Community News
There's no way that we can possibly cover everything happening around bicycling, walking, and transportation in the Twin Cities region. That's why we started a blog network: a one-stop shop to get read all of the bicycling and walking blogs in the area. If you'd like to add your blog to this network, send an email to tlc@tlcminnesota.org.
The Gun Metaphor: Why Bikes are the Guns of Transportation Policy
[Second in the highly unpopular "metaphor series" of blogposts.]
[Lyndale Open Streets.]I just learned Open Streets this weekend is going to have an exciting new event this year.
For those who don't know, Open Streets is an amazing event where the city takes a street normally choked with cars (in this case, Lyndale) and devotes the space to people for an afternoon.
It's only a few hours, but this simple gesture reveals with a flourish how radically street design can change the feel of a city. For a few hours, Lyndale (or Lowry or Central or Minnehaha) magically transform from an anxious-provoking car sewer into an almost transcendent place for people to do anything they please. People walk their dog, ride bikes, do yoga, sell lemonade, or slowly meander around with a loaded handgun attached to their hip. Yes, this year brings us the first ever "Open Carry Open Streets."
Here's a description from the flier:
Join us for this series of open carry social meet up opportunities in Minneapolis & St. Paul! The streets will be closed off to vehicles on the following dates, so we're using this as a perfect opportunity to promote pro-active, positive visibility for law abiding gun owners. Bring a lawn chair, bicycle, picnic lunch or whatever!
Welcome Gun Nuts!
[The next big thing since recumbents.]Let me be the first to say "welcome." Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of handguns. I don't like them. I don't want one. I think they're fantastically stupid. Highly believable studies show that you're more likely to be shot with your own gun to be the one doing the shooting. (That's true for police too.) Hell, even if I had the chance to shoot an intruder who intended to do me harm, I wouldn't do it.
If it were effective or politically possible, I'd be in favor of closing the gun show loophole, passing an assault weapons ban, and I'd even embrace handgun laws like Chicago's, DC's, or New York's.
But in the real world, I don't care much about guns. For me, its a political dead end. The reason is pretty simple: gun people love their guns more than just about anything. They're one of the most dedicated interest groups in America today. Not only do attempts to regulate not work very well, they almost always backfire. [sic]
Meanwhile, though gun culture has a seriously problematic relationship with race and gender (e.g. George Zimmerman), gun people seem mostly harmless. My conservative cousin is in the NRA and, politics aside, he's a very nice man.
In my experience, open carry gun people are socially awkward, economically stressed, working class white guys who fetishize a particular (f'd up) technology. For these folks, coming out to Open Streets to blink in the sun and enjoy mundane urbanism for a few hours is the best possible outcome. Picture a few carry permit guys emerging from depressing basements filled with boxes of ammo and old calendars, venturing from bunker'd exurbia into the everyday world of an average Minneapolis street filled with people of all backgrounds on a beautiful summer day. The beauty of the city will smack them in the face like a shaving cream pie.
(Of course, maybe I'm wrong; maybe the Minneapolis Open Carry people are huge assholes.)
As Handguns are to Misanthropic Survivalist Culture, Bikes are to Urbanist Millenialism
[Bike hunting: why not?]Here's where the metaphor comes in. A while ago, I was talking to a couple people on the Minneapolis Pedestrian Advisory Committee about their work. They told me that being a pedestrian activist and lobbying for better sidewalks, crosswalks, and signal timing is difficult because pedestrians are such an un-sexy topic. It's odd. While everyone is a pedestrian at some point (even drivers have to walk to their parking spot), almost nobody deeply identifies themselves as one. We take walking for granted.
In other words, if you had a "Minneapolis Pedestrians" rally, nobody would show up. Nobody writes their congressman about being a pedestrian. Walking is not something that gets people very excited.
Frankly, the Pedestrian Committee people seemed a bit jealous of the bicycle group, the seeming ease at which bike activists showed up for meetings. For example, the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition has been growing like gangbusters, and they're one of the main forces behind Open Streets. Bikes are politically powerful, bus stops are not.
[Bikes are the "charismatic megafauna" of urbanism.]It's not because more people ride bicycles than walk on their feet, its because bicycles have a particular emotional appeal to people. People identify as bicyclists. Riding a bicycle through the city, being cut off, hitting a pothole, or going past the lake on a gorgeous spring evening changes people. Bicycling reconfigures your sense of the world. People become very attached to their bikes. They'll go to great lengths to improve bicycling in the city, and woe to those politicians who oppose them. In some cities, the bike lobby isn't a total joke.
And that's why bikes are like guns. Just as guns seduce their owners with their efficient design and deadly power, people develop deep emotional bonds with their bikes. Both communities almost pornographically share pictures. Both communities have weird rituals. Both communities are dominated by white men. And both communities have political traction, because bikes can appeal to people in ways that sidewalks and transit funding can never do. If the bike lobby can someday wield a fraction of the influence of the gun nuts, the world will be a wonderful place.
If You See an Open Carry Gun Guy, Try to Smile
Ideally, I'd like Open Streets to be as inclusive as possible. Rubbing shoulders with people very different than you is what cities are all about. If you want to live in a place where everyone shares your taste, interests, and politics, move to Portland.
Each year in the US, about 30,000 people are killed by guns (including homicides, suicides, and accidents). By strange coincidence, almost exactly the same amount of people are killed annually by cars. (And that's not including the more diffuse public health effects of automobiles, e.g. obesity, asthma, etc.)
To me, Open Streets is about the diverse kinds of life that are possible when we remove the automobile from the center of our lives. It's not about everyone being forced to do yoga or ride bicycles. It's about revealing the potential of our public spaces, our streets and sidewalks. We're much better off in a world where even people that disagree with each other can co-exist in our public spaces. This means welcoming everyone, even if they have an idiotic gun strapped to their hip.
[People eyeing each other warily at Lyndale Open Streets.]
[Lyndale Open Streets.]I just learned Open Streets this weekend is going to have an exciting new event this year.
For those who don't know, Open Streets is an amazing event where the city takes a street normally choked with cars (in this case, Lyndale) and devotes the space to people for an afternoon.
It's only a few hours, but this simple gesture reveals with a flourish how radically street design can change the feel of a city. For a few hours, Lyndale (or Lowry or Central or Minnehaha) magically transform from an anxious-provoking car sewer into an almost transcendent place for people to do anything they please. People walk their dog, ride bikes, do yoga, sell lemonade, or slowly meander around with a loaded handgun attached to their hip. Yes, this year brings us the first ever "Open Carry Open Streets."
Here's a description from the flier:
Join us for this series of open carry social meet up opportunities in Minneapolis & St. Paul! The streets will be closed off to vehicles on the following dates, so we're using this as a perfect opportunity to promote pro-active, positive visibility for law abiding gun owners. Bring a lawn chair, bicycle, picnic lunch or whatever!
Welcome Gun Nuts!
[The next big thing since recumbents.]Let me be the first to say "welcome." Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of handguns. I don't like them. I don't want one. I think they're fantastically stupid. Highly believable studies show that you're more likely to be shot with your own gun to be the one doing the shooting. (That's true for police too.) Hell, even if I had the chance to shoot an intruder who intended to do me harm, I wouldn't do it.
If it were effective or politically possible, I'd be in favor of closing the gun show loophole, passing an assault weapons ban, and I'd even embrace handgun laws like Chicago's, DC's, or New York's.
But in the real world, I don't care much about guns. For me, its a political dead end. The reason is pretty simple: gun people love their guns more than just about anything. They're one of the most dedicated interest groups in America today. Not only do attempts to regulate not work very well, they almost always backfire. [sic]
Meanwhile, though gun culture has a seriously problematic relationship with race and gender (e.g. George Zimmerman), gun people seem mostly harmless. My conservative cousin is in the NRA and, politics aside, he's a very nice man.
In my experience, open carry gun people are socially awkward, economically stressed, working class white guys who fetishize a particular (f'd up) technology. For these folks, coming out to Open Streets to blink in the sun and enjoy mundane urbanism for a few hours is the best possible outcome. Picture a few carry permit guys emerging from depressing basements filled with boxes of ammo and old calendars, venturing from bunker'd exurbia into the everyday world of an average Minneapolis street filled with people of all backgrounds on a beautiful summer day. The beauty of the city will smack them in the face like a shaving cream pie.
(Of course, maybe I'm wrong; maybe the Minneapolis Open Carry people are huge assholes.)
As Handguns are to Misanthropic Survivalist Culture, Bikes are to Urbanist Millenialism
[Bike hunting: why not?]Here's where the metaphor comes in. A while ago, I was talking to a couple people on the Minneapolis Pedestrian Advisory Committee about their work. They told me that being a pedestrian activist and lobbying for better sidewalks, crosswalks, and signal timing is difficult because pedestrians are such an un-sexy topic. It's odd. While everyone is a pedestrian at some point (even drivers have to walk to their parking spot), almost nobody deeply identifies themselves as one. We take walking for granted.
In other words, if you had a "Minneapolis Pedestrians" rally, nobody would show up. Nobody writes their congressman about being a pedestrian. Walking is not something that gets people very excited.
Frankly, the Pedestrian Committee people seemed a bit jealous of the bicycle group, the seeming ease at which bike activists showed up for meetings. For example, the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition has been growing like gangbusters, and they're one of the main forces behind Open Streets. Bikes are politically powerful, bus stops are not.
[Bikes are the "charismatic megafauna" of urbanism.]It's not because more people ride bicycles than walk on their feet, its because bicycles have a particular emotional appeal to people. People identify as bicyclists. Riding a bicycle through the city, being cut off, hitting a pothole, or going past the lake on a gorgeous spring evening changes people. Bicycling reconfigures your sense of the world. People become very attached to their bikes. They'll go to great lengths to improve bicycling in the city, and woe to those politicians who oppose them. In some cities, the bike lobby isn't a total joke.
And that's why bikes are like guns. Just as guns seduce their owners with their efficient design and deadly power, people develop deep emotional bonds with their bikes. Both communities almost pornographically share pictures. Both communities have weird rituals. Both communities are dominated by white men. And both communities have political traction, because bikes can appeal to people in ways that sidewalks and transit funding can never do. If the bike lobby can someday wield a fraction of the influence of the gun nuts, the world will be a wonderful place.
If You See an Open Carry Gun Guy, Try to Smile
Ideally, I'd like Open Streets to be as inclusive as possible. Rubbing shoulders with people very different than you is what cities are all about. If you want to live in a place where everyone shares your taste, interests, and politics, move to Portland.
Each year in the US, about 30,000 people are killed by guns (including homicides, suicides, and accidents). By strange coincidence, almost exactly the same amount of people are killed annually by cars. (And that's not including the more diffuse public health effects of automobiles, e.g. obesity, asthma, etc.)
To me, Open Streets is about the diverse kinds of life that are possible when we remove the automobile from the center of our lives. It's not about everyone being forced to do yoga or ride bicycles. It's about revealing the potential of our public spaces, our streets and sidewalks. We're much better off in a world where even people that disagree with each other can co-exist in our public spaces. This means welcoming everyone, even if they have an idiotic gun strapped to their hip.
[People eyeing each other warily at Lyndale Open Streets.]
Reading the Highland Villager #86
[Basically the problem is that the best source of Saint Paul streets & sidewalks news is the Highland Villager, a very fine and historical newspaper. This wouldn't be a problem, except that its not available online. You basically have to live in or frequent Saint Paul to read it. That's why I'm reading the Highland Villager so that you don't have to. Until this newspaper goes online, sidewalk information must be set free.]
Headline: Hopefuls make last bid for CIB fundingReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: People are still trying to get city money for new sidewalks in the “Village,” because the old decorative brick sidewalks aren’t holding up. Also, some other things too (intersection safety improvement on West 7th, a rec center and area plan in Merriam Park). Chances are slim that any of these will get money from the mayor in August.
Headline: Building demolition begins at Ford plantReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: They’re knocking down the old automobile factory.
Headline: Supporters continue to push for study of Ayd Mill Road’s north end; CIB Committee ranked funding request near bottom of the pile. Reporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: [See above story.]Neighbors are trying to get the city to fund a study of solutions for Ayd Mill Road, but the city committee didn’t rank the project highly. People who have been upset for a long time [and rightly so] about the [quasi-]freeway running through neighborhood have become even more upset because of the new developments in the area. Article includes long and fascinating history of the Ayd Mill road, including all of former mayor Randy Kelly’s shenanigans. The study would look at traffic calming, reducing traffic levels, and adding bike facilities.
Headline: Buffalo Wild Wings reaches accord with neighbors; liquor licensse is expected to be approved this weekReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: The Buffalo Wild Wings will have to open later than they’d like because it took a while to officially approve their liquor license. Neighbors upset by the incoming restaurant received concessions from the company, including no patio, quieter ventiliation, a 1 AM closing time, and redirected lighting.
