PigBoy

On the topic of mental maps and basic orientation in Boston, in the past half year of living in Cambridge, I've found myself in an interesting situation of at times being unable to reconcile my mental map with my memory of actual maps. Often enough I have to remind myself that I'm actually heading west even though it feels like north, or things like that. Meanwhile, there are plenty of paths (of any mode of transportation) I know well by now, but almost none of them did I discover while on the ground. It always requires prior map research because nothing's where you think it is, and there's usually no direct path between any two points. On the plus side, most distances turn out to be much shorter than anticipated. I've been re-reading Kevin Lynch's book lately with some fascination. Discounting things that have changed in the last 50 years, I can agree with much of what he said about the Boston case study. Anyway, great collection of photos! This building has been a favorite lately:

Ah, maybe that's it... maybe I'd seen that "CincinnatiRoads" site at one point.

Excellent! What's the location of #142? It looks familiar, yet unfamiliar.

I was thinking the exact same thing. Is bestiality popular in Worcester? Probably, and in Cincinnati too. I think there is a similar figure on the Tyler Davidson Fountain in Fountain Square. But you could probably have guessed that about Cincy without the aid of the statue. Thanks for the photos, Clevelumbus. These and the couple of brief moments I have spent in Worcester make it seem like a place worth exploring a bit more. Need to manufacture an excuse to go out there...

I was hoping this was going to be a Kentucky typography thread.

That looks like a pretty good time, but I'm shivering just from the pictures!

Are you white? Yes, hence my inexperience. That's why I'm interested to find out what kinds of experiences have led to the racist impression. (I don't know, maybe I just live in the "wrong" part of town, as it were.)

My experience: -The arrogance is real but doesn't come out much. But really, "Hub of the Universe" as a city nickname? Yikes. -The rudeness is only perceived. It's just a sometimes unexpected lack of a polite and pleasant veneer, and more casual. And really, the majority of people I've seen have been just as friendly as anywhere. -Racist, I don't know. I've no experience with that, and my recollection is that the last time it came up here the impression couldn't really be explained in any certain terms. -The accent is pure gold. Make fun of it all you like, but I love it.

For anyone who visits Boston and needs a respite from the supposed awfulness of the local population, I suggest visiting a place called Cafe Luna in Cambridge. Even the nicest, most pleasant Midwesterner looks like a complete a-hole compared to the staff there, in my experience. Thanks for the comments, folks! (Even if it's half trash talk.)

Don't you wish you stayed in Cincinnati instead of moving to Columbus? Phew, I think this gets me off the hook.

Seems like half the country did We were supposed to get something here in Taxachusetts, but it turned out to be pretty weak. Around here at least, "snow emergency" means parking restrictions, and they will declare said emergency based on weather predictions and start towing cars before it's even much of a problem. But my street is safe from those restrictions, and I almost never need to drive anywhere, so I was disappointed by the lame amount of snow/ice!

These are fantastic! I especially like the Mt. Adams foreground in numbers 1 and 5.

Great assortment! I love the reflected railroad bridges in #18.

Some day I will learn that snowy weather usually looks much prettier in person than in my pictures. Oh well, photos are as good an excuse to walk around as any. Here are just a few from Sunday, January 18. First, close to home, some Harvard junk or other. And two at Harvard Square. Yes, I think I will hop on the T, thank you... ...and ride down to Boston Common, where children are frolicking. (The pictures that would prove it suck, but I promise there was more than this one kid.) Tree! Then a stroll through posh Beacon Hill. I think right around this block are some of the most expensive houses in Boston. The along with colored lights on the spire of the old John Hancock building, weather in Boston is reported by writing on this vehicle. Panorama from October just for some color. Boston's skyline is so annoying. Scrolleth rightward! >>>

Wow, nice! I think I missed this thread too. Does the Man still chase you away from Devou Park when it gets dark? Some of these images demonstrate why that is more than annoying.

My commute is from one room in my apartment to another room in my apartment. Suckers. Working from home has its disadvantages, but the commute is not one of them!

Yesterday, a quick shot from one of the overlooks on the Palisades Parkway.

Says you. I don't mean to call you out individually, GCrites80s, but I think that that exemplifies the one-sided perspective we urban enthusiasts often express when talking about suburbia and sprawl. UrbanOhio is pretty realistic compared to some other groups, but still I would remind: Suburbanites are not going to wake up one day and realize that they hate their lives. "Stressful" and "unfulfilling" (and so on) is how many of us may view the suburban lifestyle, but I'd bet the average suburbanite is pretty happy. Two cars and a big house with a big yard 10 or 15 minutes' drive from amenities is what they want. Perhaps we can make something of a case when it comes to childhood development, as C-Dawg has attempted, but that's not cut and dried. I'm a product of childhood in suburban sprawl (Beavercreek, just to bring it back to the topic at hand), and life has turned out just fine for me. I might also add that I was never particularly miserable with life in the suburbs growing up, nor were most of my peers. And for every unhappy person (kid or adult) in the suburbs, there's probably an unhappy counterpart in the city. The point is that city proponents won't win by trying to convince suburbanites that they live a terrible lifestyle. It's definitely not going to get us anywhere in a place like SW Ohio, where sprawl pretty clearly seems to have the upper hand right now. (Just my cautionary opinion. Not really pointing fingers at people here!)

Just the other day I busted out SimCity for the first time in well over a year. So much for that workday. I've enjoyed it since the old days. It's always been fun trying to make great cities, but I'm pretty bad at it.

Looks pretty nice! I've never been to Ann Arbor nor looked at too many photos, but having spent my time in Madison I'm of course interested to compare the two places. (Let's face it, though: even with more Ann Arbor exposure I'll probably still be biased toward the one that was home for a while.)

I created those folders just for occasions like this.

Is this my desktop?

Interesting. I didn't know some of those businesses were gone. I did know the Lofino's shopping center was renovated, but I still just think of how empty it is. I'm in Boston now, after three years in Wisconsin. Before that was school at Ohio Wesleyan in Delaware, which was the last time I was in Beavercreek ("home") with much frequency. Be there soon for Thanksgiving, though!

^ Granted, I don't make it home so often anymore, but is that shopping center really in a bad state? I remember it as mostly fine, apart from the vacant movie theater. The shopping center with Lofino's on the other side of 35, however, is another story.

From somewhere on Mount Monadnock, New Hampshire