Social Life of Small Urban Spaces

great little film by urbanist William H. Whyte:

Street Artist Ron English

Ron English can often be found sitting on a stoop on Main Street, sketching on cardboard or writing his thoughts on a sheaf of paper. For this post, I googled his name and came up with a great post about him. If you see him, say hi, and if you like what you see, buy a drawing.

I like his art quite a bit, but this is not the best example:
 

 

Whittling on Stoop

Couldn't get more all-American than this
 

The Senate's Vestibule

I noticed that The Senate has installed a vestibule on the sidewalk. They got a "revocable encroachment" permit from the city to construct this in the right-of-way. (In this part of the city, the property lines are right at the front of the building, and the sidewalk is usually about 11-12' wide and in part of the city ROW). We should encourage more overlap of encroachment between the public sidewalk and the private storefront. Retail stores have long tried to blur this edge and to make it easy to walk into their store while window shopping. Zaha Hadid made a whole building built on the theme of the "urban carpet", and you can walk down to Sixth and Walnut and experience her plain interpretation of this sometimes complicated dance that buildings make with the sidewalk. Anyway, IMO more of this would be ok, as long as the building owners don't just impose on the the public realm, but also open up and let the public space flow inside...  

Other storefronts

Street Photography

If you have some time, these are really worth viewing: Photographs by Vivian Maier:

Rat Tracks in Fresh Snow

 

I found out yesterday that Blogger aka Google does not allow totally unlimited amount of blog photos to be posted. After several years of posting photos and sometimes videos, I apparently reached their 1 gigabyte limit for free Blogger photos. So I made the plunge and paid $5/year for up to 20 gigabyte of photo storage. This blog now officially costs me money to run. Not sure how I feel about this. If I quit paying the $5, which photos will disappear?

A Great Storefront

I love how this storefront is designed to allow viewing of displays on 3 sides, and I like the original brass moldings. Too bad the displays are empty...
 

[where: 1223 Main Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202]
Mary Magdalen House

also good 

Kudzu Capitalism

A good post on the Food Carts of Portland. Cincinnati should do all it can to encourage such "kudzu capitalism".

Strange Tree at Vine and Liberty

According to our tree identification book, this is a Chinese Scholar Tree.

A Typical Weekend

Not to be exhibitionist, but rather for those who wonder what a weekend in downtown/OTR is like for us, here you go:

Friday after work and school, we walked over to the new Joe's Diner at Sycamore and 12th. The food was average and affordable, meaning we'll probably return soon.

Afterward we walked up to Ziegler Park playground and the kids met new friends and swung on the swings. It was dusk as we left the park, and I had the kids smell their way to the rear of Shadeau Breads. We noticed a very small tree planted next to the parking lot there. It had dozens of peaches laying on the ground!! We collected quite a few and when at home, I cleaned them, and the kids had them for dessert.

The next morning I was up early cooking breakfast, and ran to Rohs Hardware store for home-improvement supplies. Rohs is a great local resource, but seems they are on hard times as the neighborhood has changed around them. They used to be open early and late making keys, cutting glass and selling fishing licenses and roach powder. Now they have minimal hours and fewer services, but they are still sticking it out. Support them if you need paint, screws or repair supplies.

Later, while getting ready for our first soccer game of the season we watched a Stealth Bomber roar over our heads. I have never seen one before that I can remember. Apparently this was a fly-over for the Bearcat opener. My son's game was very exciting, he played excellent defense. My wife is coaching our daughter's team, so son and I assisted her setting up the cones and collectng the balls etc.. Since the second game was by Spring Grove Cemetery, we met up with some friends at a Northside Park then walked to their house for a lovely evening on their porch while the kids played.

Jergens Park, Northside:
 

Saturday night, my wife worked an overnight shift, so the next morning while she slept we walked to church with our neighbors. On the walk back we said hi to acquaintances and stopped by the garden and picked a few tomatoes.

Daughter had another soccer game at noon. Afterward, looking for a cheap lunch, we stopped in at the new bakery at Findlay Market, Skirtz and Johnstone. Since the weather was gorgeous, we ate outside in the beer garden. Skirtz and Johnstone is excellent and highly recommended.

 

On the way home, we happened upon the OTR tour of living, and we walked through several new condo and apartment rehabs. I really liked the apartments around Parvis Alley. We kept running into this mean looking dude in the different buildings:
 

I'll post photos from the new rehabs later this week.

We ended up on Main Street, where the Second Sunday on Main was in full swing, and a bunch of bikers were collecting themselves to ride the streetcar route. The Mayor was there, and my daughter was very interested in the one guy riding his bike with a bird on his shoulder. My son really, really, really wanted to get his bike, so my wife ran home with him and they had a great time riding the streetcar route together in a big group of fun people:
 

After that, I went with my son to meet with a friend who is rehabbing a little building on Republic Street. My son loved going in this vacant building with us as we talked about the future rehab. My son also found a Pluto Water bottle the rubble, which he took home and cleaned.

Thirteenth Street in Sunlight, taken on walk home:
 

We also notice that a new bar opened in this building at Vine and 13th:
 

Inside of Lackman bar:
 

Vine Street, looking north from 13th:
 

Soon we were home when we heard a commotion and cheering near Washington Park. I remembered that Bill Clinton was supposed to appear, so my son and I walked over and wormed our way into the crowd so he could see Clinton, but my son liked Mark Mallory better because he wore dark sunglasses and "yelled real loud".
 

