Not all U.S. airlines use Terminal 4. Terminals 1-3 are quite functional and remain heavily used, just lack the beauty and elegance of the new structure. Except for American Airlines and Iberia, which are part of OneWorld and use T4, other airlines to and from the U.S. use the A Gates at the far end of Terminal 1, necessitating a very long walk to immigration and customs, then another very long walk to the Metro Station.

I was very early for a flight to Morocco, so I took the subway an extra stop to T4 to take some photos at dawn of the airport starting to come to life. Check out the ultra shiny floor in front of the arrivals door – you could practically eat off it. The Madrid Metro’s line 8 has a separate and very modern station for Terminal 4, and I was surprised to find transit time between the airport and most points in the city center only took about 25-30 minutes even with a couple transfers.

A photo note: I started using Simpleviewer for my blog instead if Nexgen gallery. I find it’s easier to navigate through photos, and it has a cool little feature which pulls selected photos directly from my Flickr site, saving precious storage space. The “fullscreen” button at the upper right expands the photos for a nice slideshow and uncluttered viewing.

We don’t have meetings at Perkin’s or anything, however most of us have blogs where we document cases of wastefulness. We can respond to Yellow Pages’ marketers and have engaging discussions about why SO MANY unused print directories are created and distributed. (Answer: Circulation and ad sales.) It also creates a venue where phone book employees can drop in and pretend to be businesses which still thrive upon the phone book’s circulation - as seen here in the fifth comment of The Deet’s blog.

I took these photos while biking around in industrial neighborhood of Denver last weekend. Note these are THREE different books. Which means at one point a book was lying there, (or two books,) and a delivery person threw another one at the building. I admit it was probably 4am when the free lance employees were driving around in their trucks chucking out books left and right. However this building is obviously unattended with the windows darkened, doors boarded up, and weeds growing out of the concrete. I don’t think the ghosts of the former employees have any need for one phone book much less three.

Nobody is against phone books and their publishers, however we are for strict opt out lists – or at least opt out lists that are at least ATTEMPTED to be followed rather than completely ignored. Also we are for ceasing delivery at vacant houses and buildings, and stopping the practice of delivering pallets upon pallets of yellow pages to apartment buildings and office complexes.

My posts on Yellow Pages/Phone book waste.
Minneapolis blogger Ed Kohler’s articles and analysis of YP companies and waste.

Here at home we have the occasional rally at the capitol building. For the most part they’re few and far between, and the amount of people that participate pales in comparison. On the streets of Buenos Aires you’re likely to see a demonstration often, especially during election season.

Occasionally I’ll mention to friends how active Porteños are in politics, and the frequency of the street demonstrations and protests. They assume I’m exaggerating, but if put on the stand I think this verifies it in an interesting and humorous manner.

I watch but mainly listen to C5N for an hour or two every morning. It helps me practice my Spanish, and gives a feel for daily life there. (Even if like here the news carries a heavy focus on the irrational.) C5N is a 24 hour news channel serving Buenos Aires, and is always up to speed on what’s happening in the streets. I grabbed some few screen shots over the past few months to highlight some of the daily occurrences.

The daily interruptions of traffic flow on the streets are so common they are included in the traffic reports, and even plan for upcoming events that are scheduled. These are never violent, but occur to facilitate the awareness of issues important to the workers and residents. And apparently standing in the streets with large signs accomplishes that.

Now that the mid term elections are finished the daily demonstrations have subsided some. It’s chaotic, unorganized, and crazy – and I love and appreciate it. Here are some shots from April and May:

March 23:

April 30:

April 27:

April 9:

April 16:

April 10: Blocking a bridge

May 14: Taxi drivers demonstrating:

May 1: Downtown

May 29: Scheduled protest at 6pm

I really didn’t catch what was going on here, but there is a crowd of people dancing in the street:

Other random shots:

Here’s Christina Kirshner delivering one of her uplifting speeches:

Dealing with the H1N1 virus:

Traffic backup. Makes the 405 look like a country drive:

And of course coverage of South Carolina governer Mark Sanford:

Growing up in Michigan we made frequent family trips to Chicago. I remember we often stayed at a Days Inn a few blocks southwest of the Sears Tower. The Days Inn offered budget rooms, cheap parking, a pool, and being frugal Dutch folk saw no reason to indulge ourselves with such luxuries as mildew free curtains or functioning elevators.

When in Chicago I’m usually on the north side, but this time stayed in the south loop. With some time to kill on a Saturday afternoon I went for a walk with no destination in mind. The logical choice would be the lakeshore and Grant Park, sparkling and sunny this Memorial Day weekend, but some exploring sounded more interesting so I set out to find my old motel..