Headline: Nina’s Café remodeling tops list of STAR recommendationsReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: The rankings for city Neighborhood Sales Tax Revitlization (STAR) money were released. Top projects include: a new floor for Nina’s Coffee Shop, a grant for an urban farm, carpet in a homeless shelter, two different craft breweries / tap rooms, a mini-golf course, and other things.
Headline: Commodore Squash Club seeks city’s permission to serve liquorReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: The squash club next to the old [super art deco] Commodore Hotel will be allowed to serve booze, most likely, but only to members and their friends. Article includes concerns about the club becoming a “de facto bar,” a fate to be avoided.
Headline: St. Paul approves sound variance for more overnight light-rail work.Reporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: Workers will be allowed to put up electric catenary poles for the LRT at night, sometimes, except in lowertown, probably. “The permit application notes that the main noise will be the beeps from vehicles backing up.”
Headline: Historic status support grows for long vacant Island StationReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: People are trying to keep the long abandoned, old coal plant in the river valley from being knocked down. The owner wants to raze it.
Headline: Public can weigh in on plan for Marshall Ave. improvementsReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: There will be a public meeting to discuss plans for traffic calming and streetscape improvements along Marshall between Snelling and the Cathedral. [It already happened, oops.]
Headline: Obama School to get lit sign despite objectionsReporter: Jane McClureShort short version: An elementary school on Holly Avenue will be allowed to put up a sign with lights in it, despite neighbors concerns. Best quote: “All my neighbors and I are opposed to a lighted sign.” [Yes, the school is named after the Obamas. Seems a bit early to me, too, but then again, he already won the Nobel Peace Prize, didn’t he.]
Headline: Encore!: Victoria TheaterReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: People are trying to restore the Victoria Theater on University. You can buy it if you want. It’s for sale.
Headline: Hopefuls make last bid for CIB fundingReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: People are still trying to get city money for new sidewalks in the “Village,” because the old decorative brick sidewalks aren’t holding up. Also, some other things too (intersection safety improvement on West 7th, a rec center and area plan in Merriam Park). Chances are slim that any of these will get money from the mayor in August.
Headline: Building demolition begins at Ford plantReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: They’re knocking down the old automobile factory.
Headline: Supporters continue to push for study of Ayd Mill Road’s north end; CIB Committee ranked funding request near bottom of the pile. Reporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: [See above story.]Neighbors are trying to get the city to fund a study of solutions for Ayd Mill Road, but the city committee didn’t rank the project highly. People who have been upset for a long time [and rightly so] about the [quasi-]freeway running through neighborhood have become even more upset because of the new developments in the area. Article includes long and fascinating history of the Ayd Mill road, including all of former mayor Randy Kelly’s shenanigans. The study would look at traffic calming, reducing traffic levels, and adding bike facilities.
Headline: Buffalo Wild Wings reaches accord with neighbors; liquor licensse is expected to be approved this weekReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: The Buffalo Wild Wings will have to open later than they’d like because it took a while to officially approve their liquor license. Neighbors upset by the incoming restaurant received concessions from the company, including no patio, quieter ventiliation, a 1 AM closing time, and redirected lighting.
Headline: Nina’s Café remodeling tops list of STAR recommendationsReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: The rankings for city Neighborhood Sales Tax Revitlization (STAR) money were released. Top projects include: a new floor for Nina’s Coffee Shop, a grant for an urban farm, carpet in a homeless shelter, two different craft breweries / tap rooms, a mini-golf course, and other things.
Headline: Commodore Squash Club seeks city’s permission to serve liquorReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: The squash club next to the old [super art deco] Commodore Hotel will be allowed to serve booze, most likely, but only to members and their friends. Article includes concerns about the club becoming a “de facto bar,” a fate to be avoided.
Headline: St. Paul approves sound variance for more overnight light-rail work.Reporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: Workers will be allowed to put up electric catenary poles for the LRT at night, sometimes, except in lowertown, probably. “The permit application notes that the main noise will be the beeps from vehicles backing up.”
Headline: Historic status support grows for long vacant Island StationReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: People are trying to keep the long abandoned, old coal plant in the river valley from being knocked down. The owner wants to raze it.
Headline: Public can weigh in on plan for Marshall Ave. improvementsReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: There will be a public meeting to discuss plans for traffic calming and streetscape improvements along Marshall between Snelling and the Cathedral. [It already happened, oops.]
Headline: Obama School to get lit sign despite objectionsReporter: Jane McClureShort short version: An elementary school on Holly Avenue will be allowed to put up a sign with lights in it, despite neighbors concerns. Best quote: “All my neighbors and I are opposed to a lighted sign.” [Yes, the school is named after the Obamas. Seems a bit early to me, too, but then again, he already won the Nobel Peace Prize, didn’t he.]
Headline: Encore!: Victoria TheaterReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: People are trying to restore the Victoria Theater on University. You can buy it if you want. It’s for sale.
*** News Flash! ***
Sidewalk Rating: Idyll Had the renovations to the minister’s house on Basinghall Street followed an accelerated timetable, it’s likely that Priestley would have never stumbled across his “delightful Pyrmont water”; without the brewery, it’s possible the Priestley wouldn’t have thrown himself into the study of gases that dominated the next decade of his research. We tend to talk about the history of ideas in terms of individual genius and broader cultural categories – the spirit of the age, the paradigm of research. But ideas happen in specific physical environments as well, environments that bring their own distinct pressures, opportunities, limitations, happy accidents to the evolution of human understanding. Take Joseph Priestley out of Enlightenment culture, and deprive him of the scientific method, and his legendary streak no doubt disappears, or turns into something radically different. . But take Priestley out of Meadow Lane, and deprive him of his hours at the brewery, and you would likely get a different story as well.”
[Stephen Johnson, The Invention of Air.]
[Girl atop a duct tape and flowerpot guerrilla bus stop on East 7th Street in Saint Paul.]
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I ride my bike instead of taking public transit because I’m too lazy to go to the store to buy bus tickets, and I am far too lazy to dig for loose change under my couch. I am also too lazy to transfer from the bus to the subway to the streetcar, preferring to ride directly to my destination without transfers.
Instead of walking 15 minutes to my destination, I ride my bicycle there in 5. Yes, I ride there because I am too lazy to walk.
I ride my bicycle past dozens of cars at rush hour because I’m too lazy to be stressed out sitting in traffic and too lazy to explain why I’m late all the time.
[this.]
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It was a public space and I was right next to them and everyone in this city knows some English, but fine. If she wanted to keep talking to this guy, which nothing about her body language said she did, I’d leave it alone. I went back to my flashcards. They were silent for a couple more seconds before she added quietly and almost sadly, without looking at me, “We’re practicing. It’s a play.”
I do not know what this lie was for.
She went no further and continued looking nervous the whole time as he refused to leave her alone. I got off at Adenauerplatz like I meant to. I tried to do the right thing. I hope I did the right thing. I hope she is okay.
I want to talk to someone about this because I have no idea what the hell I just witnessed and I am kind of shaken up about it in a way I can’t really explain. Am I overreacting? Was this none of my business? Should I have done anything differently, or nothing at all?
[this.]
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[Stephen Johnson, The Invention of Air.]
[Girl atop a duct tape and flowerpot guerrilla bus stop on East 7th Street in Saint Paul.]
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I ride my bike instead of taking public transit because I’m too lazy to go to the store to buy bus tickets, and I am far too lazy to dig for loose change under my couch. I am also too lazy to transfer from the bus to the subway to the streetcar, preferring to ride directly to my destination without transfers.
Instead of walking 15 minutes to my destination, I ride my bicycle there in 5. Yes, I ride there because I am too lazy to walk.
I ride my bicycle past dozens of cars at rush hour because I’m too lazy to be stressed out sitting in traffic and too lazy to explain why I’m late all the time.
[this.]
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treasure
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cycletrack
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japan
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theif
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It was a public space and I was right next to them and everyone in this city knows some English, but fine. If she wanted to keep talking to this guy, which nothing about her body language said she did, I’d leave it alone. I went back to my flashcards. They were silent for a couple more seconds before she added quietly and almost sadly, without looking at me, “We’re practicing. It’s a play.”
I do not know what this lie was for.
She went no further and continued looking nervous the whole time as he refused to leave her alone. I got off at Adenauerplatz like I meant to. I tried to do the right thing. I hope I did the right thing. I hope she is okay.
I want to talk to someone about this because I have no idea what the hell I just witnessed and I am kind of shaken up about it in a way I can’t really explain. Am I overreacting? Was this none of my business? Should I have done anything differently, or nothing at all?
[this.]
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Name That Sidewalk #6
It's time once again for another Name That Sidewalk! This one comes with a mysterious clue...
First one to guess correctly receives the meaningless promise of a future prize. Leave guesses in comments or email me directly.
First one to guess correctly receives the meaningless promise of a future prize. Leave guesses in comments or email me directly.
Real World Urban Design Experiment #2: University LRT Traffic Calming
It’s notoriously difficult to do proper “scientific” studies of cities. You can’t run controlled experiments! Cities are too large, too complex, and filled with persnickety humans. You don’t have a “control group,” and I guarantee you that the Institutional Review Board would never approve.
That’s why urban planning relies on models, hypothetical theory, and inductive reasoning. Pretty much the only thing that planners and civic engineers can reliably study are the movement of cars, crime, and the taxable value of real estate. (Data for anything else, such as people moving on foot or happiness is almost impossibly tricky.) That’s no small reason why car volumes and real estate values become the main emphases for city policy.
But have no fear. All that can change thanks to these easy to follow Real Life Planning Experiments. There are a few places in the Twin Cities where you can experience two sets of scenarios right here, on these very streets. These are places where you have a “control group” (Test Case #A) and an “experimental group” (Urban Street Subject 5.2-C5). These are places where the conditions are similar enough that you can come to some preliminary conclusions about different urban designs, different treatments, different planning approaches.
Following these easy steps, you can conduct your own Real World Experiment. Walk, bike, and drive through the city. Find out for yourself whether urban design really makes a difference. The world is your laboratory.
Experiment #2: LRT Traffic Calming on University
Research Background: University Avenue is the main East-West route between Saint Paul and Minneapolis, running about 10 miles between the two downtowns through the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis campus. It’s a wide street with 8’ sidewalks (on average) lined with commercial, residential, and industrial buildings of various densities and setbacks. The City, County, State, and Federal governments have spent the last few years constructing tracks for a light rail train (LRT) running down the middle of the street.
Though the train itself will not run down the tracks for another nine months, the tracks and streetscape modifications are already in place.
[University Avenue pre-existing conditions.]
[University Avenue: the before picture.]Existing Conditions: To conduct this experiment, you have to compare University Avenue today to University Avenue before the construction. Two years ago, University had a wide right of way (ROW) devoted to car traffic. There were few street trees. Cars traveled unimpeded.
Working Hypothesis: Even without the LRT operating, the streetscape and traffic calming effects of the LRT dramatically change the experience of University Avenue, slowing down traffic and improving the experience of people on foot.
[University Avenue: the after picture.]
Methodology: Imagine that there will be no train, that the tracks are simply an elaborate design for traffic calming. Choose an interesting segment of University Avenue and go for a walk.
Think back to the street as it was before construction. How does it compare today? Is it a more or less pleasant experience? How fast do cars seem to be moving? Can you cross the street? Can you comfortably carry on a conversation with a friend or stranger?
Repeat this experiment while driving a car, or on a bicycle (with caution).
[A post-LRT sidewalk.]
That’s why urban planning relies on models, hypothetical theory, and inductive reasoning. Pretty much the only thing that planners and civic engineers can reliably study are the movement of cars, crime, and the taxable value of real estate. (Data for anything else, such as people moving on foot or happiness is almost impossibly tricky.) That’s no small reason why car volumes and real estate values become the main emphases for city policy.
But have no fear. All that can change thanks to these easy to follow Real Life Planning Experiments. There are a few places in the Twin Cities where you can experience two sets of scenarios right here, on these very streets. These are places where you have a “control group” (Test Case #A) and an “experimental group” (Urban Street Subject 5.2-C5). These are places where the conditions are similar enough that you can come to some preliminary conclusions about different urban designs, different treatments, different planning approaches.
Following these easy steps, you can conduct your own Real World Experiment. Walk, bike, and drive through the city. Find out for yourself whether urban design really makes a difference. The world is your laboratory.
Experiment #2: LRT Traffic Calming on University
Research Background: University Avenue is the main East-West route between Saint Paul and Minneapolis, running about 10 miles between the two downtowns through the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis campus. It’s a wide street with 8’ sidewalks (on average) lined with commercial, residential, and industrial buildings of various densities and setbacks. The City, County, State, and Federal governments have spent the last few years constructing tracks for a light rail train (LRT) running down the middle of the street.
