Michelle Young
MICHELLE YOUNG is the founder of Untapped Cities, a web magazine and tour company about urban discovery. She is a graduate of Harvard College in the History of Art and Architecture and holds a master’s degree in urban planning from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, where she is an Adjunct Professor of Architecture. She is also a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, Pre-College Division. She is the author of Secret Brooklyn: An Unusual Guide, New York: Hidden Bars & Restaurants, and Broadway. Michelle appears regularly as a guest speaker in documentaries, on television, and at conferences on urban issues. Originally from New York, she has traveled to over forty countries and is always looking for the next adventure.
3 words to describe Nature?
Calm. Colorful. Casualty
3 things Nature taught you?
No matter how wide your imagination, nature is often the most creative and stunning. As a result, once it's gone, it is easy to forget what was once there. At the same time, nature has an incredible way of adapting around human behavior, taking over in the cracks and crevices when we're still around, and completely taking over when we're not.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
L'île Marquer (in Brittany, France);
Shelter Island;
Prospect Park (Brooklyn)
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
At peace
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Surrounded
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
In awe
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
In the city. New York City has some of the most amazing sunrises and sunsets!
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Cozy
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Wintry
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Ocean
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
9, although as a city person I only realized in the last few years the importance of it for my own sanity!
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Walking up through a river in Vermont with camp friends, none of us having a map but perfectly content at having no particular destination. At the end, it turned out to be a gorgeous waterfall and big swimming hole.
