(1) This Is Why Your Holiday Travel Is Awful (Politico)
“Penn Station is the second most heavily trafficked transit hub in the world, trailing only Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station. The station serves more daily passengers than the region’s three huge airports (Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark) combined. More people pass through Penn each weekday than live in the city of Baltimore. Anyone who has passed through Penn Station over the past half-century—or who passed through it this Thanksgiving weekend—knows that the nation’s busiest transit center is a national embarrassment, a hole in the ground where the food is ratty and the waiting rooms are sparse.”
Category Archives: Railroads
Thanksgiving 2019
(1) American Interior (1935) by Charles Sheeler
(2) Game Over: How technology forced traditional toys to evolve (Vera)
(3) Great Western Railway: Adventures with the Famous Five (YouTube)
(4) A couple of quotes from British Rail Architecture 1948-97 by David Lawrence:
“Any designed object or space will have an appearance intended to attract the eye in some way: perhaps to impress or reassure, to demonstrate efficiency, or comfort, or progressive ideas.”
“Frank Pick (1878-1941), influential patron of art and design for modern transport, saw the potential for the railway station as an opportunity for architecture and design to come together in interesting an appropriate ways, and he knew that the station could earn money for the railway.”
“Only the concrete and brick stations built by the Southern Railway for routes converted to electric services during the 1930s provided a contrast to the varying levels of decrepitude manifested at the Region’s wayside halts and gloomy suburban stations.”
“Leslie (later Sir Leslie) Martin and his wife Sadie Speight, shared a background in architecture and avant-garde art. They were close to sources of modernity, not least because Martin co-edited the magazine Circle: International Survey of Constructive Art with artists Ben Nicholson and Naum Gabo, published from 1937. Sadie Speight was a founding partner of Design Research Unit, which would author the British Rail corporate identity of 1964. Together they designed a timber-frame school at Hartford Ch (1938), which used standard components to test building with ready-made structures. London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) architect WH Hamlyn created a Development Section concerned with the collection of data from existing buildings, to look at types of station, planning and production of buildings, types of structure and their performance, wear and maintenance of materials and finishes, lighting and plumbing, and furnishings. From this data specifications would be compiled to standardize design, materials and equipment for future architectural needs.”
(5) It Was Supposed to Be the Safest Building in the World. Then It Cracked.
How San Francisco’s Salesforce Transit Center went from the Grand Central of the West to a $2.2 billion construction debacle. (Popular Mechanics)
(6) The Festival of Britain 1951 (Historic UK)
(7) Quarry plan controversy (The Royal Gazette)
(8) blue cathedral (YouTube)
Southampton
Concluding my three city swing (Austin, Portland, and Southampton) with another list.
What’s surprisingly missing from this one is anything White Star Line / Titanic related. I was in Southampton for a football match…not to find the Heart of the Ocean.
(1) Sir James Matthews Building is part of Solvent University and features paintings that commemorate the legendary Spitfire.
(2) Boo Hoo Records & Vinilo Record Store. The former is on Old Northam Road.
(3) Old Northam Road had its heyday in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s as the antique quarter. The storefronts are a little worn and tattered but many are full of antique furniture. It’s hard to tell whether or not the space is just being used as storage now or if these are functioning antique dealers. It’s a great location for pictures though and the procession to St. Mary’s includes a stint on Old Northam Road.
If you like ocean liner memorabilia and ephemera make sure to visit Cobwebs.
(4) St. Mary’s Stadium is home to the Southampton Football Club. The Saints are currently in the Premier League. According to Wikipedia, the stadium has a capacity of 32,505 and is currently the largest football stadium in South East England.
The stadium is next to a concrete plant that abuts the River Itchen. In this sense Southampton is like Portland in terms of its industry.
There’s wasn’t anything ostentatious about this ground (certainly NO Jerry’s World). There’s a statue of Ted Bates (Mr. Southampton) near the main entrance and on match day the Saints Brass perform for fans.
(5) Holyrood Church and Bargate. I took dozens of photos of the former during my 2014 visit for the Brompton World Championship. The church was destroyed by the blitz in 1940. The latter is a town gateway from the 1100s that includes a statue of George III (in Roman dress). Other notable buildings in Southampton include St. Michael’s and the Civic Centre.
(6) The Giant Ferris Wheel near Bargate isn’t the London Eye but it affords some spectacular views of Southampton. It’s seasonal and its last day of operation was October 28th. It will be in Bradford for Christmas so IF anyone fancies a little holiday magic get cracking!
(7) In need of some ale and food from a classic pub? The Duke of Wellington near the Isle of Wight Ferry Terminal is a safe bet.
(8) The lobby at room2 is really cool. I may have still been euphoric from my first trip to St. Mary’s (or just really cold) but the Peroni was extra satisfying. The space is modern, comfortable and very cozy.