Though the train itself will not run down the tracks for another nine months, the tracks and streetscape modifications are already in place.
[University Avenue pre-existing conditions.]
[University Avenue: the before picture.]Existing Conditions: To conduct this experiment, you have to compare University Avenue today to University Avenue before the construction. Two years ago, University had a wide right of way (ROW) devoted to car traffic. There were few street trees. Cars traveled unimpeded.
Working Hypothesis: Even without the LRT operating, the streetscape and traffic calming effects of the LRT dramatically change the experience of University Avenue, slowing down traffic and improving the experience of people on foot.
[University Avenue: the after picture.]
Methodology: Imagine that there will be no train, that the tracks are simply an elaborate design for traffic calming. Choose an interesting segment of University Avenue and go for a walk.
Think back to the street as it was before construction. How does it compare today? Is it a more or less pleasant experience? How fast do cars seem to be moving? Can you cross the street? Can you comfortably carry on a conversation with a friend or stranger?
Repeat this experiment while driving a car, or on a bicycle (with caution).
[A post-LRT sidewalk.]
Ode to Vone Moua and Malina's Sports Bar
[Malina's Sports Bar on Dale Street.]I lived in Saint Paul's North End for over seven years, and not a few of them went by before I happened across Malina's. I lived not far from the oddly shaped intersection of Como, Front, and Dale Streets, next to the train tracks and near the cemetery. Malina's was on the other side of the tracks, just inside Frogtown by the big Asian grocery store.
Mine was a quiet neighborhood, very diverse, an old blue-collar Catholic area that was quickly changing. Hmong, Latino, Black and White, mostly getting along. Mostly it seemed that people avoided each other.
It was my roommate who first discovered Malina's. He was a restless guy, always wandering around trying to find something new that might disrupt his routines and cure his frustration with Midwestern isolation. He'd spent a lot of time in China and Southeast Asia, and was a bit obsessed with Asian-American culture. Well, he flipped out when he first found Malina's, an odd Hmong bar on a rundown stretch of Dale Street. "I have a new place for you to see!" he came into the kitchen one day. Later that night we went down to Malina's together for some Big Buck Hunter Pro, a game of pool, and a couple overpriced bottles Beer Lao. (We were the only ones who seemed to drink the Laotian beer.)
The bar itself was a curious mix of things, seemingly random. It took up half of an old two-story building on Dale; the other half was always boarded up. This was the stretch of Dale that had been unfortunately widened during the 50s or 60s, one side of the street lined with old two- or three-story streetcar commercial buildings, the other half mostly vacant lots. It had a windswept feel, and out of an old beige building stuck a pale sign that said "Malina's Sports Bar," two palm trees on either side. The name was mysterious. Nobody in there seemed to care about sports; they were rarely on the small TV. Nor was anyone named Malina. Inside there were some odd decorations: sports logos painted on a few walls, a large Marilyn Monroe statue in the corner by the booth, a mural of a desert continuing the Arabian theme.
Malina's quickly became our favorite place in the neighborhood. Most other places in the area seemed tired, filled with old people and an atmosphere tinted with a bittersweet nostalgia. Malina's was different. You would drive past it on Dale Street and could easily glance at the parking lot, checking whether the neon sign was turned on. It always opened late, usually around 8 or 9.
The other strange thing was that Malina's was either packed or empty. There was very little in between. About half the time you'd walk in to find yourself alone with either Vone or the woman I presume was his wife. She never really spoke to us, and did all the cooking. On the other hand, Vone was gregarious. He was the bartender/owner, and he seemed to like when we'd visit. He'd chat with us, always knew how long it'd been since we'd been there last. We'd talk in vague platitudes about the bar, the neighborhood. He told us he had been a social worker, but not a lot of other details. It didn't matter.
The bar was almost all young Hmong people from the neighborhood. I have one or two Hmong friends, and when I'd tell them that I enjoyed going to Malina's, they'd roll their eyes. "That's where guys go to cheat on their wives," one told me. Those dynamics were lost on me. All I noticed was the karaoke. I've been to a lot of karaoke bars over the years, but none of them could hold a candle to Malina's. The standards were high; there was a set of about two dozen 80s pop ballads, and you'd often see a shy looking girl wearing a sweatshirt take the stage and absolutely crush some Céline. "I Will Always Love You" was popular, and something about crying eyes, anything with gradually escalating key changes. Usually Vone would try to get me to sing too, for some reason, and after a few beers I'd oblige with a crap rendition of some Sinatra. Nobody clapped for me, but Vone seemed to enjoy it.
I'd often bring people to Malina's who were visiting from out of town, you know, like from Minneapolis. Vone usually made us feel comfortable there. The food was good, too. Malina's served a few different kinds of larb (a meat salad), or you could get a plate of papaya salad for a few bucks. Maybe its my imagination, but Vone seemed to delight in making it as spicy as possible. I'd sweat for fifteen minutes after eating it. There were other things on the menu too that were beyond my degree of difficulty limit.
Over the years, Vone spent a lot of time trying to fix the place up. He always seemed to be in a struggle with the neighborhood. The other Hmong bar down the street, Moonlight Magic on Western and Thomas, was a lot more of a dive. A few years prior, it had had a gunshot incident and been closed down by the city. That was the neighborhood. Lots of places had that problem, bars on Rice Street, anywhere with lots of young people.
When my roommate moved away, I started going there a bit less often. Each time I'd return, Vone seemed to have done some remodeling. He painted the walls. He installed booths all around the old pool-hall room. The last time I was at Malina's was about a year ago. There was a live band, a buffet, and everybody was dancing. I'd brought a date, and we joined them.
Reading through the articles about Malina's in the paper this week is depressing. They all seem bleak, listing only the incidents of crime, all the times the police were called, the one time there was an incident in the parking lot. Who knows what happened this weekend, but none of the stories I read begin to do justice to the good things that Malina's contributed to the community, or my experienc eof them. It was one of the few spots in the neighborhood that actually had a pulse, oddly enough one of the few spots where I half felt at home.
Update:
The Pioneer Press has more on how this went down, just makes it worse:
It was a $20 dispute -- Yia Her, one of the men charged, wanted Vone Moua to give him back the money he'd paid to rent a pool table for two hours, the criminal complaint said.Yia Her, 26, said he called his brother-in-law, 22-year-old Cheng Vang, and told him to bring a gun to the bar."Her was very angry and his plan was to use Vang's gun to scare the owner into giving him his $20 back," the complaint said, describing what Yia Her told police.
Mine was a quiet neighborhood, very diverse, an old blue-collar Catholic area that was quickly changing. Hmong, Latino, Black and White, mostly getting along. Mostly it seemed that people avoided each other.
It was my roommate who first discovered Malina's. He was a restless guy, always wandering around trying to find something new that might disrupt his routines and cure his frustration with Midwestern isolation. He'd spent a lot of time in China and Southeast Asia, and was a bit obsessed with Asian-American culture. Well, he flipped out when he first found Malina's, an odd Hmong bar on a rundown stretch of Dale Street. "I have a new place for you to see!" he came into the kitchen one day. Later that night we went down to Malina's together for some Big Buck Hunter Pro, a game of pool, and a couple overpriced bottles Beer Lao. (We were the only ones who seemed to drink the Laotian beer.)
The bar itself was a curious mix of things, seemingly random. It took up half of an old two-story building on Dale; the other half was always boarded up. This was the stretch of Dale that had been unfortunately widened during the 50s or 60s, one side of the street lined with old two- or three-story streetcar commercial buildings, the other half mostly vacant lots. It had a windswept feel, and out of an old beige building stuck a pale sign that said "Malina's Sports Bar," two palm trees on either side. The name was mysterious. Nobody in there seemed to care about sports; they were rarely on the small TV. Nor was anyone named Malina. Inside there were some odd decorations: sports logos painted on a few walls, a large Marilyn Monroe statue in the corner by the booth, a mural of a desert continuing the Arabian theme.
Malina's quickly became our favorite place in the neighborhood. Most other places in the area seemed tired, filled with old people and an atmosphere tinted with a bittersweet nostalgia. Malina's was different. You would drive past it on Dale Street and could easily glance at the parking lot, checking whether the neon sign was turned on. It always opened late, usually around 8 or 9.
The other strange thing was that Malina's was either packed or empty. There was very little in between. About half the time you'd walk in to find yourself alone with either Vone or the woman I presume was his wife. She never really spoke to us, and did all the cooking. On the other hand, Vone was gregarious. He was the bartender/owner, and he seemed to like when we'd visit. He'd chat with us, always knew how long it'd been since we'd been there last. We'd talk in vague platitudes about the bar, the neighborhood. He told us he had been a social worker, but not a lot of other details. It didn't matter.
The bar was almost all young Hmong people from the neighborhood. I have one or two Hmong friends, and when I'd tell them that I enjoyed going to Malina's, they'd roll their eyes. "That's where guys go to cheat on their wives," one told me. Those dynamics were lost on me. All I noticed was the karaoke. I've been to a lot of karaoke bars over the years, but none of them could hold a candle to Malina's. The standards were high; there was a set of about two dozen 80s pop ballads, and you'd often see a shy looking girl wearing a sweatshirt take the stage and absolutely crush some Céline. "I Will Always Love You" was popular, and something about crying eyes, anything with gradually escalating key changes. Usually Vone would try to get me to sing too, for some reason, and after a few beers I'd oblige with a crap rendition of some Sinatra. Nobody clapped for me, but Vone seemed to enjoy it.
I'd often bring people to Malina's who were visiting from out of town, you know, like from Minneapolis. Vone usually made us feel comfortable there. The food was good, too. Malina's served a few different kinds of larb (a meat salad), or you could get a plate of papaya salad for a few bucks. Maybe its my imagination, but Vone seemed to delight in making it as spicy as possible. I'd sweat for fifteen minutes after eating it. There were other things on the menu too that were beyond my degree of difficulty limit.
Over the years, Vone spent a lot of time trying to fix the place up. He always seemed to be in a struggle with the neighborhood. The other Hmong bar down the street, Moonlight Magic on Western and Thomas, was a lot more of a dive. A few years prior, it had had a gunshot incident and been closed down by the city. That was the neighborhood. Lots of places had that problem, bars on Rice Street, anywhere with lots of young people.
When my roommate moved away, I started going there a bit less often. Each time I'd return, Vone seemed to have done some remodeling. He painted the walls. He installed booths all around the old pool-hall room. The last time I was at Malina's was about a year ago. There was a live band, a buffet, and everybody was dancing. I'd brought a date, and we joined them.
Reading through the articles about Malina's in the paper this week is depressing. They all seem bleak, listing only the incidents of crime, all the times the police were called, the one time there was an incident in the parking lot. Who knows what happened this weekend, but none of the stories I read begin to do justice to the good things that Malina's contributed to the community, or my experienc eof them. It was one of the few spots in the neighborhood that actually had a pulse, oddly enough one of the few spots where I half felt at home.
Update:
The Pioneer Press has more on how this went down, just makes it worse:
It was a $20 dispute -- Yia Her, one of the men charged, wanted Vone Moua to give him back the money he'd paid to rent a pool table for two hours, the criminal complaint said.Yia Her, 26, said he called his brother-in-law, 22-year-old Cheng Vang, and told him to bring a gun to the bar."Her was very angry and his plan was to use Vang's gun to scare the owner into giving him his $20 back," the complaint said, describing what Yia Her told police.
Signs of the Times #73
TO GRAND CENTRAL MARKETCUSTOMERS
PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE BIRDS
THANK YOU
[Same in Spanish.]
[Pole. Downtown, LA.]
RELAXwithART&CIGARS
[Awning. Downtown, LA.]
FRONTDESK This Way --->
[Metal opening. Downtown, LA.]
LOOK READNO PUBLICRESTROOMS $2.00 MINIMUMPURCHASE
OWNER!!!
[Door. Downtown, LA.]
FIGHTGAS PRICES
BIKE
[Sandwich board. Linden Hills, Minneapolis.]
Southwest Motor Co.Will be closing the businesson April 12, 2013.
We with to thank all of ourcustomers & friends forTheir Loyal Patronage ForThe Past 49 Years.
Paul B. Smith,Owner.
[Door. Southwest, Minneapolis.]
DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS
IF NOT HERE, PLEASE DELIVER TO
YARDWAREorVAN'S SERVICE or HealthyAir
[Door. Southwest, Minneapolis.]
We Love Spring!
[Sandwichboard. Minnehaha Park, Minneapolis.]
PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE BIRDS
THANK YOU
[Same in Spanish.]
