Providence, RI

Demolish for Construction

2006-07-23T22:26:00.000-07:00

I took this photo through a line of fencing...
Another part of downtown was taken down (previously there was a dollar shop bookstore), and is now destined to be a high-class apartment building. With so much construction going on in the city, I wonder what it will look like 10 years today... ?

Waves on the outside

2006-07-21T21:28:00.000-07:00

It's rare to see graphics as part of the exterior of building walls. So when I saw this building near the edge of town, I knew I had to take a photo of it. Plus, coming from a graphic design background, the use of design creates room for thought about design as 'identity'. For some strange unknown reason, I had a feeling the building was a gym, but I was wrong... although now I don't remember what it was I saw when I peered through the window. I think it was a shop... or maybe... mmm... my bad memory... =[

To December...

2006-07-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

Perhaps a little too early for Christmas?

Step back...

2006-07-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

Back up to the other side of the stree, and you can see the roundness of the building...

Looking at you

2006-07-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

It's been hard keeping my blog updated daily with job hunting. I was out of town in New York City for the past week for job interviews. But now I am back... so I will try my best to share photos with you folks. I thank all of you who have continued to come back to my page in spite of the intermittent updates.

**********

This is a closeup of building facade located downtown, which happens to have a sculptural object of a head. I am not too sure of the significance nor the history, but it is the only sculptural figure I have come across seen at a building facade. Another view tomorrow...

Look up... !

2006-07-06T22:11:00.000-07:00

Now look at who's up there? Some window cleaners up on the top floor of a 10-storey(?) building caught my eye as I was strolling around downtown scavenging for some shots. I really admire their fearlessness of heights — I'd probably just freeze the moment I step off the edge... heheh! =P

Smiles

2006-07-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

And look at who's all photogenic?
Look at previous blog, and you shall see double...

What it's become...

2006-07-02T00:44:00.000-07:00

So this is what happened to the wrapped up bundle that I took a photograph of a few months ago. Here we have a little desingated flower display with a informational plaque that talks about the architectural history of Providence. These plaques are located along the sideway of busy streets around town. I suppose the set up is part of a cultural/history tour for visitors and tourists.

Horsey...

2006-06-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

Even though I've seen police on horses around town all the time, I've never quite seen a horse eating (at least I think it's doing) from a trailer. Now I wonder what his police campanion is sweeping...

Light on brick

2006-06-22T21:44:00.000-07:00

This is the back of a restaurant building just across the street from school. I was intrigued by the way the sunlight cast tree branch shadows on the back facade. I also liked the irregularity of the shadow formation juxtaposed with the rigid design of the windows on the exterior facade...

Fencing for what

2006-06-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that I have been away from Daily Photo Blog for almost 3 weeks. A lot has been happening since the last day of classes, and so I haven't had the opportunity to take good photos for the blog.

Today's photo shows a line of uneven fencing wrapping around a piece of unused land situated downtown. Although Providence is a small city, it is rare to a piece of land left unused for an extended period of time. No information was posted up on the prospect of the land...

Another long path...

2006-06-01T21:30:00.001-07:00

When I came passed this area where I took this photo, it was quite bizarre (mentally). The time was 4:30pm on a mildly cloudy day — not too bright, not too dark. Yet, this lamp post was on right in the middle of the pedestrian walkway. Furthermore, this long wide yet emptry pathway (which leads to the @ public library) gave this surreal moment for me. Many workers from the surrounding commercial/office buidlings were out for a cigarette break. But they were just sort of standing there smoking quietly. I dunno. Maybe it was the weather. Maybe the lit lamp post. Maybe it was just my weird imagination. The feeling was quiet unfelt before. It's almost indescribable. Unfortunately, the photo does not do justice to how I felt. But this local will remain memorable for me whenever I pass it again in the future. Maybe a different weather condition and time of day will render a totally different feeling.

A splash of yellow...

2006-05-30T23:38:00.000-07:00

This photo is probably edging on the obsolete side, as the image is depicting a moment in spring, whereas the weather is already very summer over here in Rhode Island. Temperatures are coming close to 30'C/90'F, and it's been sunny almost everyday lately... Yet, that is about to change, as showers are expected for the weekend, which is very bad news for me as my graduation ceremony is this Saturday. Hope the forecast is all wrong, and the good weather continues on...

Going back to this photo... yes, a splash of yellow. When I approached this area, I was surprised by the intensity of the yellow, and how it was surrounded by the 'duller' reds and greys of the brick buildings and concrete walls/ground...