The one highlight I remember most was the diamond shaped rooftop pool, which at 10 years old was a real treat after trundling around the city all day. When atop the Sears Tower I would look down excited that I could spot our tiny ant size hotel among the grid of streets and other buildings. Did I say “Sears” Tower? I’m sorry, I meant the soon to be “Willis” Tower.

I headed towards the Sears Tower, and over the Van Buren street bridge. I was surprised to see the main post office had been shut down. A friend later told me it’s been that way for several years. This building, eating up two entire city blocks along the river, is a behemoth structure with the Eisenhower Expressway running under it. With enormous interior spaces it would be a challenge to reinvent as residential. Current retail trends favors outdoor walkable spaces, which leaves this building waiting for some sort of factory or manufacturing base – which it will probably never see. Not as many people send letters now, (which is correct – I haven’t MAILED a bill anywhere in years,) and technology is more advanced and physically compact. In its heyday I picture the building filled of mazes of roller coaster looking conveyer belts and sorting machines – spinning and whirling letters around like bottles in a brewery.

I walked along Canal Street, which runs under interstate 290. I hadn’t remembered traversing this grubby portion under the expressway to access the touristy parts of Chicago.

The building was still standing. It’s now a Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites. However it looked nothing like the picture in my mind. I remember the old Days Inn having very narrow windows, and being quite dark and gloomy inside. I was certain the structure had been razed and a new building was in its place. I headed inside and saw a standard check in area and small lobby.

I took the elevator up to the pool, and contrary to my prediction the diamond shaped pool was still there. So apparently the building had been gutted and remodeled, but not completely razed.

Although the walk under the freeway isn’t very enticing, overall it looks like a decent place to stay. It wouldn’t be my first choice, but for a brief overnight would be acceptable. There are some nice condos opposite the building on South Clinton and the Blue Line is a block away. Tripadvisor’s reviews average out quite high, so the staff must be doing a good job.

Next time I’ll have to find that building where I got my arm stuck in the revolving door. Meanwhile I hope something good happens with the post office.

More photos…

Related: Sherman Tower or Mezzo . Denver

James Van Dellen Denver

I was attending a very serious and educational conference over Memorial Day weekend, and wandered over to see its replacement. Here it is – with a nice long modern looking platform. It appears it’s fairly new with some nearby construction being finished up.

And for comparison – my photo from a year and a half ago:

This station is also located steps from Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz’s work titled “Agora”

Related: Roosevelt Station

Caleb Cross, Denver, Colorado

Some retail clusters appear vibrant and healthy, such as the Whole Foods / Home Depot block at Kentucky. Super Target does brisk business, and has the bonus of the Shotgun Willies strip club and Romantix Adult Novelty Store in the parking lot.

Funny how two businesses that many consider unsavory maintain one of the cleanest looking blocks on the street, right down to the bus stop benches. It’s a contrast considering some of the other derelict looking structures. Like these…

This deep sea blue building used to house an eyeglass store, but has been sitting empty for about three years.

This building used to be the Cherry Creek Hotel and was abandoned about eight months ago if I recall correctly. It’s been sitting empty, but in recent weeks some scaffolding has been erected.

For some reason, with all the vacant buildings, there’s NEW construction at Colorado and Ohio, in front of the Whole Foods store. As mentioned this must be a popular corner to set up shop.

Here’s Circuit City’s husk of a store…

I’m curious how many red Circuit City shirts are buried in the bottom of this donation bin, located in the Circuit City parking lot.

Eyeglass World is now gone, (in front of Circuit City,) with the below signing instructing customers to go to the nearest alternate location, only 70 miles away.

This multi level strip mall, at Florida, seems to be hanging in there with a few reputable tenants.

The Belcaro Motel appears great with its tidy parking lot and vintage sign. Kudos to the owners of this place for maintaining a great appearance, which must be difficult on this busy commercial corridor.

I didn’t make it as far south as Crown Burger, but if you’re planning to do business on Colorado Boulevard it’s a good place for lunch. Meanwhile if you are a retailer planning on trucking in one of your pre-fab chain stores may I implore you to please bulldoze a previous standing vacant store first. Myself and my community would appreciate it!

Caleb Cross, Denver, Colorado

I watched him from about 15 feet away before my ticket was spit out, then walked over and told him to knock it the fuck off. I also took his photo. I’ve found that people become concerned when you take their picture, or simply pretend to.  This boy didn’t seem to care though.

He ceased his project and mumbled “ok” or something. I then said told him he should clean it up, before giving any thought to how that task would be accomplished. He surprised me by spitting on the railing, then wiping it off with a tissue from his pocket. The marking was completely removed. (You’re welcome RTD.)

