Urban Adventure

The words on the disjointed sign blare out the name “DEMOLITION DEPOT,” but the gears, planks, and oddments that make up the giant letters show the trade of this establishment: architectural salvage.

Unstably tethered to the southeastern edge of Brooklyn, Staten Island welcomes no one, and no one welcomes Staten Island.

The quiet streets of Blissville, Queens cannot be found on maps of New York City. Located in a borough synonymous with change and diversity, where storefront awnings parade every language, flag, and color down the eclectic Roosevelt Avenue, Blissville is an oasis of gray. Though its name conjures the ethereal heavens, downtown Blissville rises along the twin hills of the Calvary Cemetery like the ruins of an ancient Roman city in miniature.

At 60th Street and Second Avenue, the aerial tramway platform to Roosevelt Island stands like a full scale K’NEX model haphazardly placed in a city of steel and stone. Its beams of radiant orange, red, blue, and yellow are alien to the surrounding cityscape.