(9) My train arrived and departed from Southampton Central via South Western Railway. This is a very simple station but there’s a Costa and Naked Coffee next door. The trip from Waterloo is about 2 hours and includes some brilliant vistas of the countryside.
(10) Take the Red Funnel to the Isle of Wight.
Portland
The one on the west coast. I was there for a long weekend and in traditional limestone fashion wanted to draft a top ten…
(1) The Hollywood Theater at PDX. My favorite shorts from the Summer Program are Oregon: Only Slightly Exaggerated and The Famished Frog. I also liked The Water’s Fine because it reminds me of the work we’re doing on the Bike and Pedestrian Committee.
Tip: The Fish & Chips at Mo’s Seafood and Chowder at PDX is delicious.
(2) Bikes, bikes, bikes! There are bike lanes and bike shops everywhere. Bike culture is thriving in Portland. If cycling had a patron saint it would be Elly Blue.
A couple of notable shops are North Portland Bike Works, Community Cycling Center, Upcycles, and Clever Cycles.
Tip: Don’t miss the mural at the Community Cycling Center and stop for a cup of coffee at the Fresh Pot if you’re at the North Portland Bike Works.
(3) Union Station. The ‘Go By Train’ neon sign beckons would be travelers / adventurers.
(4) The Chapel of Christ the Teacher at the University of Portland. The chapel/campus is on a bluff overlooking the Willamette River.
“Slowly the procession advances, across the meadows and over a bridge…
Bonus: Ed’s story: Lose a dream, find a life
(5) Boys Fort, Powell’s Books, and the Portland Outdoor Store. You could get a one-of-a-kind journal at Boys Fort, a travel guide at Powell’s, and a coat at the Portland Outdoor Store before heading to Union Station to start your adventure in the Pacific Northwest.
Tip: Budget plenty of time (and pack a really comfortable pair of shoes) since there is some amazing (and unique) retail in Portland like Chrome Industries.
(6) Pearl District. You could spend a full day with just a camera immersed in the architectural detail of this developing area. Visit the Bridgeport Brewing Company when you’re thirsty.
(7) St. Johns / Cathedral Park. Stand in the shadows of St. Johns Bridge before enjoying the neighborhood retail/restaurants.
“…Finally, we enter a vast forest, and the branches of its trees interlace in the likeness of gothic arches…”
Bonus: Dinner at Wood Fired Eats.
(8) Portland Saturday Market. Impressive array of arts/crafts/food along the Waterfront Park Trail.
(9) Bridges. A trestle of delights for bridge enthusiasts like the Broadway, Steel, and Fremont.
“…Soon we emerge into a blaze of morning light. Once again, the powers of life and death have triumphed over the hosts of death and despair.”
(10) Entrepreneurialism. The industriousness and creativity of Victor Atiyeh endures in so many Portland businesses (everything from breweries to messenger bags). There is a statue of this former governor at PDX.
*Photo is from the marble tabernacle inside the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. Quote is from The Legacy Collection: Fantasia.
Weekend 379.0 (Ice is forming on the tips of my wings…)
(1) Stunning Photos of Trains Roaring Through Picturesque Landscapes (My Modern Met)
Some of these photographs remind me of the Yellow Train by Francois Roca.
(1a) Flashback: Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival
(2) Brightline Brings High-Speed Trains To Florida: The 125-mph Brightline trains will be the first privately run passenger service to debut in over 100 years (The Drive)
Channeling Henry Flagler?
*Scan is from The Art of Makoto Shinkai
Weekend 343.1
(1) On September 13, You Can Ride the 7 Train to Hudson Yards
(2) ÖBB Headquarters / INNOCAD Architecture (ArchDaily)
(3) More quotes from The Heart of our Cities by Victor Gruen:
“There is a saying that the best things in life are free. Those best things are hard to come by in the sprawling environment of the modern American metropolis. One of the best things in life that comes free is a chance meeting with another human being, which in more concentrated and urbane cities occurs in everyday life on the streets, in the parks, in stores and on buses, streetcars or other public conveyances. These chance meetings, not pre-designed by efficient hostesses, more often than not are the most rewarding ones. In Anti-city they cannot come about because the places that create the occasions do not exist. There are no sidewalks, there are no public squares, and there are very few, if any, public conveyances.”
“The result of neglect of the public environment drives us even further into efforts to improve our own immediate personal surroundings. In escapist fashion we are running away from the upsetting dangers and ugliness of the public environment…We tend to reduce all intimate and personal relations with the outside world, relaying more and more on the telephone, the radio and television for communication. In doing so, however, we soon run afoul of some basic, deeply human needs: the need for sociability, deeply imbedded in man who is a gregarious beast, and the need to earn one’s living, a necessity at least for most of us. We are forced to make sorties and forays from our fortified castles, and whenever we do so we encounter the hostility and dangers, the ugliness and chaos of the over-all public environment.”
