Landscape Architecture Symposium

To side track a bit from my Off Campus Project, I wanted to share a public event that will be free this week from October 16th to October 17th: The Landscape Architecture Symposium here in Buffalo, NY. There will be eight featured speakers discussing about the examination of changing landscape of architectural patronage.

The symposium will open Oct. 16 with a panel, “Student as Instigator,” at 5:30 p.m. in the Greatbatch Pavilion, 125 Jewett Parkway, Buffalo, on the site of the Darwin Martin House. It will feature guest speakers and UB architecture students in a discussion about the role of emerging young designers in a shifting landscape for practice.

The schedule on Oct. 17 will begin at 9 a.m. in Harriman Hall, South Campus. Events will include a series of panels organized around the emerging roles of the architect—as an advocate actively engaging new client bases, as a detective uncovering hidden conditions and spaces, and as an initiator forging entrepreneurial and innovative business models for architectural practice. A catered reception will follow at 7:30 p.m. in Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo. For more information and reservation to this event, please click on the links below:

http://www.buffalo.edu/ubreporter/2012_10_11/martell_symposium

http://beyondpatronage.wordpress.com/rsvp/?contact-form-id=14&contact-form-sent=294&_wpnonce=2f01e5471e#contact-form-14

- Edward L

Crossing the Border

Canada’s minimum wage is on average $10. I found that number to be very fascinating in comparison to the $7.25 that America has. The trip this weekend to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls and the city of Toronto was eye-opening and most defiantly a new experience and additional to this Off Campus Program. The toll was $3.25 to cross the bridge to the border of the U.S. into Canada with no additionally toll to come back. There was also the $1 toll to cross Grand Island from Buffalo there and back. So a round trip with a car as your mode of transportation cost a total of $5.25.

First of all, one of the most important things to know is that Canada uses a different metric system and secondly a different currency. Once I drove in Canada, I notice the green sign on the right of the highway that stated that the speed limit was 100. I thought to myself 100 is quite fast and realized that it was 100kmph, which is equivalent to 60mph moments after. The currency of Canada is also different and it seems to me like people in Canada see U.S. dollars as change and not so much as a dollar bill with any value. That is because 1 U.S. dollar = 0.9796 Canadian dollars. The American dollar is worth less than a dollar in Canada. The smallest bill Canada has is a $5. The value of $1 in Canada is a gold coin. I also had to close my cellphone because of international fees and thus had no phone to use. However, as a surprise there are a few payphones in the streets of Toronto. After visiting Niagara Falls in Canada, I drove on the QEW and an hour and a half later arrived in the bright busy streets of Toronto. I visited the small neighborhood of Chinatown and saw that there was a trolley used as a bus system with streets constructed in cobblestone material. Canada is very different from the city of Buffalo, but at the same time reminds me much of New York City.

- Edward L 

Interview from the Philippines

This marks the end of week 7 and start of week 8 for the Off Campus Program. This week flew by as I prepare for my trip to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls State Park or as it’s called in the Canadian side: Queen Victoria Park or Niagara Parkway Boardwalk. I also plan on going to the neighboring city of Toronto this weekend after passing by the Park. Toronto is the capital and largest city in the province of Ontario, Canada with over two and a half million people.

Regarding my study topic, I met a family this week while working who were visiting from the Philippines who asked about the Niagara Falls State Park. The first thing that came to my head was that there was an abroad family from South East Asia that came to Buffalo to visit Niagara Falls State Park and I thought that was insane. I quickly told them that I was actually doing a study on Niagara Falls State Park and the impacts it has to the city of Buffalo, NY.  Moments after, I asked if I could have a quick interview with them asking them a few more questions regarding their visit. From that interview, I realized they were here in Buffalo for professional/work reasons for a week and the first big attraction they thought of in Buffalo is Niagara Falls State Park to see The Falls that separates the U.S from Canada. It was quite an interview as well as the rest of the day at my job after meeting a family from the Philippines who came for job purposes and then later decide that they will go to the Niagara Falls State Park. Meeting the family and having the interview defiantly made my day and week. However what I noticed is that it does seem like there is this big misinterpretation that the Niagara Falls State Park being in the city of Buffalo when it is actually located in Niagara Falls, NY.

Furthermore, after coming back from New York City last weekend I noticed that I have got a lot closer to my family because of this Off Campus Program. I find myself calling my family more and keeping in contact more than I did when I was in Syracuse.