[Pole. Downtown, LA.]
RELAXwithART&CIGARS
[Awning. Downtown, LA.]
FRONTDESK This Way --->
[Metal opening. Downtown, LA.]
LOOK READNO PUBLICRESTROOMS $2.00 MINIMUMPURCHASE
OWNER!!!
[Door. Downtown, LA.]
FIGHTGAS PRICES
BIKE
[Sandwich board. Linden Hills, Minneapolis.]
Southwest Motor Co.Will be closing the businesson April 12, 2013.
We with to thank all of ourcustomers & friends forTheir Loyal Patronage ForThe Past 49 Years.
Paul B. Smith,Owner.
[Door. Southwest, Minneapolis.]
DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS
IF NOT HERE, PLEASE DELIVER TO
YARDWAREorVAN'S SERVICE or HealthyAir
[Door. Southwest, Minneapolis.]
We Love Spring!
[Sandwichboard. Minnehaha Park, Minneapolis.]
Surface Parking in Dinkytown is Imperiled by Redevelopment Plan
[The surface parking lot in question.][Note: In the interests of journalistic accuracy, I have made a few edits to a recent Star Tribune commentary for your clarity and edification. For a full explanation of these changes, see here.]
Wayward redevelopment threatens the character of this eclectic parking lot district near the U (and later, one near you).
Surface Parking lots in Dinkytown, USA, the unique historic small-business district in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood near the University of Minnesota, is are targeted for destruction.
The Opus Development Company, part of the Rauenhorst Trusts, wants to tear down The Podium, The Book House, House of Hanson and other small businesses in order to build a six-story upscale “dormitory-style” complex affordable to well-off university students.To do so, the developer needs Minneapolis City Council members to approve an arguably illegal “spot zoning” change from “C1” (small-scale neighborhood commercial uses) to “C3A” (higher-density, mixed-use commercial and housing) for a roughly half-block area of Dinkytown.The Save Dinkytown movement opposes this change. It seeks to preserve the historic and eclectic character of the half-block four-block surface parking lot Dinkytown commercial district. The parking lots independent local merchants and distinctive parking appeal of this cherished community commercial and cultural center will disappear without the public’s help.Suppose Opus gets what it wants. Rezoning this key parking lot property un-paves the way for all of Dinkytown's parking lots to be rezoned. Other developers will jump in to rezone other parking lots blocks there. Gone could be such treasured businesses as Al’s Breakfast, Magus Books & Herbs, Kafe 421 and Vescio’s. All could fall prey to the next developer’s rental towers. Once rezoning to higher density is allowed, future development is virtually unrestrained. We will watch helplessly as the “march of the towers” obliterates Dinkytown's unnecessary parking lots.Allowing such spot zoning also creates a precedent that threatens other C1 neighborhood parking lots commercial nodes. If we don’t act now, Dinkytown's surface parking will disappear forever — on our watch. And, yes, your neighborhood’s small-business district's surface parking lot could be next.Dinkytown's surface parking has been, is and should continue to be a historic cultural treasure for all Minnesotans. Bob Dylan hated Dinkytown referred to “The University of Dinkytown.” Countless students have got drunk and/or rioted here passed through it. Countless more could do so, if it were still there for them. To be preserved, it needs to keep the protection of C1 zoning, as does any deeply rooted surface parking lot neighborhood business district in Minneapolis.This development issue is about the history and character of a surface parking lot neighborhood, its values, and what each neighborhood wants to preserve and protect.Everyone understands that carefully planned mixed-use housing and commercial development has a role to play in any city’s growth. Its best use is in empty surface parking lots economically depressed neighborhoods where revitalization depends on bringing in both new businesses and new residents.Dinkytown is not such a place. There is already a glut of new rental housing going up along 4th Street, University Avenue and 15th Avenue in southeast Minneapolis. The Marcy-Holmes master plan specifically envisioned such development on these major transit corridors. That plan explicitly states that Dinkytown should continue to provide parking for small, locally owned businesses and cultural amenities, not housing.Moreover, spot zoning is a political issue and most definitely a proper subject for public comment. Every council member should be asked publicly: “Will you take into account the public interest, neighborhood master plans, and the opinions of all neighborhood residents in evaluating such developments? Will you support preserving and protecting parking lots the surface parking lots cultural, historical and aesthetic qualities of neighborhood commercial districts that attracted people and businesses to Minneapolis and our diverse neighborhoods?”Help stop this tragedy in the making. You can visit us at Save Dinkytown.com to sign our online petition opposing this development and find out how you can help. Discuss it with your friends on Facebook. E-mail Mayor R.T. Rybak and ask him to notify the council members of your view. Minneapolis residents can contact their council members directly.University students and graduates should let the school’s president, Eric Kaler, and its regents know that every alumnus, in Minnesota and nationwide, deserves to be alerted about this issue and given a chance to weigh in.What matters is the unique historic character of every surface parking lot neighborhood. When developers seek to provoke fundamental changes to the parking character of a neighborhood that doesn’t need or want them, we need to tell our council members to tighten the reins and just say “Whoa.”Matt Hawbaker is coordinator for Save Dinkytown. Bill Lindeke is responsible for the edits to his original piece.
[The footprint of the proposed development: 2/3 surface parking, 1/6 one-story bldg, 1/6 dilapidated house.]
Wayward redevelopment threatens the character of this eclectic parking lot district near the U (and later, one near you).
Surface Parking lots in Dinkytown, USA, the unique historic small-business district in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood near the University of Minnesota, is are targeted for destruction.
The Opus Development Company, part of the Rauenhorst Trusts, wants to tear down The Podium, The Book House, House of Hanson and other small businesses in order to build a six-story upscale “dormitory-style” complex affordable to well-off university students.To do so, the developer needs Minneapolis City Council members to approve an arguably illegal “spot zoning” change from “C1” (small-scale neighborhood commercial uses) to “C3A” (higher-density, mixed-use commercial and housing) for a roughly half-block area of Dinkytown.The Save Dinkytown movement opposes this change. It seeks to preserve the historic and eclectic character of the half-block four-block surface parking lot Dinkytown commercial district. The parking lots independent local merchants and distinctive parking appeal of this cherished community commercial and cultural center will disappear without the public’s help.Suppose Opus gets what it wants. Rezoning this key parking lot property un-paves the way for all of Dinkytown's parking lots to be rezoned. Other developers will jump in to rezone other parking lots blocks there. Gone could be such treasured businesses as Al’s Breakfast, Magus Books & Herbs, Kafe 421 and Vescio’s. All could fall prey to the next developer’s rental towers. Once rezoning to higher density is allowed, future development is virtually unrestrained. We will watch helplessly as the “march of the towers” obliterates Dinkytown's unnecessary parking lots.Allowing such spot zoning also creates a precedent that threatens other C1 neighborhood parking lots commercial nodes. If we don’t act now, Dinkytown's surface parking will disappear forever — on our watch. And, yes, your neighborhood’s small-business district's surface parking lot could be next.Dinkytown's surface parking has been, is and should continue to be a historic cultural treasure for all Minnesotans. Bob Dylan hated Dinkytown referred to “The University of Dinkytown.” Countless students have got drunk and/or rioted here passed through it. Countless more could do so, if it were still there for them. To be preserved, it needs to keep the protection of C1 zoning, as does any deeply rooted surface parking lot neighborhood business district in Minneapolis.This development issue is about the history and character of a surface parking lot neighborhood, its values, and what each neighborhood wants to preserve and protect.Everyone understands that carefully planned mixed-use housing and commercial development has a role to play in any city’s growth. Its best use is in empty surface parking lots economically depressed neighborhoods where revitalization depends on bringing in both new businesses and new residents.Dinkytown is not such a place. There is already a glut of new rental housing going up along 4th Street, University Avenue and 15th Avenue in southeast Minneapolis. The Marcy-Holmes master plan specifically envisioned such development on these major transit corridors. That plan explicitly states that Dinkytown should continue to provide parking for small, locally owned businesses and cultural amenities, not housing.Moreover, spot zoning is a political issue and most definitely a proper subject for public comment. Every council member should be asked publicly: “Will you take into account the public interest, neighborhood master plans, and the opinions of all neighborhood residents in evaluating such developments? Will you support preserving and protecting parking lots the surface parking lots cultural, historical and aesthetic qualities of neighborhood commercial districts that attracted people and businesses to Minneapolis and our diverse neighborhoods?”Help stop this tragedy in the making. You can visit us at Save Dinkytown.com to sign our online petition opposing this development and find out how you can help. Discuss it with your friends on Facebook. E-mail Mayor R.T. Rybak and ask him to notify the council members of your view. Minneapolis residents can contact their council members directly.University students and graduates should let the school’s president, Eric Kaler, and its regents know that every alumnus, in Minnesota and nationwide, deserves to be alerted about this issue and given a chance to weigh in.What matters is the unique historic character of every surface parking lot neighborhood. When developers seek to provoke fundamental changes to the parking character of a neighborhood that doesn’t need or want them, we need to tell our council members to tighten the reins and just say “Whoa.”Matt Hawbaker is coordinator for Save Dinkytown. Bill Lindeke is responsible for the edits to his original piece.
[The footprint of the proposed development: 2/3 surface parking, 1/6 one-story bldg, 1/6 dilapidated house.]
Today on Streets.mn: The Paradox of the Placemaking Consultant
[Ironically, R. Florida's place-based quiz adopts a homogenizing, spatial perspective.]
I have a new post at Streets.mn today about my puzzlement during the recent Great River Gathering dinner. The keynote speaker was Katherine Loflin, one of the leading consultants on placemaking in the US. Anyway, it was all a bit odd to hear her describe the importance of not listening to national experts, and I tried to describe it here. To wit:
But as the banquet rolled on, Loflin’s words began washing over me like the roller squeegees at the gas station car wash. “Place optimization.” “Making the case for place.” “Reading the economic development playbook…” When she wrapped up her talk by saying that “you should be exactly who you are, but you should be the best who you are you can be,” every airport bookstore I’ve ever seen flashed before my eyes. It seemed that my world had become a corny self-help cliché, and there was no escape.That night, I encountered the paradox of the placemaking expert, the nonsensical way in which the rejection of standardized approaches to urban design had generated an entire industry based on that rejection. The idea that each urban environment is made meaningful by those who use it every day has become so trendy that we’ve reached to the point where we’ve begun flying in national experts to tell us to stop flying in national experts. It’s a total paradox, and placemaking has begun to seem rather silly.
Placemaking has become a bit of a buzzword, but like many such overused concepts, it has a lot of merit to it. It'd be nice if we could think through "placemaking" as an idea without reducing it to a business management cliché.
I have a new post at Streets.mn today about my puzzlement during the recent Great River Gathering dinner. The keynote speaker was Katherine Loflin, one of the leading consultants on placemaking in the US. Anyway, it was all a bit odd to hear her describe the importance of not listening to national experts, and I tried to describe it here. To wit:
But as the banquet rolled on, Loflin’s words began washing over me like the roller squeegees at the gas station car wash. “Place optimization.” “Making the case for place.” “Reading the economic development playbook…” When she wrapped up her talk by saying that “you should be exactly who you are, but you should be the best who you are you can be,” every airport bookstore I’ve ever seen flashed before my eyes. It seemed that my world had become a corny self-help cliché, and there was no escape.That night, I encountered the paradox of the placemaking expert, the nonsensical way in which the rejection of standardized approaches to urban design had generated an entire industry based on that rejection. The idea that each urban environment is made meaningful by those who use it every day has become so trendy that we’ve reached to the point where we’ve begun flying in national experts to tell us to stop flying in national experts. It’s a total paradox, and placemaking has begun to seem rather silly.
Placemaking has become a bit of a buzzword, but like many such overused concepts, it has a lot of merit to it. It'd be nice if we could think through "placemaking" as an idea without reducing it to a business management cliché.
*** Sidewalk Weekend! ***
Sidewalk Rating: Volatile
The hour should be the evening and the season winter, for in winter the champagne brightness of the air and the sociability of the streets are grateful. We are not then taunted as in the summer by the longing for shade and solitude and sweet airs from the hayfields. The evening hour, too, gives us the irresponsibility which darkness and lamplight bestow. We are no longer quite ourselves. As we step out of the house on a fine evening between four and six, we shed the self our friends know us by and become part of that vast republican army of anonymous trampers, whose society is so agreeable after the solitude of one’s own room.
[Virginia Woolf, The Death of the Moth.]
[IWW organizers outside Chicago-Lake Liquors.]
