Reviews are done, although it truly does not feel like it yet. I need time to come down off the high of studio work. Time was, as is for any studio project, not on my side and I went a few nights in a row with very little sleep and a lot of caffeine. Now that I am "done" there is lots of time to chill and re-experience the city. Yesterday our amazing Accent Center director Deniz B. took us all out for a farewell dinner. It was in a neighborhood called the "women's bazaar" it sold a lot of cheese and honey. There were some cool streets with kids playing soccer, they didn't allow cars through. It was a fun time. The we went to the Pera Palace for dessert. It is a great hotel now, an 18th century morish influenced building. I got an delicious strawberry cake.
Today Rachel, Andrea and I went to Tophane to get haircuts, then walked to the train and went to Eminonu aka the Spice Bazaar stop. We literally went shopping to find extra luggage so that we have enough space for everything we have acquired throughout the trip. We have been so many places that ticket stubs, t-shirts, hookahs, and gifts have really added up! Now we are packing, some of us staying in the region for a bit longer and have to say goodbye to those who are leaving. Its a crazy time of transition. I think traveling, living and studying with the same 12 people has een one of the most intense experiences of my life. I learned a lot about myself and what I want out of life and my degree. Next year I will be starting the accelerated Masters of Landscape Architecture at UMN. I am really excited to have my own desk! and meet the people I will be working closely with for the next couple of years! Wow. One adventure to the next. I hope things are wrapping up for everyone well back at the U.

If anyone has any questions or wants to chat about the trip or the MLA please feel free to write me a question via the comments.

Until next time,

Sarah S.

Hey UMN!
Well we are really getting close to finishing up the school year. But finals and presentations are still in our future!
In Turkey we are still working on a design project the involves a ferry, bus, and 2 types of Metro-Tram stations. It is an intensive almost semester long project. So far we have had to work at all scales, almost city/region,neighborhood, site, and details on the site. It has been difficult to work long term on this project, because there are so many elements to keep track of and design. A lot of times I get frustrated with my own work and think it is incomplete or just plain ugly. However, my professor Ozayr has been helping us all through these moments of doubt and uncertainty.
We did have some relief this week as the whole group traveled through Turkey from Istanbul to Urgup, a day trip through the mountain formations of the Devrent Valley and Cappadocia, even a hot air balloon ride at dawn. Then we made a quick pit stop at Afghani poet, Mewlana Jalaluddin Rumi's, tomb. Tombs, or Tumbesi, are structure attached to the mosque complex, with large headstones that are used to signify importance or position of the people that are buried. Rumi seemed amazing, his tomb was giant, and his work is epic!

From Central Anatolia we traveled about 13 hours to Kusadasi, a small beach town with a lot of fun exciting tourist activity. We took a day trip to Ephesus, as you can see in the pictures to the left and below. We all took notice of how well preserved these ruins are, for a city that was established over 8 thousand years ago. It was a new type of experience, and the day put all of us in good spirits, and gave us some much needed fresh air!
We are finally back in the city of Istanbul, with only 10 days left to be together, learning and traveling all the time. It feels surreal how fast the trip went and how many things I have seen and done. Next week will be my final review so I will be writing with that experience and some final words from the session in Istanbul.

Until Next Week,

Sarah S.
Landscape Design and Planning

Hey UMN,

It is so close to the beginning of Summer! Most of us are excited, but for a few of us, including me, things are getting down to the wire. Expected graduations, class schedules not being perfect. Its a lot to handle on top of the semesters work!
So I am reporting back to you about class schedule issues, internship status and the MLA program. Update: I did get into the MLA (Masters of Landscape Architecture) at the U of M. So starting next fall I begin with my accelerated masters degree curriculum. Im so happy that I was introduced to the idea and pushed to apply by my Professor and head of the LA Department, Brad Agee. Brad was here in Istanbul, and really helped me along with the process. Now I am getting ready to start a new chapter in my academic journey. However, the MLA course work is very demanding. I still have some undergraduate credits to finish up and was having a hard time figuring out my schedule with the MLA requirements. So I got out some emails to Brad and my advisor Chris Schlichting...having trouble getting things figured out in Istanbul. They were super helpful and now I'm going to be taking summer courses at Minneapolis Community and Technical College to get myself in good shape for the fall. Focusing on my Masters courses is super important and I do not want any further distractions coming at me next fall. Both Brad and Chris have been helping me figure out things to make sure I graduate, like summer courses and the required internship, which I still do not have set up. Things are looking complicated, but I know I have people at the U of M who are there to help and encourage me through the tough times.

Back to the present time in Turkey. These pictures are all of the Topkapi Palace. We had two classes in one day at the site, it was a long fun beautiful day of sketching. The group was getting ready for some reviews last Monday, mostly re-figuring some plan work, and taking the comments from our amazing critic panel last week to help push our designs. We are also heading out to Cappadocia, Turkey in central Anatolia on Tuesday. Its a semi spring break that we are having almost at the end of the term. I am hoping for clear sunny skies for the hot air balloon ride we will take at about 5:30 am Wednesday morning.

Until next week,

Sarah S.

This week is the start of the end. Its 3 weeks til finals. Our reviews are intense and getting the project at Kabatas is getting detialed like i never have done before. It is exciting seeing a place where you are "working" coming to life through drawings. But its also important to give all the courses and lessons here in Istanbul a highlight on the blog. Today we went on a walking tour of the Grand Bazaar. Not a shopping tour, like it may seem, but Ozayr had a friend come and walk us through all the intricacies, HANS, history, hidden passages, antiquated productions, rooftops and great merchants' stores.
There are tons of amazing sites in Istanbul that we all have become familiar with, but there so many places we would never get to see if not for Ozayr and his amazing array of contacts. We got to see a collapsed in roof that housed a giant loom. The weaving industry of Istanbul had to be pushed out by the government because of the intense vibrations the machines caused. We walked up onto the roofs of a han courtyard, the same roof featured in James Bond Skyfall. Although it seemed much too small to actually facilitate that great chase seen, it was beautiful the views spectacular and the city was all around us. We stayed up there until the sounds of the call to prayer began. Then i shut my eyes and heard so many sounds I never let myself hear before. My experience was one of a kind. And i cant believe how nice it was to shut my eyes and let myself experience the city which is so vivid and visual, in a different way. Let yourself be influenced by out of the ordinary happenings. The design college is always telling us to go out and experience things in order to gain a better understanding of what we want to do and what we like. Do these types of things while you can.
Go to the Mississippi River, Draw, Photograph, Listen, Collage, Paint and Write. These types of memories will do you much better than doing just one or even studying from the images found on the internet or just a book. its these types of analysis images that help our designs and can create a really dynamic and inspired design. Im trying to learn to trust my own designs by doing these things more often. So go try something new or different than your used to. Incorporate this into your work at school. Have fun, and stay strong for just a few more weeks!
Until next time,

Sarah S.

So we have just 6 weeks left of the semester. Time has flown by, moving from Minneapolis to Italy and then to Istanbul has been a crazy experience. I feel like I am working so hard, and getting so little done at times. In Istanbul are doing an amazing studio project, learning HIstory of the Mediterranean region, from Byzantium to Constantinople to Istanbul, and taking a Visual Cultures course that requires presentations on different themes around the city. That plus blogging for the trip and CDES, trying to stay in shape for soccer season, cooking, and sharing the slowest internet possible with 3 other people, it feels like time is not on my side. I am sure you can relate! somehow at the end of every semester, no matter how well you mangage your time, there is so much to do. These pictures are of our excursion to the Prince's Islands, a day full of biking and climbing up some rocks and fun with the whole group.
I decided to try and stay calm, keep exercising, and make the most of the time I do work. Its okay to manage your time so that you have free/relaxing hours in your day. Although when your trying to reach multiple deadlines it seems like the worst idea ever. It is important for students to take time for ourselves. If not we might end up stressing out too much, not being productive, getting emotional, all in all make ourselves sick or unhealthy.

Dont get me wrong, if your stressed out and in a time crunch, go do something that you enjoy that might inspire a project or assignment. For example, last Thursday I was feeling down, so I went on a walk around the Tophane Park area, above the main road. I found some great street art, views of the Bosphorous, an organic cafe (which are a rare treat in this city), and some awesome new staircases that cut straight down mountain sides. I was totally taken aback by how easy it was to change my mood, just by changing hat i was doing. Makes sense, but sometimes we all need a much deserved, albiet obvious, change of pace. I returned to my work the next day and felt more centered, able to concentrate and had some great stories to share.

Stay sane and happy out there guys. Until next week,

Sarah S.

This week I had a large design planning review for the Kabatas Ferry Station/Site . On the study abroad trip we have BED, BS, and BDA students. As, you may recall from the previous posts, our assignment here in Istanbul tailored to our degree programs and everyone learns from each other for different components of their work. Its a very good experience to talk with designers from different fields and get some unique insights. The reviews were really exciting, and we all spent a lot of time on our drawings for a short time to explain ourselves, thoughts, and processes. I realized how unprepared I was for my presentation! I had worked so hard to get my lines and renderings down pat, but when I had my turn to talk, it all came out in a quick spattering of information that could have made a stronger case for either one of my design ideas. All I can say is to practice the speech before you get to the presentation, and remember to write down the notes of your critique. It will help you for future assignments!
Just click the image to enlarge!

