Halprin, regarded as a trailblazer in contemporary dance). He also developed innovative community participation processes to create dialogue about public space; one such process took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, when the Halprin firm was working on what is now the Downtown Mall.
Most of Halprin's best known work is in the Northwest, but I was excited to hear that he has some projects in LA as well. One is the Maguire Gardens at the Central Public Library downtown, one of my favorite spots of the past few weeks. What is most striking to me about the garden is the range of places to sit: you can sit on a bench in the shade, or on a low wall listening to the rush of the fountain, or in the sun along the terraced axis, watching people come and go. With these choices, it seems that each person finds his or her own comfortable spot to be, within the bustling diversity of downtown.
The other Halprin landscape is the Bunker Hill Steps, which are similarly influenced by Italian design. Surrounded by strong vertical architecture, the steps are a bold, horizontal, landscape gesture. The central fountain was off when I visited, and the rocks looked strangely Disney-esque. From the top of the steps, one can look over the library's roof and sun mosaic.
Most of Halprin's best known work is in the Northwest, but I was excited to hear that he has some projects in LA as well. One is the Maguire Gardens at the Central Public Library downtown, one of my favorite spots of the past few weeks. What is most striking to me about the garden is the range of places to sit: you can sit on a bench in the shade, or on a low wall listening to the rush of the fountain, or in the sun along the terraced axis, watching people come and go. With these choices, it seems that each person finds his or her own comfortable spot to be, within the bustling diversity of downtown.
The other Halprin landscape is the Bunker Hill Steps, which are similarly influenced by Italian design. Surrounded by strong vertical architecture, the steps are a bold, horizontal, landscape gesture. The central fountain was off when I visited, and the rocks looked strangely Disney-esque. From the top of the steps, one can look over the library's roof and sun mosaic.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Venice Beach
Oddly enough, my friend Ian happened to be visiting at the same time as me. We headed west to Venice Beach for the sun, sand, and people-watching.
Colorful house and succulent garden on one of the canals
The beach walk at Windward Ave, with "Italian" villa and arcade
Even on a Monday afternoon, the skate park was very active. Somehow, they manage not to run into each other! The age range of the skaters was probably about 7 years to 40-something, and at one point the 7-year old met up with his older brother and mom for a family ride around the park.
The homes in the neighborhood near the beach had lush, quiet gardens.
Colorful house and succulent garden on one of the canals
The beach walk at Windward Ave, with "Italian" villa and arcade
Even on a Monday afternoon, the skate park was very active. Somehow, they manage not to run into each other! The age range of the skaters was probably about 7 years to 40-something, and at one point the 7-year old met up with his older brother and mom for a family ride around the park.
The homes in the neighborhood near the beach had lush, quiet gardens.
Griffith Park
Taylor drove us up the windy road to reach Griffith Park and the Observatory, in the foothills north of the city. These are some beautiful large trees on Vermont Ave, heading uphill to the Park.
The vegetation here is low,shrubby chaparral, so there was not much shade for our mid-afternoon walk.
The vegetation here is low,shrubby chaparral, so there was not much shade for our mid-afternoon walk.
Sunset Triangle
Last weekend we were driving in Silver Lake and looking for a lunch spot. We found a cafe, parked, and walked to the intersection to cross the street toward the cafe. At the intersection we noticed this unusual green wall, and then saw that a portion of the road (at Sunset and Griffith Park Boulevards) had been closed to make a plaza.
We were lured in to the plaza and found a place for lunch here instead, were we could sit outside in the former street, under an umbrella, and watch people playing basketball, chess, and hanging out with their dogs.
We were lured in to the plaza and found a place for lunch here instead, were we could sit outside in the former street, under an umbrella, and watch people playing basketball, chess, and hanging out with their dogs.
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