*** CLICK ON IMAGES FOR LINKS ***
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frogtown
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miles
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4. Jaywalk with caution. Jaywalking is a long, proud New York tradition, one that we would never dream of asking anyone to give up. On the whole, New York pedestrians are very good at looking into traffic, gauging how fast those distant cars are going, and timing their illicit walking to avoid getting hit by a car. Now you need to do the same to avoid getting hit by bicycles. Every time you think of crossing even though the orange hand is illuminated—or when you think of crossing outside the bounds of a crosswalk—make a point of looking for approaching cyclists. If your visibility is limited, don’t cross.
[this.]
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storm drain
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Werman: So it’s kind of like a trompe l’oeil, and I saw a picture in one newspaper. I’m a little confused because the door looked open.Keenan: Yeah, it looks as if the door is open and inside you can see a well-stocked shop. It’s nothing of the sort. That door has been locked shut for well over a year because that particular business went bust this time last year, and that is an image to make it look as if everything is normal in the town and in the county, but unfortunately it’s not. The County of Fermanagh has suffered terribly as a result of the credit crisis and the resulting recession.
[this.]
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*** ***berlin *** ***
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scotland
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bike tricks
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“Never really seen exercise as friendly/ but I think something’s telling me to ride that ten speed/ brakes are broken that’s alright* / tire’s got air and the chain seems tight/ hopped on and felt the summertime/ it reminds me of one of those Musab rhymes”
[this.]
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louis
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interstate
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The hour should be the evening and the season winter, for in winter the champagne brightness of the air and the sociability of the streets are grateful. We are not then taunted as in the summer by the longing for shade and solitude and sweet airs from the hayfields. The evening hour, too, gives us the irresponsibility which darkness and lamplight bestow. We are no longer quite ourselves. As we step out of the house on a fine evening between four and six, we shed the self our friends know us by and become part of that vast republican army of anonymous trampers, whose society is so agreeable after the solitude of one’s own room.
[Virginia Woolf, The Death of the Moth.]
[IWW organizers outside Chicago-Lake Liquors.]
*** CLICK ON IMAGES FOR LINKS ***
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frogtown
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miles
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4. Jaywalk with caution. Jaywalking is a long, proud New York tradition, one that we would never dream of asking anyone to give up. On the whole, New York pedestrians are very good at looking into traffic, gauging how fast those distant cars are going, and timing their illicit walking to avoid getting hit by a car. Now you need to do the same to avoid getting hit by bicycles. Every time you think of crossing even though the orange hand is illuminated—or when you think of crossing outside the bounds of a crosswalk—make a point of looking for approaching cyclists. If your visibility is limited, don’t cross.
[this.]
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storm drain
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Werman: So it’s kind of like a trompe l’oeil, and I saw a picture in one newspaper. I’m a little confused because the door looked open.Keenan: Yeah, it looks as if the door is open and inside you can see a well-stocked shop. It’s nothing of the sort. That door has been locked shut for well over a year because that particular business went bust this time last year, and that is an image to make it look as if everything is normal in the town and in the county, but unfortunately it’s not. The County of Fermanagh has suffered terribly as a result of the credit crisis and the resulting recession.
[this.]
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*** ***berlin *** ***
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scotland
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bike tricks
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“Never really seen exercise as friendly/ but I think something’s telling me to ride that ten speed/ brakes are broken that’s alright* / tire’s got air and the chain seems tight/ hopped on and felt the summertime/ it reminds me of one of those Musab rhymes”
[this.]
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Reading the Highland Villager #85
[The Villager can't drink on the patio.][Basically the problem is that the best source of Saint Paul streets & sidewalks news is the Highland Villager, a very fine and historical newspaper. This wouldn't be a problem, except that its not available online. You basically have to live in or frequent Saint Paul to read it. That's why I'm reading the Highland Villager so that you don't have to. Until this newspaper goes online, sidewalk information must be set free.]
Headline: New charter school will give nine vacant Fort Snelling bldgs. a $30 million faceliftReporter: Kevin Driscoll
Short short version: The vacant historic buildings near Fort Snelling will become a school called the Upper Mississippi Academy, focusing on an environmental curriculum.
Headline: Historic Lex is sold, will close for summerReporter: Frank JossiShort short version: The [wood paneled, windowless, former Norm Coleman hangout] Lexington Restaurant on Lexington was sold [again]. [See previouspatio debate.] Article mentions “old world charm.” [This is where I went to dinner on my prom night.] The restaurant opened in 1935, converted from a previously existing pub on that corner.
Headline: CIB Committee’s top picks include Station 19 expansionReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: The Capital Improvement Budget committee released its rankings [Moses-like, commanding]. At the top were a fire expansion renovation, reconstructions of bridges on Kellogg downtown, fixing rec centers and parks. Article includes discussion about the removal of pedestrian and crosswalk improvements along the [bowtie-shaped corners of] West 7th Street.
Headline: Commission supports zoning changes for west Grand; New apartment building height limited to 45 feetReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: The Planning Commission approved a city plan to change the zoning along a stretch of Grand Avenue near St Thomas, lowering height limits but expanding lot size by reducing building setbacks. The changes also expand the “minimum apartment uit size” to discourage four-bedroom apartment units. [Clearly trying to reduce “dorm-like” housing for college students. Also, I am still waiting to see myself quoted in the Villager. Hasn't happened yet.]
Headline: Wild Wings’ liquor license held up by parking lot concernsReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: The sports bar proposed for Snelling Avenue is having trouble getting its liquor license because MN-DOT is worried about consolidating the entrances and exists of the existing parking lot onto Snelling Avenue. MN-DOT wants to keep the Ashland (non-Snelling) access, but the neighbors and city want to keep traffic to and from Snelling. [This seems to be the main issue. Curb cuts are, of course, bad for walkability. I’m not sure MN-DOT knows the kind of venomous snake they are dealing with here, viz. the neighborhood. God forbid anything happen to slow down traffic on Snelling Avenue.]
Headline: City allows Qdoba to build smaller restaurant with additional parkingReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: The City Council overturned an earlier Board of Zoning Appeals decision about whether or not a proposed burrito place along Ford Parkway can remain smaller than is currently allowed. The smaller building will be built. [Burritos will remain the same size.] Article include quote from neighboring property owner: “[Zoning changes were ] done as part of a long term strategy to make Highland Village [sic] more accommodating to pedestrians and bicyclists and to promote denser developments and public transit use. Then when Qdoba, the first project to come forward under the new zoning is proposed, ‘They want to go back to the old way.’”
Headline: More funds obtained for office, mini-golf plans at breweryReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: The planned artsy mini-golf course for the Schmidt Brewery redevelopment project got some money from a national arts foundation.
Headline: Residents find favor with plans for developing Victoria Park; Dedicated soccer fields are not part of the mixReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: Once the planners dropped the soccer fields from the plans for the park at the old industrial fuel tank site in the new neighborhood between West 7th and the river, everybody seems happy. [Boo soccer fields filled with people! Yay little-used green grass!]
Headline: St. Paul OKs $798,000 in STAR funding for cultural projectsReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: St Paul is giving money to people for festivals, outdoor pianos, theaters.
Headline: Lowertown street assessment case sent back to lower courtReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: Downtown churches and other non-office building properties are suing the city over street assessments. It’s taking a long time.
Headline: Hazelden’s longtime plans for West End expansion continueReporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: Hazelden [the up-scale addiction treatment center] is building a new clinic complex along West 7th. [Imagine the uproar if instead it was an addiction center aimed at poor people.]
Headline: Ballpark petitioners make last pitch for reusing Gillette bldg. [Pun!]
Reporter: Jane McClure
Short short version: The [crazy] people who want to save the [ugly, windowless, 3-story] industrial building in lowertown and [magically]transform it into a baseball field [with lots of parking, of course] are still at it. [Soon the wrecking ball will put an end to this conversation like a good period.]
TCSidewalks Live: Noteworthy Dives of Old Fort Road Bike/Walk Tour
This Friday, 6:30PM, at the corner of Randolph and Hamline.
Q: Huh?
A: This is a bicycle/walking tour taking place in Saint Paul called "Noteworthy Dives of Old Fort Road."
Q: What is a Dive Bar?
A: Cleanly defining a dive bar is difficult, precisely because dives are not very clean. It's a bit like Justice Potter Stewart's definition of obscenity. Here's what we know...
Windows - These are a minus. Dives eschew fenestration. What happens in the dive, stays in the dive.
Staff - Ideally, there's only one staff. Maybe someone works in the back. The more staff, the less divey.
Regulars - A must. When you walk into a dive, people should stop talking like in a wild west saloon and look at you a bit funny. Unless you are a regular, you really don't belong.
Daydrinkers -Yep.
Pull Tabs - 90%. Meat raffles are also good. Best is when there's a pot of some sort of free food sitting on a table.
Nonchalance - Dives can't be trying too hard to make money. If they are, they're not dives any more. No fancy menus. No fancy paint jobs, etc.
Cleanliness - Nope.
"Craft Beer" - Nope, unless its brewed within a mile or two of the dive.
Food - Greasy or nothing. Heggie's Pizza is the hallmark of a dive.
Q: What is Old Fort Road?
A: This is the old name for West 7th Street, which used to run from downtown Saint Paul to Fort Snelling. This street is ancient, and has the greatest stretch of dive bars in the Twin Cities. We'll be going up West 7th Street from the "brewerytown" area (by the old Schmidt brewery to downtown Saint Paul) hitting up about six dives along the way. (For comparison, the Minnesota Historical Society's lame "west end pub crawl" is only going to two dives on their $20 tour.)
Looked at through the lens of everyday life, the dives of Old Fort Road are the most historic thing in this city. These are places that defy so-called progress, places that pass down from owner to owner. The names might change, the beers might change, the decor might change, the kinds of jobs might change, the patrons might change, but the dive lives on.
Q: Do I need a bike?
A: No! Not really. These dives are close to each other, certainly stumblable, if you don't mind walking a bit.
Q: Can I come for part of it, but not hang out with you the entire goddam time?
A: Yes. I will be tweeting locations, there will be a quasi-schedule, and you can always call to find out where the tour is at. Come just for one dive, or enjoy the whole diving expedition.
Q: Huh?
A: This is a bicycle/walking tour taking place in Saint Paul called "Noteworthy Dives of Old Fort Road."
Q: What is a Dive Bar?
A: Cleanly defining a dive bar is difficult, precisely because dives are not very clean. It's a bit like Justice Potter Stewart's definition of obscenity. Here's what we know...
Windows - These are a minus. Dives eschew fenestration. What happens in the dive, stays in the dive.
Staff - Ideally, there's only one staff. Maybe someone works in the back. The more staff, the less divey.
Regulars - A must. When you walk into a dive, people should stop talking like in a wild west saloon and look at you a bit funny. Unless you are a regular, you really don't belong.
Daydrinkers -Yep.
Pull Tabs - 90%. Meat raffles are also good. Best is when there's a pot of some sort of free food sitting on a table.
Nonchalance - Dives can't be trying too hard to make money. If they are, they're not dives any more. No fancy menus. No fancy paint jobs, etc.
Cleanliness - Nope.
"Craft Beer" - Nope, unless its brewed within a mile or two of the dive.
Food - Greasy or nothing. Heggie's Pizza is the hallmark of a dive.
Q: What is Old Fort Road?
A: This is the old name for West 7th Street, which used to run from downtown Saint Paul to Fort Snelling. This street is ancient, and has the greatest stretch of dive bars in the Twin Cities. We'll be going up West 7th Street from the "brewerytown" area (by the old Schmidt brewery to downtown Saint Paul) hitting up about six dives along the way. (For comparison, the Minnesota Historical Society's lame "west end pub crawl" is only going to two dives on their $20 tour.)
Looked at through the lens of everyday life, the dives of Old Fort Road are the most historic thing in this city. These are places that defy so-called progress, places that pass down from owner to owner. The names might change, the beers might change, the decor might change, the kinds of jobs might change, the patrons might change, but the dive lives on.
Q: Do I need a bike?
A: No! Not really. These dives are close to each other, certainly stumblable, if you don't mind walking a bit.
Q: Can I come for part of it, but not hang out with you the entire goddam time?
A: Yes. I will be tweeting locations, there will be a quasi-schedule, and you can always call to find out where the tour is at. Come just for one dive, or enjoy the whole diving expedition.
Today on Streets.mn: Comparing SABR to Critical Urbanism
Baseball is one of my favorite things, and I wrote a post for Streets.mn today about the lessons that SABRmetrics can teach critical urbanists.
