It’s beautiful inside, lots of smooth lines and dark wood, and I [...]]]> I’ve visited the Oslo opera house many times but have never been tempted enough by any of its concerts to actually see the main music hall inside. So when they held an open house this weekend, I jumped at the chance to go visit.

It’s beautiful inside, lots of smooth lines and dark wood, and I really liked the “centerpiece” (shown above): it’s a simple but elegant skylight—though perhaps that can only be appreciated after you’ve been exposed to the garish 70′s style chandelier at the Met and at the New York City Opera.

the folks at Operaen claim that its acoustics are among the top 3 in the world. while I don’t know if that’s true, this building is definitely the architectural highlight of Oslo. gorgeous!

benches + pots + spots

pedestrianized... except for the loading [...]]]> I am often passing by Torggata, so I was pleased to see that they are making the street more pedestrian and bike-friendly! Sort of like what they did with New York’s Time Square, they’ve started painting the road itself–but in this case with green spots:

benches + pots + spots

pedestrianized... except for the loading zone

The High Line is a new park that opened in 2009, built from an old elevated railway track running from Chelsea to the Meatpacking district. It’s still not completed, but so far it consists of pretty landscaping with bits of public art–making for a cool little walk in lower west Manhattan. [...]]]>

the highline at dusk

The High Line is a new park that opened in 2009, built from an old elevated railway track running from Chelsea to the Meatpacking district. It’s still not completed, but so far it consists of pretty landscaping with bits of public art–making for a cool little walk in lower west Manhattan. And because it’s elevated, you get some nice views of the old industrial area, which is now mixed with fancy modern architecture.

The website for the project is here.