Adaptation and the Pub Lives On


A Needed Primer on Urban Perspective


I keep writing about cities and towns and the need to fully understand urban perspective, and tell a tale below to explain why. I use a photograph and musical “assists” to show what might be already obvious to some: We interpret the city depending upon our experience and orientation. This […]

The Bench


Across the Air Bridge: How to See Cities in Emergence


In European countries emerging from lockdown, life in quarantine has mostly passed. We have moved to lives in emergence, a daily diary of risk assessment, advisories, and air bridges. Overtourism, at least for now, has returned to mere tourism, spiced by sanitizer, HEPA filters, and masks. Instagram and Facebook will […]

Protected Land in the Borough


Challenge Ahead: Sustaining a City’s Culture and Character


From the outset, defining the culture and character of a city is a daunting task. It involves storytelling and study, from within and without; it draws on art and science, religion and myth. It encompasses expectations, fantasy, and reality. Every individual has a different viewpoint based on his or her […]

A Pandemic View


Remember, the second meaning of “pandemic” is “universal.”

July 4: A Day of Pints and Haircuts


Kathy, I’m lost,” I said, though I knew she was sleeping.“I’m empty and aching and I don’t know why”Counting the cars on the New Jersey TurnpikeThey’ve all come to look for AmericaAll come to look for AmericaAll come to look for America Paul Simon It’s the strangest Fourth of July […]

Have a Think: “A Time of Excitement and Anxiety“


A phrase used on BBC News at 2:00 today is my newly adopted mantra: “A Time of Excitement and Anxiety.” I’ve adopted it as a fair summary of the balance between public health and the economy. It’s also an example of where I’ve been stuck in my head for over […]

Twickenham Emerging