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First spinning, then smoothies, then sports medicine: fusing physical therapy with the fitness center.

February 26, 2020 3 Comments

Way out in Somewheresville, Pennsylvania, a glass partition separates this physical therapy office from the rest of the facility. No big deal.  It’s not surprising that a physical therapy office would want potential customers to see what its typical activities look like: the therapists themselves, doing their job, using the latest in rehabilitative equipment.  But

Wegmans: the grocer whose Valentine’s offering has got some real meat on it.

February 9, 2020 10 Comments

I generally shy away from seasonal postings, but sometimes it’s hard to resist.  And since I’ve got several irons in the fire right now regarding bigger, weightier, more robust posts, I feel compelled to send out some Valentine’s Day wishes…in the form of some choice cuts of meat. While rib-eye steak isn’t everyone’s top pick

A construction staging area and a sidewalk: never a healthy pairing, but sometimes the treatment is worse than the disease.

November 7, 2019 No Comments

For most of the 21st century, and certainly in the last ten years (since the Great Depression) the majority of American downtowns have enjoyed a reinvestment no longer measured merely in spruced-up old façades. The cranes, dozers and other construction equipment are all the evidence one needs. People are returning to central business districts, in

Ridgecrest retail reticence: even remote communities are reeling from reduced relish.

October 22, 2019 7 Comments

Strategically located in the middle of sun-baked somewhere, the military city of Ridgecrest, California offers the accidental visitor a surprisingly populous alternative to the preceding and subsequent miles of Mojave desolation. By contrast, the deliberate visitor’s most likely destination is Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, a munitions and explosives testing range and research facility,

The pocket park: does a mega city need a mini playground?

August 26, 2019 10 Comments

The caliber of playground amenities in our urban parks has improved and diversified considerably in recent years. I can remember when I was a child: it was typical for each piece of equipment to sit in isolation, almost forcing the kids to decide between playing with one another or engaging with the equipment and making

Primm, Nevada: an oasis where the only green comes from the color of money.

August 11, 2019 9 Comments

More than a few times, I’ve captured the clever ways that the free market intersects with government regulations at key political boundaries, usually those with powerful differences (something more than just a township or municipality) but not so carefully monitored that it stops the flow of traffic, as would be the case through customs at

Tad’s on Powell Street: Putting a stake in the heart of a once-mighty restaurant chain.

August 2, 2019 24 Comments

On Powell Street, the partly pedestrianized commercial spine connecting Market Street to Union Square, the heart of San Francisco’s shopping district, one encounters a distinctly aged, elaborately colored neon sign. Those of you who might have read my old article on aged commercial signage in urban areas might already know what’s coming. For the rest,

Crystal City surprises: a 1970s-era Edge City engulfs a streetcar suburb.

July 30, 2019 10 Comments

By this point, it is all but common knowledge that metro Washington, DC will greet the second headquarters for Amazon.com, the world’s largest soup-to-nuts Internet-based company. Less familiar, though, is its exact location, in an area called Crystal City, a mixed-use enclave directly across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital, in Arlington County, Virginia.

Axonometric artistry: raising the bar for street art.

July 24, 2019 No Comments

Despite the expansive array of urban imagery I have featured here at American Dirt, I have rarely covered graffiti as a topic. Perhaps it’s because I fundamentally respect private property and see it as an infringement. But not entirely: I have no problem recognizing graffiti tags if they are funny or creative enough. In many

Axonometric artistry: raising the bar for street art.

July 24, 2019 No Comments

Despite the expansive array of urban imagery I have featured here at American Dirt, I have rarely covered graffiti as a topic. Perhaps it’s because I fundamentally respect private property and see it