It is eye-opening to see how differently people view meals and mealtime in much of Europe vs. the U.S. To many people in Italy, France and elsewhere, meals are to be savored and unhurried. in the Northeast U.S., these days it seems that taking time out for meals is often considered extravagant, wasteful and [...]
Archive for May, 2008
Lunch break
May 25, 2008The ‘Vacation Test’
May 21, 2008I wrote awhile ago about the “postcard test” — if you’d buy a postcard of a streetscape, it’s a good measure that it’s likely to be a livable, pedestrian-friendly place.
Now, upon returning from a two-week holiday, I’d like to offer up a corollary: the “vacation test”: Is your community a place where someone would want [...]
New York City unveils ‘Sustainable Streets’ plan
May 11, 2008After NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan to charge drivers for taking private vehicles into some areas of Manhattan was killed by political opponents, the city’s transportation department last month unveiled a more modest proposal aimed at “bring[ing] a green approach to transportation that will simultaneously ease travel conditions in our growing city while squarely facing [...]
Moody Street woes?
May 4, 2008The Boston Globe had an article last Sunday about problems on Waltham’s redeveloped Moody Street, with some stores closing – notably the Construction Site, a unique children’s toy store and one of the district’s anchor draws (they’re going to keep an online presence only, at least for now).
“The wonderland window displays of wooden toys that [...]
