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Architecture + Preservation + CA = Great Blog

I am new to this area, professionally speaking anyway, and read up about the transition from the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board to the new, stronger Historic Preservation Commission.  When I researched the backgrounds of the board and commission members, Istumbled on to Johanna Street's blog.  I really love it. 

Victory!

After my weeks-long campaign to arrest the destruction Rittenhouse Square's beauty, I am pleased to report that the ugly trash cans were relocated, obstructing the entrance to the park. 
Now, if only that shed would be (re)moved. 

PA to CA

Philadelphia City Hall.
Penn's hand, as though he was waving goodbye.  (I highly recommend going to the top of City Hall.  I think it was 5 bucks, but worth it.  You can see the whole city from up there!)
Okay, this next one need explanation.  We got a late start and spent the first night in New Stanton, PA.  The Days Inn offered breakfast.  The photo shows to chaffing dishes of frozen items.  The adjacent sign says that "to protect our environment and conserve our natural resources" people have to heat their own breakfast items.  The sign also mentions wanting to reduce of food waste.  These are reasonable goals, but the ice crystals on the sausage and eggs are more likely to reduce food waste than the sign.  Somehow, I think those have been sitting around for a few months with no takers.  I guess Days Inn reduced their food expense, too.  Isn't there a health problems associated with letting frozen food sit out and then refreezing it? 
When we were in St. Louis, we received a quilt that the cat immediately enjoyed.

Next stop, Kansas City.  Country Club Plaza will get its own post, but here is a adaptively reused theatre ;)

A wind farm surprised us in the middle of Kansas.  I really want to get close to the turbines someday. 

In Denver, we visited Rockmount Ranch Wear.  A worthwhile stop.  Not only did Rockmont innovate with the first snap buttons, but they make cute children versions of they vintage style shirts.  I must mention Vesta, an incredible dinner stop.  I will write a separate post about it later, but it was hands downt hebest food we had on our trip.  (Yes, the whole dipping concept at Vesta sounds gimicky, but the food eas incredible and the service phenomial.)

Next, we hit Arches National Park.  The weather was dicey and our time short, but we did see an arch and the famous Three Gossips. 

After driving for what felt like several years on the rural one lane roads of Utah, we made it to Salt Lake City.  We visited the captiol, which was seemingly unguarded and open to the public on Sunday, and the Morman Temple.  Around the capitol, there were a number of beehive motifs.  This has to due with a comment Brigham Young made about beehives being self sufficent. 

Here is the temple reflected in the fountain in front of it.  There were some hilarious foreign tourists there taking photos.  Oh dear.

We made a final stop in Utah to enjoy the salt flats.  Yes, it tastes salty, but I am not going to tell you how I know that.  In the middle of it, the middle of nowhere, there was an odd tree statue.

Nothing exciting happened in NV, but we did make it to Tahoe.  Beautiful.  The perfect way to enter California.

 

Did Rittenhouse Square Get Uglier?

Recently I commented on how the trash cans at Rittenhouse ruined the design of a corner entrance.  Well, the new shed is now visible and it makes me really wonder will be next.  Okay, maybe it isn't as bad as the trash cans, but it is very large and flanking it on both sides with the fencing to disguise equipment just dwarfs the shed and makes it stand out even more.  What do you think?

Hmmm... Looking at the proportion of the shed to the fenced areas makes me think of stringing together animal cracker boxes into a little train when I was a kid.

Lucky Ride on BART

After exiting the train this evening, we saw an empty bench with a wad of cash.  I was fumbling with my bag to get my BART ticket out, so the crowd cleared.  The money did not belong to anyone, so we picked it up.  $14 bucks!!  We decided that we had to spend it on treats this evening, which required some budgeting and careful planning. 

On the way home from the station, we stopped at 7 Eleven.  So, we started our feast with two coconut popsicles priced at two for a dollar.  We immediately ate these, so they are not included in the photo below.  For the rest of our shopping spree, we headed over to the Berkeley Bowl.  We ended up with some Sake for $1.69, a baguette for $1.99, some Humboldt Fog cheese for $4.90, a mango for $1.69 and a slice of cake for $2.95.  Not a bad haul.  The cake was surprisingly good.  It was sponge cake with white frosting and lemon curd.  Yum.  The cheese never disappoints and the sake was tasty.  Yay for free money.