Precedents used for our designs include, but are not limited to :
historic Frogtown district urban farm...up and coming, thanks to the light rail project ....will connect you to the U of M
Kinetic energy pavement tiles...making energy out of traffic!
HighLine New York
Also if your looking for something cultural in the surrounding communities, Powderhorn Park is hosting a Holi Festival (Festival of Lights) with Bollywood Dancing and food this Wednesday April 3rd at 6:30pm.

These are super key terms when going through a design project. In this program we meld a lot of architecture and landscape terminology and project concepts into one big old studio course. We had our analysis review last week which was really cool, insightful and bringing peoples ideas together. Now I am collecting samples, examples, pictures and studies of design elements I like and want to include in either or both of the design schemes due Monday. Luckily I have some LA2301 digital graphic info stashed in my head and im ready to get to work on the Photoshop, Illustrator, AutoCAD and SketchUp. Yes, all of those programs just to do a couple designs this week. It is so important to know the fundamentals of each of these programs and they will save you time in the long run, plus they are great additions to your resume.
Speaking of resumes I have sent out mine to a handful of potential employers and Its scary waiting to hear from them. Internships and seasonal employment can be heard to come by but the U has some great opportunities. Last summer i got my job at a FREE environmental career fair that I went to at the St. Paul Student Center. I literally found out the day before. Its important to print your resume out, just incase they ask for it. Take a look at which companies will be there, have a game plan of which tables to hit so you dont look lost or bored! My advice is to play dress up. It shows you care, even though you have class for 6 hours that day. Also go to the portfolio and resume courses that the UMN offers for free. I am really sad that I have missed those opportunities this semester. It would have been great to have a solid resume and portfolio right now.
A great tumblr site the ARCH kids showed me today... you know...as if you need another distraction. A cool firm doing cool things: KMD Architects And last but not least, I finally ate brunch with the boys and bought some very high quality salmon at the markets. sweeeeeet.

Until next week,

Sarah S.

Landscape Planning BED: 2014

This weekend began with an amazing, almost too good to be true, celebration of the Accent center and first UMN-Rome-Istanbul-MSP trip. The party was awesome and I got a chance to mix, mingle, and share my experiences thus far with some amazingly talented and driven people. Must give a special shout out to my professor here Ozayr, who with the help of many, got the studio space looking great in less than a few days. This program would not be the same without you!

Back to reality, we are designing a ferry and transit station on the coast of the Bosporous Straight known as Kabataş. To help our analysis we have chosen a secondary site to interact with. Mine is called Üsküdar, it is located on the Anatolian side of Istanbul City. I have learned a lot about how the pros and the cons of Kabataş can be reinterpreted to make the site be a better place, and space to be, instead of just a place to pass through. Make it usable! Wow, that's what I have been learning in Landscape Planning and Design courses all the time. Making a space a better place is not always a matter of vast changes or overhauling the original site. It is more likely that economically feasible alterations and deliberate planning ideas will end up being utilized. Cities like to conserve money and people like to use spaces they understand and are familiar with. In this context my site design might change only a little, but will allow for a number of affordances and amenities previously not offered. These can include a safe way to cross traffic, more lighting, better accessibility to the water/food/information areas, or even as simple as adding bathrooms. In a profession where building resources are becoming sparse and everyone wants a lot of design for a little cash, we need to be able to create design concepts that are environmentally aware and that give clients what they ask for. Good smart design practices are a good start. I hope you think about this next time you are doing a project for class. Hope this helps you start thinking about new cool ideas.

Here are some great articles on cool (and do-able) green designs:

Recycle, Reduce, Adaptive Reuse
Rain Barrels!
redesigning a Rooftop to produce food! One of my favorite ideas.

For a list of more green designs, go to the ASLA website

thanks for reading. Until next week

Sarah S.

Well, I have been in Istanbul 11 days already. Its going by quick and were learning a great deal about the city of Istanbul, the Bosphorous, Architecture, Golden Horn, Constantinople, Byzantine Culture and History. Classes started again on Monday we have a Design Studio course led by Ozayr, Turkish language lessons led by our ACCENT leader and awesome guide Deniz B. and a history class called "Byzantium Constantinople: crossroads of east and west" headed by Deniz K. We are busy. But we still have a lot of fun out in the metropolis that is Istanbul. This is possibly one of my favorite cities I have ever been. Last night I was asked where my favorite place to travel has been, although only a week and a half in, it is pretty close to the top. The weather is getting nicer, which you might not like to hear. I am sorry my MN snow bound friends. I really am sorry.
As I keep familiarizing myself with the city I am in awe of how fast I became comfortable here. The program, put in motion and set up by Ozayr and many supporters, is a culmination of his hard work and amazing ability to work alongside and befriend almost anyone he meets. It seems that Ozayr makes friends with everyone. By the end of the trip the whole block will know him. Which is a great thing for the UMN connection to Turkey! This program is open to all Architecture Students and Landscape Planning and Design Students. A trip like this is helping me build my portfolio and resume. Brad Agee, a 3 time professor of mine and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of Landscape Architecture is here to lend a knowledgable hand in our studio design project. He is also visiting the center and helping put on the welcome dinner soiree that is being thrown in honor of the beginning of UMN in Istanbul. Lots of professors, Architects, Regents, and even the Dean Tom Fisher wil be in attendance. I wish I could tell you more! IF you do want more, you should check out our wordpress blog that the whole group contributes to. Its a better look into daily life and fun adventures.

Until Next Time,

Sarah S.
Landscape BED May 2014

...not literally of course! I do, however, feel an immense wave of culture and language washing over me here in Istanbul.
So we have been immersed into Istanbul. I am loving the city so far, especially the cuisine. We dined at JUNO a really hip young place near our apartments last night. We started with a meat and olive plate, then I had Izgara tavuk salata, or grilled chicken salad! It was so good. Finish it off with a tasty brownie and our night was complete...and stomachs were full. Then today, Tuesday we started our day in search of waffles, expertly filled with candy and fruit, and what else but Nutella. Some of us walked up to get coffees and street breads (mine was "potato" but it was mostly just bread. A great breakfast. The off to sketch at the mall, Kanyon Mall, which was gorgeous. It also happened to have the same architects as the Mall of America back in MN; coincidence, I think not Ozayr. The mall was cool, and we were cold so we hurried off to the Ferry. The trip across the Bosphorus was so beautiful. Dolphins swam along side our ferry and the colors and view were great, even though most of us freezing cold. The trip is shaping up to be great, and Ozayr is showing us our new grounds for the project as well as good places to eat and get chay (tea) along the way!

This week is going to be huge for the MSP-UMN-FCO-IST crew. We have our projects finishing up...they are so cool! Huge maps of the city of Rome. Narratives melding with history and imagery. Its taking awhile to get them together, but I am looking forward to the review!
We went to Tivoli, Italy Saturday. It was a rainy day trip, still so lovely even though it was raining. We talked about the wild expanse of Hadrians Villa and the controlled upkeep and management of Villa D'Este. Hadrian created an imperial compound, acres of densely built up structures, Biblioteche (libraries), Gardins (gardens), Stadio (stadiums), multiple chapels, and so much more. It is a huge complex now in ruins and exposed brick. To warm up midday we all stopped in the caffe and got cappuccino e cioccolato caldo. Delicioso.
Next stop: Villa D'Este. My favorite garden from LA 3413...Landscape History. Completely changed my view of the site however, to be there was so cool. The slope was insane, feeling at times like atop a cliff then flat. The upkeep on the Cardinal's villa is handled well and the parterre de broderie is well manicured and full. What is the most engaging feature of this site is the water. Its everywhere, flowing, gushing, standing, shining, running freely yet highly controlled. Somehow the engineering conquers gravity and is dispersed throughout the villa. The avenue of One Hundred Fountains, the Neptune Fountain, Oval Fountain, paths lined with rills. Hydrology is essential to this site and Hadrian's Villa. Italians do it well.

I'm off to bed (sufficiently needed!) and you will be hearing from me next time from Istanbul!

Sarah S.

Or Rather, the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. This amazing building was the landmark of the city for sure. We could not walk anywhere without referencing the Duomo! In a smaller city like Florence we got to experience a lot more of the city in just a few days, although most of us fell in love with Florence. The Arno River cuts through the city, similar to Rome and the rough Tiber, although the multitude of pedestrian bridges really captured a more intimate relationship with the natural realm than I have felt in Rome. The Piazzas were always full of activity and sunny most of the day. It felt easy to sit and draw most places, people stopped to look at a lot of the work we were doing.
We went to the famous Uffizi Gallery, spent the better half of the day within the great halls lined with paintings, sculptures and etchings. The Piazza Uffizi lines the river banks creating some outstanding vistas and vantage points. The kinetic energy was outstanding in Florence. Between the walkability level, series of connected Piazzas and large "must see" architectural monuments within Florence, there was always something going on. The city had an interesting transition between day time and night time. Day time was filled with Gelato, lunch on the streets and strolling leisurely, leather markets, and a strict (much appreciated) following of the afternoon siesta. Then the evening, which starts after dinner around 9pm. It is couples walking hand in hand, with friends, strolling the main walks and piazzas. My sketches increased in volume in Florence and I was continuously inspired to be out and experiencing the city. It was an amazing look into classic Tuscan city developments, religious changes and integration of the modern with the classical and medieval. Such a cool place full of so much history.

Until next week, stay warm MN!!

Sarah S.

Latest adventure: traveling through the Jewish "Ghetto" of Rome. There were once walls that separated the religious sector of the city from the Catholic majority. Pope Paul the IV put them up in 1555 with hopes to convert the Jewish population. His attempts failed. The Jewish population actually grew and attracted refugees from Spain and Germany. The walls were torn down in 1846, with cool left over ruins as markers and memory, and this part of the city is now full of valuable real estate, kosher delis and markets and a serious sense of community. There are delicious bakeries and fun gift shops that make it a great destination spot for tourists and Romans. The Jewish sector lines a series of ruins including the Portico d'Ottavia and Teatro d'Marcellus, both built by Augustus I for his niece and nephew, respectively. The streets here are narrow and winding, making it an easy place to get lost.
Nearby is a really interesting Roman National Museum containing the Crypta Balbi and cistern and a series of layers of buildings piled on top of on another. This is a great example of Palimpsest that exists everywhere in Rome. Layers of materials and history compounded through the ages, telling us stories of architecture and social hierarchies. Antonella told us the importance of knowing these different materials. This "Cheat Sheet" is posted at the museum. The column seen in this image is also at the Crypt. It is in different stages of remaking, to show how the column would have been placed within the site. The historical imagery here is amazing and really inspiring to me as I go forward with my drawings and sketches. Layers and Layers just laying below the city waiting to be discovered.
So this weekend we are going to take a train trip to Florence. I will be really busy exploring this gorgeous city and visiting the Uffizi Gallery.
Until next week,

Sarah S.

Hey guys! Returning this week to report a million things from Rome! So we continue to go all over the city. An average day goes like this: take the train to meet at a choosen location at 8:45am, Ozayr our architecture professor from the UofM gives us some background morsels to start us off, we go into the site and draw for a hour or so, regroup and walk around with Ozayr and get more seriously interesting information's about how modern Rome, and Empirical Roman, structures and leaders tie together and have changed throughout the centuries. the picture to the right is the second floor portico at Castel Sant'Angelo
The weekend was sweet. We have a giant flea market right in front of our "apartment" each Sunday. It literally spans almost an entire half of our neighborhood. It has everything from old school leather furniture, to socks and leather handbags, to furs and old Italian magazine print ads. It was a serious excursion. It was and eventful day to say the least. We started the week with the Coloseum or coloseo, and then of course the Roman Forum where we saw the Arc of Titus, Emperor Augustus' house and gardens, in the picture to the left, the procession of the Via Papales or where the ancient procession connected St. Peter's Basilica and the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano. You can see some awesome ancient maps from the talented mapmaker Giambattista Nolli. He solidified accurate mapping techniques in Rome. Everyday is something different here. We see gardens and ruins, modern interiors with 5th century carvings intertwined. Its an amazing city with so much history and culture and I am glad to be a part of it.

Well I did it. I am in Rome, ROMA, Italia. I had a long journey to get here. But it is incredibly worth it. The city is overwhelming in depth, materiality, density, confusion, and culture. The place the I am staying with the group from the University is in a neighborhood called Trastevere. The people from the offices are incredibly nice and accommodating. There are plenty of restaurants, grocery stores, and bus/train stops to get us all over the city easily.

The first day I went around the city in circles. Rome was experiencing a transportation strike (apparently on average 1 every 10 days!). I walked a lot and took taxis instead of relying on the buses. Luckily for me, I made all my connections and had lots of help from locals getting around. The picture on the top right is of Piazzo Cavour a beautiful plaza to sit and enjoy some sunshine near the Tevere Fiume (Tibera River). The bottom left is the Town or Comune di Arcidosso (pronounced archidosso) in Southern Tuscany. The Castle is in Arcidosso also, across from the house I stayed in. So close to something that grand, it was a little menacing.
I could go on a while about the charm and ornamental stylings of this place, but I try to be brief, promise! There were bridges connecting houses to alleys and about 20 houses on every street at every level, like nothing I have seen before.

Tomorrow we get our syllabus and group assignments. so nervous and excited. I will keep you all updated, and share my sketchbook!!!

until next time,

Sarah S.
Landscape Design and Planning
BED: May 2014

Hi guys,

I am writing my last blog from the USA for the semester. Tomorrow I leave for Rome, although with a 7 hour leap forward, I do not actually get there until Friday morning. If you have ever traveled for an extended period of time you know how much preparation goes into a trip like this. I HIGHLY recommend studying abroad. The University of MN has so many programs it is super easy to find the perfect program tailored to 1. your field of interest and 2. where ever you want to go in the world.
Getting prepared has been exciting and time consuming. With all of the art supplies I am bringing to Rome My bag was almost a quarter full before I started. I used student legal services to take care of my finances while I am away. Giving someone else control of my property and rights of everything in my life is kinda scary, I feel like an adult.

I went to Rapson Hall the second day of classes and felt so odd. I had no class to attend or assignment to work on. For the most part I had forgotten classes had already started. I just went in to do some final work on the laser cutters. I had some technical difficulties as always! The workshop front desk is amazing, and super knowledgeable if you ever need help or have questions!!!! Just remember to give yourself as much extra time as possible.

So long, farewell, caio!

Sarah S.
Landscape design and planning BED: 2014

Hi guys,

So this week I went out into the cold and did lots of fun stuff. Sometimes I am not too sure what motivates me but I get pretty serious about getting outside. Last Wednesday, before the warm weekend that Im sure we are all missing right now, I went to the Ice Castles stationed out near the Mall of America.
It was so fun and slippery. I will warn you that although it was really fun at night, it was swarming with children running everywhere on ice. Dangerous.... I had a blast and am really glad I got to see them. There are lots of things I want to do before I leave for Rome next week!!! like sledding or playing broomball, finishing a painting i started but could not get quite right, reading what seems like an endless amount of books about Rome and Istanbul, seeing all my friends. The list goes on forever. When I feel overwhelmed about starting something new I always make a list! Its so cleansing because all the stuff I have been thinking about is put out in front of me and cleared from my brain. Monday for instance, get a bunch of books; travel, phrase, novels, fiction...all to help me understand the places I am going starting next week. If you missed it I am participating in the Architecture in Istanbul trip with the Cdes school of architecture.

Until next week,

Sarah S.

Landscape Planning BED: spring 2014

This week has been full of change. I went from having 2 extra sisters, multiple out of town friends and relatives in town to having to say goodbye to TWO sisters, their boyfriends and a lot of friends going back to lives and school elsewhere. After weeks of excitement and holidays and celebrations you must return to the same old same. School, work, obligations and possible new resolutions you might have made with yourself. Although I did not make any specific resolutions I always try to make an effort to try new things and keep active. I took this picture of the cracked ice over the Mississippi when I went out for a long walk with my sister before she left Monday. We walked "the loop" which is what my family has always called the trail between Lake street and franklin avenue bridges. The river looked immense and scary, as the ice this time of year is typically thick and snow covered. Seeing it cracked and thin made me a little weary.

So... this is how I say goodbye to my loved ones. My sister and her boyfriend spent 3 weeks here in Minnesota, they are returning to Salt Lake City to rock climb and travel around to do lots of outdoor activities. My sister has always inspired me this way. Like going to travel abroad. She was super supportive and excited for me to travel and leave MN. Before I started school at the U I traveled outside the country almost once a year. I love exploring new places and meeting new people from all over the globe. Lately I have been so engulfed by school and work I lost my drive to go somewhere.

This semester I will be staying in Rome for a month and Istanbul for 2.5 months with a small group of Architecture and Landscape Design students all from the U. I am excited beyond belief right now, looking at pictures and getting ready to experience all these ancient places I have been studying all these years. I can't thank those who inspired me and motivated me enough. I will be writing all about my experiences and hopefully inspiring some of you to do any great opportunities the University of MN gives its students. I hope you all have had a great winter vacation and saw and did lots of amazing things.

Until next week,
Sarah S.

I must say this winter break has been wonderful. Lots of snow and cold for Minnesota, but I admit the beauty of a fresh snow fall is priceless. I love walking around the city with WARM clothes just looking at the branches bare with a snowy cover. Ah the nostalgia will be lost on me after the snow turns brown and freezes into ice, but for now let's appreciate the good things winter brings.

I hope your new years celebrations were awesome. here are some pretty cool mages from cities around the world and how they looked when the ball dropped. Gorgeous, I love fireworks!

Lately I have been working on my Letter of Intent and Portfolio for the Accelerated Masters in Landscape Architecture program. I am busy with working at The Lowry and preparing for my study abroad trip to Roma and Istanbul. Not only does it feel like a million things to do, if something were to say, go wrong!, its crazy. Obviously something went wrong. I lost my passport. I had to get a new one ASAP...all the places that used to give out expedited passports no longer due and now the downtown offices at 212 3rd ave. are really the only place you can get one! just fyi...when in a pinch go there!!! My trip is starting in 22 days. I am really excited. Starting in Rome and going to Istanbul is going to be a great experience. Here is a really fun list of 100 things to know before you go to Italy.
I will be writing to you all during my travels so stay plugged in with me! Lots of pictures to come. Thanks

Until next week,

Sarah S.

The end of finals, planning the return trips home, getting ready for holiday events with friends and families. All this stuff builds up right when finals hit and hopefully you made it through with some sleep and dignity. I had no dignity last week...2 all nighters and some serious holes in my final model design. Add in a few brain farts during my presentation and it all ended with an awkward sweeping spew of information from an awesome crew of guest reviewers that came in for LA 3001. The reviews were exciting and with so many people the 2 hours flew by. My advice for model reviews: stick to what you know, talk sparingly, listen actively, and be appreciative and welcoming to new ideas!!

I just got a tip from my friend An, a current Landscape Architecture Graduate student. Check out the Minneapolis Convention Center on Facebook and look at the Vote: creative challenge. Just by reading the proposal I learned a lot about Minneapolis, downtown, street grids, and art as an informative diagram.
Hope your enjoying new found freedoms and winter time fun. See you next time!!!

Sarah S.

So yesterday I realized that I had only one more day of class left until I was done with my semester. I got a huge feeling of excitement and drowsiness; most of us have been running on very little sleep during finals week. With all of my projects due Monday and Tuesday this week I had a major push last weekend for what felt like a million things. I am sure some of you can relate, but I just am so happy that I made it to Wednesday! So all thats left is a dance class, attending a presentation and then presenting a model in 3001. THEN. I. AM. DONE. Then I am going to Rome and Istanbul. Where there is no snow. This study abroad Architecture program is leaving in January and returning in May, meaning I get to skip the majority of winter in Minnesota! Having grown up here I am more than happy to skip one cold season for the moderate rainy season of Italy and Turkey.

I hope you all are ready for some winter activities like sledding, ice skating and hot cocoa drinking. Check out the ice castles over by the Mall of America, ice skating at the Depot in downtown, or try to find the best tasting hot cocoa in the city! Enjoy winter break and get ready for some winter fun when you get back!

A great article by Cody Nelson at MN Daily highlights the student group U Students Like Good Food Check it out and Ill be back next week!!!!!

Sarah S.

Designing spaces large and small is part of being a landscape planner. It is how you deal with the space you have, not the size of the space, that can shape it into something special. Working with a proposed site on a piece of paper is extremely difficult for me. Starting with a drawing on a scale version where 1"=20' then translating that into more detailed drawings and then a full sized model. Its really hard to wrap my mind around the sizing, and appropriate elements that are needed in this site. I got some good advice from my TA in LA3001 David K., In a site that is a small public space, he told me to make larger gestures with lots of direction. It is always easier to focus into smaller areas once the major concept has been expressed clearly. This advice is helping me to connect better with my site, contour lines, and structural elements. You can see from my first draft of the site that I have some sweeping ideas, but I took a lot of care in the movement of the pathways, but not the spaces outside of them. My next step is to use my contours for purposeful design, not just to be there without connection. So I suppose I am saying think outside yourself and get other people's opinions before completing a design!

There is an article by the Southwest Journal that reinforces the idea that people need to experience nature. Being in nature reduces stress. But what if you work in the landscape you are supposed to be experiencing. Where is the designers relief? think about some of your stress reliever these next few weeks, get through finals with some sanity. I'll be back again next week.

Sarah S.

Hello everyone!

Welcome back from break, hope you enjoyed every moment of chill time. I did. I just want to bring up some cool stuff going on that might peak your interests, and that easily gets you involved.
Fundraising made viral....Join artist Stephen Glassman in his project URBAN AIR. His goal is to beautify Los Angeles roadways. His idea is to use money from the Kickstarter money raiser to fund this awesome re-appropriation of the Billboards of Los Angeles. They have so much potential to heal and clean with Stephen Glassman's sweet bamboo designs, gotta check it out.

I also recommend checking out the international student blog pages and specifically my friend Zhou Cheng's writings. He does a great job talking about resources in the U of M area and whats going on!

My good friend Constance is throwing a wonderful fundraiser for Fazenda Boa Terra urban farm in Minneapolis. I encourage all of you to attend and help out if you can...Here is the **** event information if you are interested in attending. This farm is run by just a few dedicated farmers who believe organic nutritious food should be accessible to everyone.
They have a donation CSA program for families who cannot afford to purchase organic food. They want to continue this program but need help from people like you and me and your parents and teachers. So spread the word! Also if you are interested in organic or local food movements, politics, or just want to know more you should come by one of the BEST student food group ever...****U Students Like Good Food. This group is awesome, I go to meetings when I got the time and we have guest speakers from campus, local businesses, farms, we have potlucks we participate in Project Cook, lots of fun things!!!!

***right click new tab to open!!! sorry for the inconvenience

Until Next Week,

Sarah S.

Hey guys,

I am sure you are all aware that it is Thanksgiving week.
This means we get a break from classes on Thursday and Friday, and some awesome teachers even cancelled Wednesday classes. But this is NOT a good time to completely turn on your studies and projects; those long term projects, those pieces you mean to work on a little everyday, or even just getting organized can go unattended during the semester. Don't forget to think about that stuff while you got a few extra minutes this weekend. Here is a great example of some stuff I'll be doing this weekend:

cleaning my room: it has been too long.
A design treatise projectt: have about 1/4 of the elements I need and its due date is sneaking up on me!
doctors appointments: they will be made and even marked on my calender! my trip to Rome and Istanbul is coming up.
None of these things are hard to do or even time consuming, but when you are in college they can slip through your head easily.
Also to update my status of the structural model I am working on...here is what I got so far, now I just have to scrounge up some card board (the workshop is sold out!! oh no) and get it done.

So remember to eat lots of food, see your friends and enjoy your family if you can.
Have a good week and ill talk to you again soon.

Sarah S.
Landscape Planning : BED 2014

Hey guys,

The weather gets colder and time is flying by, I cannot believe how much I have had to do and get done this week! It is a hard semester that is close to being finished. Most of us have registered for next semester, which i always think is fun. But this time around I am not registering. Instead I am going to be in Rome and Istanbul for a study abroad semester led by Ozayr Saloojee focusing on Architecture. Yay, I'm thrilled to be leaving MN for the chilly months.
Rome has a temperate Mediterranean climate and Istanbul has a warm but wet climate. I love learning about new places. Inspired by my upcoming travels, I have decided to create a Roman inspired structure for a model i have been working on. Here is the preliminary design. I want it to be a little modern yet clearly taking elements from roman temples, like the arches and arcaded walk. this is done in Google SketchUp...I think one of the more intuitive programs to use for 3d diagraming.

I also had a huge group project and presentation. I can't be the only one who feels a little bead of sweat roll down their brow at the idea of a long term group project. We all have our own priorities, majors, and work out side of school. However, some groups work better than others. I have been thinking about why lately. One of my group projects went so well....everyone put in work where and when they could, we got it done before the deadline and were flexible with one another. Another group I am in, that presented yesterday, (and now we are done!! sweeeeeet)....anyways this group had constant scheduling issues, confusion of the assignment and not a lot of cohesion between diagrams. Everyone worked hard, we all had ideas and inspiration, but the final group pieces were ok at best. So I think I learned the communication, giving one another examples of your work before hand, and a couple rounds of practice (all together or not) before a presentation are very helpful. Use other groups as inspiration too! Don't be shy about making sure your group is on the right track by comparing work to others. Make it original but its a good way to ease any worry. Have a good week and a great Thanksgiving Day off!!

Hope this is helpful,

Sarah S.

Hey guys,

As most of you are getting a good amount of water in your shoes the last few days as you traverse campus you may have seen some volunteer students helping get out the word to vote. The Presidential election came with a lot of other important topics this year too. So I hope you all went out and exercised your right to vote.
No matter what or who you vote for it is an important part of your life as a citizen of the United States. It is just the same being a college student. There are some really engaging groups and leadership opportunities available on campus and you get to choose which you want to be a part of! You decide what is most important and how you can get involved. My experience, as some of you know, involves local food politics and university dining services (UDS). The group is called U Students Like Good Food, found at Amundson Hall every other Thursday at 5:30 room 162.
At the U there are hundreds of clubs and student organizations to get involved in, its a great way to meet people who have similar interests and also different perspectives and knowledge on something your interested in.
Landscape Design and Planning also has a professional student chapter: Minnesota Student Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects or MASLASC. These clubs are great, they keep you involved and motivated, but they are also a SUPURB way to network.
Getting to know other designers and people in your industry is probably the best way to know the ins and outs of your area of study. getting internships or a job or a mentor is critical to your future and knowing people gives you a great one up over the competition. On the right is the College of Design's own Dean Thomas Fisher in my Arch: 3711w class today. He is a dynamic speaker and has some really cool ideas about the future of design professions. He talked about the history and future of designing with responsibility. Architects and Landscape Designers are in a new age of designing more than the built environment. It was so fun to listen to him talk and diagram. I hope you get a chance to hear him talk soon! its well worth your time!

Til next week,

Sarah S.
Landscape Planning BED track

Hey everyone! Hope your reading this during a nice coffee or tea break from work (its still sunny outside btw!!)

Well if your working hard today like me, keep something on your schedule to reward yourself with, like doing a yoga class, baking cookies, or go for a run/walk by the river (we are closer to the river at Rapson than you might think!) As some of you may know I am going on the study abroad program Architecture in Istanbul and its filling my time with paper work. I am getting a lot of help from my adviser Chris Schlichting who is awesome, a wonderful resource and person I get to know by being in the Landscaping Planning track. It is small enough so that you get time and presence with almost all the staff and faculty who you know.

So here is what I am working on, looking forward to and wondering about. First for LA 3001 with Brad Agee and Tony Chevalier we are looking at a land form that we had to re-shape, made a 11"x17" model (tough stuff to visualize), then we are taking a portion, 8.5"x5.5" and blowing that up 200% so that we have a 11"x17" model of a part of our original model. If that is not enough to twist your brain, now we have to inform our models with vegetation! This is something I have been looking forward to all semester, but arts and crafts time it is not. We have to plan a variety of types of trees, ground cover, shrubs with materials that are nontraditional for model making. My plan is to use a monochromatic color palette of beads and jewelery parts.
This week MLA graduate and adjunct teacher Tony Chevalier said you need to get at least a Top 5 for trees and vegetation going. So I have been working on compiling some favorites! Which are your favorite trees or vegetation?
MIne include but are not limited to: The Willow tree, Dogwood, White Fir tree, Asparagus Fern, and definitely must include the Lilac. The Lilac is beautiful, grows in the wild and smells amazing. If you cannot recall the names of your favorites use the plant encyclopedia to help you sort by type of vegetation, color, hardiness zone, or height. I'll be forever thinking about trees.

until next week...
Sarah S.
Landscape Design and Planning Major BED

No...not the MGM ion Las Vegas, or the United Nation's building in NY. I am talking about two local awesome buildings...Midtown Global Market and the United Noodle Grocery! Have you been to these places?
Not only are they some of Minneapolis's largest stores (after the M.O.A) but they both represent a rich cultural diversity the city has to offer. Sometimes in a large university we forget the larger context we live in. Leaving campus can seem like a serious journey, although its a short bike/drive/bus ride away. Lots of urban planners and landscape designers believe that it can be beneficial to live and work close to the same community. In some respects I agree. But I think it is also important to get out of your comfort zone go somewhere new and try something that seems really odd. The Landscape Design and Planning major allows you to go all over the city and do photo rich and diagrammatic assignments. It is a great way to branch out and have fun while your learning A LOT. Going to Midtown Global Market is really fun. It is located in the Powderhorn and Phillips neighborhoods in South Minneapolis. There is a lot of diversity here and the food and shops make that obvious.

Until next week! take care and remember to sleep when you can!

Sarah S.
B.E.D in landscape planning

I don't know about you, but my semester has been flying by super fast. Midterms have settled in for the long haul and most of us won't be settling down 'til near thanksgiving! I am officially going to Rome and Istanbul...making it hard not to consume my thoughts everyday. I am really excited to see and draw some amazing Architecture, things I studied last year in LA history 3413 with Professor Lance Neckar. And you don't just have a lecture and readings. Speaking of previous work I am currently putting together a PowerPoint slide of the better projects I have done in the last couple years. The slide is for Experience Minnesota multicultural freshman recruiting event on November 10th, at 11:00am in Rapson 31! Come check it out if you're around on Saturday. I am pretty excited to do a small event like this, I need to practice public speaking and articulating my work, but I still get a little nervous to speak in front of people, something designers must do all the time! The class provides a demanding but interesting curriculum. We studied history with an additional sketchbook component. My final sketchbook turned out great and it has some great drawings of iconic landscapes. The image of my model is something I mentioned doing a few weeks ago. This is how my first laser cut model turned out. I wish I had had more time to complete the color...but I am really happy how it turned out. The readings for 3001 Understanding and Creating Landscape and Architecture Space helped me learn about forms and what they represent. I chose the metaphor of "life cycle." I wanted to show how high walls and heavy partitions lighten up and become easier to navigate as we learn and grown in life. The model was received as well thought out, but not 100% together...pretty much I needed to think about transitional paths and openings as well as color and what those represent.
I am really happy to be getting feedback; it is how we learn to better our aesthetics.
Hope your midterms are going smoothly, get some sleep and record all your work so you have a great reference for any project ever!!!! Words to live by.

Until next week,

Sarah S.
Landscape Planning

I am going to the go on the very first Architecture in Istanbul this Spring 2013! I am so happy that the U is giving us the opportunity to go on a trip to Rome and Turkey where so much of the study of Architecture stems from.
Things are crazy busy as usual with the Advanced Representations 2301 class...were staring to work with water colors and site evaluations. I do believe they will mellow out a bit when I figure things out with my job. I am feeling pressed for time with my weekends being taken by work. After having so much free time this summer I am finally settling in with the fact that school is kick my butt. I do not want to jeopardize my school performance for working at the Lowry, although it is fun and a great way to meet fun people from the city.

This week we had a presentation David Lilly Plaza (image 1) for 3001 with Brad Agee and Tony Chevalier. In groups (yikes ANOTHER group project!) we synthesized the performance of the site by lighting, circulation, materials, design and overall usefulness of the site. I did my diagrams with Adobe Illustrator. The entire design suite creative packages are available in full content in the Rapson Hall Computer Labs and are amazing resources! Of course if you don't have the programs save them as pdf's so you can open it on your personal computer with preview, adobe reader or photo editor, all of which are free to download.
What else do I have but a huge project getting underway with ARCH 3711w...We get to go to the Midtown Global Market, a personal favorite MPLS spot, and the United Noodle Asian grocery/supply stores. These two places are being evaluated for their spatial organization, depth and interest. This class has been really interesting in delving into personal, personalized, territoriality, public vs. private, and intimate spaces. My favorite reading is the "Meaning in the Built Environment" by Amos Rapoport. He is a great Architect who has written a lot on housing, design theory and culture. It is fitting that my group and I are having a hard time wrapping our head around this one! Luckily Prof. Julia W. Robinson is a super expert on the spatial organization of built environments in our society. She has even published her research. So enjoy the reading, keep yourself motivated, calm, and aware until next week when you come back for more!
Be good and stay warm!

Sarah S.
Landscape Design and Planning

So yesterday I had a site visit to Lilly Plaza. As some people know its across the street from Rapson Hall on the West side. It is bordered by Morrill, Pillsbury, Rapson, and Northrup Halls. During our visit each group had to decide the success of the vegetation used on site. My group and I had our serious problems with the failing grasses, random assortments of flowering perennials and weeds, barren gravel/sand areas and use of Kentucky Bluegrass on 1/4 of the plot. However I do give credit when credit is due. this plaza is planted for the Fall season, and why not! That is when the majority of students utilize and move through it. The Amber Maples are all shades of red. The Honey Locus trees are bright yellow and look insanely pretty in the light of a setting sun.

Other scenes I have observed lately are the changing colors by the Mississippi River. This is very close to me and is part of my entire life. I remember since I was very young that I have gone to the river bluffs to see the leaves change. Every year the West Side changes first (as represented in the picture) with lots of orange, red, purple, and dark greens, and the East side stays more yellow, yellow/orange and green. It is a great area to look for color inspiration especially since I have a Advance Representations in Landscapes: LA2301, and we just happen to be starting to use color in our assignments! Great timing.

I am really bad with colors in my landscapes. I tend to make things look too literal, and not representational, where they crowd a drawing instead of help make it readable! This is my family's garden and I tried to do it justice with pencil as a gesture drawing. Practice helps a lot and maybe I will have the time to go back and try it with color pencil before the season ends.

If I do not practice I will not learn, and learning is key. I used to be afraid to try something new, as if I should be good at it already before I tried. It really held me back, so i encourage you to do something you are unsure of. Trying until you are no longer fearful of failing is something I am working at right now in my own artistic practice. I try to do new things first and see where it leads me. Recently: doing design work on Auto-CAD and using the laser printer. It completely paid off and saved me hours of cutting time and lots of sore muscles in my hands. What are you trying now? Do not be afraid to ask some one with experience for help. Have fun with it and let your proff know what you tried, in case its not 100% perfect, at least they know you went out of your way to try and expand your skills.

So many landscape students know right now that our schedules get very hectic. With modeling and drawing classes, plus an ecology or horticulture class and lab time goes by like water in your hands! This week I had to needed to draw a section/plan/axon of the Vincent Hall courtyard. If you have never been ( as I had not!) go there and take a coffee or stretch break. It is a really cool sunken plaza that lays between Rapson hall and the Northrop Mall.

My drawing set was tough, technically I understand how to compose a hand drawing, but details! Yikes. Adding textures and vegetation is harder than I thought it would be. My shrubs ended up looking a bit cluttered, but i still am proud of how my drawing turned out! Gotta look on the bright side, it photographed really well, and she didn't collect the physical copy. As a landscaping student it's good to do a run-through of materials or textures before you put them on your final drawings! bricks, wood grain, shrubs versus trees all make a huge portion of the scenes we draw. Be careful with your choices, use sparingly, remain consistent and use trace to check out what it would look like if you took it to the next level. Nothing feels worse than spending 2 hours of concrete and brick shadows, then having someone say your effort looks cluttered!
So keeping my head above water is goal number 1 this upcoming week. I will be moving apartments, doing lots of sketching and trying to remember how to use the laser cutter, because its amazingly helpful!
Good luck out there and remember to breath and go outside of the studio once and a while.

Sarah

So my title seems a little pretentious even to me. But its how I have felt this past week. Some amazing opportunities have came into my life and I was able to experience many new places and types of people.

First I went on to my first Ecology of Managed Systems field trip to the Sucker and Vadnais Lake ecological system. These lakes are a part of an extremely critical habitat system that purifies drinking water for the entire city of St. Paul.
We studied the drivers that cause stress to the environment. They include the surrounding residential and throughway developments, Red and White Pine plantations and their "litter". Litter can include needles, leaves and bark containing excess nutrients that contribute to sedimentation of the lakes. Water quality can decrease rapidly from low levels of ground moisture, high levels of algae and diminished fish habitats. The field trip, although excessively early in the morning! Were awesome. I had never been to the suburban lakes system in St. Paul. It was well worth it and I can not wait for the next one.

The other extraordinary experience I had was to attend a Goldstein Museum fall fundraiser party in a Phillip Johnson house on Lake Minnetonka. Not only were the home and party exquisite, but the landscape and view of the lake were breath taking. The property extended 2 acres, cut down from the original 11 acre plot. The road leading up to the house was lined with an allee of trees and gave way to an open break in the trees. Every planting was perfect and spaced just perfectly.


I had a really fun night meeting people with substantial design influence and experience. Some University of MN students attended, but for the most part the guests were high rollers of the design, consulting and trades genre. It was a unique and extremely fun evening. Thanks to the Goldstein board members and hosts of the Davis-Winton-Nelson House.
Some upcoming events that you might want to check out or participate in:
(PARK)ing Day - "is an annual worldwide event where artists, designers and citizens transform metered parking spots into temporary public parks."
Lecture "Rahul Mehrotra: Global Practices in Architecture" in 100. Rapson Hall. 6pm this Wednesday the 19th. remember that lectures are a great way to see your peers and prof's out of class and talk to them.
U of M Food Day!!!! Its going to be great with lots of good foods and people talking food and agriculture. Come through October 23rd and 24th.

This past week we all got a dose of reality. With classes going strong, getting out to events and being as social as possible (nudge nudge wink wink): landscaping picnic this Thursday at Minnehaha Falls Park.2012_LA picnic-1.pdf. I also have my first meeting for the group U Students Like Good Food THIS Thursday at 4:30pm at Folwell Hall (right next to Rapson!) You all should come check it out. We are doing good things for campus dining life and your health! Lets see, Its going to be a crazy week for me.

So I am lucky enough to still be in contact with my summer work Tree Trust, which has a commercial landscape component as well as the non-profit aspect that got the company its' start. Last week I set up an interview with the current Project Manager Jeff V. I went to Jeff's office in St. Louis Park. So I had this awesome interview with the PM. I asked him about his path into the landscaping field and how he came to where he is today.
Jeff came from U Madison where he began as an engineering student, quickly realizing that was not his calling his advisor introduced him to the landscaping major and he graduated in 1997 with his BS in Landscaping...a degree that no longer exists. Now we have to get a masters degree in Landscaping and a undergraduate in design. Jeff talked with me about his experience working in the "biggest sector of landscape", Residential Design Build.

What I thought was really interesting about Jeff's current situation is that as a project manager I thought Jeff would be doing all the design work and orchestrating construction execution. But Jeff was clear that at a small company like Tree Trust he was accountable for more concrete details. He takes care of the financial reports, estimating, client meetings, site visits, as well as managing people and doing some designs. It is a all encompassing. His advice while we are taking design classes, take business classes too! "You are going to need to know how businesses are run" he told me. So I learned a lot talking to a working professional. I might even be persuaded to get myself into a business class before I graduate.

Just so you all know, I looked up some business courses offered at the U this semester. The subject of Business and Industry has been changed to Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development - OLPD and offers classes like Leadership, You and Your Community and Introduction to Organization Development. This is one way of entering the business world, another more right brained route would be taking a class under the subject of Business Administration - BA, which offers courses like Career Skills and Carlson Funds Enterprise: Growth. To me these seem helpful if you, like me, have very little experience with thinking like a business person. I want to expand my company and make it profitable. But how? take a business course and find out!

till next time,

Sarah

Most of you readers are experiencing, like I am, the return to academic stress, demands and, manic schedules. September is so busy for most of us who go back to school. We must now adjust from summer jobs, internships, or vacations to a random medley of times and places for classes, recitations, labs, group meetings, club events, sporting events etc... I am mostly getting used to incorporating a part time job into my school schedule. I work different times and days each week and adding my classes to the mix is getting to be a lot for the old brain to handle!

So most of the people out there are familiar with the word Belvedere, for one reason or another. I remember when I learned the meaning and origin of the word for a landscaping class....that's right, I am a little embarrassed to admit that I did not know the true meaning (not the "brand" many of us know) of belvedere until I was in college, darn public school system! Italian in origin, literally meaning beautiful view, but can also be referring to a structure built to command a view. These views are not always highlighted on a guidebook and sometimes are unbeknownst to travelers. If your looking for some out of the norm experiences and photo ops it is a great idea to stop by random spots marked on the county roads that you take as you traverse Minnesota and Wisconsin. There are a great deal of historical landmarks that the towns and counties have preserved and care for so that you can get a look at the natural beauty the midwest has to offer.
I went on a couple small trips recently. Last weekend I was in northwestern Minnesota by Brainerd and the Pequot Lakes .

If you have ever driven up through the North/Northwest of Minnesota you know the incredible amount of lakes that surround the roads and towns that poke up between tall swampy prairies and tall deciduous forest remnants. If you get a chance to take a drive you must go! Its gorgeous.

Earlier this week I went on a motorcycle trip with my Pops in the exact opposite direction. We drove down South on the East River Road through downtown St. Paul, past the bluffs and caves that bring you to where the Mississippi and the Minnesota River conjoin. The views are amazing. Luckily for us the roadways have been established with multiple roadside oasis's that really capitalize on the belvederes. The sculpture in my photograph was created from objects found in the Mississippi River and the whole park has been restored with native regional plants. The park is not highlighted from the road very well, but it is one of the first rest stops off of WI-35 once you past Prescott.WI. We then continued Southeast to Pepin, WI. A small town that has a 3 mile wide water border including Lake Pepin and the Mississippi River. Be adventurous when you travel. You never know what is out there for you to see. I had a wonderful trip and it is well worth the sore back I have as a result of a 5 hour motorcycle ride. Thanks Dad!

You know the amazing feeling that most of us get towards the beginning of summer when you have lots of idea of how your going to spend your new found free time. Even when you are working or in summer school there is something different about how you want to spend those precious days. This summer I had two options for work. I applied to HECUA Environmental and Agriculture program and Tree Trust Summer Youth Employment Program. Then I seriously weighed the pros and cons of both. Tree Trust I got paid and it has a landscape component plus youth work, which I am familiar with. HECUA involved visiting a variety of local farms, conventional and organic/sustainable. HECUA also offers an internship component, although it is not necessarily paid. I Tree Trust and a steady paycheck. I am happy I did this in my situation I needed to save up for some school stuff this upcoming year and payback some small debts I accumulated last spring. Money management is something we all must learn, and keep learning forever. One thing that I noticed with the route I choose for myself this summer is that I had a very limited schedule. Everyday M-F I work 8am - 4pm. I am responsible for 8 kids, which means I teach them by example. Skipping out on the days I really want to sleep in or go out of town for the weekend is next to impossible. Plus the time off really adds up (negatively to my bank account!!).
This is our 130' mod block wall in its finished form!

So this week my family came into town to visit. It was my 24th birthday as well. It was a crazy week to say the least with lots of planning around my schedule and me wishing I could be involved with all the daytime activities like matinees, swimming and lunches. But I could not. I am happy that my mom, sister and nana came to visit my work site the day after my birthday to meet my crew, see my project and bring me lunch.

So fun and thoughtful, thanks to you Family! I have learned how to accept my summer for what it is, restrictions and allowances by having a good attitude, keeping myself energized when I have the time to go out and asking for those who have more free time to include me when they can. Its going to be a great first day off the job august 18th! Sleeping in, coffee, and a day on my tuchus at the beach

My thoughts are stemming from a discussion I had with my Tree Trust "A Crew" kids today. As some of you know my crew consists of eight 14-18 year old high school students from Minneapolis. Today we talked about global warming and shared our thoughts, opinions and solutions with each other. Most of my crew has never left the United States. During our talk we discussed electricity, solar and wind capabilities, problems that arise from overuse of coal burning and fossil fuels. They also breached the topic of the ozone layer, erosion, and drought. I never would have thought young adults in this technological age would be so aware and present about the environment; at least not in public! When I was in high school being environmentally aware was not cool.

I was completely taken back by how much my kids knew about global temperature changes and their effects. Solutions posed by 15 year olds: ride bicycles, turn the water off when brushing teeth, electric cars: Conservation principles!!! Some of which I didn't learn until college, and some which many educated adults still do not completely understand or follow.

For instance the Twin Cities has a lot of roof top businesses. Roof top restaurants and social event spaces are common in most cities, including Minneapolis, Stellas Fish Café, Solera Bar, even at the University of Minnesota's Coffman Union Campus Club.

My question is why do we not utilize these spaces for urban gardens OR even use them as living/green roofs together with the intended money making function? How cool would it be to have a salad at Solera-Cocina that was made from vegetables growing around you? We as an adult society need to make some renovations and improvements to the space we already inhabit. People are making things happen all over the world to improve their global footprint. I'm not saying we don't have living roofs or are not making things better, but why are we limiting so much potential energy and space saving to one-use solutions? Can we have it all?

The future generation of thinkers is looking hopeful, so why shouldn't we do something to enable them sooner rather than later?

I love vacations and traveling. It seems that no matter where you go when you travel in MN you "go up north." I went out of town last week for the 4th. I drove "up to" Elysian, MN (...never heard of it either) with my boyfriend straight South on 35W. We stopped a couple times at typical non-descript rest stops...reminding me of the archetypes of American landscapes described by J.B. Jacobs in "Discovering the Vernacular Landscape" which I read last fall thanks to LA 1201 Professor Pat Nunnally. The American suburb and its sprawling strip mall conveniences Jacobs would classify as 3rd landscapes. Post World War II uninspired and rarely differ in materiality, design or services no matter your location: voila! your Home Depot, Starbucks and QwikMart will be set in large store front with bigger parking lots that would appear the same in Phoenix as in Cleveland.
The cabin was more of a lake house and came with a speedboat, pontoon, fishing boat, water skis and tubes, about 10 beds, and insane amounts of food and drink on the ready. We had a blast. As usual the boyfriend and I had a silly trip of fun and laughs with our friends extended family and their 4th of July 2012 midweek vacation fun fest 2012. To both the Anderson / Olsen families of MPLS thank you so much for welcoming me into your cabin. Which, I decided, is more like a lake house. I tried to figure out what the differences were when swimming around the lake early Thursday afternoon. It is not clearly an issue of class in MN to own a cabin or even land. But when your cabin has multiple stories, heat and air conditioning, or even a dishwasher...it might be time to ask yourself, do I own a lake home? On my trip to Lake Francis there were was a clear hierarchy of homes. Not spatially around the lake, but dispersed throughout the shoreline the height, grandeur and private amenities changed every 20 feet.

But the fireworks were an amazing display of small town excitement and lasted for almost an hour. Lucky we didn't have an a-bomb style 4th of July like San Diego! It's the coolest 15 seconds of mechanical failure.

So check it out. Get out and about as they say here and enjoy the summer and any free time you get!

So many landscape projects happen in the few short warm months in Minnesota. Everywhere I look people's yards are getting redone, improved and renovated. I passed onto the west side of Hennepin Avenue and rode down to Lake of the Isles yesterday. It is an extremely affluent part of town called Kenwood. I passed manicured European style gardens pristine with parterre de broderie of Boxwoods, wild English gardens styled with climbing ivy and tall grasses, stone retaining walls that line brightly colored flowering plants and of course numerous exquisitely (although unfortunate to the cities water supply) groomed Kentucky Bluegrass lawns. Work is happening on all scales. Homeowners, landlords, Minneapolis parks and lakes and entire greenway systems are getting revamped and renewed. Some people till and mulch their gardens; you can see changes in the shorelines of many city lakes as they are restored with native plants and grasses. Landscaping industry is pulsing during the summer here.

My job progress is in a transitional phase. As some of you know I am working on a landscaping project for the city of Minneapolis facilitating 8 high school aged crew members to build an erosion reducing retaining wall out of modular concrete block. The youth have never held jobs before and for most of them this is a serious change from the tasks and expectations put upon them from school or home. They are paid, get sufficient brakes, and are supplied with all necessary equipment. I would say only half of the 8 kids arrive with a good attitude and intent to work, aka, do not question the fact that work does not involve cell phones, head phones, swearing, sitting down, or constantly complaining. Some do not understand this condition of being employed. I remember high school pretty well but I also remember my first job. As a dishwasher at this little cafe called Trotters in St. Paul, don't judge MPLS-ians. I loved work, the time outside of home and pay check were enough to keep my attitude in check. My job i quickly came to realize is to complete this erosion barrier on the Greenway while helping my work force from acting like "kids" even though they are. Its such a challenge, especially when I see the beautifully executed gardens and landscapes around the city. I could be working on those with precision and self conviction. So I ask myself "why youth work?" I am easily going to answer this for you, although it took me a long time to sort out in my head.

They are surprising. One minute they fighting your instruction the next they calm down, reflect in time and learn from the experiences on the job. They push themselves harder than they think is possible and grow. I enjoy being a part of these events in their lives, thinking of those people in my life and how they helped me get where I am today.

This last weekend I headed out from the woods (group training at Camp Courage) to the metropolis of San Francisco. What a hassle traveling has become! I had an amazing time in San Francisco, don't get me wrong, but it started out as a battle between me and the airline. I suppose its to be expected now that flights are delayed and cancelled. I'll just say Friday was a rough night and United Airlines owes me one!

I have to tell you people think all of California has perfect weather. Unfortunately, the Bay Area is immune to California's reputation. It was about 65 when I got into Oakland at Midnight, not too bad but definitely colder than Minnesota at night. The next day was perfect. I woke up early and met up with my friend Rachel who just moved to the East Bay from Minneapolis for a great job opportunity. Even in California the job market seems to be picking up. I'd love to get a job out there with a company like Rebar Art & Design Studio or some-sort of alternative landscape firm. The Rebar group does some really interesting art projects with deconstructed street equipment. They are also working on the Southwest Corridor of the Minneapolis Light Rail Project.

I had three objectives in California: attend my friend Gabriela's wedding in San Ramon, see all my friends living in the Bay Area, and going to the Pacific Ocean. I accomplished all my goals this trip and it felt so great. I mostly travelled on the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) which was so easy. I wish our LRT was done already! Since I moved back to Minneapolis from SF, I have said San Francisco has a great city model for Minneapolis to follow. Aside from the designer within me I love San Francisco for the food and culture. There are so many restaurants and I got to eat Sushi, Mexican and Vietnamese food. Special shout out to mi amiga Ivana for making a Venezuelan dish called arepas (Spanish) or arepas (English)

So I moved through the city on the public transit, ate my fair share of what the city has to offer and had an amazing trip. I highly recommend a trip out here for anyone interested in Victorian and Edwardian Architecture, the landscaping of Golden Gate Park is extremely beautiful. The history of the city itself shines through as you move through it, since it is a walkable city, many people now bike or bus too. I could go on, and on. But I'll save you from my rambling memories....Just go there!

Until next week,

Sarah
Landscape Planning

Hey everyone,

I can't believe how great I feel after being out of school for a couple weeks. I'm refreshed and ready to start a new phase in my life. I started my work with Tree Trust this week! Yay. Along with blogging for for CDes I think my summer will be packed, but keeping so busy will make things very interesting all summer long. I get to continue exploring the city on my bike, as I did in LA 1401 thanks to a diverse curriculum designed by Prof. Brad Agee. My Tree Trust training brought me out to St. Louis Park via the Cedar Lake North Regional Trail. It is a beautiful spot just North of Cedar Lake and Hidden Beach. I highly recommend finding your way out there soon and enjoying the views, especially for a sunset or two at the beach.

I attempted to get involved at the U my first year and it totally paid off for me. I got to be apart of an local and organic food potluck with the group "U Students Like Good Food" and a panel discussion with some local experts discussing urban agriculture. Learning inside and outside the classroom makes everything I'm learning seem so applicable to my future career.