- Edward L 

Columbus Day Weekend

After turning 22 this past weekend I feel the growth of responsibility hit me harder than last year. It was an additional year in which I developed friends, professional networks, and experienced life changing events that will get me closer to reach my career path; for all that I am thankful. I would like to thank my family for all the support and guidance that they gave that got me to where I am now. I would also like to thank my professors, advisor, and the director of this program for making this Off Campus Program a reality, without you all I would not be writing this blog entry and this website would have never existed.  Thank you.

Going back to my study, the advisor meeting in which I mentioned last entry did not go how I planned for it to go. The three goals that I have developed for myself did not get achieved. Unfortunately, the meeting did not even take place. There was a football game in Syracuse last Friday and all faculty needed to be off parking grounds by 5pm, which is when I arrived on campus. However, on the bright side I got in contact with my advisor for this Off Campus Project and we will be skyping to keep in contact as a more efficient means of communication in order for the evaluation of the work done so far and guidance to the following steps to progress on this project. I hope this will be soon because this week marks the start of week 7 in the Off Campus Program, which is half of the 14 week Off Campus Program.

After self- evaluation, I have kept up with my journal entry, journal sketchbook, project notebook, and blogging my progress, but lacking in terms of the start in my thesis project. The weekend away from my project gave me the perfect inspiration and motivation to get me back on track and evaluate what I have done and what I need to do in order to answer my study question for my Off Campus Project. Time management and good communication with professors could really make or break this Off Campus experience. 

- Edward L

Advisor Visit

This is the end of week 6 and my first post to another month of my Off Campus Program here in Buffalo, N.Y. After a self- evaluation of what I have done, I must say that I have gotten a late start. I am one week later than planned from my schedule created in my proposal, which means that I have to be on my A-game for the next few days/weeks to catch up what I have not completed. Later this afternoon, I will be making a trip down to Syracuse for my advisor visit, which is actually supposed to be in between week 4 and 5. In this advisor meeting, I hope to achieve three goals:

1)    Have closure to my past study in Puerto Rico

2)    Evaluation to work completed thus far in Buffalo, NY

3)    Guidance to the following steps I will need to progress from work completed in order to answer my study question

As a result to this meeting in Syracuse, I've actually decided drive back down to New York City for my birthday weekend. I will be taking this weekend as a means of reliving home sickness since I haven’t had any physical contact with my family for 6 weeks. I hope after making this long trip down to Syracuse and then New York City and back to Buffalo will give me the adrenaline that will recharge my body to start working on continuing my process on finding the answer to my study question to my Off Campus Program, which is refresh everybody:

What is the influence of Niagara Falls as a tourism icon to the surrounding community of Buffalo, NY?

 - Edward L

Road Bump

This weekend was just a break for me and my car. Unfortunately, my car was put into the car shop to be fixed. Taking a break from this study, I started to think about other factors of my Off Campus Program. Some issues that came up were my financial stability currently in this program. My budget slightly went off to a tangent due to some minor fees and maintenance. I am trying to support myself and have been working part time to support myself and this Off Campus Program.

Prior to this Off Campus Program, I developed some goals for myself which included: being more independent and finding my own design process without having any supervision from my parents and professors. But what I realized was that I do in fact need or if not need, want some supervision to help guide me in this process of finding my own pathway of design and independence. I realize that I need guidance and some supervision in my design process. I get lost and at times can’t find the way out. As for now I roam the hallways of Capen Hall Library searching for guidance through these selves of textbooks and journals until I run into some interesting articles that get me back on track. One article I found interesting was this one:

Can Buffalo Ever Come Back?

http://www.city-journal.org/html/17_4_buffalo_ny.html

- Edward L

The Queen City

Taking a break from visiting the Falls this week, I decided to look up more on the history and the correlation between the tourist site to the city of Buffalo. Niagara Falls State Park is actually placed in the corner of a few little communities that surround the park. Niagara being the border of the community that separates Canada from the U.S. is actually connected to the north side community of Gorge. The community of Gorge then extends the border line between the Canadian border and the American border where Rainbow Bridge is in. To the east of Gorge is the Main Street community; a lot of bars, hotels, and restaurants fill up the busy night life streets. Below the Main Street is the Old Falls community adjacent to the Niagara community (please refer to picture above). The Old Falls community is full of historic aspects from statues to plaques of the fighting ground.

Along with all the communities is the famous Seneca Niagara Casino that I mentioned in the past post. Although the tourist map states that this Park is broken into different communities, I feel like they together act as one. These communities are all almost adjacent to each other which help one community get the visitors to the other. Ending on a positive note towards my study, I found that in the early 20th century, the city of Buffalo began calling itself the City of Light both because of the plentiful hydroelectric power made possible by nearby Niagara Falls and because it was the first city in America to have electric street lights!


- Edward L