citylikeyou — New York / Michael Szivos

Michael is a designer who has worked in New York since 2000. After leaving behind the bayous of Louisiana for NYC he received a masters degree in architecture from Columbia University. After school he began teaching and started SOFTlab, a design studio that is a unique blend of designers, artists, architects and educators who approach every project from a fresh perspective to create rich spatial, graphic, interactive and visual experiences. By mixing research, creativity and technology with a strong desire to make working fun, SOFTlab attempts to create new and unique experiences.

http://www.softlabnyc.com

Designer Architect

Current city: New York

softlabnyc.com

New York / Cafe

I am definitely a creature of habit, some good, some bad, and some worse. This is one of my better ones. Pretty much stop here every day on my way to the studio for caffeine. They brew up stumptown and always see someone I know from the neighborhood. When I get to the front of the line there is already a large coffee ready for me.

New York / Restaurant

I can never decide if I like pies or thighs more. Figure it's not the worst problem to have. Chicken biscuit is so good it should be listed as a narcotic. If you live in NYC and you haven't been, GO! If you are visiting and you find yourself in Williamsburg, GO!

New York / Bar

This is one of my favorite bars in Manhattan. It has a courtyard in the middle and they only serve a large selection of Belgian beer. It's always dark with red lights so it's like a giant darkroom with everyone developing hangovers instead of film. The courtyard creates a front bar that is open on the weekends, so if you get cornered talking about architecture you can escape over to the front bar and watch people walk down 4th street.

New York / Restaurant

I have been getting burgers here since I first moved to NYC. I think it is 1000 years old or something like that. Only two types of burgers, with or without bacon. I like easy decisions and this place is full of them. There is usually a line to be seated, but it always seems to go fast with $2.50 mugs of McSorley's. It's also at this strange vortex in the west village where 4th street and 12th street cross. Maybe that's why the line never takes too long and everything is so cheap.

New York / Park

I wish NYC produced more public projects like this. Chelsea is always worth a visit to check out the galleries. The highline is just another reason to make over to 10th ave. It is near our studio and a walk on the Highline always seems to clear any fog that might be gathering in your head. There are sections between buildings filled with trees. At night you can almost forget you are in the city. As an architect you can always find a detail or something that you would have done differently or that you think could have been better. The Highline is one of the few projects where everything just works perfectly how it is.

New York / Bar

This is my local spot and one of my bad habits. The bartenders make sure I don't do anything to embarrassing and its full of regulars. Has dangerously replaced my living room. It's one of the only real dive bars on Smith street. Layers of funkiness help keep away the frat boys and bachelorette parties. Never closes before 4am so all the other neighborhood bartenders, cooks, and waiters stop by after work. Needless to say that only the best business decisions get made here!

New York / Illustrator

Italian illustrator who moved to New York because of love. Since then she has been working as a freelance illustrator with: The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Planadviser, Plansponsor, Jamie Magazine, Skelton Design, The Center For Urban Pedagogy, Now What, Maxus, Weber Shandwick, Accurat and S'well bottle as surface and pattern designer.

New York / Art Director

Saxon Campbell is designer, creative, and photographer. Saxon is from Oklahoma originally but currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. Saxon graduated Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma with a bachelor's of art degree, majoring in visual communication with photography and minoring in graphic design. Saxon has lived in the New York for awhile now working with clients of all kinds. Saxon’s has worked in fashion, fitness, residential, university, and non-profit organizations. Saxon works with a wide range of freelance clients and working with his fashion blog. (es-cape.co) Saxon is open to all and any work you might have for him. Send him an email. (info@saxoncampbell.com)

New York / Art Director

Designer and Creative Director in New York

New York / Painter

Aesther Chang is a fine artist based in NYC. She is known for her nuanced and subtle abstract paintings. Her works experiment with textures and colors, and the play between linear and ethereal elements. Moments of free improvisation call for a turn toward meditation. What she seeks through the process is harmony, or in her own words “oneness between self and matter”. Chang’s works directly invite the viewer to realize a deeper dimension within one’s very own being- a transcendental realm beyond the body and mind. To unlock this realm, one must go inward.

New York / Film Director

director | photographer

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