Urban Waffle House

A friend posted this picture on a discussion board about an urban Waffle House in Fayetteville, AR.  I love it.  Fayetteville is a college town, so I hope this Waffle House Restaurant shows up in Gainesville someday.  Normally I would expect the Waffle House to be at an Interstate off-ramp surrounded by large parking lots, gas stations, and a handful of drunks - but not part of a downtown setting.  Considering the Waffle House smells pretty bad when there is a lot of "fresh air" to circulate around the suburban site, I wonder what the inside smells like when it's far more confined in the urban setting...

Photo Courtesy of Robert Sharp

David Brooks & the Concept of Metis

An excellent TED talk about Man as a Social Animal.  Listen here:



I love to travel and part of the fun is going to places "off the beaten path."  I'm very confident is walking or driving around these places because I feel very engaged with the surroundings, however, I know many other people are uncomfortable being outside of the "comfort zone."  But what makes one person comfortable or not?  Perhaps its this development of social skills that Brooks is talking like the metis or blending or "equa-poise." 

There are a number of excellent points he talks about - but one that stuck out was the concept of "metis" or the feeling of sense of place.  How do people cognitively map a space or anticipate through "feeling" the different changes or in many cases the merging of senses into a notion or expectation of something coming.  For instance, dowsers can sense the presence of water hidden in the soil.  Metis was a Greek goddess known for her wisdom and "cunningness."  To me this is an interesting way to think about sense of place.  Wisdom suggests that there is some knowledge that you've gained over time that begins to set about a framework for understand a place.  You've been on a street before, you recognize a door or window or a boarded up window.  However, there is also a level of cunning.  Cunning is described in the MW dictionary as "dexterous or crafty in the use of special resources." 

Exactly what those special resources are help to define cunning with either positive or negative connotations, but in Brooks' argument these resources are the intangible, subconscious merging of senses.  You feel things, you hear things, the air tastes slightly differently and while you are processing the individual pieces and parts (that hot dog stand smells really good), your subconscious is merging these sensations together to give you a "feeling" about a place - whether good or bad or neutral. 

Westview Cemetery - Palatka, FL

While it might sound weird to many, one of my favorite pastimes is to walk through cemeteries, particularly older ones, and imagine the lives of all the buried people.  Some more famous cemeteries like Pere Lachaise in Paris, have some incredible architecture.  But in most cemeteries, you can see examples of exquisite crypts, typically signifying a wealthy individual, or something a bit more modest, but still uniquely personified.   In many cases, people decided, or their loved ones decided, to write something on the headstone to signify their life.  I walked through the Westview Cemetery in Palatka and noticed a series of very interesting graves.  Before I discuss those, however, I must make mention how I noticed the cemetery in the first place.  Driving into Palatka from Gainesville, one travels SR 20 eastward.  

As I was getting ready to go under a rail bridge, I noticed the pedestrian "tunnel" allowing the sidewalk to also go under the railroad.  The foreboding tunnel caught my attention.  I mean who would really go through that tunnel?  It's slightly better than a sewer tunnel... God forbid two cyclists are moving through the tunnel at the same time!

I turned across the street to notice the cemetery high up on the hill.  There are many interesting grave sites, I think the earliest death I could find was about 1835 which is about ten years after Palatka starts to become important in terms of agriculture trade and shipping on the St Johns River.  I also noticed many grave markers with the year 1884 and 1885.  After a little bit of research, I determined these were probably poor souls that died in the November 1884 fire that destroyed most of downtown Palatka.  The following are a series of grave sites that I found particularly interesting... 

I have seen eagles and other bigger birds on the headstones, but I think this is a dove, suggesting perhaps a peaceful sleep.

This gentleman was very important in the Palatka Masonic society.  Taking up most of the headstone space is his "resume" of senior positions within the Masons.  I'm not a mason, so I can't really speak about the significance of these titles, however, there were other headstones, with the masonic symbols, but not the resume.

 

The Woodmen of the World was another fraternal society similar to the Masons.  As a part of the membership, when one woodman died, a hat was passed around during their meetings and the money given to the widow.  Eventually, as things became more costly, the Woodmen shifted their focus to selling life insurance, and still remain today.  The symbol carved in the headstone above was done by hand and donated to the widow or family, however this was eventually discontinued after about 1920 or so.

Hailing from Palatka was the first governor of the State of Florida, William Dunn Moseley.  Andrew Jackson was actually the first "military commander" of the state after the land was acquired from Spain.  Others like William Duval were the governors of the "Florida Territories," but Governor Moseley was the first.

