Cool Stuff in Other Cities

[jack]

31 minutes ago, JFW657 said:

I'm not "in agreement".

I don't celebrate the injustices of human history, which BTW date back to before the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt who enslaved millions into lives of servitude, hard labor and capricious, brutal death.

Who would be happy about something like that?

You'd have to have an almost cartoonish, Hollywood TV villain view of someone to think they'd be "in agreement" with such things.

I'm just saying that previous societies allowed things to happen because that was the kind of behavior people were familiar with and expected out of some, if not most of their fellow men. 

OTOH, had those bad things not occurred, as nice as it is to imagine, the world would not be what it is today. Nothing would have gotten accomplished because every group would have been vying for and demanding their interests be included and acknowledged.

Nations and empires would not have been built, new lands would not have been discovered.

Had the original pioneers been sensitive and respectful of the native tribes already here, America almost certainly would not exist.

You and I would not even be arguing the subject as neither computers nor the internet would likely exist.

Have you ever heard anyone bemoan the concept of "design by committee"? That's when you give everyone's input equal weight and attempt to make the end result satisfy everyone, but you end up either creating something that benefits no one or doing nothing.

But you could separate historical figures by what they contributed to the nation. For example, I am not on the banish Christoper Columbus band wagon. But leaders of the confederacy, not the same. 

[spenser1058]

This Motley Fool article suggests Macy’s May be about to cash out on its incredibly cheap Lincoln Rd. leasehold.

Originally a Burdines and still featuring its “Sunshine Fashions” logo on the corners, this is a historic store that would be missed.

https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/06/21/can-macys-fix-its-balance-sheet-with-real-estate-s.aspx

 

[dcluley98]

11 hours ago, JFW657 said:

And today, we would all be living in the same size straw huts as everyone else and wearing the same animal skins for clothing.  

How awesome that would be.  

That sounds kinda ideal, actually. 

And I am a white, priveleged, male. 

I also think I would have a better time and excel in that environment.  

[JFW657]

To each his own, as they say.  

[dcluley98]

Well, I did just go on a 20 mile bike ride through a nature preserve with native american cultural heritage on the shores of Tampa Bay with my own father, on a bicycle I built, with the help of the knowledge he gave me, on the day after Father's day. 

Maybe the simpler life of people connecting with land and teaching each other instead of trying to profit from others and/or exploit others in the name of "progress" is not so bad. 

Edited June 23, 2020 by dcluley98

[JFW657]

23 minutes ago, dcluley98 said:

Well, I did just go on a 20 mile bike ride through a nature preserve with native american cultural heritage on the shores of Tampa Bay with my own father, on a bicycle I built, with the help of the knowledge he gave me, on the day after Father's day. 

Maybe the simpler life of people connecting with land and teaching each other instead of trying to profit from others and/or exploit others in the name of "progress" is not so bad. 

I'm guessing you were a fan of this show....?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_Survival

[dcluley98]

I don't watch television and have not subscribed to cable or any directed    "entertainment service" for 20 years.  

I would not be a fan of that show, just based upon basic principle and the cover thumbnail.   

As well as the fact that is most likely a contrived representation of reality based upon production and  narrative necessity that limit reality in order to create entertainment. 

Edited June 23, 2020 by dcluley98

[JFW657]

1 hour ago, dcluley98 said:

I don't watch television and have not subscribed to cable or any directed    "entertainment service" for 20 years.  

It's in reruns nightly on a channel called Quest, a free, OTA broadcast channel.

1 hour ago, dcluley98 said:

I would not be a fan of that show, just based upon basic principle and the cover thumbnail.   

As well as the fact that is most likely a contrived representation of reality based upon production and  narrative necessity that limit reality in order to create entertainment. 

Sounds like you read the Wiki link I provided.  

[dcluley98]

I don't know what link you are talking about, 

 

Still not a fan, 

In fact, I'm regularly not a fan of much that I see people watching, But thanks for the recommendation and comparison, 

Perhaps my Father and I should start our own show  to keep the masses entertained. 