Lots of good stuff:
First, baseball statheads rigorously test their theories. No old baseball assumption goes unchallenged at a SABR convention. For decades, there have been endless debates over whether pitchers can induce outs, the existence of clutch hitting, the importance of batting order, or how catchers “frame” balls and strikes. The adages of old school managers — e.g. the hit and run, bunting, always having a middle infielder in your leadoff spot (ahem, Gardy) — are continually being debunked by the sabermetric community.That’s something that urbanists should be doing too. Do streetcars really attract investment? Are wider car lanes really safer? Do parking minimums really reduce congestion? Continually challenging the assumptions of the urban design professions is a noble cause, and we can learn a lot from sabermetrics. No theory should go untested.Second, sabermetrics is excellent at noticing and ridiculing bad investements. Some baseball teams are legendary for signing aging players to long-term contracts. Some cities do the same thing, building spectacular economic development or transportation boondoggles. Ryan Howard’s contract is like Block E. The convention center subsidy is like signing Alfonso Soriano to an eight-year deal. The new Vikings Stadium is going to be for Minneapolis what Barry Zito was for the Giants. (A-Rod = the Big Dig?)Rejecting bad investments, and developing alternative models for allocating scarce dollars, should be the goal of saberurbanists. Some teams are adept at trading players when they’re most valuable, and signing young players to long-term team-friendly contracts. Is Portland the Tampa Bay Rays of urban planning?The final lesson of saberurbanism is that outsiders can change the rules of the game. As Moneyball shows, for a long time baseball insiders have been hostile to outside (sabermetric) analysis. People like Bill James have been writing critical analyses of baseball since the 70s, and new measures of value (like OPS, xFIP, WAR, VORP, etc.) have exploded in popularity for decades (especially on the internet). But most teams began paying attention only recently. The Twins just hired their first dedicated statistical researcher, and it seems that most front office people have slender grasp on even basic advanced baseball stats.
Lots of good stuff:
First, baseball statheads rigorously test their theories. No old baseball assumption goes unchallenged at a SABR convention. For decades, there have been endless debates over whether pitchers can induce outs, the existence of clutch hitting, the importance of batting order, or how catchers “frame” balls and strikes. The adages of old school managers — e.g. the hit and run, bunting, always having a middle infielder in your leadoff spot (ahem, Gardy) — are continually being debunked by the sabermetric community.That’s something that urbanists should be doing too. Do streetcars really attract investment? Are wider car lanes really safer? Do parking minimums really reduce congestion? Continually challenging the assumptions of the urban design professions is a noble cause, and we can learn a lot from sabermetrics. No theory should go untested.Second, sabermetrics is excellent at noticing and ridiculing bad investements. Some baseball teams are legendary for signing aging players to long-term contracts. Some cities do the same thing, building spectacular economic development or transportation boondoggles. Ryan Howard’s contract is like Block E. The convention center subsidy is like signing Alfonso Soriano to an eight-year deal. The new Vikings Stadium is going to be for Minneapolis what Barry Zito was for the Giants. (A-Rod = the Big Dig?)Rejecting bad investments, and developing alternative models for allocating scarce dollars, should be the goal of saberurbanists. Some teams are adept at trading players when they’re most valuable, and signing young players to long-term team-friendly contracts. Is Portland the Tampa Bay Rays of urban planning?The final lesson of saberurbanism is that outsiders can change the rules of the game. As Moneyball shows, for a long time baseball insiders have been hostile to outside (sabermetric) analysis. People like Bill James have been writing critical analyses of baseball since the 70s, and new measures of value (like OPS, xFIP, WAR, VORP, etc.) have exploded in popularity for decades (especially on the internet). But most teams began paying attention only recently. The Twins just hired their first dedicated statistical researcher, and it seems that most front office people have slender grasp on even basic advanced baseball stats.
7 Reasons Conservatives Should Embrace Bikes
There’s a certain bar in my city that is famous for being right-wing. It’s an old family joint in a run-down corner of downtown. The people are surly but friendly, and the inside of the place is half-covered with right wing bumper stickers ridiculing Obama, bashing immigrants, and promoting guns. (Interestingly, there is also a large collection of union membership stickers.) On the other hand, they make the best coney island hot dogs in the city, and I enjoy going there once in a while for a snack and a change of perspective.
I found myself there last week polishing off a coney with cheese and onions. I paid my bill, went outside, and as I was unlocking my bike, the patriarch/owner (also the cook) comes out to the sidewalk to smoke, and begins gently ribbing me about riding a bicycle. “Sure takes you long time to get on that thing,” he said as I was unlocking it, and arranging my bag. “I still have my bike from when I was 12 in my garage.”
Actually, the whole exchange was friendlier than I thought it'd be, but it still got me thinking about why conservatives (in general) seem to have such a disdain for bicycles. Why is that?
[Michele Bachmann promising $2 gas if she gets elected.]If you stop to think about it, real conservatives should embrace bicycles. Here are a few reasons why:
Bikes are cheap – When I think about a “conservative,” I imagine someone who’s judicious, skeptical, careful with their money.
Well, bicycles are a great way to save money. On average, cars cost over $8,000 per year $9,000 per year to own and operate. When you start talking about two- or three-car families, that adds up. If a bicycle lets you start cutting back a car or two, that would seem to be a sound financial decision.
But, more than that, bicycle infrastructure is a great way for the government to save money. Conservatives are always talking about "wasteful government spending," but for some reason don't view freeway and road infrastructure as part of the problem. A single stoplight costs more than $3,000 per year to maintain and operate. (And huge projects like the unnecessary $600M+ bridge to rural Wisconsin being built right now in Michele Bachmann's district should make fiscal conservatives cringe.) Bike lanes and trails are extremely cheap and last a long time, one of the best values for government spending you'll find.
[No caption needed.]Free from (foreign) oil – Go ahead and ask me: Hey Bill, What's the price of gas?
Trick question! I have no idea. I might visit a gas pump once a year.
I'd say that most conservatives don't like the thought of buying energy from overseas, particularly from places like Venezuela, Russia, or Saudi Arabia. Well, real energy independence comes from riding a bicycle. Zero % foreign oil. You can't beat that with all the drill rigs in all of Sarah Palin's dreams put together.
The Ultimate in Personal Responsibility – Another conservative mantra is the notion of personal responsibility. Each of us should be "held accountable for our actions." Each of us should "pull ourselves up by our bootstraps" or whatever.
Well, bicycling around the city is literally pulling yourself up with your bootstraps. (It's actually pushing yourself forward with your feet, but its pretty much the same.) Find another form of transportation (other than walking) that contains more personal responsibility. When I'm riding a bike, nobody or nothing is going to get me to the top of that hill except for my own limbs. The bicycle takes the conservative metaphor of individualism and independence and literalizes it, makes it real.
You Can Fix it Yourself – Another conservative narrative is the "fix it yourself" mentality. (Here in the Twin Cities, one local radio blabber calls this "garage logic.") The idea is that real conservative people (men) have their own tools, and can fix and tinker with their own machines, and don't have to depend on anyone else.
Well, its becoming more and more difficult to repair your own car. Nowadays, most of them have computerized black boxes that require proprietary tools. They have incredibly sensitive fuel injection systems or computers that nobody can fix themselves. (Thus the conservative nostalgia for American muscle cars of the 50s and 60s.)
On the other hand, you can still take a bicycle apart with a few key wrenches. Most everyone who rides a bicycle has basic knowledge of how to fix a flat, and many bicyclists can disassemble their handlebars, cranks, brakes, or pedals. It's very common to build your own bicycle out of individual parts. Bikes display a DIY culture that conservatives ought to embrace.
[Anti-bike lane protest signs from LA.]You're Out in the Elements – Hunting is another right-wing trope that has a bit in common with bikes. If you went up to a deer hunter and said, "Isn't it cold sitting in a tree for hours each November? Why would you do that?" they'd rightfully mock you. Hunting is part of a macho conservative culture that celebrates the idea of overcoming the elements and not whining about it.
But for some reason, the same rules don't apply to everyday life, to walking or biking. The same people that will sit for eleven hours in a deer stand or ice fishing shack will whine about a lack of air conditioning in their cars. Conservatives will routinely say things to me like "Isn't it [windy/hot/cold] riding that thing?" Sure it is, but bicyclists learn to tolerate and even enjoy the changes in the weather. Most of the time, most people riding a bike wouldn't trade the sun on their skin and wind in their hair for the isolated comfort of a car.
Bikes Support Local Business – Conservatives (like all political parties) love to tout their support for the small businessman, the shop on main street, the old-school store. Well, most people that ride bicycle support small businesses at high rates. (This is partly because its difficult to access large corporate retail places because of their large parking lots and auto-drenched locations. It's hard to ride a bike to a Walmart!) Riding a bicycle everywhere, you spend a lot of time on old main streets, old commercial corners. Bicycling fits neatly into the older commercial fabric of small and local businesses. You'd think more conservatives would notice.
Freedom From Rules – Finally, most bicyclists I know have to adopt a libertarian attitude toward how they ride, and how they choose to regard traffic laws. Partly for safety and partly for efficiency, bicyclists have to make their own rules of the road. In some places you'll cruise through a stop sign, or disregard the red light. Sometimes you'll have to go onto the sidewalk or cut through the alley.
In a way, to bicycle through the city is to live a libertarian fantasy. The official rules don't work well for bikes, so most bicyclists adopt their own rules. Isn't that what libertarians are supposed to be doing too?
[Allegedly crack-smoking Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.]Yeah but...
Of course, none of this really matters. Despite the professed principles of self-relaince and smart spending, most conservatives see bicycles as a vast left-wing conspiracy.
Right-wing politics is deeply tied to the politics of the automobile. In fact, more than anything else, the car ties together the coalition of exurban escapaism, elderly white people, sunbelt autopians, and vast rural industrial economies that forms the fractious right-wing. In Canada, Rob Ford slaps NIMBY magnets on parked cars while unpaving bike lanes. Scott Walker and Chris Christie campaign against transit. Dennis Hastert, Sarah Palin, and Michele Bachmann trumpet hugely expensive freeway pork projects. Most conservatives probably believe that if God had meant for us to ride bicycles, he wouldn't have given us all Ford F-350s and endless supplies of $2 gas.
Still, it'd be nice if conservatives would get out of their SUVs and try living their values for a change. I'll consider my life's work complete when my local right-wing bar has a bike rack out front.
[Reagan riding a bike.]
I found myself there last week polishing off a coney with cheese and onions. I paid my bill, went outside, and as I was unlocking my bike, the patriarch/owner (also the cook) comes out to the sidewalk to smoke, and begins gently ribbing me about riding a bicycle. “Sure takes you long time to get on that thing,” he said as I was unlocking it, and arranging my bag. “I still have my bike from when I was 12 in my garage.”
Actually, the whole exchange was friendlier than I thought it'd be, but it still got me thinking about why conservatives (in general) seem to have such a disdain for bicycles. Why is that?
[Michele Bachmann promising $2 gas if she gets elected.]If you stop to think about it, real conservatives should embrace bicycles. Here are a few reasons why:
Bikes are cheap – When I think about a “conservative,” I imagine someone who’s judicious, skeptical, careful with their money.
Well, bicycles are a great way to save money. On average, cars cost over $8,000 per year $9,000 per year to own and operate. When you start talking about two- or three-car families, that adds up. If a bicycle lets you start cutting back a car or two, that would seem to be a sound financial decision.
But, more than that, bicycle infrastructure is a great way for the government to save money. Conservatives are always talking about "wasteful government spending," but for some reason don't view freeway and road infrastructure as part of the problem. A single stoplight costs more than $3,000 per year to maintain and operate. (And huge projects like the unnecessary $600M+ bridge to rural Wisconsin being built right now in Michele Bachmann's district should make fiscal conservatives cringe.) Bike lanes and trails are extremely cheap and last a long time, one of the best values for government spending you'll find.
[No caption needed.]Free from (foreign) oil – Go ahead and ask me: Hey Bill, What's the price of gas?
Trick question! I have no idea. I might visit a gas pump once a year.
I'd say that most conservatives don't like the thought of buying energy from overseas, particularly from places like Venezuela, Russia, or Saudi Arabia. Well, real energy independence comes from riding a bicycle. Zero % foreign oil. You can't beat that with all the drill rigs in all of Sarah Palin's dreams put together.
The Ultimate in Personal Responsibility – Another conservative mantra is the notion of personal responsibility. Each of us should be "held accountable for our actions." Each of us should "pull ourselves up by our bootstraps" or whatever.
Well, bicycling around the city is literally pulling yourself up with your bootstraps. (It's actually pushing yourself forward with your feet, but its pretty much the same.) Find another form of transportation (other than walking) that contains more personal responsibility. When I'm riding a bike, nobody or nothing is going to get me to the top of that hill except for my own limbs. The bicycle takes the conservative metaphor of individualism and independence and literalizes it, makes it real.
You Can Fix it Yourself – Another conservative narrative is the "fix it yourself" mentality. (Here in the Twin Cities, one local radio blabber calls this "garage logic.") The idea is that real conservative people (men) have their own tools, and can fix and tinker with their own machines, and don't have to depend on anyone else.
