asher519

The clock tower (once part of a rail terminal) in Spokane, WA's Riverfront Park:

Columbus's Main Street and Rich Street Bridges in today's setting sun: 035b by asher519, on Flickr

While out wandering today, I think I mumbled an audible "FINALLY!" when I came upon this fence: 043b by asher519, on Flickr 044b by asher519, on Flickr 045b by asher519, on Flickr And here's an overview of Flats II from the north: 046b by asher519, on Flickr

I've moved around so much I'm probably missing a few, but I think this is everything... Amtrak: Northeast Corridor, Cardinal, Empire Builder, Cascades Atlanta: MARTA rail Boston: MBTA T and commuter rail Chicago: CTA buses and rail, Metra, Pace buses Columbus: COTA buses, Ohio State CABS Dayton: RTA buses DC: Metrorail Greyhound Indiana: NICTD South Shore Line NJ: NJ Transit regional rail NY/NJ: PATH NYC: MTA rail Philadelphia: SEPTA regional rail, subways, buses Pittsburgh: PAT buses, T, Duquesne Incline Portland: TriMet buses, MAX light rail, Streetcar Seattle: Metro buses edit, thought of a couple more...

Thanks for the updates! If all goes as planned, I'll be relocated there within 10-12 days (actually St. Paul for starters).

Mine is my Hebrew name coupled with my birth date on the Jewish calendar (the 19th of Av which is the 5th month).

I always told myself I would end up in Boston -- I do love Boston -- but lately my heartstrings are pulling me back to Portland. To be honest, however, I always said that if I ended up in the PNW again, I would do Seattle, instead. Regardless, I'll be moving back to Columbus at month's end to finish my Masters (I'm currently in Pittsburgh), and after that, I'll probably be headed to the Twin Cities (Keith, I may have to take you up on that offer). I would also do NYC (of course), DC, San Francisco, Montreal, and Burlington, VT. And if I were to go overseas: Dublin. Simply because I'm fiercely proud of my Irish heritage.

I love "Mad Men." I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but it clicks with me. Unfortunately, I don't have cable, so I'll have to "find" a place to see the new season. At this very moment, I'm watching a Juliette Binoche movie (Certified Copy)...

I always enjoyed walking through this development when I lived in Columbus; I'm glad to learn the park has come along so nicely. And I love the "Community" sculpture!

People who say "I seen" instead of "I saw." Though I have a degree in English literature and linguistics, I tend to let a lot of grammar "mistakes" slide. Oy, but that one drives me crazy!

When someone is tailgating me and I see a pothole coming up, I steer so as to straddle it while just missing it with my wheels. More often than not the tailgater won't see it in time and will slam right into it. :evil: I like that idea. I've often likened driving down Youngstown streets to slalom practice :-) No. It's still illegal. They've even begun putting cameras at some of the lights. They could easily set many of they're stoplights to blinking so they act as a stop sign instead, but there'd be no money in that...

(Allow me to clarify, however, that many of the stoplights here are either way too long or simply unnecessary :-D)

I think that Youngstown drivers are, quite possibly, the worst drivers on the planet; or at least the worst drivers I've ever experienced. Given how deserted much of the city is, there seems to be an almost belligerent disregard for traffic laws. I've been honked at more than once--in the middle of the day, no less--for waiting at a stoplight. Stop signs are optional. I think I may be the only person in this place who knows what an indicator light is. Every city street in relatively decent repair is an excuse for a drag race. And, I'm sorry, but my car's small tires require me to drive carefully over all the pot holes so please stop aggressively riding my ass! I say all this somewhat in jest (though not at all tongue-in-cheek). But, honestly, the Yo is sort of a driver's free-for-all :whip:

Though the campus as a whole is a community center, I believe there is, in fact, a Salvation Army sanctuary in the tall, swoopy, dramatic building. When it was still going up and I would come down to Dayton to visit my folks, I would just about wreck everytime I drove past, craning my neck to look, trying to maneuver the insane construction zone that is 75 at the same time.

I very much like this comparison!

I was checked for tickets 25% of the time on the MAX. Didn't get checked on the streetcar but rode most of it in the fareless square. In five years I was checked on MAX only a handful of times. The secret on the streetcar is they don't police it because they can't afford to (that may change once the Eastside extension is open). The thing is, though, that most people actually DO buy a ticket--on MAX, at least (I think the fine is $250)--and most of the fare jumpers are only going a few stops.

I'm currently making my way through The Making of the English Working Class by E.P. Thompson, a 1963 classic of working class studies and Marxist historical interpretation. It's a heavy 800+ pages and I'm reading it for a historiography course, but it's quite good. It's no Ron Jeremy, but I recommend it to anyone interested in working class issues.

I just learned about Florida. Though it didn't surprise me in the least it pissed me off. My little brother lives in Orlando and I had to send him a long ranting email about how his idiot governor and my idiot governor (and that idiot from Wisconsin) probably have slumber parties and do each others' nails and fantasize about ways to utterly destroy whatever potential their states have left. And then I had to apologize to my little brother because I know it's not his fault and he supports rail also. Though my rant did nothing to make the world a better place, I must admit I feel better now...

