For sale in Pasadena, one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s concrete block houses after major renovation. It would be a great fantasy to own this masterpiece but not one I would persue even if I had a spare $7 million. First the great man was only 5′ 8″ and so egocentric that he scaled all his buildings for men of his stature. At 6′ 2″ his buildings seem cramped. The man was a master however as the pictures in this link show.
Originally posted 2009-02-11 18:05:04. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Last weekend we enjoyed a Giant’s-Dodgers exhibition game in San Francisco. Enjoying the dramatic vistas and freedom from traffic, we took the ferry from Vallejo. After our visit we returned to the Ferry Building to get the ferry back to Vallejo and found this sign where the taxi dropped us off. I stopped and laughed because something was off with this request.
Stepping back to get the full impression, you see the stairs leading to the second floor of the Ferry building. It is occupied by lawyers and the stairs are clearly intended for use as a means to walk from ground level to the second.
So what’s the deal with no sitting? I have not seen any prohibitions for sitting on any other stairs in San Francisco, historic or not. Would you prohibit sitting just because stairs are historic? I can’t think of any possible reason that makes any logical sense but I do have a guess.
I think that the sign is to keep the homeless from enjoying the comforts of the ‘historic’ stairs and scaring off tourists. The ‘historic’ reference is merely a cover to confuse the reader that there actually is a justification for this sign.
What do you think? Is it cover for the two-faced City fathers of San Francisco who provide payments to San Francisco homeless people on one hand and want to keep them away from tourists on the other or is there another reason that makes sense? Help me out.
Originally posted 2009-04-10 16:19:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
First of all, they are useful because they provide needed information. Like what exit to take to find the In and Out when you are traveling. Much better than trying to guess which exit will provide what you need or the unhelpful information that our crack government techies put on their high priced electronic signs.
Second, they are better designed than anything else you are likely to see from the road.
Third, they provide interest on long stretches of boring interstate farmland or desert or urban wasteland.
Now there may be times when a billboard is overkill. I’m ok with no billboards at the grand canyon, half dome and big sur but take away the billboards from LA and what have you got? Most of LA is pretty dreary- and I say this as a thirty year resident of LA now suffering withdrawal after moving to Sacramento. What is the Sunset Strip without billboards? Would you like what you see from LaCienega if the billboards were gone? Of course not. They are damn ugly. And its not just LA. Who would ever go to Times Square if it were only buildings?
So I say get off your elitist high horse and admit that billboards add something to the aesthetics of urban life and they don’t do much damage in the country.
The City Council in LA (bumbling egocentric dolts all of them- and I feel qualified to make that pronouncement having worked for their collective asses for 26 years) periodically crusade against billboards but thankfully they appreciate the money they contribute to political life more than their stunted esthetic judgement and LA remains the vibrant place it has always been.
Super Bill Board
Now there is a new development – the super billboard that covers an entire building. Given how ugly the typical building in LA is this is surely an improvement you would think.
Not according to City Councilman Weiss who says it is a safety hazard.
There is even a whole organization of dogooder busybodies devoted to stopping billboard blight. Surely there is a place in hell full of boring, ugly buildings where they will find eternal rest and boredom.
Originally posted 2009-02-07 02:06:51. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
In a comment to my blog post on San Francisco, Micah described his enjoyment of San Francisco but mentioned as one of his points the notion that San Francisco is very liberal in its politics. I think that that is a pretty generally held belief. He supports this by describing a man with a megaphone yelling at a crowd of sleeping homeless in the park across from the Ferry Building. Continue reading
Originally posted 2009-04-23 17:33:06. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
The Eames House in Pacific Palisades is another icon of modern design. It was completed in 1949 but belongs with other examples of mid-century modern that we associate with the 50′s. Built using off the shelf parts with very little pretense and no ornamentation, it was home for Charles and Raye Eames from Christmas eve 1949 until their deaths in the 70′s. Today you can visit the outside but there is only rare access to the interior.