Overwhelming Weekend

I was out of town and I just got in from NJ/NYC after driving from 1:30-11pm. By myself.

I was surprised by the friendly-ness in Flemington NJ....such a quaint northern town, very historical, and definitely beautiful. They agree that the south is so much friendlier though and I was proud to be driving around with NC tags.


Here's a picture, standing on the roof of a friend's apartment building in NYC (obviously, no?)

We could call it "touring"

or driving around, going for a car ride, Sunday stroll...you pick.

I love jumping in the car to go somewhere (particularly if I get to be in the passenger side seat because THEN I'm not responsible for watching the road! [though I'll probably still tell you how I'd like the car to be driven....call it the woman in me if you want])

ANYWAY- I love it because it means there may be the chance that I see something I've never seen before or at the very least it means I'll be driving past SOME building and THAT building, even if I only drive past one, was probably designed by an architect and I appreciate that. What sparked this post was my recent trip to High Point- I had to map quest some directions from W-S to photograph a few churches in the area, well wouldn't you know I found a rather beautiful established residential neighborhood. Now normally when I talk about driving around its more leisurely than planned, choose to do it however you like but there is always the opportunity to get to know your community and built world better (unless you're the driver in which case I advocate keeping YOUR EYES on the road). Our world isn't just what we see on tv or in books or movies- it's what is around us, what we drive past everyday. We should appreciate the style of architecture, the look of our communities, and the benefit of life here in the south. Be proud in The Triad and the next time you don't know what to do on a Saturday, go for a ride, don't feel the need to leave town to find something, find it here-

PS. It's spring out and The Triad looks BEAUTIFUL in bloom!

Adaptive Use

I was given a flyer for Preserve Historic Forsyth, an organization doing...well...exactly that, preserving the historical landscapes, neighborhoods, and towns of forsyth county. While I will support those working towards a cause and goal they believe to be worthwhile, historical preservation isn't quite my thing. I've been there, done that and I thought "why try to make it LOOK original." I'd rather take a building, with lots of character, history, etc. and make it work in today's time. Restore it for a new use, you don't use that old barn? why not turn it into a spa?! In downtown Winston-Salem The Nissen building is one of the most prominent adaptive reuse projects I can think of and in downtown Greensboro you'll see an awesome example in the high rise.

Aside from my philosophy I still feel the need to give you information to support PHF, since the person who gave me the flyer is the same person who gave me a start in the professional world of architecture.
visit their website www.preservehistoricforsyth.org and see what they're doing-

Thanks for reading-
The Intern