Sunny Stockholm

Stockholm City Hall

Life in in Stockholm during the summertime is sweet. I have been told that nine months of darkness makes Stockholmers revel in the few months of light and warmth. Since the city sits at nearly 60 latitude, long shadows makes the light play tricks, it soften colors, creating a seeming Kodachrome world. A week’s worth of fatigue and months of stress, take their toll and the words are difficult to summons. But the effects of the light are subtle and noticeable.

Many locals probably take the light for granted, but not the pleasant summer evenings. The cafes are full; people sit outside and stare at water fountains and flowers. People bask in the sun, which is neither too hot nor strong.

"Fabeldjur"
(Fable Animals / Fabulous Beast)

As the sun begins its long begins dip into the Western sky, a cool breeze reminds us that we are still in the north. Despite the temptation to dress as if a permanent heat wave is approaching, the cool nights, no doubt, reminds residents that this glorious summer is temporary and fleeting. Adam of Bremen, an 11th century chronicler, wrote: “Sweden is the most bountiful land in all the world; its soil is fat and fecund of grain and honey.” I think Adam may have visited in the spring or summer, but I appreciated his sentiments. While the winter may eventually come we should all take the example of the Swedes and live life to the fullest when we can. 

The Rituals of a Morning Walk in an American Town

There are rituals during a morning walk. Despite the development of a hypercompetitive, “virtually linked” world, it is still proper and right to acknowledge someone as you pass them on the sidewalk or trail in small town America. Often this acknowledgement comes in the form of a wave, a greeting of “good morning,” or less formal, a “morning” or a nod of the head. The morning walk is an affirmation that people still read the newspaper, sit on the front porch and are friendly to strangers. My sojourns in Europe leave the impression that this is less true in Europe. On a recent walk in the Belgian countryside, less than half the people acknowledged us as we walked.

In small town America, it seems that people are more likely to trust us as we walk. Often I am stopped to render directions. We are more prone to practice common courtesies when we are face-to-face with our neighbors. On a recent morning a man was mowing the berm. He stopped his lawnmower as I walked past. I said to him that he did not have to stop just because I was passing; I felt bad that he was interrupting his work. He replied, “I still do.” I thanked him. It was unclear whether his gesture was mandated or a simple act of kindness. Regardless, he was cheerful in his actions and he did not begrudge me the opportunity to walk the sidewalk.

It is difficult to say the same of people who are driving cars. As a walker, I have become increasingly suspicious of drivers. Automobile drivers can behave erratically and capriciously. Drivers are on the outlook for other cars, but can often overlook pedestrians. The anonymity of an automobile gives some drivers bravado and a sense of security that can be dangerous to walkers. My vantage point, as a walker, affords me an opportunity to observe drivers has allowed me to see the bad behavior of many: texting, eating and general distractions are much more prevalent than one would initially suspect (or at least that is true in my town).

A couple of stories to make my point. I was walking one Sunday Morning and I saw a woman driving a minivan fully engrossed in her cell phone. She traveled a good 75-100 yards without ever looking up. As she went by, I noticed a car seat in the back and a sticker on the rear window proclaiming “Baby on Board.” I think if she really cared about safety, then her actions would have been much different.

Just last week, another incident made me more cautious on my walks. I was walking on a Sunday morning that on a side street that was not particularly busy. A pickup truck noticed that the light two blocks away was green and sped up to at least 45-50 mph in a residential area so that he did not have to wait at a light. The flaw in his logic was that the light in question is not on a timer, but is actuated by sensors. There was no need to speed up so long as no cars came to the cross street. Luckily, there were no kids, people, cats or dogs wandering into the street.

Walking builds community and good relations, but it can be a dangerous proposition as well.

Edinburgh Palimpsest

This building on Nicolson Square offers a glimpse into Edinburgh’s not to distance past. The fading painting reads: “N. Martinot / Manufacturer of Baskets Foreign Bask…ugs Mats / Fancy Leather Goods Walking Sticks / Hardware & Woodware”

Gold Post Box

Some of the post boxes around the United Kingdom have been painted gold in honor of gold medal winners at the London Olympics. This box, which is on Hunter Square in Edinburgh, honors Chris Hoy, a gold medalist in cycling.

My Life with Trains (Part 1) Stations

Train stations are interesting crossroads of people and artifacts of travel methods past. For many decades trains travel opened up destinations to vast amounts of people. In an era of unreliable automobiles and non-existent air travel, locomotives took people to faraway places and opened new possibilities and horizons. These journeys often started, or ended, in grand edifices that symbolized the importance of the undertaking. These structures have fallen on hard times and many have disappeared. Yet, those that remain give us a glimpse to the romantic world of train travel.

I remember my first trip on Amtrak, Louisville to Fort Lauderdale, but I do not remember the station in Louisville very well. But vaguely I remember my parents talking about the beauty of the train station and what a shame it was rarely used any more. Today, train stations have become a fascination. I am only sorry that we, as a country, do not get to utilize them much anymore. While there has been a decline in railroads, at least some of the old railroad stations have survived.

