Restart

Just quickly touching base to officially begin a new chapter in the life of this blog. It's now written from the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island, a fantastic neighborhood in a delightful city. Brand Avenue returns to New England.

As anyone who is familiar with a long-distance move knows, it is not just the physical distance that poses a challenge, but also the amount of mental space and attention that such a thing can occupy, if you let it. Needless to say I'm glad to be here, and to open a new chapter in my own life, as well.

I had intended to write a farewell note, to the overpowering civic symbol that broadcasts an image of my home base for these last two years far beyond its obstinate, staid, stable confines. It is a heavy piece of metal that makes a bold statement--one that I have spent many moments pondering over these last two years, at stoplights, seeing it in the distance; or at its base, watching the river roll past while I eat my lunch. It is a Modern architectural landmark; an act of mathematical precision, alternately graceful and agressive; a bombastic, heroic, very 20th century thing that speaks volumes about one city's competitive nature, aspirations and extreme self-consciousness. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that a familiarity with the ideas that led to the Arch have informed my approach to writing this blog; it is the defining icon of a city I know pretty well. 

But, for now, it suffices to say: goodbye, Gateway Arch. Goodbye, St. Louis. For those of you who don't know the city, I'll defer to the mixed impressions of the place that Jonathan Franzen provides in his writing, in lieu of my own narrative, to lend a sense of place. For what it's worth, the place is important to me.

So, more very soon. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy the following, a 1985 advertisement for the English planned city of Milton Keynes. I love a good promotional video about place, especially when the social engineering is laid on extra thick. Like the Arch, an extremely optimistic piece of the recent past. (Via Kosmograd.)

Comments

[Rob]

Wow! Glad you decided to continue posting! I had gotten used to the frequent blog posts and have been itching to read something new. Keep up the good work. Your insights are appreciated worldwide. Take care and enjoy New England. Perhaps you can tell us a bit about what makes your neighbourhood particularly great...

[Chris]

Hey Rob, thanks! No worries--my inactivity here was just a temporary thing. I've got almost two months of bookmarks saved up that I'd like to share!

Will definitely write more about Providence here soon as well.

[Slava]

It's good video!!!