This particular grave (on the left) was for an infant, however, what is interesting is the marker to the right.  There was not another grave or headstone nearby, and this marker could have certainly been moved, but if we assume for the moment it was intentionally placed next to the infant, it tells an interesting story.  The marker contains the letters, "C.S.A," referencing the Confederate States of America - the Confederate Flag is in the middle.  I'm curious that the marker would be placed next to an infant (the other graves in the area date about 15 years after the Civil War).  Also interesting is that the marker itself seems to be "new."  Better yet, it doesn't look like its been there since post-Civil War.  I couldn't find much more about this - but Downtown Palatka does have a few memorials placed by the Daughters of the Confederacy, a similar organization to the D.A.R. (Daughters of the American Revolution).

 

This headstone was simply interesting because that type-face was not found anywhere else.  Something about it, plus the name, "Ware Waggles," was interesting.  Perhaps it's simply the persons name?  Maybe he or she thought they lived in Middle Earth?

 

The last grave I'm showing really astounded me.  Apparently, this young child died prematurely at the age of four.  On the headstone, in addition to the lamb (which was found on many other graves of children) and the unknown object was a picture of the boy.  I've seen pictures of the deceased on the graves before, however, this grave dates to 1924!  How did they set a photograph on the marble in 1924?  Not just that, but the photo is in pretty decent condition - it's over 86 years old!

This one still baffles me - but perhaps there is some level of maintenance that's been happening.  The local name of SR 20, which accesses the cemetery is "Crill Avenue."  I believe this is named after State Senator E.C. Crill, who was from Palatka.  Perhaps this was a grandson or some relative of the Senator, and there was additional money given to create a unique headstone.  In any case, seeing a photograph from 1924 in great condition on a headstone is an example that sometimes, even when you think an idea is "modern," it could very well have been around for a long time...

The Orange Blossom Special

Perhaps no other bluegrass captures the sense of movement, trains chugging along a track, or the sense of watching a silver bullet train move through the country-side.  Written by Ervin T. Rouse and Gordon Rouse in 1939 (although for many years Chubby Wise claimed to have written it).  The song has long been covered by many music stars including Bill Monroe, Johnny Cash, and Roy Clark among others. 

The Orange Blossom Special was a passenger train run by the Seaboard Rail Company and ran from New York City to Miami.  The train started running in 1925 (ended in 1953) and was marketed as the fast, luxurious train to bring the rich and influential businessman from NYC to Florida - which was booming at the time.

While the story itself is contested, Chubby Wise claims that after visiting the local establishments in Jacksonville, he and Rouse visited the train station to watch the Orange Blossom Special pull into town.  If you listen closely, you can imagine pumping steam engine and the chugging power of the train moving out.  Also captured in the song is the long, mournful sound of the train whistle.

However, after looking through YouTube at many of the other incarnations of the song, this version is probably my favorite.  Something about a classical string quartet playing bluegrass.

Yield to the Fire Truck!

As I was driving to Palatka the other day, I passed by a couple of fire stations.  You'll notice that there are stations along the roadside because of the obvious fire truck sign posted about 300 feet before the station, which are telling you to yield to a fire truck, should it come out of the driveway:

As I passed the second fire station, I started to notice that in fact the fire truck has no roof.  In fact, it really has no tank either.  The fireman is in an open cab and clearly, the most important construct of the fire engine is the ladder.  I started thinking... what year model is this fire truck?  I've never seen a real fire truck that looked like this.  Actually - this model fire truck dates back to the 1930's - possibly a Mack truck or a Ford:

I am not sure when this kind of DOT sign was first put into use, but I'm guessing with the mass production of highways and interstates in the US in the 1940's and 1950's, this sign was graphically designed and hasn't changed much since.  I'm not sure why, though.  The Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) shows a number of fairly contemporary vehicles:

Horse and Buggy AND a golf cart.  Even the tractor looks to have an upgraded sign, with perspective no less.  But not the fire truck.  I think that it's interesting that most folks driving today, have never seen this fire truck in use - probably more so in a parade or in a museum, yet we all know it's a fire truck.

I would be very interest to read or learn about the history of these "public signs" - anyone know a good reference or book?

Driving down to Orlando last weekend I saw again these signs on the Turnpike in sequential order telling a little story:

"He drives an old car..."
"Yet he goes through tolls"
"Like a Movie Star!"