Weekend 332.0
(1) Eminent domain on steroids? New bill threatens cities, towns (Fairfield Citizen)
(2) How Bad Religion Has Bequeathed Us ‘An Anxious Age’ (The Federalist)
Weekend 312.0 (Le mal du pays)
A couple of days off from work (a much needed extra long Labor Day Weekend) so I’m doing some housekeeping, biking, and drinking gratuitous amounts of coffee. I also finished Murkami’s book less than twenty-four hours after it arrived.
(1) A quote from Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
“The only real interest he had was train stations. He wasn’t sure why, but for as long as he could remember, he had loved to observe train stations—they had always appealed to him. Huge bullet-train stations; tiny, one-track stations out in the countryside; rudimentary freight-collection stations—it didn’t matter what kind because as long as it was a railway station, he loved it. Everything about stations moved him deeply.
Like most little boys he enjoyed assembling model trains, but what really fascinated him weren’t the elaborate locomotives or cars, or the cleverly designed dioramas. No, it was the models of ordinary stations set down among the other parts, like an afterthought. He loved to watch as the trains passed by the station, or slowed down as they pulled up to the platform. He could picture the passengers coming and going, the announcements on the speaker system, the ringing of the signal as a train was about the depart, the station employees briskly going about their duties. What was real and what was imaginary mingled in his mind, and he’d tremble sometimes with the excitement of it all. But he could never adequately explain to people why he was so attracted to the stations. Even if he could, he knew they would think he was one weird kid. And sometimes Tsukuru himself wondered if something wasn’t exactly right with him.”
(1a) Le mal du pays – The groundless sadness called forth in a person’s heart by a pastoral landscape. Homesickness. Melancholy.
(1b) Hearts Linked by Pain: The plainness of Murakami’s writing accentuates a story of finding things to live for after traumatic loss. (WSJ)
(2) An excerpt from The Bermudian by Nathaniel Tucker:
The guava flourishes, the myrtle grows,
Upon the surface earth-born woodbines creep,
O’er the green beds the painted ‘sturtians peep,
Their arms aloft triumphant lilacs bear,
And jessamines perfume the ambient air.
The whole is from an eminence display’d,
Where the brown olive lends his pensive shade.
When zephyrs there the noon-tide heat asswage,
Oft have I turn’d the meditative page,
And calmly read the ling’ring hours away,
Securely shelter’d from the blaze of day.
(3) Oh, Come On. Marigolds? Seriously? (WSJ)
(4) Francis Ford Coppola Talks Travel (WSJ)
“What makes a hotel great is: sort of like what makes a great wine; it’s much more than the fruit you drink, and the bottle and the label. It’s the story connected to it; the context and the history. A hotel is made great by the guests who stayed there 100 years ago, and all the detail and personality that developed over that time.”
(5) Eurailing Around Europe—As an Adult (WSJ)
*Train crossing between mountains. Scan is from The Art of the Wind Rises: A Film by Hayao Miyazaki.
Weekend 309.0
(1) Sturmey Archer “The Planetary Gearset” (YouTube)
(2) Speed Traps For Japan’s Escalators (WSJ – Registration Required)
(3) Shakespeare as a Life Coach (WSJ)
“The world is grown so bad that wrens make pray where eagles dare not perch.” – William Shakespeare, Richard III
(4) ‘A Spy Among Friends’ (WSJ – Registration Required)
(5) A Ferris Wheel Family Rides Coney Island’s Renewal (WSJ – Registration Required)
(6) In Praise of the Mundane Marigold (WSJ)
“The key to using annuals creatively, said Mr. Stufano—respected for transforming Wave Hill Garden, in the Bronx, from a sad mess into an arresting jewel—is to forget fads. Train yourself to just look at the plant’s essential qualities, its texture, form, height and color, without letting the chicness factor (or the taint of that gas-station island) seep into your brain. He often used ordinary plants like marigolds and thistles in unusual ways at Wave Hill.”
(7) Francis Ford Coppola Talks Travel (WSJ)
Weekend 307.0
(1) Designer Jasper Morrison on Beautiful Basics and Tintin (WSJ)
“By worrying when the next idea might come, you restrict yourself—with the perspective of time, he’d learned to treat design more lightly, to enjoy it.”
(2) A quote from The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved by Hunter S. Thompson
“Pink faces with a stylish Southern sag, old Ivy styles, seersucker coats and buttondown collars. ‘Mayblossom Senility’ (Steadman’s phrase)…burnt out early or maybe just not much to burn in the first place. Not much energy in the faces, not much curiosity. Suffering in silence, nowhere to go after thirty in this life, just hang on and humor the children.”
(3) The Art of Freight Train Painting: Canada’s railyard Rembrandts create art that moves (Utne Reader)