I told him I care about my city, and if he’s into graffiti art and expressing himself there are places you can go and paint without vandalizing others’ property. (I don’t know if this is actually true, but I have seen a skate park downtown.)

He then volunteered, “Yeah I already got caught once,” and just stood there next to me.   Not knowing what to say or if I should attempt to parley the situation into some kind of “Gran Torino” big brother mentoring experience I told him I’m not going to tell anyone, (not sure who I would tell,) and to chill on the defacing of public property and all that.

He slinked away as I walked down to the platform. Hopefully I won’t see him on a “World’s Dumbest Criminal” segment anytime soon.

What astounded me more than some dumb kid tagging a railing in full view of commuters at 8am was the fact I witnessed 10 or so commuters passing by while I awaited my ticket, yet not one person said anything to the kid.

Shame on them.  I have more respect for the kid listening and not dismissing me with an easy “fuck off,” than I do for the people who walked by and ignored him.   So much for the village it supposedly takes.

There’s often plenty of room throughout the car, and standing in front of the doors only impedes those entering and exiting.  On more than one occasion I’ve entered a car, elbowed into a pack, then realized ample space was found in the middle.

In this case from last week there were even multiple seats available.  

For more subway/train etiquette tips read a favorite site of mine:  Subway Blogger.com

And move into the car.

I’ve walked by this tree near the 7-Eleven at Colfax and York countless times, and it’s been a few months shy of three years that I’ve been documenting its seasonal activity.

No it’s not dead – in fact check out these older posts to see how lovely it blossoms in the spring. I’m very much looking forward to seeing some leaves again this year. This may be the city’s most hideous and sickly looking twig, but I love this ugly duckling.

Related:
Update on the Ghetto Tree
Ghetto Landscaping

Included are businesses which operate utility bikes for their deliveries, workforces, and daily errands.

Of course the base for these businesses is the bike utopia of Portland, but also included are Harvest Cycle of Sarasota, and Pedal Co-Op in Philly. Just proving that with community support, initiatives, and resources, it can be an option.

Cutting costs might appear to be the biggest reason for transitioning to a bike operated structure, but just like individuals, the price of driving isn’t the sole force behind choosing pedal power over cars. “When we worked on our business plan, gas prices were low. We did a full price analysis that looked at cars, zip cars, scooters, electrical cars, etc. and for the price and brandability of those, bikes came out way ahead. There’s a low up front, low maintenance costs and you don’t have to worry about gas prices fluctuating,” says Lazar.

Full article here.  p.s. Wend Magazine is at every REI store I’ve ever been to.  It’s a very well done publication – check them out.

Looks like there are about 15 total, still aloft with helium, and although I’m colorblind when it comes to dark blues and purples I can attest they’re quite the colorful and festive bunch.

They certainly livened up my day.

Please use caution when retrieving.

Created by artist Tom Otterness, these little characters lightheartedly depict life in the city and the subway – with tourists, officers, and city dwellers interacting and going about their business.

More from Otterness’s “Life Underground” collection at  Tom O Studio.com - and an NPR article from a couple years back.

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So in addition to documenting the absurd quantity of waste and trash the Yellow Pages creates, I took my own little unscientific sampling the morning after the big dump.  

I live in a nine unit townhome complex.  My neighbors are mostly 30s and 40s professionals like myself, which a few older folks retired or approaching retirement, plus a few guys in their 20s renting a unit.  One of whom seems to think my flower pot is an ashtray.

Before going to work I did some scouting:

Three phone book packages were in the recycle bin, including mine thrown in just after I took this photo. 

One bag was in the dumper. 

Three were still on the doorsteps.  (One unit is vacant, so that counts as trash.)

Two must have been brought inside, because I didn’t see them out back or on the steps.

So assuming the two remaining bundles will be picked up and brought inside (like an unwanted baby at a fire station,) that still is only FOUR out of NINE homes will bring the phone book inside.  A meager 40 percent!  And I’m erring that the two remaining bundles on the doorsteps will even be brought inside. 

Over in Albany they’re consideration legislation to ban the distribution of phone books on public property, or leaving bundles of them in building lobbies and such.

Hung up on how many phone books you receive?

A hearing will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in Albany City Hall on a proposed law regulating phone-book distribution. The law proposed by Common Council member Joseph Igoe would require the books to have a toll-free number on the cover for opting out, which would mean no book delivered to your address for a year. It also would bar dropping the books on public property, in rights of way or at vacant buildings.