It's an advertising campaign for the SunPass toll transmitter offered by the Turnpike/Expressway authority.  They also have signs about staying awake and driving safe.  Turns out these signs are an homage (if we're being nice) or a rip-off (if we're being mean) to the old "BurmaShave" advertising campaign popular in the 1920's through 1950's.  Burma Shave would place these seemingly witty messages along the major roads, with the punch line always being "BurmaShave!"

"Big Mistake"
"Many make"
"Rely on horn"
"Instead of "
"Brake"
"Burmashave!"

Of course Burmashave was advertising to the man on the go - portable shaving cream so he wouldn't be tied down by making that lather, and the pesky brush.  So the idea of placing the advertisement on the highway - where everyone was driving along quickly makes a lot of sense.  I suppose being able to just sail through the tollbooth without having to stop is very similar in that nature...

For more information on Burma Shave check out this great site: Burma Shave

Feline Urbanism

So everyone has seen the feral cat running around here and there.  Have you ever consider that those cats are simply tourists, coming to visit your town, from their City?


Their City is Caboodle Ranch, a 30-acre, "Feline City", near Lee, Florida in Madison County, maybe 30 miles west of Lake City.  There, founder Craig Grant, has created a sanctuary for over 650 abused or "discarded" cats.  But what catches my particular interest, is the community he's set up for the cats.  It's complete with homes, a main street, a church, a Walmart, and Town Hall.  I imagine they have the full assortment of political problems - tea party republicats or liberal democats. (Sorry, too hard to pass up)

All jokes aside, Mr. Grant is an incredible man.  Spend any time on his website and you'll see his dedication to helping cats is beyond question.  I think it's quite funny that Caboodle Ranch has a nice town layout and better landscape facilities than the accompanying town of Lee.  Stephen Colbert also covered Caboodle Ranch a few weeks ago - quite funny.

Weddings in a Parking Garage?

This parking garage at 1111 Lincoln Road has been finding its way into various conversations in my classes as design redefining the ordinary.  It also was featured in the NY Times.  So how many folks would want to get married in a parking garage?  Better yet, how many folks want to spend more time in a parking garage than simply finding and getting to your car?  The new Herzog & de Meuron parking garage in Downtown Miami has 34-foot ceilings on the second-to-top level and boasts some of the best views of Biscayne Bay and Downtown Miami. 

For about $12,000 per night, you could have a wedding (click to see one couples invitation - complete with a sketch of the garage) there too!  You might hurry though, I imagine with all this press, the waiting list is getting long...

Iwan Baan Photography (NY Times Source)

Cedar Key | Tin Can Tourists!!

As if fate was trying to tempt me, look what I find in the Gainesville Sun the day after I write about Walmart RV's:  Tin Can Tourist Camp to be "Resurrected."

Oh man, I really want to go to this, but I don't think I can get away.  Tin Can Tourist Sites are really cool - they get their start in the early 1900's as the US road system is being built and cars are becoming cheaper.  It becomes the embodiment of the American Dream - the ability, at a moment's notice, to travel to any destination under your own power (vehicular power) and travel to unknown places (mainly National and State Parks - which are also taking shape at the same time).  The name comes from the tin cans used in the long distance traveling.  Later, with the advent of the airplane age, sleeker all aluminum trailers are made and the tin can begins to represent the metal trailer hitched to the car.  Even further later, these turn into RV's and such, and we welcome them on the Florida campus for every home football game (Yes, tailgating comes directly from the Tin Can Tourist phenomenon in the early 20th Century).

I guess I will start planning for next year!

(Image by: Gainesville Sun's Staff Photographer, Doug Finger)

Walmart RV's

I overheard a conversation in one of my other classes about a girls father, who has retired and decided to travel the US in an RV.  Something I think I'd like to do one day, but there was one caveat.  Her dad is only stopping at Walmart's.  Yes, apparently there is a whole sub-culture of folks who travel around in a "Walmart RV Community."  Walmarts are all over, and they have huge parking lots, they make a natural, and free, place to stop.  Doing some quick internet research shows there are some pages that offer strategies:

"Many Wal-Mart stores now have "No Overnight RV Parking" signs. Be sure to circle the lot and check ALL parking lot entrances"

"If you have a wife like mine (Wal-Mart road atlas in hand) she always needs something from the store. If we stay in a Super Wal-Mart we always hit the deli for a good chicken dinner with potato salad and cole slaw."

"We didn't need swimming pool, showers or any other amenities that come with the fee or the extra time it takes to get checked in. So, it's not always a matter of $$. As in this case, sometimes it is just more convenient."