 

Perhaps we would rather not. 

Edited June 23, 2020 by dcluley98

[smileguy]

14 hours ago, JFW657 said:

To each his own, as they say.  

We're now saying "To each their own."

[JFW657]

38 minutes ago, smileguy said:

We're now saying "To each their own."

How about "To each one's own"?

Or, more in keeping with the times.... "To each non-ethnic/gender-specific-human's own"? 

Gotta strive for inclusiveness in every aspect of life these days. 

[HankStrong]

I just think we can all do better.  I think we need to do better and I think we have to do better.

 

I also think no one gets a pass on that.  I think some of us need to do more than others, but I think it doesn't stop at others.  Stop making excuses and be better.

[JFW657]

13 hours ago, dcluley98 said:

I don't know what link you are talking about, 

 

Still not a fan, 

In fact, I'm regularly not a fan of much that I see people watching, But thanks for the recommendation and comparison, 

Perhaps my Father and I should start our own show  to keep the masses entertained. 

 

Perhaps we would rather not. 

The Wikipedia link I posted right beneath the picture.

Either way, it's no big deal.

I don't really watch it either and wasn't looking to start a "thing" over it.

Just making friendly conversation.

[JFW657]

5 minutes ago, HankStrong said:

I just think we can all do better.  I think we need to do better and I think we have to do better.

 

I also think no one gets a pass on that.  I think some of us need to do more than others, but I think it doesn't stop at others.  Stop making excuses and be better.

Could it be that a true visionary and genius among us was unappreciated, overlooked and even scorned?????

Oh Melania, can you ever forgive us for the way we laughed and scoffed at your First Lady initiative? 

 

[spenser1058]

1882 Casket factory in Jax to become a music museum:

https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/music-museum-planned-for-old-casket-factory
 

From The Jaxson

[spenser1058]

Even in Atlanta, the world moves on and businesses leave downtown.

AT&T is selling downtown’s CNN Center and the network’s employees will relocate to Midtown within five years

https://www.ajc.com/news/breaking-news/sell-landmark-cnn-center-building-downtown-atlanta/kIsZtWUQiPPjbYICmVZunM/

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution 

[spenser1058]

It interests me that in a ruby red state, and one of America’s fastest growing cities, TDOT could complete the largest construction project in its history without a single toll:

https://www.wkrn.com/traffic/construction-complete-on-interstate-440-largest-project-in-tdot-history/
 

From WKRN

[spenser1058]

The important takeaway from this article about Savannah’s wards is that preserving and making a city thrive from the unique legacy its forebears left it requires the work of the city government and its community.

Orlando’s historic core and its unique in-town neighborhoods (lauded by noted urban commentators like William Whyte ) are worth saving but our mayor and administration have ignored that legacy for 17 years now.

If strip centers, multiple subsidies for projects to homophobic families bent on destroying public education that drag on for years due to incompetence and to uninspiring towers are worthwhile, surely there is room to support our history and things like one of the largest intact groupings of Craftsman bungalows in the South.

We can and must do better.

https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/savannahs-wards
 

From The Jaxson

[smileguy]

1 hour ago, spenser1058 said:

The important takeaway from this article about Savannah’s wards is that preserving and making a city thrive from the unique legacy its forebears left it requires the work of the city government and its community.

Orlando’s historic core and its unique in-town neighborhoods (lauded by noted urban commentators like William Whyte ) are worth saving but our mayor and administration have ignored that legacy for 17 years now.

If strip centers, multiple subsidies for projects to homophobic families bent on destroying public education that drag on for years due to incompetence and to uninspiring towers are worthwhile, surely there is room to support our history and things like one of the largest intact groupings of Craftsman bungalows in the South.

We can and must do better.

https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/savannahs-wards
 

From The Jaxson

Are you organizing around this? Are there steps being recommended? Where can I sign up, volunteer, and join you in this work? 

