Harlem

Annals of Found Art: Cathedral of Vines (with Haiku)

We frequently stumble on objects that are readymade artworks unto themselves. If we saw them in a gallery, we would ponder them in the way we do “real” art.

Annals of Bad Design: Bigbelly Garbage Can

When solar-powered Bigbelly garbage receptacles appeared in my nearby park, their design flaws went way beyond their clunky visuals.

Wabi-Sabi Soliloquy for a Squashed Summer Drink

Every passage we read in our treasured Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers seems to apply to the unexpected marvel we found…by looking…

Just don’t give up on trying to do what you really want to do (Ella Fitzgerald)

No one could have imagined that Ella Fitzgerald’s dark early life would have led to winning Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and the launch of her singing career. She was a master of wildly improvised scat singing that echoed a wildly improvised life.

Makeshift Chair, ‘Loving the Universe…Where Peace Begins’ (Neruda)

This astonishing chair, a mashup of plastic and stone, is from Sidewalk Salon, Manar Moursi and David Puig’s book about makeshift chairs they encountered while walking around Cairo, Egypt. They remind me of a fragment of Neruda’s Ode to a Chair.

What Matters Now?

Right now you’re probably asking yourself how those geniuses over at Improvised Life keep coming up with great material day after day? We’d like to show you what did NOT make the cut for today (that STILL has meaty grooves)…

Vintage Painted Brick Walls Etched with Swirls and Runes

At Chai Wali restaurant in Harlem, we saw a wonderful treatment for the old painted brick walls of the brownstone that that houses the restaurant. It was much more interesting than a plain stripped brick wall, and would be a fine technique to apply in a living or work space.

The Zeitgeist in Pom Poms

The other day, we came across some spectacular earrings: fur pom poms dangling from thin gold wires. WANT, we thought. And then, MAKE, which starts us researching materials and processes. We discovered that pom poms, both fur and fake, can be easily bought and hold huge possibilities for gifts. And then we found we’d unknowingly tapped into the zeitgeist.

A Breathtaking, Life-Affirming 60 Countries in 3 Minutes

(Video link here.) In 2011 Walter Chang quit his job after saving up for a couple of years to travel around the world. I trekked amazing landscapes, checked off the bucket list, hitchhiked, slept anywhere I could, and made countless friends. These are my memories. His video, We Call this Home, is a fine reminder of the wonders…

Street Entrepeneur Crab Man Mike + Our Faux Aioli Recipe

While on our NYC stay cation, we’ll get a hit of the Maryland shore by stopping by legendary Crab Man Mike’s stand in Harlem, where he cooks up crabs and other shellfish on his rigged propane cooker. We love Mike’s seafood room temperature, dunked in our Faux Aioli (garlic mayonnaise), for an American South/French fusion.

sighting: porch built around a tree (urban tree house?)

Wandering around Harlem recently, we spotted this structure in the back of someone’s brownstone. It appears to be a clever combination porch and treehouse, literally built AROUND the tree growing in the yard. Whoever made it clearly didn’t want to mess with the old tree growing very close to the house. So they found away…

the rich rewards of an unplanned day

Today was a day of wondrous tiny occurrences, the kind that happens when we are relaxed and open and looking around at the world, rather than rushing to get somewhere or get something done. The leaves literally turned color while we slept: a blaze of oranges and reds shimmered against the clear blue sky. Walking…