Few people truly appreciated it until it was (nearly) gone. And now it celebrates its centennial. Across nearly 2,450 miles, Route 66 linked two of the nation’s largest cities, allowing uninterrupted automobile travel across the nation’s sparsely populated western interior for the first time ever. Prior to April 30, 1926, the date the American Association
Whether it offers breathtaking natural features, a historic landmark, or simply a place for viewing other phenomena, a park can serve as an amazing magnet and catalyst for economic development. A destination park—usually state or national, and one that typically requires admission fees to enter—can yield such spinoff economic benefits that it invigorates the neighboring
For the most part, I am loathe to chronicle institutional decline because it captures the livelihoods and aspirations of so many affiliated with the institution (both currently and previously). It feels not just that I am exploiting the decline but, by drawing attention to it, that I’m exacerbating it. But the institutions in my crosshairs
Even in some of the most remote and austere nooks of the nation, it’s possible to find overt demonstrations on hot-button global issues. And why not? All it takes is one person with a megaphone, a can of spray paint, or whatever the instrument of choice may be to impart an inflammatory message. Nonetheless, I
Rarely a day goes by without a collective crie de coeur regarding the housing affordability crisis. Less visible, perhaps in some respects because it is in some respects a niche subset, is the lodging crisis—a shortage of temporary, leased, overnight accommodations with varying amenities attached to the lodging purchase. This shortfall, no doubt, in part
I hate to title a blog article with superlatives, because they’re so often redolent of clickbait. Everyone knows an example: “the biggest box office flop”, “the most dangerous bridge”, “the ugliest dog”, “the heaviest married couple”. Guinness Breweries managed to build a spinoff empire out of its initial 1955 Book of Records, which according to
Many municipalities in northern Appalachia—which I consider to include Western Pennsylvania, much of Upstate New York, Western Maryland, Western Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and pretty much all of West Virginia—look bigger than they are. If one drives past them on a freeway, the density of buildings that form a skyline makes them look quite large, but,
I don’t have a reason to visit College Park, Maryland all that often, even though it’s only a handful of miles away from my current home and hosts a major academic institution. But when I do visit, the small city reminds me what an outlier it is: a freestanding municipality encompassing a major flagship university,
Many years ago—before I even had conceived of this blog—I was an intern for a university semester at WalkBoston, which was (and remains) the signature pedestrian advocacy organization for Bean Town. Founded in 1990, it was the first of its kind in the country. Since then (and since my internship), WalkBoston’s scope and ambitions have
This blog is long overdue for a listicle, and at last I’ve found a subject that has preoccupied me for quite some time: all of America’s Washingtons. And by Washingtons I mean municipalities named “Washington”. Having lived for a few years in the largest of these—our nation’s capital—I had no real idea how many other
Few people truly appreciated it until it was (nearly) gone. And now it celebrates its centennial. Across nearly 2,450 miles, Route 66 linked two of the nation’s largest cities, allowing uninterrupted automobile travel
Whether it offers breathtaking natural features, a historic landmark, or simply a place for viewing other phenomena, a park can serve as an amazing magnet and catalyst for economic development. A destination park—usually
For the most part, I am loathe to chronicle institutional decline because it captures the livelihoods and aspirations of so many affiliated with the institution (both currently and previously). It feels not just
Even in some of the most remote and austere nooks of the nation, it’s possible to find overt demonstrations on hot-button global issues. And why not? All it takes is one person with
Rarely a day goes by without a collective crie de coeur regarding the housing affordability crisis. Less visible, perhaps in some respects because it is in some respects a niche subset, is the
I hate to title a blog article with superlatives, because they’re so often redolent of clickbait. Everyone knows an example: “the biggest box office flop”, “the most dangerous bridge”, “the ugliest dog”, “the
Many municipalities in northern Appalachia—which I consider to include Western Pennsylvania, much of Upstate New York, Western Maryland, Western Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and pretty much all of West Virginia—look bigger than they are.
I don’t have a reason to visit College Park, Maryland all that often, even though it’s only a handful of miles away from my current home and hosts a major academic institution. But
Many years ago—before I even had conceived of this blog—I was an intern for a university semester at WalkBoston, which was (and remains) the signature pedestrian advocacy organization for Bean Town. Founded in
This blog is long overdue for a listicle, and at last I’ve found a subject that has preoccupied me for quite some time: all of America’s Washingtons. And by Washingtons I mean municipalities