[spenser1058]

Right now, we are trying to identify mayoral candidates who can run in 2023 that are committed to an actual vision for the city which recognizes our future depends on a plan for our historic districts.

If you are that person or know of someone who is, let me know. 

Interestingly, the best mayor of the modern era (at least in identifying a vision, implementing it and making a sleepy town into an actual city) was Mayor Bill Frederick. He did not come from city council and was, in fact, not on the radar screen as a potential candidate until late in the 1980 process. It’s quite likely we won’t know the 2023 candidate, either, until she or he bubbles up from the grassroots.

Given the newly influential role of the Orange County Mayor, the role of Orlando’s chief executive is likely to be more localized but no less important. It’s time to focus on the blind spots in the neighborhoods that the current administration has ignored for 17 years.

 

[spenser1058]

One of the things @nite owℓ has focused on is the tendency in our strong-mayor form of government to downplay the role of our city commissioners. In my lifetime, they have been viewed as little more than foot soldiers for the mayor.

Perhaps we should rethink that. In the end, it may require a restructuring of government which would require state permission. First, though, it might be worthwhile to recruit candidates who have an actual vision for their neighborhoods and are willing to challenge the mayor. It’s something we have rarely seen except with Daisy Lynum and Mable Butler as the mayor controls the staff and the purse strings but perhaps that can change.

Again, candidates matter, so if you are that person or know someone who is, let me know.

Finally, I have been a little surprised over the years by those in this room who think Orlando’s strong mayor has so little power to change things. As we saw with Mayor Bill, that’s simply not the case. Buddy has simply chosen never to challenge the interests of any developers but that doesn’t mean he could not do so. Perhaps I have misread the room and our posters are loathe to challenge the status quo due to employment in the development/construction industries. There is absolutely nothing, however, that prevents Orlando’s mayor from identifying an alternative vision and seeking support for that vision from the residents.

Edited July 6, 2020 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

One of my favorite neighborhoods in Jacksonville is Ortega. Although its founding goes back to Spanish-owned Florida, locally it’s pronounced “or-tee-ga” instead of “or-tay-ga”.

The parks are beautiful and, at least when I lived in the area, it still had a drawbridge on to the island.

Perhaps because it was several miles from downtown Jax, it has its own shopping area from the ‘20’s which I like. There’s a picture of it along with the Ortega Elementary School, which is a beautiful building. It’s a rather wealthy area now with relatively few kids of that age so there have been rumors of a school closure. Here’s hoping the facility is in the historically protected area.

https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/neighborhoods-old-ortega-historic-district
 

From The Jaxson

[prahaboheme]

The Arts District in LA in a neighborhood just south of downtown that up until about 10 years ago was largely a warehouse district and somewhat on the sketchier side adjacent to Skid Row. Today it’s one of LAs trendiest areas filled with galleries, pubs, startups, etc. it’s also getting a lot of very interesting proposals that are more in the mid-rise category but nonetheless attractive and interesting.

This is a recent proposal that I think would fit in quite well in downtown Orlando amongst some of Orlando’s older brick and mortar buildings.

[smileguy]

12 hours ago, prahaboheme said:

The Arts District in LA in a neighborhood just south of downtown that up until about 10 years ago was largely a warehouse district and somewhat on the sketchier side adjacent to Skid Row. Today it’s one of LAs trendiest areas filled with galleries, pubs, startups, etc. it’s also getting a lot of very interesting proposals that are more in the mid-rise category but nonetheless attractive and interesting.

This is a recent proposal that I think would fit in quite well in downtown Orlando amongst some of Orlando’s older brick and mortar buildings.

Just about the right scale for Pine and Orange... but is there a slide?

[spenser1058]

Just for @dcluley98: a look at St. Pete’s new pier.

https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/a-virtual-tour-of-the-new-st-pete-pier
 

From The Jaxson

How little things add up to big wins in cities (and for @Uncommon, by a baseball team owner, no less!):

https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/small-ball-gets-big-results-for-communities
 

From The Jaxson