Congratulations on going car-free and good luck! I grew up in Miamisburg so I'm very familiar with what a pain it can be to get around from that particular stretch of 725. Should this experiment work well for you, will you consider moving to a more convenient location in the future? I'm a pretty staunch pedestrian (even when I've lived in places like Dayton and Columbus where people seem to have forgotten how to walk), but always try to snag an apartment that's convenient to buses and other services should they be needed... though I currently have to drive for groceries, it's been nearly 10 years since I've driven to school or work. Also, as natininja suggested, a decent bike may be a worthy investment (I forget if they have bike racks on RTA yet).

That is a cute little downtown. I particularly like how the City Hall and Masonic Temple are nestled in among the other storefronts, and the backs of the buildings along the river remind of a restaurant I once worked at in Bristol Borough, PA. The patriotic baby mural, on the other hand, is rather creepy...

But I CAN still walk to the downtown area, right?? Where is this? I'm sure they have an extensive complete streets program in place as well :-D

Perhaps, but Cleveland is in proximity to other cities, so you could be an artist in Cleveland and make trips to Chicago, Toronto, Pittsburgh, DC, NYC, etc. That is a big advantage that Cleveland has over more isolated cities like Minneapolis or Kansas City. And there are plenty of "artist types" in Austin and Portland. Who is buying art there? No one is really "buying" art there, just looking at it and trying to make it. Portland had a hyper-trendy art fair (The Affair @ The Jupiter Hotel) that ran for about four years. The reasons given for its demise included competition from larger shows in the burgeoning art fair scene and lack of collectors in the Portland market. I remember when this thing started it was a big deal on the national radar, bringing galleries and buyers from across the country to Portland to commingle with local artists and galleries. It didn't surprise me when it fizzled out, however, as Portland never seemed to have a strong cultural market beyond diy and experimental art. (I've provided a link to an article with more information below.) As was attempted in Portland, you could also bring the buyers to Cleveland. It seems a creatively-done art show/event that seeks to draw national participants while spotlighting a growing local scene could avoid some of the difficulties Portland ultimately had. Cleveland certainly has a location better able to attract notice from the East Coast, as well as Chicago; has stronger "cultural bones" in the form of its more traditional institutions; and, though the two metros have comparable GDPs, I would guess that Cleveland has more in the way of "old money" and corporate endowment which--for better or worse--provide a great deal of financial backing to the art world (I don't advocate corporate takeover of art, I'm just thinking about potential buyers). An "Affair" done Cleveland-style, publicized well, would probably also draw interest from buyers in areas like Pittsburgh and Columbus. In a manner of speaking, a strength that Cleveland has is that art has long been part of its cultural fabric--though, perhaps, in a more conservative way--whereas places like Portland and Austin have been creating their markets almost from scratch for just a few short decades. Maybe it's just my biased Rust Belt mentality (one of the things that brought me back from the West Coast), but it just makes sense to me that a thriving, nationally-recognized and respected art scene in Cleveland is a very real possibility. Let's hope these notices from New York (and beyond) keep coming. <a href="http://blog.oregonlive.com/visualarts/2008/02/all_good_things_come_to_an_end.html">More info about The Affair @ The Jupiter Hotel</a>

CMT, Lifting Magnets Division (Youngstown)...

Miamisburg: Once upon a time: The "Carnegie Center" is now a meeting & reception facility with a stage addition in front that is used during city festivals such as the Spring Fling: The replacement library, built in the the 1980s, is located next door:

Apparently they're calling establishments like these "breastaruants." Teehee. Best line: "There was a real need for this kind of concept in Columbus." I should say so :-o On Restaurants A visual feast Tilted Kilt tempts with sports, 'man' grub and wee attire Tuesday, December 14, 2010 02:51 AM By Denise Trowbridge FOR THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Think Hooters, but in tartan. The Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery, a Celtic-themed sports bar and restaurant featuring scantily clad waitresses, opened recently at 8665 Sancus Blvd. in the former Cheeseburger in Paradise. "There was a real need for this kind of concept in Columbus," said owner Peter Dimitropoulos. He and his brother, Dimitri, own the Tilted Kilt and plan to open a second location near Canton in the spring. "It's a neat fusion of Irish, English and Scottish decor, but not a traditional Irish pub. We have mahogany wood everywhere, fun limericks on the wall, and sports, but the food and (staff) really tie it all together." First-time visitors to the restaurant will immediately notice the sports: The Tilted Kilt has two 150-inch projection televisions, in addition to 34 flat-screens tuned in to sports such as soccer, college and professional football and basketball, and Ultimate Fighting Championship matches. Then there are the tiny uniforms. The female servers, whom the company refers to as "cast members," are outfitted in short plaid kilts, white knee socks, plaid bras and white shirts tied up to showcase their midriffs. Full article: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2010/12/14/a-visual-feast.html?sid=101