One Hidden Church

2006-05-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

After a second week of absense along with countless nights of no sleep and caffeine over-consumption, I AM BACK! hahah... My final project was due on Thu, and I did my presentation that afternoon. All went fairly well.

So now I make a full return to Daily Photo. Let's start off with something calm to warm things up. This is a church that I never noticed in town, and when I walked passed it, was amazed by its height — I thought everything in town was fairly short. The brick work is quite interesting. Maybe I'll get a chance to see inside if I go back soon...

Quiet downtown

2006-05-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

After a week of no entries, I am somewhat back. I apologize for my absenece, as I have been pulling multiple all niters for the past week trying to get as much work done as possible for my finals. My final project is not due until next week, but the project itself is extremely labor intensive. Am working almost non-stop...

Today's pic is one taken on the street. It is probably one of the more busy streets of the city, haha... okay, so it's not that busy when you really think about it. But it'll give you some idea of the street scene in the area...

Forestry

2006-05-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

As a follow-up of yesterday blog, this is the forest... just some plants laid out in front of the library.

Umm...

2006-05-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

I know this may be a strange photo to have taken. Doesn't it look like a little forest taken from like an airplane?

Inward looking out

2006-05-09T23:45:00.000-07:00

A simple silhouette captured as the day got cloudier and darker. This was taken a few seconds after yesterday's blog, in which I was at the side entrance of the city library. Today's photograph is taken inward looking out...

Some more decoration

2006-05-08T22:42:00.000-07:00

On with some more ornamentation to be found downtown... The side door of the Providence Public Library, whose facade is more old-looking than its modern front counterpart.

Ornamentation

2006-05-07T23:19:00.000-07:00

A close up of the ornamental facade of Trinity Rep. The front facade of the building if you remember is white. Check out the faded greens and oranges... !

(Now back to work)

I don't know my flowers...

2006-05-06T23:05:00.000-07:00

... but I sure like the flowers I saw here. I just like the angle at which they droop down and kind of bob up and down as the breeze passes by. There was a bumblebee buzzing around collecting nectar, and I tried to take a photo of that—but with little luck. Ah wellz...

So does anyone know what flowers these are?

Back of/to Trinity Repertory

2006-05-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have fallen off track again and did not do a posting yesterday. I am so sorry. Finals are only a couple of weeks, and so panic mode is setting in... things will be much better by the end of the month. Feeling very sleepy as I make my posting for today. In the meantime, please bare with me, and advanced apologies if I miss any more entries....

This is the back of the Trinity Repertory Company building. If you remember, I posted a photo of the front facade in one of my previous blogs It's pretty interesting how the two sides ends are so different, one white one red, one stone one brick... the number of contrasts are quite endless. I can't believe that I never noticed the mask sculptures. It's pretty neat. The green building in front is the company's brewhouse... as you can see from the giant TRINITY sign. I haven't been inside it, as I'm not much of an alcohol consumer.

New Reflections

2006-05-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

And yes, we're back at the mall again (red building).

I could not help but take the photo of the reflection of the crane from the constructed building — what a double meaning. hehe. As modern and polished as this new building looks, I actually wish it weren't around. Its appearance is so different from the other more traditional looking building in the city. This is probably the only blue building around town... And its location seems weird, being right next to the park.

Down 30 degrees...

2006-05-02T21:07:00.000-07:00

It was REAL windy the day I took yesterday's photo. So I became attracted to the mini waves created in the canal, and saw the above bobbing... not sure what it is...

A bit of everything

2006-05-02T01:09:00.000-07:00

Darn, I got so absorbed in my work again that I forgot to post a blog. It is now Tuesday, May 2, local time is 4:10am. I am just about to sleep, and was going to check the weather online when Daily Photo popped in my mind...

Today's photo shows another point of the canal near the heart of downtown. As indicated by the title, the photo shows several parts of many buildings—many of which we have looked at before. The left orange/red is the large shopping mall, the grey with the blue awning at the front is a neat restaurant (which I haven't had the chance to try its dishes), Bella Vista, in the far back is the State House, and on the right is an office building which no one seems to enter...

