JP Chan

jpchan
jpchan
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  • Headhouses

    (72 St-Broadway Subway Station, Manhattan)

  • Moynihan Train Hall

    The new Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station opened to the public yesterday. It’s a project that was decades in the making. I’ve been following the saga of the Farley Building redevelopment ever since I was an urban planning grad student in the late 90s and it’s a real thrill to finally see it in…

  • Happy New Year 2021

    Farewell 2020, Hello 2021! Alex, Helena, and I wish you all a healthy and happy year ahead.

  • Merry Motor Xmas 2020

    From sunny Florida, me and the missus wish you all a very Merry Christmas and holiday season. (Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Orlando, FL)

  • Back to the Blog (Part 2)

    Happy Birthday, Blog Sixteen years ago today, I started a Blogger called Bklyn Bulging. It was a primarily a moblog with photos and text composed and uploaded from my Treo 600.1 Not surprisingly, the first post featured my cat. It felt like magic to instantly share images and thoughts from wherever I was at the…

  • ‘An incredibly couture boutique storytelling venture’

    A new David Fincher movie is always cause for celebration, not least because it means he’s going to be doing press for it. Because in my mind, Fincher’s second greatest talent is giving terrifically insightful, blunt, funny interviews about moviemaking, like this one from Vulture: In that regard, there are two lines I want to…

  • World of Wong Kar Wai

    This online Film at Lincoln Center retrospective looks incredible: Contemporary cinema’s supreme rhapsodist of romantic longing, Wong Kar Wai makes mesmerizing mood pieces that swirl around themes of time, dislocation, and the yearning for human connection. WKW was a huge influence on me when I started making short films in 2005, and it’s always been…

  • Clooney on Acting

    The current GQ has a great interview with George Clooney. The whole piece is wonderful, but I particularly love how he nails the importance of specificity in acting: He starts describing the stages of acting, all of which he went through. “The first thing you see is everybody overacts,” he says. “You’re trying to cry.…

  • All the Stars

    Just lovely. (All the Stars in the Sky Have the Same Face by Lawrence Weiner, Jewish Museum)

  • Thanksgiving and the Pandemic (1918 edition)

    It’s been a tough 2020 on every level, but crisis is often very useful for clarifying what’s important in life. This year, I’m particularly thankful for a free press and evidence-based thinking — bedrocks of democracy and a progressive society. No, these things did not help prevent the pandemic or stop it from getting worse,…

  • The Occulus

    Is it spectacular architecture? Yes. Was it worth the cost? No. Will it still be spectacular architecture in ten years? Probably. Will anyone care about the cost in ten years? Probably not. In 2030, a few urbanists will enjoy debating what might have been at this site but I suspect everyone else here will just…

  • The New Pornographers

    I’m embarrassed to say that I somehow never heard a New Pornographers song until this fall. Better late than never, I guess. They’re phonomenial. This concert video is a great introduction to some of their best work. (It’s borderline criminal that there’s barely 10K views on this as of this writing.) I can’t wait until…

  • Back to the Blog (Part 1)

    After a long hiatus, I’ve decided to give blogging another try. I’ll explain why in a future post, but for now please excuse all the construction dust as I clean-up sixteen years worth of posts over the next few months. Many older posts won’t look right for a while and the tags and archives will…

  • Road test: PASSED

    (Lehman College, The Bronx)

  • YASSSS.

    My neighborhood in Harlem erupting with joy. “KAMALA HARRIS VICE PRESIDENT MOTHERF***ER!!!”

  • Self-Care

    It’s true: exercise & pets can help reduce anxiety

  • Scandinavian Gothic

    A Loom with a View (Kulturen i Lund)

  • Life in Sweden

    (Jakriborg)

  • Cinematic Tenets

    First visit to a cinema in 2020 and two thumbs up for TENET. We wore our masks even though it’s not required here and felt safe the entire time.

  • Cows are cool

    All the more reason not to eat them. (Gothenburg)

  • Aeroseum

    100’ below the Göteborg outskirts is Aeroseum, a fascinating aviation museum in a sprawling subterranean Cold War hangar. They have parking for those flying in on their own aircraft, kid-friendly activities, and staff remarkably tolerant of all your Danger Zone jokes.

