SoHo Installation Art New York
Earth Room/Broken Kilometer
I have never been to either of these two Dia Foundation SoHo galleries and found another person there too so they are places where I can expect quietude not only by artists' intent but by circumstance. Such an empty gallery experience is uncommon in New York.
The first is The New York Earth Room (1977) at 141 Wooster, one half block below Houston. It is the third version constructed by Walter de Maria, and the only one remaining. Created from 3,600 square feet of earth, 2 feet deep, laid out flat on the second floor of a SoHo loft---it is a dim, serene, virtually silent space imbued with scent and dampness. It is for that that I go, to collect my thoughts or to shed them, both important activities during my day, or week.
The second, The Broken Kilometer (1979), is around the corner at 393 West Broadway. Composed of 3,280 feet of 2 inch diameter brass rod, cut into 500 pieces arrayed on the floor, it is totally different from the Earth Room, yet remarkably similar in effect. Gorgeous. The longer I stay, the better it looks. It is a companion piece to Vertical Earth Kilometer in Germany which is the equivalent length embedded vertically 1,000 meters into the earth.
I usually tack on a visit to one or the other gallery when I visit my friend Jane, who lives in a 1960s SoHo loft.
de Maria died in 2017.
Find your way with 300 Insider Tips from our Local Spotters
Nice place right!? There’s so much more to discover:
Discover all other hidden gems in New York
Grandma's Place
Inclusive Books and Toys
I stumbled across a store about which I had read but never visited—the very inviting and colourful playground of Dawn Harris-Martine), retired teacher, now famous—named Grandma’s Place.
By
Geoffrey
Dunbar
Sisters Uptown Bookstore
African diaspora hub
"Sisters Uptown Bookstore" in NYC is a hidden shop/cultural center w/ an eye-opening trove of books by African diaspora authors. A true neighborhood spot!
By
Geoffrey
Dunbar
Color World
Curb Side BBQ
Color World sets up on the corner of 116th and 2nd Avenue, rain or shine. There they serve beef, pork, goat, oxtail, and chicken for $10 a plate.
By
Geoffrey
Dunbar
Don Alejo Coffee
Coffee, toasts and burritos
Their prices are in keeping with the neighborhood: a plate of two eggs, two pancakes, 'home' fried potatoes and your choice of sausages or bacon, is $12.
By
Geoffrey
Dunbar
Icons' Homes
James, James & Dorothy
There are three houses not far from each other in NYC of three icons: James Dean, James Baldwin, and Dorothy Parker...
By
Geoffrey
Dunbar
Heckscher Field/Central Park
Broadway show league
"Heckscher Field" in Central Park, New York, is used for softball. Here you can see games played for the Broadway Show League. Celebrity stars may be seen.
By
Geoffrey
Dunbar
74st Café
American overlooking Beacon Theater
Among its offerings are a $10 breakfast special and its enormous $15 lunchtime hamburger, a price unobtainable anywhere else within walking distance.
By
Geoffrey
Dunbar
Verdi Square
People Watching
This sun soaked park bench is a destination neighborhood residents know, spending time there in observation. It’s one of the more fabulous NYC stages.
By
Geoffrey
Dunbar
Monumental Women
Central Park Monument Representing Real Women
"Monumental Women" has erected this monument in Central Park, NYC to especially important figures in the United States women's equality movement...
By
Geoffrey
Dunbar
Der Krung
Best Thai spot in town
"Der Krung" in Hell's Kitchen in New York City is by far my favorite Thai place around. One of the best things about it is the $9.75 lunch special...
By
Christian
Neely
Frick Collection
Intimate, reopened art museum
Visit the newly restored Frick Collection, a Gilded Age treasure with masterpieces by Vermeer and Fragonard, housed in a historic Fifth Avenue mansion.
By
Geoffrey
Dunbar
Apthorp Cleaners
Barbies, Barbies, Barbies
"Apthorp Cleaners" in NYC is different from the dozens of other neighborhood cleaners by its permanent but ever-changing window display of Barbie dolls...
By
Geoffrey
Dunbar
Heading to New York?
300 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
Authentic Stories by Real People
Escape the Crowd & Travel Slow 🐌
... for just €9.99
Heading to New York this weekend?
✓ 0 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
✓ 300 Insider Tips
✓ Escape the Crowds
✓ Find Spots nearby
✓ Authentic Stories
... for just €9.99
Our team loves New York
Get to know our other Spotters from New York
As featured on:
