And when I say big, I mean it. Maybe it's not as sizable as this summer's big, crazy public-art head in Madison Park, but it's still impressive. I ran by it a bunch of times, intending to take a closer look one day.
Then recently, at dusk, I noticed the lights on and went over to check it out. I was really surprised when I looked through one of the portholes. It looks like the perfect apartment for a robot.
Here's a better (but undownloadable) pic of the inside. Can't you easily imagine a friendly little machine toodling around in there, checking his or her email on their smart phone, or washing their hands before dinner?
As I went on my excessively sweaty way, I thought about another perfect resident. I read this article awhile ago about a Seattle program for homeless alcoholics. It provides repeat offenders with government-funded housing where sobriety isn't enforced; an experiment started to stop the endless (and expensive to taxpayers) jail/rehab/emergency room cycle. Of course it turned out to be a big money saver. So wouldn't it be cool if NYC had a bunch of these, say about a million trillion, all piled on top of one another? Maybe entering and leaving a bottle every day would create a "What the hell am I doing with my life?" kind of revelation/new perspective and break the cycle for tons of drunk people! Also, the interiors seem perfect for the rapid and easy cleanup of vomit and other unfortunate accidents. Sorry, gross but true.
This idea was apparently very energizing, as I ended up having a great run that night.
The inside of the bottle is actually, according to artist Malcolm Cochran, a representation of the stateroom in the Queen Mary ocean liner.
Nice.