Then we walked home and had a nice quiet dinner. Both kids finished up some homework, then son finished the last few chapters of "George's Marvelous Medicine" before climbing into bed exhausted.

And some people say you can't raise kids in the city.

Kids Investigating Insects

On a sidewalk in OTR
 

Hedeke Misery

Hanging on the roof of Clifton Natural Foods:

The City is Family

... and Fountain Square is the Living Room.

I just returned from an outing with family and friends on Fountain Square. It was movie night and after the first movie, I sat and just watched all the interactions happening. It truly is beautiful to see such a wide range of people come and enjoy each other's company. I saw many people greeting each other, some hugging and some sharing a beer. Saw a grampa scolding boys, saw spilt ice-cream, saw girls playing with dolls, saw a dad giving a bottle to his new infant, saw old people falling asleep, saw kids splashing in the water, and much more. There were people coming for the movie, but also many people just passing through from the monster truck show, or heading to a wedding reception.

Every time I go on a Saturday, my kids accidentally meet up with friends, or they make new ones. There were kids everywhere, running around and weaving through the chairs. Off to the side some boys started a ball game:

I saw many familiar faces. Some I just saw across the way but for a few we got together and talked. One family I know that was there have a lot of kids. I'm not even really sure how many but they are probably approaching double digits. A free movie for them could save them a lot of money.

The majority of the crowd come for the event, but I really don't think the free movie is the real reason they come. I know it isn't for me. I mean you can get air conditioning and a better view at a multiplex. Rather it is the chance to come and be amongst your very extended family and relax together. It is just a great thing to have an enjoyable summer evening with a bunch of friends, strangers and fellow citizens. It is reassuring in a time of unemployment and ecological disasters that so many people can come together and have a peaceful time. I mean if you just get your information from the media or from the internet, you might get a pretty pessimistic view of your fellow man.

I've thought about this kind of communal experience a lot. I've experience it in other cities and there was a time when I thought you couldn't really have those kind of relaxed gatherings in downtown Cincinnati. I've been going to Fountain Square regularly for many years, and a lot of those times, say in the 90s, it was pretty empty in the evenings. I can remember many times going to the fountain on a Saturday night and there would be maybe a dozen people, a couple of cops and no open restaurants. It seemed more like a place where you were not allowed to do things. I remember being told several times that bikes were not allowed on the square. Today, they still are not allowed, but why would you even try when it is so crowded?

I think it goes to show that public spaces, especially urban ones, need to be managed. You cannot just pave a square in the center of town, put in a fountain and expect much. People need a reason to come. Make no mistake. People already want to come, but they need that reason, some event that gives them that excuse to come out and gather. And then you need the ambassadors, and the concessions and all the other stuff that makes it possible, down to the clean toilets.

Another great night to come is salsa night. If you haven't been on Fountain Square on salsa night, do yourself a favor and try it. It is amazing, all the laughing and dancing.

Chalk on Sidewalk

Why do you love OTR?
 

chalk girl
 

I heart evreebudy
 

heart tree
 

Proximity Breeds Contempt or Sympathy?

A common theme of anonymous comments on the Enquirer news stories is that downtown residents are bums. A typical comment would be ones like this after Margy Waller's editorial last month:

My area tour of that area involved trying not to step in spit and hoping I did not get robbed and of course being asked for any spare change by different drunks. -gailannmoe

If you walk down your neighborhood shopping street (assuming you have one), how many people would say greet you as you pass?

I ask because, in my neighborhood, it is a lot of people.

And how many of them are different than you in class status, accent, or color?

Yesterday, while making my way in the rain, with my hands full and keeping track of kids, some guy was hassling me for money. And it was no big deal but it bothered me a bit and I was rude in return. I regretted that because I didn't want the kids to see that, but it occurred to me that this was the most disturbed I have been on the sidewalk in a while. For the most part, everyone I meet treats me civilly if not kindly.

The people on the street could fill every classification on a census form. And sometimes, when you see the same person many times you begin to have an acquaintance. Its not like we become close friends or anything, but it is good to have acquaintances, and we will say hi and maybe comment on the weather or sports.

We've had situations wherein we become close to someone who was an acquaintance. It can be something that grows slowly over time, or it can be sudden, when we are thrust together in some emergency or a community event. And it is great to get to know people more intimately, even if we will never become close friends. Once in a while a closer relationship will emerge.

These people fill my consciousness and sometimes my dreams. Some people's faces say a lot without speaking, others come with names and family histories and more. Through this casual proximity, I have a growing sense of sympathy and concern for my neighbors. It is the open nature of the sidewalk and the public daily places that make it possible to have many many acquaintances without having to get too close to them...unless we choose to. And making an acquaintance into a friend must be a choice.

Servatti's Door

 

The Body Suit Fad

Seen today at Sawyer Point Park:

This suit covers everything, including head: 

The security guard had to talk to them:
 

Wedding Parties in Piatt Park

Seems like someone is always getting photographed at this park:
 

Jim Steps on Kid

 

Impromptu Fashion Show

Ran into a sidewalk fashion show last Friday. Not who or what was going on, but the activity created a buzz, which created a freindly crowd for about an hour at the corner of 13th and Sycamore:
 

Fashion Crowd Gathering:
 

A bit blurry;