Well, its becoming more and more difficult to repair your own car. Nowadays, most of them have computerized black boxes that require proprietary tools. They have incredibly sensitive fuel injection systems or computers that nobody can fix themselves. (Thus the conservative nostalgia for American muscle cars of the 50s and 60s.)
On the other hand, you can still take a bicycle apart with a few key wrenches. Most everyone who rides a bicycle has basic knowledge of how to fix a flat, and many bicyclists can disassemble their handlebars, cranks, brakes, or pedals. It's very common to build your own bicycle out of individual parts. Bikes display a DIY culture that conservatives ought to embrace.
[Anti-bike lane protest signs from LA.]You're Out in the Elements – Hunting is another right-wing trope that has a bit in common with bikes. If you went up to a deer hunter and said, "Isn't it cold sitting in a tree for hours each November? Why would you do that?" they'd rightfully mock you. Hunting is part of a macho conservative culture that celebrates the idea of overcoming the elements and not whining about it.
But for some reason, the same rules don't apply to everyday life, to walking or biking. The same people that will sit for eleven hours in a deer stand or ice fishing shack will whine about a lack of air conditioning in their cars. Conservatives will routinely say things to me like "Isn't it [windy/hot/cold] riding that thing?" Sure it is, but bicyclists learn to tolerate and even enjoy the changes in the weather. Most of the time, most people riding a bike wouldn't trade the sun on their skin and wind in their hair for the isolated comfort of a car.
Bikes Support Local Business – Conservatives (like all political parties) love to tout their support for the small businessman, the shop on main street, the old-school store. Well, most people that ride bicycle support small businesses at high rates. (This is partly because its difficult to access large corporate retail places because of their large parking lots and auto-drenched locations. It's hard to ride a bike to a Walmart!) Riding a bicycle everywhere, you spend a lot of time on old main streets, old commercial corners. Bicycling fits neatly into the older commercial fabric of small and local businesses. You'd think more conservatives would notice.
Freedom From Rules – Finally, most bicyclists I know have to adopt a libertarian attitude toward how they ride, and how they choose to regard traffic laws. Partly for safety and partly for efficiency, bicyclists have to make their own rules of the road. In some places you'll cruise through a stop sign, or disregard the red light. Sometimes you'll have to go onto the sidewalk or cut through the alley.
In a way, to bicycle through the city is to live a libertarian fantasy. The official rules don't work well for bikes, so most bicyclists adopt their own rules. Isn't that what libertarians are supposed to be doing too?
[Allegedly crack-smoking Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.]Yeah but...
Of course, none of this really matters. Despite the professed principles of self-relaince and smart spending, most conservatives see bicycles as a vast left-wing conspiracy.
Right-wing politics is deeply tied to the politics of the automobile. In fact, more than anything else, the car ties together the coalition of exurban escapaism, elderly white people, sunbelt autopians, and vast rural industrial economies that forms the fractious right-wing. In Canada, Rob Ford slaps NIMBY magnets on parked cars while unpaving bike lanes. Scott Walker and Chris Christie campaign against transit. Dennis Hastert, Sarah Palin, and Michele Bachmann trumpet hugely expensive freeway pork projects. Most conservatives probably believe that if God had meant for us to ride bicycles, he wouldn't have given us all Ford F-350s and endless supplies of $2 gas.
Still, it'd be nice if conservatives would get out of their SUVs and try living their values for a change. I'll consider my life's work complete when my local right-wing bar has a bike rack out front.
[Reagan riding a bike.]
So, You're Addicted to GeoGuessr...
Don't worry. You're not alone.
...
OK, that's a good point. You actually are alone, technically speaking, in the sense that you're sitting in your room staring at your computer, taking a break between rounds of Geoguessr to browse the internets.
But what I meant was that you're not alone because that there are others just like you, thousands of others all around the world suffering from the same problem. Geoguessr Addiction is real, commonly referred to as GA. And GA is here. Each day, more and more people become victims of GA, sitting in their homes, unable to think of anything else, locked in an endless quest to name the un-nameable, place the un-placeable. Something must be done.
...
Where are these people? I don't know, all over the place.
...
No, I'm not going to give you a clue as to their whereabouts.
...
It might be a desert area, I don't know. It doesn't matter! They're everywhere, all around you. People just like you who can't stop trying to pinpoint locations based on vague visual signs. You're not alone, see?
...
Ok? Sorry. So, let's talk about our options. The first step is to admit you have a problem.
...
My high score is 11529, actually, thanks for asking.
...
Yeah, I know that sucks. But were here to talk about you, not about me. I'm not the one with GA. OK? Can you admit you have a problem?
...
Very good. That's the first step. Now let's talk about what we can do about it.
The thing is, GA draws on some very powerful forces, deep within human nature. It channels our need to navigate, to master space. It fuels itself on that feeling we all have, especially men, of refusing to ask directions.
Once they begin playing Geoguessr, people are drawn in by the desire to know, the desire for omniscience, the desire to decode the landscape. Geoguessr beckons to you by saying "All places are unique." It says, "You can decode and understand your landscape."
...
See? That's what I mean. Well, the first thing you have to understand is this: That is a lie. Everywhere is just like everywhere else.
Don't believe me? That's where the beauty of my one-step program comes in. Using the latest in psychogeographic technology, I've developed a Geoguessr antidote that I call ApplebeeGuessr.
Try it out and see what I mean.
OK. Study the image carefully, and then click on which of the ten (10) Jacksonville, Florida Applebee's locations you think it is.
...
See what I mean?
...
Oh, you're still trying? OK. I'll give you another shot. Here's Round 2.
See?
...
There, there. Don't cry. It's OK. My point is this. Everywhere is the same. There is no trace left of the real. There's no there there. We've replaced the territory with a map of the territory, and we've replaced that map with a very large Applebee's menu. No matter where you go, there you are. There are 34,205 McDonalds restaurants in the world today. Walmart's 2012 gross income was 92 Billion dollars. There's no way to win at GeoGuessr. It's time to move on. Let it go, just let it all go.
...
It's not your fault. It's not your fault. You'll be OK...
...
OK, that's a good point. You actually are alone, technically speaking, in the sense that you're sitting in your room staring at your computer, taking a break between rounds of Geoguessr to browse the internets.
But what I meant was that you're not alone because that there are others just like you, thousands of others all around the world suffering from the same problem. Geoguessr Addiction is real, commonly referred to as GA. And GA is here. Each day, more and more people become victims of GA, sitting in their homes, unable to think of anything else, locked in an endless quest to name the un-nameable, place the un-placeable. Something must be done.
...
Where are these people? I don't know, all over the place.
...
No, I'm not going to give you a clue as to their whereabouts.
...
It might be a desert area, I don't know. It doesn't matter! They're everywhere, all around you. People just like you who can't stop trying to pinpoint locations based on vague visual signs. You're not alone, see?
...
Ok? Sorry. So, let's talk about our options. The first step is to admit you have a problem.
...
My high score is 11529, actually, thanks for asking.
...
Yeah, I know that sucks. But were here to talk about you, not about me. I'm not the one with GA. OK? Can you admit you have a problem?
...
Very good. That's the first step. Now let's talk about what we can do about it.
The thing is, GA draws on some very powerful forces, deep within human nature. It channels our need to navigate, to master space. It fuels itself on that feeling we all have, especially men, of refusing to ask directions.
Once they begin playing Geoguessr, people are drawn in by the desire to know, the desire for omniscience, the desire to decode the landscape. Geoguessr beckons to you by saying "All places are unique." It says, "You can decode and understand your landscape."
...
See? That's what I mean. Well, the first thing you have to understand is this: That is a lie. Everywhere is just like everywhere else.
Don't believe me? That's where the beauty of my one-step program comes in. Using the latest in psychogeographic technology, I've developed a Geoguessr antidote that I call ApplebeeGuessr.
Try it out and see what I mean.
OK. Study the image carefully, and then click on which of the ten (10) Jacksonville, Florida Applebee's locations you think it is.
...
See what I mean?
...
Oh, you're still trying? OK. I'll give you another shot. Here's Round 2.
See?
...
There, there. Don't cry. It's OK. My point is this. Everywhere is the same. There is no trace left of the real. There's no there there. We've replaced the territory with a map of the territory, and we've replaced that map with a very large Applebee's menu. No matter where you go, there you are. There are 34,205 McDonalds restaurants in the world today. Walmart's 2012 gross income was 92 Billion dollars. There's no way to win at GeoGuessr. It's time to move on. Let it go, just let it all go.
...
It's not your fault. It's not your fault. You'll be OK...
Reading the Highland Villager #84 (60th Anniversary Edition)
[Basically the problem is that the best source of Saint Paul streets & sidewalks news is the Highland Villager, a very fine and historical newspaper. This wouldn't be a problem, except that its not available online. You basically have to live in or frequent Saint Paul to read it. That's why I'm reading the Highland Villager so that you don't have to. Until this newspaper goes online, sidewalk information must be set free.]
[Special Note: This is the 60th Anniversary Edition of the Villager. There's a special insert with enough Villager history to fill an abandoned streetcar tunnel. There's a large 60-year Villager highlight timeline, and its worth picking up.]
Headline: Highland makes its case for city bonds to help finance new Village streestcape
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: Businesses in Highland "Village" are trying to get Capital Improvement Budget (CIB) money for a new streetscape (replacing the older inlaid sidewalk bricks, planters), but its unlikely because the project wasn't ranked very high by the committee. [I'm all for sidewalks, but IMO, there are many many more important priorities for scarce city money. Re-polishing the (auto-oriented) sidewalks along Ford isn't crucial to the future of the city. There are some places in the area, like Davern Street, that don't have sidewalks at all! -Ed.] Article includes quote from CM Tolbert about their "deplorable condition," quote from CIB about "trying to balance a lot of needs."
Headline: Shepard-Davern studied again [Detecting some jadedness from the Villager here.]
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: There will be a study of land use in Shepard-Davern [the very end of West 7th Street, near the airport] to look at new developments, redevelopment opportunities, etc.
Headline: Carter accepts new post as state director of early learning; November election set to fill his seat in Ward 1
Author: Kevin Driscoll
Short short version: Report on CM Carter's decision to step down from the City Council. Article gives overview of his accomplishments from 1.5 terms. The City Council will appoint an interim, but would prefer that they don't run in November. Declared candidates include Noel Nix, Adam Robinson [and I've heard Johnny Howard, Debbie Montgomery, and two Hmong-Americans that I don't know. I covered Montgomery's tenure in this office before, and did not like her very much. (See this TCSidewalks post from 2006.)]
Headline: Holden throws his hat in the ring for mayor; Midway businessman is running as independent
Author: Kevin Driscoll
Short short version: the guy who owns the building that houses the lingere shop on University Avenue is running against Mayor Coleman [because nobody else is doing it]. His platform includes more parking, not liking the Saints stadium (because of "traffic congestion"), not liking the achievement gap between people of color and white students, and not liking the loss of Macy's.
Headline: $1.5 million study looks at ways to improve mass transit between downtown St. Paul, MSP Airport; West 7th, Shepard Road and 35E Parkway are all being eyed for upgrade
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: Ramsey Councy is undergoing "preproject development" for transit along the "Riverview Corridor" [which is another way of saying West 7th Street]. They tried this back in the 1990s, but this time, it's different. The transit investment seems to be focused on a streetcar, but not necessarily, and seems to be focused on West 7th Street, but not necessarily. It has a large list of local politicians backing the plan. The study will "determine if the Riverview Corridor merits a higher level of transit service than it is currently getting." [That's a loaded question if I've ever seen one.]
Headline: Judge dismisses suit over Pizza Luce's parking lot
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: A lady sued over the Pizza Lucé parking lot, but the judge threw it out.
Headline: Summit Hill home allowed to keep disputed driveway
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: A family on Fairmount Avenue can have a driveway in their front yard, but can't park on it.
Headline: Planning Commission to discuss Grand Ave. zoning
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: The Planning Commission [tomorrow] will decide what to do about the rezoning study about density and development along the West End of Grand Avenue [by St Thomas].
Headline: Summit-U grocery ordered closed for fencing stolen goods
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: A corner store on Victoria Street was caught for "food stamp trafficking." It'll likely lose its license.
Headline: Development comes at a price in Lowertown: Nighttime noise
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: There will be more sound in Lowertown in the future, including this summer (because of street construction, bridge construction, stadium construction). Article includes quote from organizers of the local Zen center: "we've meditated through a lot of noise." [Not sure why "nighttime" is here in the headline? Most construction work happens in the day.]
Headline: Parking opens up on Grand Avenue for new French Meadow Bakery and Café; Pagagonia parking lot is restriped with 33 spaces
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: The old Coffee News is becoming a French Meadow and will share the Patagonia parking lot.