Grand Central (March 2014)

Grand Central Station in New York is iconic. One of my favorite photographs is of the station in 1954 with sunlight pouring into the station highlighting the smoke/smog and creating streams of light that shine upon the people congregating on the main floor. Once someone wrote that we have come to love and revere Grand Central Station because of the destruction of old Penn Station. Recently, we watched an American Experience documentary on Penn Station, which chronicled the engineering feat and architectural glory of the former station. The station itself, which was private property, was destroyed as the result of a business decision. Most people lament the loss of the great landmark. Today what serves as Penn Station, adjacent to Madison Square Garden, is an inelegant structure that many revile.

30th Street Station (April 2014)

The Angel of Resurrection (1952)

On the other hand, 30th Street Station in Philadelphia is a gorgeous structure. Built between 1927 and 1933, it was one of the last great train stations to be built. Despite its beautiful Art Deco décor, perhaps the most distinctive feature of the station is the memorial to those from the Pennsylvania Railroad who died during World War II, which is stunning. Prominently displayed at the 29th Street exit the sculpture is impossible to miss. Named “The Angel of Resurrection” (1952), by Walker Hancock, it depicts the Archangel Michael lifting a deceased soldier from the frames of war. As prominent as Hancock’s piece is, another work in the station is interesting as well. “Spirit of Transportation” (1895), by Karl Bitter, was originally placed at the Broad Street Station but moved to 30th Street in 1933.  One detail that is worthy of note is on the extreme right side of the sculpture a young boy holds a toy airship, foretelling the development and utilization of air transportation eight years prior to the successful flight of the Wright Brothers.

Union Station (April 2014)

For as often as I had visited Chicago, it was only recently that I toured Union Station. My recent visit coincided with the home opener of Wrigley Field on its 100th anniversary. Cubs fans poured into the station from surrounding suburbs and made their way to alternative transportation, usually CTA “L” Trains, to complete their trip. Rather than the bustling of Grand Station or the utilization of the waiting space in 30th Street, Union Station looks empty. There are eight wooden benches, four on either end of the great hall, with the center remarkably open. The light-colored marble floors and the incredibly high sky lights gives the impression of lightness and magnitude. With so few people, the space looks even more massive. I read that the station is anticipating a threefold increase in the coming years. It seems that the station is well suited to accommodate the increased passengers.

While many stations create a nostalgic feeling of early twentieth century, Union Station Chicago has a slightly more recent nostalgia, perhaps from the mid-twentieth century. For example, the Metro Deli is an old-style bar complete with vintage advertisements for color televisions and historic photographs lining the walls. It is a traditional oval bar with a number of televisions, plus a sandwich carving station. As I looked around, I imagined men who had worked in the city having a beer while waiting for a train home to the suburbs, watching the final innings of a Cubs game on WGN. In my mind, Harry Caray was bellowing across the bar, hoping against hope for a late inning rally from the Cubs.

Penn Station (March 2014)

Lamp at Union Station Chicago

"The Spirit of Transportation" (1895)

Chicago Palimpsest 2014

Hobbies Magazine 

Lightner Publishing Corp. 

At 1006 Michigan Avenue, in downtown Chicago, the old Hobbies Magazine Building still retains echoes from the past. Three advertisements on the side of the building (and more on the back of the building) remind us of bygone days when numismatic pursuits still inspired magazine rather than webpages and publishers highlighted their contributions. Likewise, the ideas of corsets is not something that most of us consider as part of modern wardrobes; however, it is the case that specialties shops are more inclined to carry such garments today. After a quick search of the internet, I found that Gossard Lingerie, founded in 1901, continues in business today…at least on the internet, if not in downtown Chicago.

Geographical Publishing Co., 

publishers of maps and atlases 

Wear Gossard Corsets 

They Lace to Front 

PNC Statues

As George Harrison wrote, “It’s been a long, cold, lonely winter.” But late March means that our attention turns to warmer weather and baseball. Staying close to PNC meant that morning walks could be in and around the park and riverfront area. Although it is one of the newer major league venues (opened in 2001), the baseball history of Pittsburgh is woven into the surround area. The four statues that line the outside of the stadium represent the great legacy of the team.

Roberto Clemente

Honus Wagner

On the corner of General Robinson and Bill Mazeroski Way, stands the statue of Honus Wagner onetime member of the Louisville Colonels (1897-1899) and later, when the team moved, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1900-1917).  The “Flying Dutchman” had a career batting average of .327 and was selected as a member of the first class of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The statue was originally erected in Schenley Park, but moved to Three Rivers Stadium in 1972 when that stadium was opened. In turn, it was moved to its current location when PNC was opened.

On the opposite end of the park, down the left field line at the foot of the bridge that now bears his name, stands the statue of Roberto Clemente.  Clemente hit his 3,000, and final, hit on the last day of the season in 1972. During a relief mission to Nicaragua, in the aftermath of an earthquake, Clemente died in an airplane crash on 31 December 1972. Among his posthumous honors was election to the Hall of Fame. The former Sixth Street Bridge, built in 1927-28, was renamed the Roberto Clemente Bridge.