Luci Westphal

Luci Westphal is a German New Yorker who divides her time between Brooklyn and Berlin. She makes one-minute videos of subjects that appeal to her. She's prolific (and extremely interesting), if nothing else.

The following quote is taken from her blog:

When I moved to New York in the late 90s it was still a raw and affordable neighborhood not yet zoned for residential apartments. Back then it was full of artist's studios and illegal lofts with amazing views of Manhattan and the bridges, with charming cobble stone, lots of garbage trucks, underground parties and always the noise of the subway crossing the Manhattan Bridge.

    Some of my earliest memories of living in New York City are visits to the DUMBO studio of our old friend and gifted painter Scott Sanders - and be inspired by him and the other artists and the view from the rooftop of the alluring, sparkling metropolis across the river: I felt that I had arrived in the city of my dreams.

    Of course, developers, city planners and people with larger incomes figured out eventually what a pearl lay across the river just one subway stop away. Condos went up, art studios were replaced by legal apartments and stores and offices moved into the neighborhood.

    While I miss the raw atmosphere of the older days (and those rooftop parties), I do appreciate how a lot of the beauty is being restored and preserved and that I can now get my favorite hot chocolate from Jacques Torres when I walk around one of the windiest (and thus coldest) corners of New York.

Here's her DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) video.



And here's her Graffiti Factory video, from Berlin. (You know I can't resist street art.)

And just one more, a ride across the Brooklyn Bridge. I'd love to do it myself. Probably never will (despite the fact I have a standing invitation to dinner with Anne Flournoy, one of New York's finest filmmakers), so here's the next best thing. 

Luci says:

I LOVE the Brooklyn Bridge. I love walking across it, riding on it (if no one steps into the bike lane in front of me), driving over it, stopping for a drink, taking photos, taking a boat under it, gazing at it from Brooklyn or from Manhattan. I think walking across it is the absolute "must do" for anyone visiting NYC. It's a great way to approach the city - but also a lovely way to leave the noise and claustrophobia and people of Manhattan behind and cherish the wide open space on your way to Brooklyn.

(Note: Parts of the bridge are screened off, due to renovations taking place.)

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