In the latest "War Watch" at Ornery, OSC was so bold as to publish this paragraph.
"Plus, they're boring to walk along. You walk and walk, and you don't get anywhere. Like driving through Texas: The scenery never changes, hour after hour, and the only way you know you're moving is the dead armadillos."
Don't be such a nerd.
You talking about living in a big city is like me talking about what it's like to live in Disney Land. I've been there a few times, read some stuff on it, but it doesn't make me an expert.
In your many writings on all things culture, often you come off as the smartest boy in a small town.
How many times has you been through Texas? How much time have you spent in the Great State?
I've spent about 20 years of my life here and I've probably only seen like three dead armadillos on the road.
I've seen lots of dead dogs, dead cats, I've even seen a dead horse on the highway.
You've got some good views on how to make a good city, but you've got little wisdom about surviving in one.
<T>
Greensburrough, N.C. = 231,740 people
Houston, TX = 1,713,370 people
Posted by Architraz Warden (Member # 4285) on :
Bravo Thor. I agree with your intent, even if it is coming from a Houstonite (being raised in Dallas, I just had to say it).
I've only seen a dozen or so dead armadillos on the road. I've seen many times that number living. I've even seen three babies rolling around a room at the zoo. I've even caught one before (Leprosy what?)
I do agree, driving across Texas is a nuisance, but that doesn't really say anything about the state, its cities, its people, or its culture. And, I'd be willing to venture that our state has more types of climates and scenery than OSC's does...
Feyd Baron, Architraz Warden
Posted by Ryan Hart (Member # 5513) on :
Sorry Feyd. The Tar Heel state has a great deal of environmental diversity. We have a rain forest, outer banks, and mountains. And Thor, Greensboro is nowhere near the largest city in North Carolina.
Posted by msquared (Member # 4484) on :
I think it was a joke.
msquared
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
Betcha OSC's lived in a few cities bigger/as big as Houston.
I can also guarentee that he's travelled through and to a great many cities, so he's got the experience to talk about what is aesthetically pleasing in an urban setting.
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
If we added one word it would be accurate, because IMO I-40 through TX is one of the more tedious stretches of road in existence, that I have driven many times, though getting to Oklahoma isn't much better. What about changing it to "driving through the Texas Panhandle"? How many of you more southern Texans go to Amarillo on a regular basis or avoid it like the plague?
AJ
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
btw I thought the rest of his column was very valid!
AJ
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
As a Greensboro resident, I loved the column. It was right on the money. BTW, the wording of the ordinance being voted on today is pretty much vote Yes or No to create an ordinance to ban the building of an open air sports stadium. Yep, you vote Yes to say No to the stadium. Oh my.
For an interesting look at how a city developed, check out the story of Asheville, NC. At the beginning of the Great Depression, Asheville had the highest per capita public debt in the nation. The city had been building and growing exponentially during the post WWI boom and making great use of the European artisans that had come to work on the Biltmore Estate nearby. When the crash hit, the city was in dire straights.
Rather than declare bankruptcy and default on the municipal debts (which many cities did around the country) the city leaders sat down and made a plan to pay off 100% of the debt. It took them until 1975 I believe. During that time, there were no municipal building projects that weren't dictated by emergencies. And they had missed out on all of the urban revitalization projects that were en vogue during the 60s and 70s.
When they looked around, they saw a beautiful small city, integrated much as OSC layed out in his article, and they saw the urban blight of the "revitalized" cities. The row upon row of non-descript or tacky 60s architecture, the massive zoning efforts that were in other cities were simply not in Asheville. Instead, they had a handfull of old-style sky scrapers (if you can call them that) that were beautifully maintained and streets where people lived, walked and worked. Today, it's as beautiful as a small city can be and they are working hard to keep it that way, developing at its own pace and to its own tastes.