With all the economic turmoil and what not what business is it of a local government and stomp on private business?  Number one phone book crusader Ed Kohler and his readers agree explain multiple times that when a business fails to be a responsible member of a community, or more to the point makes its business by littering and heaving trash all over a city, that leaves little choice but for a local government to step in.

Good for Albany.  Hopefully more towns will follow suit!  When it comes time for a Denver city council meeting I’ll have every one of my blog posts, (with photos,) in hand.

I’ll probably never set foot in Antoine Du Chez day spa, but some of my favorite restaurants like the Cherry Cricket, Rodney’s, and Chez Jose’s are scattered throughout the district -  Plus there’s a modern library and of course the Cherry Creek Bike Rack.

There’s even a public, (or private – who knows anymore,) square at 1st and Fillmore that shows films in the summer and hosts ice skating in the winter.

Opposite 1st Avenue around the big mall the area is still very pedestrian friendly.  The rear of the mall opens up to Cherry Creek , (the actual creek,) and the adjacent multi-use path.  Following their recent opening the area in front of Nordstrom’s has become quite inviting with trees and people friendly landscaping.  It really is a quality semi-urbanized shopping center that’s people AND car friendly.  That’s opposed to other area malls which plant trees and walkways inside of their grounds, but outside limitations still force you to drive there.

However there’s one abandoned pocket in Cherry Creek.  This sad square is located just west of the mall, behind a cluster of free standing stores.

Most likely envisioned as a shared public square I’m sure drawings or models pictured families gathering for a shopping breaks, couples enjoying a picnic, or a small band piping music into the air.  But it seems to have wound up as an abandoned afterthought.  The problem isn’t the square itself, but that it’s BEHIND a bunch of bleak posterior store walls.

Originally there was a Tower Records here that DID have a back door which created some traffic, however after they went out of business the Container Store took over and walled it off.  The other buildings, (Cost Plus, Bed Bath and Beyond, and some sort of Nordstrom’s annex building,)  all turn their backs to this little square,  giving it a boxy Soviet aesthetic with the white walls and emergency exits.   A creepy tunnel between Cost Plus and Nordstroms doesn’t help either.

It would be nice if there were rear windows and doors to the retailers – but I can’t blame them for not creating access, as it does add cost to man staff and equipment for a completely separate entry/exit point.   Plus we should be lucky these businesses are still IN business.

The two restaurants could contribute more.  I realize it’s winter, but the only thing Elway’s Steakhouse adds is a plastic patio shade and generators or something laying around.  Macaroni Grill isn’t much better.

So what can be done to make this square more inviting?  Summer Saturdays hosts a farmers market in the Bed Bath and Beyond parking lot – so why not expand it to this corner?   Or how about a swap meet or art show on weekends – (keeping it to Cherry Creek standards of course.)   At least paint a mural behind on that long Container Store wall.

If nothing is done come spring I’ll be forced to set up an easel here and offer caricature drawings to the few passers bye.  Very poor ones at that.

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Union Taxi, founded by formers drivers and operators of other local cab companies, has received initial approval to commence business with a maximum of 220 cabs at any given time. (That number required by PC regulation.)

This is good news for folks like me who live close enough to downtown to walk or bike places at night, but prefer a taxi come real late or in the dead of winter.

Denver currently has two large taxi companies: Yellow and Metro Taxi. There’s also Freedom Cab, which is seen around town but in far fewer numbers. A fourth, Taxi Fiesta, is relatively new and targets the Latino community. All of these are regulated by the public utilities commission, which controls demand, and therefore ultimately doesn’t foster much competition or reason to improve service.

From my experience drivers are friendly and dependent once you are IN a cab, but getting a cab to your door is more burdensome, and on the streets it’s often difficult to accomplish this at night.

In many big cities you can step out of a restaurant on any major street and hail a cab. That’s not done as much in Denver. Procedure is to call first, give your name and address, then a cab shows up 5, 10 or however many minutes later. Again a roadblock of the regulatory nature, but it also creates a buffer of safety for drivers by having dispatch collect a name and number. Many including myself ignore this in the downtown area and flag cabs anyway, and available drivers will pick them up if not en route to a call. And on weekend nights downtown I’ve picked up a cab quicker by flagging one than calling.

With flagging a cab however comes spotty following of the rules. There have been situations where drivers have declined passengers based on distance. (Few drivers want a short hop.) Profiling by appearance comes into account when hailing a cab, and on busy nights cabs can be extremely hard to come by.

Taxi drivers worry about a flood of cabs eating into their slim margins. It’s not an easy job, and long hours are worked to squeeze out a profit. But I do I believe that with more competition, and perhaps someday deregulation, Denver’s service will be a step closer to being “world class.”