If you look at the building at night, you'll see those yellow lights and grey concrete walls inside to show that the interior is still bare/unfinished. How strange this is, as I've seen this building ever since I started living here (3 years ago). I wonder if it is going some sort of renovation... or what... but still very strange, as the building is so new... I wonder... =\

Street signs

2006-04-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

Some 'grafitti'/street art found under a bridge... quite different from the usual stuff seen as this was painted and not sprayed on. The two shots are taken at a vertical angle to show the various levels of type... The whole mural is probably around 15~20ft high.

2006-04-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

TITLE AND CAPTION: Facing downtown at sunset.

A subtle moment to capture

2006-04-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

Amidst the gloomy greyness of the rocks and wild vegetation, a glimmer of light shines through a hole (on the bottom of the photograph). A subtle moment to capture.

Converge

2006-04-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

Nothing spectacular, but I took this photo because I found the converging of three elements from where I was looking; the highway, the line of trees, and the shadows of me and my friend.

Moving water

2006-04-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

So if you keep walking along the canal in the opposite direction of downtown, you'll come to a point where the road rises above the ground, thus forming a sort of shelter area. I was intrigued by the sutble movement of the water reflecting against the somewhat bright light of the setting sun... A variety of textures from the silkiness of the water surface to the roughness of the rocks along the bank...

*** I hope that my style of stringing photos together taken on the same day does not bore my readers. I am merely piecing pieces of the city together in a 'linear' fashion where the depictions in the photos have a certain physical relationship with those in before/after photos. I wish to create a clearer representation of the city. Please let me know if you dislike my style, would prefer that I share in a more 'random' and spontaneous manner ***

THX!

Step to the right, and turn...

2006-04-25T15:45:00.000-07:00

[From yesterday's position] Take a few steps to your right, rotate yourself 90 degrees to the left and you are now facing downtown. So there we have it, the same loopy sculpture next to the canal with downtown buildings in the background. You can walk along the canal side on the sidewalk, which is always a neat place to put your mind off the hectics of life. Unfortunately, not the best of photos I've shared with you due to lack of light captured by the camera. Better one tomorrow! PROMISE!

Shimmering loop

2006-04-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

Once again, things have been gotten quite out of hand with the end of the semester on the horizon and workload increasing..., and I apologize for no blog entry yesterday. Think I will have to reorganize my daily schdule a little to make sure I come to Daily Photo Blog each day. =)

This is sculputural piece sitting by the city canal along my school's campus. I've know the existence of it since day 1 at school, but never took the time to stop and took at it closely. The day I took this photo, the angle of the sun was perfect for the shimmering effect.

Trivia: red building on the left is the Industrial Design department, while the right building is the Architecture department...

Clearing

2006-04-22T23:16:00.000-07:00

The last of sunset themed photos...

I forgot to mention in my previous blog that I had taken the photo after it had rained in the area. It was all dready throughout the day, but the sun managed to pop out sunset time. PERFECT! To catch the sun setting after a rainfall is pretty comforting image... don't you think? Thus, that is why I climbed onto my balcony, and walked up the steps to take today's photograph (as well as my neighbor's pots in yesterday's photo).

And yes, we see the State Capital Building in silhouette. It's hard not take a picture of it since there aren't that many tall buildings in Providence. You will also see "The Temple" towards the left with the crane whose roof is being renovated from what I've seen lately.

Past plants

2006-04-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

I apologize once again for no blog entry yesterday. It is sad how work has overcome me... I was up all night working on my school project till 5am. By the time I went to bed, the sky had begun to lighten up already.... gosh...

Today's photo is another sunset example, one taken from my balcony/emergency staircase. You see, one of the windows in the apt unit I live in is attached to an emergency staircase that links up to the unit upstairs. Today's photo shows items the owner has left outside of his balcony. Some broken pieces of a plant holder...

Layers of light and shadows

2006-04-19T23:02:00.000-07:00

Responding to comments from yesterday's blog, YES, the shadows are of kitchen utensils. I must have bad imagination, cos I can't see which shadows look like musical instruments. Can someone pick it out for me, please?

Continuing along my walk in a sunset moment in Providence, I come upon the view of downtown Providence from College Hill. I love the way tree branches breaks the composition, as well as create multiple layers of viewing. This is the perfect place to view downtown! Luckily, I live just a minute from this park. This park, known as Prospect Park is dedicated to Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island, whose statue we see in the middle facing the west. The following excerpt comes from Providence's website:

"Efforts to build a memorial to the state's principal founder began in 1850 and made some headway in the 1860s, when Williams descendant Stephen Randall made a deed of gift for a monument to be erected on Prospect Terrace. Nothing happened until the 1930s, when a new memorial association was formed. The design by the members included a monumental staircase climbing the hill from Benefit Street to Prospect Terrace. Unfortunately, only the portion of the memorial on the terrace itself was completed, comprising a rectilinear portal fronted by a massive statue of Williams overlooking the city he founded."

