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“A fool-proof method for sculpting an elephant: first, get a huge block of marble; then you chip away everything that doesn’t look like an elephant.” — Author Unknown
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Two weeks ago I found myself in NYC without a place to stay. This was the perfect beginning to my week of inspiration seeking.

After a bit of research in a mid-town coffee house (utilizing their wireless connection), I found a great deal on a hotel in lower Manhattan, with a soul-searching view.



The World Center Hotel (a luxury hotel with deeply discounted rates until this project is complete) is adjacent to “Ground Zero” and in the pic above (from my room), you can clearly see the footprints of the former twin towers. They will become fountains/reflecting pools when complete. The image below shows the progress of the Freedom Tower–they are working on the 70th floor.



I walked over to the site each morning on my way uptown and spent a good half-hour each day observing the thousands of visitors from around the world who are paying their respects as tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches–an amazing experience.

Now For Some Woodworking/Design….
One of the most famous chairs in the world is the Superleggera Chair by Gio Ponti. And until this trip, I had never seen one in person. Wow.

The Supperleggera Chair was a design with a specific criteria: easily lifted by a child–with one finger.

I first saw pictures of Gio Ponti’s iconic chair in the ’70’s. I am pleased to share that the entire chair weighs less than 4 lbs. It is one of the most amazingly constructed chairs–from the trilobal leg design to the graceful arch of the back…I played with one for almost an hour. It first entered the market in 1957. Current versions are just under $2,000 ea.

You can’t touch/feel/lift this chair without thinking that “less is more”. In addition, I found the painted variations way more beautiful than the basic wood version. This is not uncommon with great designs–paint accents the form in a way that is obscured in some cases by wood grain.

The work of Gio Ponti is worthy of continued interest if design is your focus. He was an amazing human being.

–John