I have to confess….though I live near Boston, New York is the city I really love (don’t hate me — it’s not like I am rooting for the Yankees). If only I could, on a landscape designers income, afford my home AND a pied-a-terre in NYC….oh yes, that would be the life…
As a NYC lover and wannabe resident, a landscape designer and perpetual through the window dreamer, – The City Out My Window is a book that I am truly enjoying. It is a beautiful book of pencil drawings created by architect Matteo Pericoli. Each page presents a beautiful line drawing of New York based artists’, writers’, entertainers’, and composers’ home window view.
From writer Helen Gallagher:
“Reading this book, you gain a new sense of what people seek when they find their ideal home, even in crowded New York City. You sense what it means to them to feel connected to the city, yet our view is often something over which we exercise little control. Many of these New York homes and apartments, in fact, have views confined by architecture rather than nature, and yet people are drawn to the life and the changes observed through the window in each residence, from their private space in a very public city.”
Among the many delightful drawings, accompanied by text and quoting the residents, are many personal and revealing comments, such as poet Meghan O’Rourke’s:
“I’ve lived in New York (both Manhattan and Brooklyn) most of my life. This is my favorite view from any window I’ve ever had, though I once lived in a U-shaped apartment building, and it was very moving to be able to glimpse my family in the kitchen from my bedroom. A little like eavesdropping on your life. This view has an auditory component: the church bells ring periodically; they’re not too loud, but serve as a gentle reminder of time passing. And the trees in the backyard of the house are very old, so they seem to creak in the wind and rustle and sigh. When I’m writing poetry, all this natural and man made muttering can be inspiration at times.”
The City Out My Window: 63 Views on New York
You have until Wednesday December 16th at 5:00 EST – then I will randomly pick a winner and get this beauty sent for the holidays.
I like the view that I saw on the Amazon listing where it’s a long door looking out onto a terrace. I’m with you I’d love a little get-away in the city, and a teeny tiny little garden I could manage, actually just “maintain” I’d like all the grunt work to be done before I move in. A girl can dream, right? The cover of this book is amazing.
This book is calling to me, especially since my husband & I recently bought an apartment, & the 1 thing that sold us was the view out of all 5 windows: the Manhattan Bridge, the Empire State Building, & the Chrysler Building. I open my front door every night when I come home from work & gasp, seeing the Manhattan skyline lit up. It gives me new inspiration every day.
Oh this brings back so many memories from the 2.5 years that we lived in downtown Manhattan. For me, it was the silhouette of water towers against the sky that was my favourite view (and most enduring memory) of living in that special place. Here’s a pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephbond/88807320/in/set-72057594051194742/
Wow — you guys have great views! – Steph- I could totally see a pencil rendering of your view in the book.
What wonderful drawings!!
If I sit at the right end of the sliding glass door in the living room and look to the far left, I can see most of my potted plants on my apartment patio and watch the morning light come around the corner of the building towards me. There’s a collection of south African bulbs, dozens of drilled kitty-litter-bucket-pots housing bearded irises (nearly all of which need dividing), and Sinningia tuberosa (currently dormant, but just wait!). If I shift to the far left, I can see between neighboring apartment buildings to a couple of palm trees on Shoreline Drive, a block away. Most of the time, I don’t stand to the left or right, but instead enjoy the view straight to the back of 3 Redwood trees (yes, all in my patio) planted by someone who clearly had no idea how big they’d get (not me!).