On my way to a meeting yesterday, I emerged from the subway in the dense, brilliant clutter of signs and graphics that is Times Square. Looking around, I couldn't tell which way was West; under a stormy sky, the usual navigation method failed. With all the signs here, I thought, why not add a giant compass - just a little graphic courtesy strictly for New Yorkers, who routinely say, "Meet me on the NW corner of Whatever Street and Avenue?"

View from 11th Avenue and 37th Street looking East. If you look closely at the left side of the picture, a quarter of the way up, you'll find the Empire State Building's crown. Photo: Peggy Roalf.

Leaving Exit Art a few hours later, I had the completely opposite experience of the city streetscape at 11th Avenue and 37th Street (above). Stretching ahead was a mega-block-long chunk of open space - with one of Times Square's new blue glass buildings gleaming in the distance. The lamp post and tree framing the view create a window-on-the-world effect that's become increasingly rare as New York's building boom continues.

Reminder: Ecoaesthitcs: The Tragedy of Beauty (photographs by Edward Burtynsky, Mitch Epstein, Anthony Hamboussi, Chris Jordan, Christopher LaMarca, Sze Tsung Leong, David Maisel, Susannah Sayler/The Canary Project, and Jo Syz) and Consume (which investigates the world's systems of food production, distribution, consumption and waste) open tonight at Exit Art from 7-10pm. Please visit the website for information and directions.

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