Viewing NYC Articles by Joshua Mu

[VIDEO] Take a Tour of Lott House in Marine Park, One of Brooklyn's Hidden Landmarks

2026-02-01T12:00:00-05:00

The Lott House is a relatively unknown historic landmarked home right in the Marine Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. Once the home of the Lott's, a prominent farming family who owned the land since 1719, the house was also a potential stop in the underground railroad!

According to the video's accompanying article by our friends at Untapped Cities:

[…] what makes this a sight to behold are the new renovations. In the last few years, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the Hendrick I. Lott House Preservation Association have been working to refurbish the historic spot.

Whether looking to admire its Dutch architecture or looking to possibly trace the steps of runaway slaves, check out this historic New York City landmark.

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[REPOST] Listen to Crazy New York City Subway Stories in This Fung Bros Video

2025-02-16T12:00:00-05:00

It seems like everyone has an opinion about the subway. In this video, watch the Fung Bros interview New York City pedestrians, getting the public stance of the NYC subway.

From funny stories to suggestions for improvement, the interviewees give a great perspective on the iconic subway system.

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[REPOST] Home Sweet Home in 90 Sqft: This New Yorker Makes the Most of Micro Apartment

2024-07-28T12:00:00-04:00

Micro apartments have seen a surge in popularity as demand for housing has continued to skyrocket in New York City. Costing as low as $2k per month, the affordability of the units is the major attraction for most.

For others, the challenge of managing to live, cook, and sleep in cramped quarters is part of the appeal. In this video from our friends at Curbed, see how one New Yorker manages to fit her life into a tiny 90-square-foot micro apartment.

Demonstrating a creative way to maximize the functionality of the limited space in the ultimate NYC fashion, she combines a cozy bedroom with a living area, closet, and even a functional kitchen. See here for more pictures from this tiny studio, and for inspiration on using space, the City's most valuable resource, efficiently!

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[WATCH] Listen to Crazy New York City Subway Stories in This Fung Bros Video

2023-08-18T12:00:00-04:00

It seems like everyone has an opinion about the subway. In this video, watch the Fung Bros interview New York City pedestrians, getting the public stance of the NYC subway.

From funny stories to suggestions for improvement, the interviewees give a great perspective on the iconic subway system.

The post [WATCH] Listen to Crazy New York City Subway Stories in This Fung Bros Video appeared first on Viewing NYC

1930 Architectural Concept of Manhattan From Renzo Picasso

2021-12-28T16:00:00-05:00

Renzo Picasso was an Italian architect, engineer, and urban planner of the 20th century. In this blueprint from 1929, titled American Multiple Highway, Picasso proposes a stacked roadway system running along the length of Manhattan.

It was intended to have seven levels: six for automobiles and pedestrians, and one underground for the subway. As can be seen in the image, the criss-cross pattern is the intersection of the "Super Streets," three of which go from North to South and the other three from East to West. All the levels would have connected between them and with the ground by means of ramps, and to the corresponding buildings via catwalks.

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[SEE IT] Peek Behind the Scenes at Grand Central Terminal

2021-07-20T12:00:00-04:00

(All Photos by Joshua Mu for Viewing NYC)

The Grand Central Terminal is the nation's busiest train station, used by over 750,000 people daily. Between secret presidential tracks and a $20 million artifact hidden in plain sight in the main concourse, the history and inner working of Grand Central are fascinating.

The behind the scenes tour is guided by Dan Brucker, Grand Central's residential historian, whose extensive knowledge of Grand Central's history has been featured on programs ranging from National Public Radio to NBC.

The Vanderbilt family built Grand Central and left their mark with acorns scattered around the landmark. The acorns represent the Vanderbilt symbol: "From the acorn grows the mighty oak."

An unmarked archway known as the whispering gallery has fantastic acoustical properties in which people standing at opposite corners can converse in whispers as if standing next to each other.

The fifth floor catwalks give a dazzling view of the main concourse.

The secretive basements of Grand Central, M42, the deepest in New York City, and home to the world's first electronic computer.

These rotary converters which fueled the USA's WWII war efforts. Adolf Hitler even attempted to sabotage the converters.

A look at more modern M42 equipment.

The infamous Track 61, used by presidents since Franklin Delano Roosevelt to enter the grand Waldorf Astoria.

FDR's secret armored train, with state of the art stabilizers to help hide his polio.

A sneak peek into the situation room where transportation crises from 9/11 to winter storms and blizzards are resolved.

The hole in the concourse ceiling resulting from the Space Race.

The dark patch in the Northwest corner of the ceiling created by decades of smoking from the days before the Terminal was restored.

The clock atop the information booth is worth an estimated $20 million between its four opal faces and extreme accuracy.

Can you spot the errors?

The departure times are actually one minute earlier than actual in order to lessen the frantic rush to catch the train.

Thank you to the New York Adventure Club for helping to arrange this rare behind the scenes look and check out their event schedule for more tours and other unique experiences!

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[REPOST] Check Out This 1930 Architectural Concept of Manhattan From Renzo Picasso

2021-03-12T16:00:00-05:00

It was intended to have seven levels: six for automobiles and pedestrians, and one underground for the subway. As can be seen in the image, the criss-cross pattern is the intersection of the "Super Streets," three of which go from North to South and the other three from East to West. All the levels would have connected between them and with the ground by means of ramps, and to the corresponding buildings via catwalks.

The post [REPOST] Check Out This 1930 Architectural Concept of Manhattan From Renzo Picasso appeared first on Viewing NYC

Take a Peek at This 1930 Architectural Concept of Manhattan From Renzo Picasso

2020-06-22T16:00:00-04:00

It was intended to have seven levels: six for automobiles and pedestrians, and one underground for the subway. As can be seen in the image, the criss-cross pattern is the intersection of the "Super Streets," three of which go from North to South and the other three from East to West. All the levels would have connected between them and with the ground by means of ramps, and to the corresponding buildings via catwalks.

The post Take a Peek at This 1930 Architectural Concept of Manhattan From Renzo Picasso appeared first on Viewing NYC

Home Sweet Home in 90 Sqft: This New Yorker Makes the Most of Micro Apartment

2019-06-21T12:30:00-04:00

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[REPOST] Check Out The First Aerial Photograph of New York City Captured in 1906

2019-06-15T11:00:00-04:00

According to the New York Public Library, the first aerial photo of New York City is the image above, snapped by photographer James A. Hart in 1906 as part of a commercial stunt. Hart recounts his adventure:

The tops of the skyscrapers were a thousand feet below us. I could distinguish easily the individual ﬁgures like so many pencil dots on the pavement. A group of dots directly beneath was the curb-brokers at their buying and selling.Not one sound of the hum and roar, of the clanging of electric cars or the whistling of the tugs, could I hear. New York was remote; it was a picture rather than an organism.

Though the photograph is a bit murky, its littered with landmarks that remain today such as Battery Park and Castle Clinton, as well as the western docks that were replaced by the World Trade Center and Battery Park City. Be sure to check out the full article for a detailed account of the backstory of this photograph.

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