Apparently the 5 minutes to check in at a hotel is quite inconvenient, so instead, I'm going to buy an RV (not cheap), and fill it up with about 3,203 gallons of gas, because it's easier.  I'm all for interesting travel and road trips - in fact, I'm totally into the Tin Can Tourists of old, but avoiding the national parks, avoiding the parks in general, avoiding main street, and causing a crapload of extra traffic is not very sustainable, IMO.

Swiss Banks and Control of Clothes.

Came across this article about the Swiss Bank UBS:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Swiss-bank-UBS-to-change-apf-2483092573.html?x=0

I've certainly heard of dress codes and what not, but this is a very strict code - down to the color of your underwear!  What's interesting is the context of the bank's desire to "set the table" of the bank itself in the dress code of the employees.  To quote: "He said the bank would issue a pared-down booklet with more general guidelines on how to impress customers with a polished presence and sense of Swiss precision and decorum."  So the visual appeal of the employees should reflect a sense of pride and decorum?  I buy that - to a degree.  I mean I think part of what you look like creates a visual introduction, much like a street with no tree and cracked sidewalks might indicate it's unsafe.  Improving simply the streets, or washing the graffiti has gone a long way to restore certain places - so might improving the dress code at a place of business.  But what I really want to know, is how did they check for the red underwear?

The Sedan Chair

While reading an assignment from John Urry's "Mobilities" (a great book), I came across this concept of "sedan chairs."  The context of the reading is about the social history of "walking."  According to Urry's history, walking from place to place, especially in urban areas becomes more popular in the mid-eighteenth century as cities begin to smoothly pave their streets.  Prior to this, the streets were muddy and messy and filled with many nice elements that you wouldn't want to smell like.  If they were paved, it was typically with cobblestones that had been rutted from thoroughfares - this wasn't exactly the easiest way to travel especially if your ankles weren't properly supported.  However, as streets were more smoothly paved with concrete mixes, walking became easier and more accepted for most class of people save for one - the elite.  These folks had walkers who carried them across those cobbled streets above all the crap so to speak.  Urry suggests that it was the elderly and woman that used these sedan chairs.  The chairs sat in the hallways of the great houses, typically near the doorway, so the users could simply walk over, sit down, and wait for the walker to come over enclose the chair and pick it up to walk to wherever.  This covered chair was referred to as a sedan. 

In about 1929 or so, the first car was built with seats in the back that had direct access for the passengers, but no driving was involved (at least not physically), so they were called "sedans."  Possibly a connection?  Also - I wonder if those chairs I've seen in my Mom's living room, near the doorway, that seemingly have no purpose, but that I'm not allowed to sit on, are also some remnant of the sedan chair age...

The Fernery

1.11.11 -

An auspicious date, today. 

So I decided last weekend to a take a little side trip and travel down US 17.  Why US 17?  Well this stems from something I may post on another day about Florida's development history and how it is tied to the railroad and how the railroad, in many cases and places, set the canvas for the road system in Florida today.  US 17 from the State Line to Punta Gorda nearly follows the exact route of the Southern Atlantic Railway.  There is an inherent and "un-ordinary" history of Florida that is told throughout this corridor.  So I decided to try out a portion from Green Cove Springs to Winter Park - a portion of which is part of the Florida Scenic Highway Program (River of Lakes Scenic Highway).

The corridor lived up to what I thought it would be - elements of the railroad, old depot buildings, other buildings that are organized around what would have been the depot, but now are seemingly pointed in the "wrong" direction relative to the street, and other cultural legacies.  One that took my breath away was somewhere just south of Pierson.

Florida has many histories and this one in particular involves ferneries.  Or plant nurseries that specifically cultivate and sell ferns.  Beginning in the late 1800's, these fern farms supplied much of the florist industry with those wonderful accents you receive when someone buys you flowers.  Pierson in particular (known as the Fern Capital of the World) was a "hotbed" of these nurseries.  The beauty of the temperate native landscape in this area of Florida is the natural shading and wind protection Live Oaks provide for the plants underneath.  This was a perfect "natural" location for ferns to grow with minimal maintenance.

Today you can see both the more cultivated farms with their shade structures and irrigation systems, and the natural oak hammocks areas.  But be warned, if you are used to seeing a "normal" Florida oak hammock, it's quite unusual to see the very soft, and bright green, of fern ground cover disappearing into the shadows of the oaks.

See for yourself:

A "Natural" Fernery near Pierson, FL directly off US 17

The Large Oak Hammock (as seen from my car window) with the Fernery groundcover