Headline: Twin Cities' 80-year affair with the streetcar ended 60 years ago
Author: Peggie Schommer and Jane McClure
Short short version: [By sheer coincidence] the Twin Cities' streetcar system closed at the exact same time that the Villager began publishing. Article includes lots of streetcar history.
Headline: St. Paul may revive streetcars as connection to other transit; feasibility study looks at 18 possible routes along major arterials
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: Report on St. Paul's streetcar study, including some discussion of modern streetcars and their "appeal." Article includes quote from West 7th neighborhood memberl "It's a pretty big ball of wax."
Headline: Ford Motor Co. was just the start; Before Highland Park became the neighborhood it is today, city fathers envisioned it as a large industrial tract
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: Complete history of highland. Plentiful and cheap land, hydro power, all this land coulda been a huge factory.
Headline: Cradle of the city; West 7th served as birthplace for many groups that defined St. Paul
Author: Lisa Heinrich
Short short version: Complete history of West 7th/7 Corners. Great 1934 photo of amazing old building. Lots of stories of famous men.
Headline: Selby's steady resurgence
Author: Lisa Heinrich
Short short version: Complete history of Selby / Cathedral Hill. Lots of details about architecture, nadir off the street in the 70s.
[Special Note: This is the 60th Anniversary Edition of the Villager. There's a special insert with enough Villager history to fill an abandoned streetcar tunnel. There's a large 60-year Villager highlight timeline, and its worth picking up.]
Headline: Highland makes its case for city bonds to help finance new Village streestcape
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: Businesses in Highland "Village" are trying to get Capital Improvement Budget (CIB) money for a new streetscape (replacing the older inlaid sidewalk bricks, planters), but its unlikely because the project wasn't ranked very high by the committee. [I'm all for sidewalks, but IMO, there are many many more important priorities for scarce city money. Re-polishing the (auto-oriented) sidewalks along Ford isn't crucial to the future of the city. There are some places in the area, like Davern Street, that don't have sidewalks at all! -Ed.] Article includes quote from CM Tolbert about their "deplorable condition," quote from CIB about "trying to balance a lot of needs."
Headline: Shepard-Davern studied again [Detecting some jadedness from the Villager here.]
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: There will be a study of land use in Shepard-Davern [the very end of West 7th Street, near the airport] to look at new developments, redevelopment opportunities, etc.
Headline: Carter accepts new post as state director of early learning; November election set to fill his seat in Ward 1
Author: Kevin Driscoll
Short short version: Report on CM Carter's decision to step down from the City Council. Article gives overview of his accomplishments from 1.5 terms. The City Council will appoint an interim, but would prefer that they don't run in November. Declared candidates include Noel Nix, Adam Robinson [and I've heard Johnny Howard, Debbie Montgomery, and two Hmong-Americans that I don't know. I covered Montgomery's tenure in this office before, and did not like her very much. (See this TCSidewalks post from 2006.)]
Headline: Holden throws his hat in the ring for mayor; Midway businessman is running as independent
Author: Kevin Driscoll
Short short version: the guy who owns the building that houses the lingere shop on University Avenue is running against Mayor Coleman [because nobody else is doing it]. His platform includes more parking, not liking the Saints stadium (because of "traffic congestion"), not liking the achievement gap between people of color and white students, and not liking the loss of Macy's.
Headline: $1.5 million study looks at ways to improve mass transit between downtown St. Paul, MSP Airport; West 7th, Shepard Road and 35E Parkway are all being eyed for upgrade
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: Ramsey Councy is undergoing "preproject development" for transit along the "Riverview Corridor" [which is another way of saying West 7th Street]. They tried this back in the 1990s, but this time, it's different. The transit investment seems to be focused on a streetcar, but not necessarily, and seems to be focused on West 7th Street, but not necessarily. It has a large list of local politicians backing the plan. The study will "determine if the Riverview Corridor merits a higher level of transit service than it is currently getting." [That's a loaded question if I've ever seen one.]
Headline: Judge dismisses suit over Pizza Luce's parking lot
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: A lady sued over the Pizza Lucé parking lot, but the judge threw it out.
Headline: Summit Hill home allowed to keep disputed driveway
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: A family on Fairmount Avenue can have a driveway in their front yard, but can't park on it.
Headline: Planning Commission to discuss Grand Ave. zoning
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: The Planning Commission [tomorrow] will decide what to do about the rezoning study about density and development along the West End of Grand Avenue [by St Thomas].
Headline: Summit-U grocery ordered closed for fencing stolen goods
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: A corner store on Victoria Street was caught for "food stamp trafficking." It'll likely lose its license.
Headline: Development comes at a price in Lowertown: Nighttime noise
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: There will be more sound in Lowertown in the future, including this summer (because of street construction, bridge construction, stadium construction). Article includes quote from organizers of the local Zen center: "we've meditated through a lot of noise." [Not sure why "nighttime" is here in the headline? Most construction work happens in the day.]
Headline: Parking opens up on Grand Avenue for new French Meadow Bakery and Café; Pagagonia parking lot is restriped with 33 spaces
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: The old Coffee News is becoming a French Meadow and will share the Patagonia parking lot.
Headline: Twin Cities' 80-year affair with the streetcar ended 60 years ago
Author: Peggie Schommer and Jane McClure
Short short version: [By sheer coincidence] the Twin Cities' streetcar system closed at the exact same time that the Villager began publishing. Article includes lots of streetcar history.
Headline: St. Paul may revive streetcars as connection to other transit; feasibility study looks at 18 possible routes along major arterials
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: Report on St. Paul's streetcar study, including some discussion of modern streetcars and their "appeal." Article includes quote from West 7th neighborhood memberl "It's a pretty big ball of wax."
Headline: Ford Motor Co. was just the start; Before Highland Park became the neighborhood it is today, city fathers envisioned it as a large industrial tract
Author: Jane McClure
Short short version: Complete history of highland. Plentiful and cheap land, hydro power, all this land coulda been a huge factory.
Headline: Cradle of the city; West 7th served as birthplace for many groups that defined St. Paul
Author: Lisa Heinrich
Short short version: Complete history of West 7th/7 Corners. Great 1934 photo of amazing old building. Lots of stories of famous men.
Headline: Selby's steady resurgence
Author: Lisa Heinrich
Short short version: Complete history of Selby / Cathedral Hill. Lots of details about architecture, nadir off the street in the 70s.
Minneapolis/St Paul Taprooms if They Were Characters in a High School Movie
[Note: This is a conceit I stole from Reddit.]
Fulton:
Fulton's on the football team, like the star running back or something. But he's not exactly like the other kids on the team, he's a bit too smart. When the team was picking on the kid from the wrong side of the tracks, Fulton stood up for him, told the guys to "cut it out", and walked with the poor kid back to his house making small talk. Fulton will stand up to the coach once in a while, but mostly he's the coach's favorite player. He has a hot girlfriend, and is going to a good college next year. Who knows what will happen then?
Harriet:
Harriet is the one girl who hangs out with the guys. She's smart and funny, a total stoner who is not afraid of dirty jokes. She has curly hair and plays the bass. She's secretly really attractive, but wears baggy flannel shirts all the time so it's hard to tell. She's really into jam bands, and will probably skip out on her first year of college to go tour with her music buddies.
612 Brew:
612 is the rich kid, and has a bit of a chip on his shoulder about it. He's kinda like Ferris Bueller. He's really into his dee-jay equipment, and is always posting photos on Instagram of weird graffiti. He usually wears sunglasses, and is often planning some sort of elaborate prank. Most of his pranks are only thought experiments, but occasionally he'll follow through with something. He'll get into trouble, but not really.
Indeed:
Indeed is the really smart kid of the group. He's always hanging out by train tracks, watching them go by and wishing he was just a bit older. He reads a lot when nobody is around. He's a bit bipolar. He has a "light side." He can mesmerize authority figures at the high school because he speaks their language, knows just what to say and who to quote. But he has a dark side, too. Sometimes he'll smash a bookshelf, and you're not really sure why.
Dangerous Man:
"Danger" (as he is known) is a total party animal. He always hangs out with Indeed and 612 in the parking lot, going up to them and saying, "Let's get wasted!" He's tons of fun, like that one time he took a bowling ball into the hallway. But you don't want to spend all your time with him. If he's ever sober, he gets a bit religious for some reason.
Surly:
Surly is the most popular kid in school. He's always on a skateboard (even when he doesn't have to be), giving high fives to people (especially girls). He easily got elected class president on a "No Rules" campaign platform, but so far hasn't done anything with his newly found influence. He's always talking about what he's going to do when he graduates.
Summit:
Summit is the older brother of Flat Earth (who was held back a year). Summit graduated already, but still hangs out with the gang sometimes, talking about his frat house in college. He buys the beer.
Lucid, Steel Toe, Badger Hill, Lift Bridge, Pour Decisions, Etc.:
Those guys go to a different high school, dude. We hate those guys.
Fulton:
Fulton's on the football team, like the star running back or something. But he's not exactly like the other kids on the team, he's a bit too smart. When the team was picking on the kid from the wrong side of the tracks, Fulton stood up for him, told the guys to "cut it out", and walked with the poor kid back to his house making small talk. Fulton will stand up to the coach once in a while, but mostly he's the coach's favorite player. He has a hot girlfriend, and is going to a good college next year. Who knows what will happen then?
Harriet:
Harriet is the one girl who hangs out with the guys. She's smart and funny, a total stoner who is not afraid of dirty jokes. She has curly hair and plays the bass. She's secretly really attractive, but wears baggy flannel shirts all the time so it's hard to tell. She's really into jam bands, and will probably skip out on her first year of college to go tour with her music buddies.
612 Brew:
612 is the rich kid, and has a bit of a chip on his shoulder about it. He's kinda like Ferris Bueller. He's really into his dee-jay equipment, and is always posting photos on Instagram of weird graffiti. He usually wears sunglasses, and is often planning some sort of elaborate prank. Most of his pranks are only thought experiments, but occasionally he'll follow through with something. He'll get into trouble, but not really.
Indeed:
Indeed is the really smart kid of the group. He's always hanging out by train tracks, watching them go by and wishing he was just a bit older. He reads a lot when nobody is around. He's a bit bipolar. He has a "light side." He can mesmerize authority figures at the high school because he speaks their language, knows just what to say and who to quote. But he has a dark side, too. Sometimes he'll smash a bookshelf, and you're not really sure why.
Dangerous Man:
"Danger" (as he is known) is a total party animal. He always hangs out with Indeed and 612 in the parking lot, going up to them and saying, "Let's get wasted!" He's tons of fun, like that one time he took a bowling ball into the hallway. But you don't want to spend all your time with him. If he's ever sober, he gets a bit religious for some reason.
Surly:
Surly is the most popular kid in school. He's always on a skateboard (even when he doesn't have to be), giving high fives to people (especially girls). He easily got elected class president on a "No Rules" campaign platform, but so far hasn't done anything with his newly found influence. He's always talking about what he's going to do when he graduates.
Summit:
Summit is the older brother of Flat Earth (who was held back a year). Summit graduated already, but still hangs out with the gang sometimes, talking about his frat house in college. He buys the beer.
Lucid, Steel Toe, Badger Hill, Lift Bridge, Pour Decisions, Etc.:
Those guys go to a different high school, dude. We hate those guys.
Sidewalk Poetry #37
416.
We grow accustomed to the Dark --
When Light is put away --
As when the Neighbor holds the Lamp
To witness her Goodbye --
A Moment -- We uncertain step
For newness of the night --
Then -- fit our Vision to the Dark --
And meet the Road -- erect--
And so of larger -- Darkness --
Those Evenings of the Brain --
When not a Moon disclose a sign --
Or Star -- come out -- within --
The Bravest -- grope a little --
And sometimes hit a Tree
Directly in the Forehead --
But as they learn to see --
Either the Darkness alters --
Or something in the sight
Adjusts itself to Midnight --
And Life steps almost straight.
[Emily Dickinson.]
[A streetcar in Springfield MA, c. 1880s.]
We grow accustomed to the Dark --
When Light is put away --
As when the Neighbor holds the Lamp
To witness her Goodbye --
A Moment -- We uncertain step
For newness of the night --
Then -- fit our Vision to the Dark --
And meet the Road -- erect--
And so of larger -- Darkness --
Those Evenings of the Brain --
When not a Moon disclose a sign --
Or Star -- come out -- within --
The Bravest -- grope a little --
And sometimes hit a Tree
Directly in the Forehead --
But as they learn to see --
Either the Darkness alters --
Or something in the sight
Adjusts itself to Midnight --
And Life steps almost straight.
[Emily Dickinson.]
[A streetcar in Springfield MA, c. 1880s.]
