Well whaddya know!

...fifth on the list of best places to grow up, according to Yahoo!


Not too shabby.


Also, I saw this from Sadly No! a few days ago and became pretty proud of my Commonwealth. It seems my state is pretty good...living-wise. [Pre-supposing you want a state featuring urban hellholes, well designed suburban enclaves, and acres of farmland]


Lastly, the SN! post highlights something that every freaking state should remember...we initiated this little war for freedom! We also had to take some tough times with this, this and this...all a full year before the Declaration!


Enjoy the following I took on a nice walk along the Cambridge side of the Charles River.

Private Public Space

Here's a scene that epidomizes what a properly designed urban hellhole can be.

This looks very serene considering this is steps away from some very busy places (Mass. Ave.)

I took this as I was walking to the grocery store. It's a spot right near the "Mother Church" for Christian Scientists. I think it's a pretty good shot...young woman practicing in the middle of a city...what's not to like? Music in the city!

I admit, I have lived in Dayton

It's nice to see political leaders starting to recognize that urban areas that don't grow, may need to be redesigned for the 21st Century.

To wit: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125011106498326993.html?mod=yhoofront

I'm really enticed by the following:

"We can't go back and recreate the neighborhoods of the 1950s and 1960s, but we
have a huge opportunity to create a new form for our cities," Mr. Gower said.
"People want to live in beautiful places near green space."

That's refreshing from the director of planning and development in Dayton, OH. I always thought that Dayton is very auto-centric. I've commuted on the bus lines that are sparce in frequency and routes.

That said, I would say that some of the parks in and around Dayton are GREAT!

The Carillon Park in Kettering
The Miami River Conservancy District parks
The many clusters of baseball fields along the Miami

I'm all for taking another look at form and function when thinking about redesigning a city. Good luck to you all: Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Youngstown, Charlestown (WV), Cincinnati and YES, Dayton.

Urban and Sub-urban living

Atrios (in Philadelphia, a very walkable city) makes the simple observation that some cities are true hellholes while others are not as bad. If you live near/in a city where the downtown seems depressing (and virtually deserted) after about 5PM, then I would argue your city is not condusive to urban living. I consider myself lucky to live in a city that doesn't shut down after normal business hours!

Tomorrow is Rose Brigade day, so if you see me in the Public Garden...stop by and say "hi".

Here's a little review of last weeks blooms. Enjoy!

Update (9:25PM): Seems Matt Yglesias at Think Progress talks about his urban hellhole too!

Rose Brigade in the UH

The Public Garden here in Boston is one of the finest places to spend some time on a hot August day. Ducks, swans, flowers, trees, lovers, friends and occasional musicians all for free

Please spend some time enjoying the roses.

I spend a few hours a week helping the Rose Brigade. It's fun getting dirty in the middle of a city...heh!