Far away in the distance on your left, there's part of the downtown shopping mall and the train station indicated by the shallow dome below it. To the right is a structure that looks like a grid, and that... I'm not sure what that REALLY is, but people refer it as "The Temple". Right now, it's under some renovation/deconstruction. Moving on... in the middle of the rectilinear portal, you see, yes the dome of the State Capital Building. And to the right are some commercial buildings...

What's inside?

2006-04-18T19:43:00.000-07:00

On the same day that I took the photo for the last blog, I came across this house, and was captivated by the silhouettes cast by the sun on the 'window cover'. It totally took me by suprise, since everything else was dull/dark from the low sun (sunset time). Fortunately, the angle was perfect to create the shadows in this way...

So what can you make out from the shapes?

Rebirth

2006-04-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

SORRY! No photos from the weekend, because my internet service went down for some unknown reason... drove me totally nuts within connection for the duration — shows just how dependent we are on this informational medium.

On a lighter and brigther note, a sure sign of spring is plant growth. I have never seen young 'twigs' growing straight out of tree trunks. So it totally struck me by surprise when I came upon this tree. There is a beautiful contrast between the rough texture and robust form of the trunk against the delicate 'twigs' sprouting out...

So.. what's this we have here?

2006-04-14T23:22:00.000-07:00

So I'm walking downtown scavenging for photos for the blog, and I come across this right on the sidewalk. Hence, VOILA! I have no clue what it is. Anybody out there got a clue? Maybe something to be unwrapped... Well, the photo was taken some time ago. So maybe it's changed and the answer is out... !

It all comes altogether...

2006-04-13T23:47:00.000-07:00

Well, there we have it!

The last two photos were from the same place. I was walking passed the building, intrigued by the Chinese characters. After taking a photo of that, I continued to walk, and the illustrative door popped up. It was such a big difference from the oldness of the facade. And what was behind the door? Well, I don't know for sure, but I heard some rock music coming out...

I decided to take an overall photo to put the two pieces together. The feeling of standing there seeing the two different elements side by side was quite interesting. Not to mention there was nobody else on the street, and the sounds of wind chimes ringing (close to top left corner of photo) from the gentle breeze made everything momentarily surreal...

Illustrative door

2006-04-12T22:46:00.000-07:00

What is the relationship between the door and the illustrations? What lurks behind the door and the illustration?

Facade to mean what?

2006-04-11T19:35:00.000-07:00

Firstly, I apologize for the instrusiveness of the car in the front. Totally disrupts the 'moment'.

Anyhow, in the attempt to ignore its presence, I really like the facade of this building located downtown: its oldness compared to the relatively newer buildings surrounding it. Plus, the type is pretty interesting, with the Alleycat plaque on the left, the fading Columbia Building 15 on the right, and the Chinese characters above and underneath. I wonder what all this type boil downs to... what essence it brings to the buidling... its history...

Trinity Repertory

2006-04-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

The Trinity Repertory Company building accomodates the city's local theater group, which runs a season of plays through most of the year. The season begins in autumn, and ends in early summer. I've seen a couple of plays in the past year, one of them being Tennessee Williams' Suddenly Last Summer.

The building is one of the most beautiful in the city with its white grand white and ornamental facade, a strong contrast against the more 'brickish' and concrete building exteriors...

Beer call

2006-04-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

I was walking around downtown, and when felt a little startled to see the neon lights for different beer brands on right in the middle of the day under bright sunlight. I guess I'm just not used to seeing a row of them on like that...

Down the alleyway...

2006-04-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, things as mundane as an alleyway can be quite nice. For me, I was drawn to the somewhat uniform sequencing of the windows on both sides, creating a symmetrical space. Plus, it's empty?! You'd expect to see trash, containers, or cars around, right? (Actually, you can see a hint of a human figure in the far distance in the middle) Furthermore, the skybridge with the fading type is quite beautiful in my opinion — guess I'm just drawn to type being a graphic designer. =P

Spiraling Up...

