Cleveland Park in Washington DC is, by almost all metrics, a superlatively walkable neighborhood. Just 2.5 miles northwest of the National Mall and DC’s vast downtown, the neighborhood features finely wrought detached, semi-detached, and multifamily housing, all surrounding a commercial node at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue NW and Ordway Avenue NW. It is one
Unlike most cities in the eastern half of the US, the major metros of the West routinely offer suburbs that exceed 100,000 people—sometimes double or triple that amount. (A few of the suburbs of Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Houston, Dallas, and even Denver are bigger than the core cities of Cincinnati, Buffalo, St. Louis, or
It’s impossible to deny a sad truth for anyone who has used transit regularly in the last few years: the shameful act of turnstile jumping has reached epidemic levels in most cities where turnstiles serve as a primary means of fare collection. And this includes almost any American city with light- or heavy-rail transit. I
It’s not my custom to feature two articles in a row with a short video, but what can I say? With these two, I can think of no better way to capture a scenario defined by motion. And, far removed from the desert metropolis of my previous animated article, this one teleports the reader to
Visitors to the US—particularly those from Europe—have long criticized the Stars and Stripes for the dearth of public restrooms in tourist-rich urban districts: only about 8 per 100,000 people. This ratio places this US on par with Botswana, but also Netherlands, Georgia, and Poland (so it’s not a uniquely American program, to all those Eurocritics).
The designers of the Wilkes Street Tunnel surely didn’t expect that its novelty would someday elevate it into a tourist attraction. For over a century, it was functional infrastructure. But in 2025, what more could anyone call it? After all, it contributed to the economy of Alexandria, Virginia as a segment within an early railway,
Belfield, a city (per the legal definition) in southwest North Dakota just a brief drive from one of the state’s biggest attractions, has seemingly bucked the trend of similarly sized communities throughout the Great Plains. Specifically, it isn’t dwindling to nothing. Instead of experiencing dramatic population loss, Belfield has largely hovered around 1,000 persons for
I could always begin this article with, “Normally I don’t like to write about events right as they unfold”. Needless to say, like much “Breaking News” reporting, they intuitively avoid a deep analysis because any such analysis won’t age well. And I prefer thoughtful analysis over coming out with the latest scoop. Then again, I
Seen a flick at a single-screen theater lately? Ever seen a movie at a single-screen theater at all? Odds are strong—for any American over the age of 35 who grew up an urban cluster (basically any community over 5,000 people, per the Census’s revised definition—the answer is probably “no”. Some very remote small towns have
It’s been almost two years exactly since I featured various metal rods, rings, and ridges carefully positioned at select locations in various parks and civic plazas in Oakland and San Francisco. Aside from alliteration, these rods, rings, and ridges shared one ambition: to prevent people from engaging in certain undesirable activities at these public gathering
Cleveland Park in Washington DC is, by almost all metrics, a superlatively walkable neighborhood. Just 2.5 miles northwest of the National Mall and DC’s vast downtown, the neighborhood features finely wrought detached, semi-detached,
Unlike most cities in the eastern half of the US, the major metros of the West routinely offer suburbs that exceed 100,000 people—sometimes double or triple that amount. (A few of the suburbs
It’s impossible to deny a sad truth for anyone who has used transit regularly in the last few years: the shameful act of turnstile jumping has reached epidemic levels in most cities where
It’s not my custom to feature two articles in a row with a short video, but what can I say? With these two, I can think of no better way to capture a
Visitors to the US—particularly those from Europe—have long criticized the Stars and Stripes for the dearth of public restrooms in tourist-rich urban districts: only about 8 per 100,000 people. This ratio places this
The designers of the Wilkes Street Tunnel surely didn’t expect that its novelty would someday elevate it into a tourist attraction. For over a century, it was functional infrastructure. But in 2025, what
Belfield, a city (per the legal definition) in southwest North Dakota just a brief drive from one of the state’s biggest attractions, has seemingly bucked the trend of similarly sized communities throughout the
I could always begin this article with, “Normally I don’t like to write about events right as they unfold”. Needless to say, like much “Breaking News” reporting, they intuitively avoid a deep analysis
Seen a flick at a single-screen theater lately? Ever seen a movie at a single-screen theater at all? Odds are strong—for any American over the age of 35 who grew up an urban
It’s been almost two years exactly since I featured various metal rods, rings, and ridges carefully positioned at select locations in various parks and civic plazas in Oakland and San Francisco. Aside from