  • Bron/Broen

    Checking out Saga Norén’s favorite hangouts. #TheBridge #NordicNoir

  • MALMÖ FLËXIN

    (Turning Torso)

  • Marital Counseling

    Marry someone smarter than you are but make them do stupid things with you (Malmö, Sweden)

  • American Style Snack Box

    I have many questions regarding this supermarket’s “American Taste” selection. (Lidl Supermarket, Lund, Sweden)

  • Traffic Calming, the Swedish Way

    Swedish traffic calming on a two-way street: bus-bulb, neckdown, speed hump. How much safer NYC would be if we installed just a few dozen of these in the right places. (Lund, Sweden)

  • First Flight

    First flight in nine months: EWR-CPH on a barely year-old SAS A350. It’s nice to be in the air again.

  • How to Wear a Mask

    Just watched a properly-masked couple do the “not quite” in front of this sign to make each other laugh. My work is done.

  • Birthday Style

    Thanks everyone for the recent birthday wishes. I’m still just a middle-aged version of this kid & still looking for adult-sized versions of these clothes.

  • An R68 with a View

    Who needs an Amtrak sightseer lounge car when you can have an R68 without a roll sign? These windows are huge.

  • Monday Inspiration

    Now more than ever, let’s look out for each other.

  • Ralph’s of Nutley

    When visiting hometown, must also visit Ralph’s

  • Yakety yak

    Yakety yak, what’s up Cat

  • Jeepney

    A good start, but even safer would be a traffic signal with LPI (Leading Pinoy Interval). #AsianTransportPlanningJokes

  • The Neighborhood DJ

    I’m strongly against noise pollution in all forms, but sometimes our neighborhood DJ’s tracks are so good that I turn down my music so that I can hear his.

  • Plant-Based Excess

    I may be going vegan but I’m still going to spend 45% of my calories on dessert.

  • Motorcycling 101

    A beautiful day for Motorcycling 101

  • Mask Force September: 149 St-Grand Concourse

    My idea of a good time is giving out free masks to transit riders. Yours too? Volunteer for the MTA #MaskForce!

  • Com Tam Ninh Kieu

    The Bronx has NYC’s largest Cambodian population and a significant number of Vietnamese too. Although it was late afternoon, I couldn’t resist having the extremely potent iced coffee and now I’ll probably be up all night.

  • Everyone smiles when you wear a mask

    Everyone smiles when you wear a mask on MTA subways & buses. We also hope you smile when you see our new campaign on your next ride.

  • Little Manila

    Little Manila in Woodside is small but mighty. I love that you can dine outdoors with the Flushing Line rumbling overhead.

  • White Castles of Harlem

    Harlem has the only two White Castles in Manhattan, so I never travel far for my Impossible Slider fix. I wish they’d convert this parking lot to outdoor dining.

  • Bridge of Missed Opportunities

    Always amazes me that 1) this is the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge & 2) how utterly underutilized this space is

  • Good UX Really Matters

    Thank you US Census Bureau for making your online questionnaire available in Japanese & so easy to use. You empowered my 68 year old stepdad to complete by himself his first census after decades in the US. He’s never even used a web browser before this.

  • B-Division Luxury

    I’ve been living on the IRT (51’ length, ~8’ width) for so long now that whenever I’m on a 75’ train (~10’ width) it feels luxurious

  • Cat Airways

    It’s a tough time for airlines. But while some are curling up on the tarmac to sleep it off, others are pouncing. Cat Airways proudly introduces the new 228 Feliner, tail number UR-MEOW, with daily non-stops across the apartment.

  • Hiding in Plain Sight

    Got my wife hooked on Sarah Kendzior’s Hiding in Plain Sight because I couldn’t stop raving about it. It’s an essential history & survival guide for what’s happening right now.

  • Cats & Masks

    TJ is speaking to me even more than usual today

  • Open Dining: KTown

    Ktown seems to be doing a particularly great job with outdoor dining. I’m happy to play my small part.

  • High Line, No Waiting

    If you love the High Line but not crowds, there’s never been a better time to visit. Please support the nearby businesses, too. #daycation