2006-04-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

Not sure what this building is for, but its spiralling staircase certainly makes it stand out from the rectilinera forms of the buildings everywhere else. Just don't get dizzy going down during an emergency! =P

Downtown Recap

2006-04-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

Today, I return back to a photo of downtown Providence, which I briefly described in my first blog. Today's photograph provide a more close up probably the busiest part of the city — the bus terminal situated in the far background behind the show green building in the center. And as expected, all the buildings on the right are office buildings, the 'beige' pyramidic one being the Bank of America building.

Children's Expression For Peace

2006-04-05T19:46:00.000-07:00

Not only do the typical people care for peace, but also children...

There is a designated section downtown with plain white tiles that have been painted. Each tile is an expression for peace by children of Rhode Island. Although I took this photo in midday under bright sunlight, this area becomes quite 'spiritual' when the day comes to an end, and the florescent lights in this little area glow creating a little sanctuary...

Low tide exposures

2006-04-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

The above photo was taken on the same day I took the low tide canal photo I share with you folks last week.

At one point of the canal near the downtown shopping mall, some chairs were lying on the bed. I tried to capture the shimmering light of the sunlight reflected along with the chairs. As insane as it sounds, I wonder if there were dumped by the restaurant just by the side of the canal... (I certainly hope not)

Up above...

2006-04-03T16:01:00.000-07:00

Whoa! Tall cranes tower over a construction site in downtown Providence [what the development is I have yet to discover]. I was walking toward the downtown shopping mall the day I took this photo under the bright sunlight... and for a fraction of a second, the light was no longer 'blinding' my eye-sight, being partially covered by the cranes high above.

Thus, the birth of this photo.

For me, I love the way its vertical form contrasts with the low-lying structures around it.

PVD Canal

2006-04-02T08:22:00.000-07:00

Oh dear, I think I missed yesterday's blog... got too wound up with my schoolwork that I missed it. I am so sorry to all the readers who visited but found no updates.

Today's photo is the canal that has been (severly) altered in shape over the past decades. It was once larger, and more organic in form. Now, it's just a narrow channel of water flowing south (the direction the photo is taken) to the Atlantic. The photo was particulary interesting for me, because it was a low tide that day which I had never seen before, - revealing the canal bed. Not too sure what those triangular grids are on the ground.

On the left side is College Hill, and if you imagine further left, you will find Brown University up the hill. The buildings you see by the canal side belong to my school, Rhode Island School of Design (which is adjacent to Brown, practically next door neighbors). On the right is downtown Providence. There is a sidewalk along the canal that provides a nice stroll for people...

State Capital

2006-03-31T20:34:00.000-08:00

What's a state capital city without the State House Building?

I apologise for the 'crap' in the foreground - I was in a hurry to be somewhere else, but the blue sky and bright sunlight just convinced me that I had to take the photo right then! Maybe I should go in and tour the place before I leave this summer. I've been to the state house building in Lansing, MI which was pretty nice!

Spring Break BBQ

2006-03-30T18:50:00.000-08:00

I was at home all day, and so today's photo is taken from my apartment. Some guys (well, my neighbors whom I've never met) from the adjacent building were having a BBQ in the 'backyard' late afternoon (can tell from the sunset lighting). Haha... I secretly took this photo not wanting them to know they were being 'captured'. And so you see a strip of the blinds on the bottom of the photo.

Castle-ish church

2006-03-29T17:25:00.000-08:00

The grey-castle-looking building to the left is a church that sits a block away from where I live. I haven't been inside, being too shy to step in and see the relationship between exterior and interior. I see ceremonial gatherings, hear choirs singing, or see informal/social events when I pass by from time to time. But the architecture has quite a contrast with its surrounding buildings, mostly of which are New England styled apartment buildings. The church has a... not exactly medieval feel... but certainly something something non-New England like. What do you think?

Welcome to Providence

2006-03-28T19:22:00.000-08:00

Hi! Welcome to my first place. After learning about the DailyPhoto blog by accident, I've become hooked onto this 'club'. It's amazing to see such a range of photos from around the world. And now, I want to share a piece of where I have lived for the past three years of my life.

So the first photo to share is that of downtown Providence. As you can see, there aren't that many buildings in the city as it is one that has only recently begun developing. The building in the middle which appears to form a pointed top is the Bank of America building (formerly the Fleet Bank building before being bought by B of Amer). The buildings to its left are office buildings, which I unfortunately do not know the name of. To the right is the Biltmore Hotel, which has a red neon sign lit up on the roof at night.