This week is the first week of going back to obligations, responsibilities and learning. Not only do I start work training, I am going to San Francisco to be a bridesmaid for a good friend from my previous college. I was an Architecture and Community Design major at the University of San Francisco California.

So even with all these changes and challenges starting up in my life I try to stay calm and take a few moments to breathe deep every day. I am super lucky to have opportunities and support for these endeavors from my boyfriend, family and the staff I will be working for.

So enjoy your free time and make the most of it!

Sarah, Landscape Planning

Hi everyone, I wanted to first thank all of you for reading my blog! I hope you learned a lot about the U of M, Landscape Design & Planning Majors, and about the College of Design. The new Landscape Design & Planning blogger will be Sarah Sularz! She will be starting bi-weekly blogs over the summer with the first one being May 28th.

My plan for the rest of the summer is to continue working (while always keeping an eye out for bigger and better things, as you should too!) Next year I will return to the University of Minnesota for my final year in the graduate MLA program where I will be crazy busy completing my Capstone Thesis and will (fingers crossed!) graduate from the MLA program this time next spring!

Please do not hesitate to track me down next fall if you have any questions or simply want to chat about Landscape Design & Planning tracks within the Bachelor of Environmental Design!

Have a great summer!

Eric
Accelerated Bachelor of Environmental Design - May 2011
Masters of Landscape Architecture - Expected May 2013

As you may or may not know, an internship is required as part of the Bachelor of Environmental Design degree program. Internships can be found on the U of M's goldpass site, the American Society of Landscape Architecture -Minnesota chapter website, Minnesta Nursery & Landscape website, and any number of city websites.

To help you with resumes, cover letters, and anything else job application related.... the U of M career services is a great help - and FREE to students!

I completed an internship with the Ramsey County Conservation District as an Urban Best Managament Practice (BMP) Design Intern. I designed rain gardens, dry creek swales, shoreline restorations, and native planting restorations.

Internships go a long ways when beginning to build your professional network and begin to generate persons you will use later in life as references for future employement. As broad as our program allows us to be, and all the various subjects we gain knowledge in, it never ceases to amaze me how interconnectd the professional world we will be going into is. Your current boss may just be golf buddies with your future boss.

Make the best of every opportunity you get!

Till next week... Where I will be introducing you to the new Landscape Deisng and Planning Blogger for this summer and the 2012/2013 school year!

-Eric
Accelerated Bachelor of Environmental Design - May 2011
-Master of Landscape Architecture - Expected May 2013

Its a busy time of year as final studio project due dates are coming up. This makes for a very busy place at Rapson Hall - The Digital Fabrication Lab, home of our THREE laser cutters. These laser cutters are a students best friend as they save countless hours (and perhaps even a finger or two, wohoo for safety!) for each of us in cutting time. One of the laser cutters is made available for reservations making it very convenient for those students on tight schedules. The other two are on a first come first serve basis. I was unfortunately reminded of some advice I got from my high school wood shop teacher... "measure twice, cut once". I'll admit I cut a few pieces twice resulting in wasted time and additional stress. As for the actual working of the laser cutters... no worries, there is always a lab attendant there to help you out when you have a question.

This brings me to the stress of finals week. My best advice and remedy is to find an activity that you can do for as little as ten minutes to help take your mind of things for a bit. Also, creating to-do lists can be very helpful in staying organized and ensuring you don't forget about anything. Speaking of to do lists... Its time I get back to mine, just 8 hours until I present my studio final!

Eric
Accelerated Bachelor of Environmental Design - May 2011
Masters of Landscape Architecture Candidate - May 2013

So this past week was an exciting one for the University of Minnesota Campus as we celebrated the annual tradition of Spring Jam! This is a time when members of the university get together to enjoy all the great things about the University of Minnesota. Not to mention that all activities are free (and often come with free food!) Coffman Union is definitely worth stopping by at least once a day during the week of Spring Jam as there is always something going on outside!

This year Jesse James was one of the performers and although I didn't have time to make the concert, I heard it was a great one! Also, the greeks put on their annual Ballyhoo and Greek Band Competition. The weather this year wasn't the greatest on record, but it certainly didn't keep our student body from getting out and enjoying all of the great events planned. This events get planned by students, so you can be sure they're going to be exciting.

Well, after a few days enjoying Spring Jam its that time of year when final projects are due. I'm doing my final project on a redesign of a "pocket park" adjacent to Juxtapostion Arts in North Minneapolis.

Till next week!

Eric
Accelerated Bachelor of Environmental Design - May 2011
Master of Landscape Architecture - Expected May 2013

Just when things start to wrap up with classes a little thing called class registration comes around! This is that exciting (and sometimes stressful) time when each of us must pick out our classes for the next semester. Luckily all of us at the College of Design have some great advisers for us to meet with and update our degree plan to make sure we are taking the right classes to graduate (and even getting in a "just for fun" class every now and again.)

Registration can be done through One Stop. Just be sure to have your health insurance card handy as you'll have to provide some information to prove that you have health insurance. Once logged into onestop, a student is able to search for classes he or she may want to take. Occasionally a student may need a permission number to enroll. This is easily done by simply emailing the professor who will be teaching the course and requesting they send you a permission number to enroll in their course.

"OH NO! My class is full, the world is ending, what do I do?!" This is a scenario you may run into at any point in your academic career. First things first, click and add yourself to the waiting list if there is one available. Next, email the professor teaching the course to express your interest and see if they can give you a permission number to add the course even though registration says it is full. Lastly, attend the first day of class to see if a spot opens up. U of M rules require all students to attend the first day of each class. If a student misses their place in the class can be forfeited (making way for you!)

Well, now I need to actually register myself! - Till next week!

Eric
Accelerated Bachelor of Environmental Design - May 2011
Master of Landscapes Architecture - Expected May 2013

I'd like to dedicate this blog to a class that was particularly helpful as an undergraduate student. LA 3004 - Informants of Creating Landscape Space. This class was all about studying Carver County here in Minnesota (southern metro area).

We used a program called Geographic Information Systems (GIS for short). We used this program to analyze a great deal of data about the area; everything from geology, to susceptibility to contamination, to areas which provide the best habitat for local wildlife. All of this data crunching would create maps of the area that we then used to coincide with our reports (some of which got to 20-30 pages!) I realize you're probably having the same reaction to that page number as I originally did, but trust me when I say they go quickly. You go through your "methodology" step by step and outline how you got the data and conclusions that you did. And the professor Dave Pitt helps you throughout the entire process, often staying well past when the class ended to make sure we got all of our questions answered.

The class we very helpful because I gained a higher understanding of how to use GIS (you take a introductory course in GIS prior to taking this class) and it has proved very helpful to me in my studies ever since.

Have a great week!

Eric
Accelerated Bachelor of Environmental Design - May 2011
Masters of Landscape Architecture - Expected May 2013

To sum it up in one word, the trip was awesome!

On the first day I landed in NYC 9 hours before the rest of my classmates which gave me a lot of time to go site seeing on my own. I went to Battery Park which had a number of monuments and memorials, then Wall Street, Pier 17, 55 Water Street - The Elevated Acre, and Union Square. Topped the day off with a free bbq at the hostel we stayed at in Brooklyn, NY.

The next day we went site seeing as a class to the former Brooklyn Navy Yards, Paley Park, and Central Park (which, by the way is entirely man made and originally was a swamp!) The third day we met with associates from Michael Van Valkenburgh & Associates,Terrain NYC, and an engineer who worked on the East River Esplanade to get an idea of what working in a design firm in NYC was like. Some awesome teams doing some really great work!

The last day we had with our professor we visited The High Line, Bryant Park (which sits in front of the New York Public Library), Teardrop Park, Irish Hunger Memorial, and Times Square.

Sunday was a day on our own which we spent doing some shopping and visited the 9/11 memorial site. We all agreed we liked the design very much but were utterly disappointed in the way in which some of the visitors treated it as more of a tourist attraction than a memorial.

It was a busy schedule, but i'm glad we went every where we did! Now back to school work...

Till next week,

Eric
Accelerated Bachelor of Environmental Design - May 2011
Master of Landscape Architecture - Expected May 2013

Hey all,

So i'm finally packed and ready for my trip to NYC! My studio classmates and professor will be traveling to NYC tomorrow and staying through to monday. We're planning on seeing the New York High Line, 9/11 Memorial, visiting Michael Van Valkenburgh Studio's, Central Park of course, and lots and lots of other places! My blog next Wednesday will be jam packed with stories from the trip!

Definitely spend some time going through The High Line website as this is a GREAT project that is winning tons of awards and getting a lot of attention from not only the Landscape Architecture community but from New York City itself. For those of you interested in adaptive reuse of existing structures you'll find The High Line especially interesting once you get into the history of what the structure used to be. (I won't spoil it and instead let you figure it out!) First person to comment and give me the correct answer to that question gets to pick the topic of my post the week after next weeks post on the Trip to NYC!!!

- Eric
Accelerated Bachelor of Environmental Design - May 2011
Masters of Landscape Architecture - Expected May 2013