Tag Archives: early influence

E Pluribus Unum: “For Anything to Change, Missouri Should Consolidate St. Louis”

Haves, have-nots.

For Anything to Change, Missouri Should Consolidate St. Louis – CityLab.

This happens to be a topic that fascinates me.  It fascinates me in two ways.  The topic of sub-state governments themselves is of interest to me because just about every state is different.  Counties (some strong, some close to non-existent), parishes, judicial districts, cities, towns, villages, boro(ugh)s, and sometimes more than one at once.  And that doesn’t even get to single-purpose local governments like fire protection or school districts.

The endless debates over regional consolidation, which is occasionally punctured by actual changes, is also of interest partly because of where I was raised.

Anyway, Saint Louis and more specifically the 6 square miles of Ferguson, Mo, are in the news and there is actually, a regional consolidation aspect to it.  Read the article for the author’s thoughts.

 

Vintage Video: Sesame Street’s subway song :: Second Ave. Sagas

Vintage Video: Sesame Street’s subway song :: Second Ave. Sagas.

Taken right from Second Ave. Sagas.  I used to watch this (yes, the show is that old) though not obsessively (I was above the “target demo”) but even I forget how New York-centric it was.  Is it still?  I mean, there is no other subway in the country where you can take the express (“it will go right by your local address!”).

And the crack about the heat?  Yep, most cars weren’t air-conditioned back in the day (1970s).

Montréal Cargo Bikes

Classic dépanneur delivery bike in Montreal

Story: Copenhagenize.com – Bicycle Culture by Design: Montreal Cargo Bikes.

I lived in the ‘burbs, so there were no dépanneurs like these where I was, believe me.  But in the inner-ring suburbs and in residential areas of the city, they were legion.  And this is how the groceries got to your house.

From googling around, it appears that many of these have been bought out by Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.  Who is that?  Just the same Montreal company that owns Circle K among others (mostly in Canada but growing).

Dépanneur in Ville-Émard

Pretty typical small, usually famiiy-owned dépanneur in  Montréal

Here is a fun map.  It barely covers 1 km² yet each red dot is a tiny grocery store.  And many of them deliver.  On bikes. In the winter.

1967 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe Unrestored with 2,996 Miles for sale by Mecum Auction

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HA0414-179688_2 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe Unrestored with 2,996 Miles for sale by Mecum Auction.

Click through and read the story – it’s the apocryphal “drove it for a bit, then put it away in a barn” story.

I’ve mentioned before, or maybe it was in a paper, that I am a car guy.  Have been for a long time.  Longer than I care to mention, really.  Can’t help it – it’s generational.

Although the ’67 Corvette has LONG been my favorite this one, despite having all  the “good” options (427 cu in/390 hp, factory side pipes, Kelsey-Hayes knock-off wheels),  isn’t quite what I was looking for.  I’d  rather have a Marina Blue convertible without the stinger on the hood scoop … which is probably just as well since I expect this one will fetch over $2,000,000 when auctioned in April.  

Sorry – no relevance to transportation and land development … except this is exactly the kind of car you thought of when you thought of the open road and moving to that new development in the suburbs back in 1967 …

2014-04-12 UPDATE:  I was way off.  Final bid was $725,000.  Had I known that I’d have bought two!!