Community

Great bit of guerilla activism in Prospect Heights, protesting the disastrous Atlantic Yards project (helmed by developer Bruce Ratner) which just broke ground earlier this month. [via Brownstoner]

Times to Remember, Places to Forget →

A wonderfully pithy Times Op-Ed from the New Year, on the homogenization of place. It grazes vapidity, but I think ultimately that’s part of its strength – makes makes a smart point simply. Give it a quick read.

When the industrial smoothing of our nation’s once-variegated edges has been fully accomplished, Americans may no longer need to gather at midnight on the last day of the year to yearn for their yesterdays, because wherever they are they will see the landscapes of their youths.

Two thousand nine was a big year: it brought both a renewed sense of stability and a whole slew of adventure. As the calendar ticks over to a new decade, I reprise the venerable tradition – inherited from Jason Kottke – of cataloguing the year by its places. One or more nights spent in each city, asterisks denote places to which I returned. Links to the relevant flickr photos where available.

• New York, NY*
• Somerville, MA*
• Philadelphia, PA
• Paris, France
• Madrid, Spain
• Mojácar, Spain
• Malaga, Spain
• Rabat, Morocco*
• Marrakesh, Morocco
• Fès, Morocco
• Barcelona, Spain
• Sharon, CT
• Colorado Springs, CO
• Brooklyn, NY*
• Missoula, MT
• Campbell, CA

Previously: 2007, 2006 – there wasn’t a lot going on in 2008 (although I did try to take a photo every day).

"Let me tell you just a little something about the American Indian in our land. We have provided millions of acres of land for what are called preservations—or reservations, I should say. They, from the beginning, announced that they wanted to maintain their way of life, as they had always lived there in the desert and the plains and so forth… And we’ve done everything we can to meet their demands as to how they want to live. Maybe we made a mistake. Maybe we should not have humored them in that wanting to stay in that kind of primitive lifestyle. Maybe we should have said, no, come join us; be citizens along with the rest of us. As I say, many have; many have been very successful."

— Ronald Reagan on “humoring” Native peoples, at Moscow State University in 1988.

My year in cities: 2007 edition

Reprising last year’s meme, here is my year in cities. Alas, no foreign travel for me in 2007, though I did get around the northeast pretty handily - I guess that is what comes from a summer spent back in Boston. Our low-budget spring break road trip through California barely registers here, with only a night at Rosie’s down in San Diego and a few nights at my house in the Bay Area. The San Francisco visit was New Year’s Eve, but we’re counting it for 2007.

Asterisks again denote multiple visits, minimum one night in any city. I’m linking to flickr photos in a given location from the year, and the Google Map above is a fancy new addition. (I’ve always been an innovator). Onward!

• Somerville, MA*
• New York, NY*
• La Jolla, CA
• Campbell, CA*
• Phoenixville, PA
• Kutztown, PA
• Ashland, MA
• Northwood, NH
• San Francisco, CA

Predictions for 2008: I will definitely have found a new home when I graduate and the lease runs out this summer, and let’s just say: I bet it won’t require a new addition to this list.

"So, why not step even further out. Just split. Leave the nest. 50 - 49 = 1. Face it, they don’t like us. And we don’t need them. We got the food. We got the wine country to wash it down with. We got the movies, the Disneyland, the Yosemite, the Death Valley, the Sierras, the otters, the Humboldt County. We could use a flag and some money, but otherwise, we’re set"

— The Case for California Secession

Vignelli's simplified MTA map won't do, but in Boston we're supposed to make sense of a tangled square without even a hint of geographic relevance. Thank God for Google Maps. →

American history is one of exclusion and prejudice; we've always defined what we are by what we are not. →

"There Will Be No Street Cars in Our Large Cities. All hurry traffic will be below or high above ground when brought within city limits. In most cities it will be confined to broad subways or tunnels, well lighted and well ventilated, or to high trestles with “moving-sidewalk” stairways leading to the top. These underground or overhead streets will teem with capacious automobile passenger coaches and freight with cushioned wheels. Subways or trestles will be reserved for express trains.  Cities, therefore, will be free from all noises."

— Sad, funny, compelling predictions for 2000 from the Ladies Home Journal of December 1900. Lots of giant food in there, but also watch for “To England in two days” and “photographs will reproduce all of natures colors.”

My year in cities

I picked this up from Jason a while back, but it was mathowie who reminded me this chilly Californian Christmas eve.

My list is simple (such is the life of a college student), though I am hyperlinking to my 2006 photos of the given cities, so take that!

Asterisks denote more than one visit, minimum one night in any listed city. I present them to you in chronological order (of first visit):

• New York City, NY*
• Somerville, MA*
• Montréal, QC
• Seattle, WA
• Campbell, CA*
• Tijuana, Mexico
• Suffield, CT

Interestingly, I spent 2006 living in New York, Somervillle, and Campbell. I thought it would be cool to uproot my life as frequently as possible, but 2007 looks to be more focused on strengthening all the love I’ve got in MA.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays, all!