DISQUS

Scariest things in life eh. :) I just stay with high return on adrenaline or high return of unknowns becoming known.

...dug the entry.

Wonderful sign. I want. :)

You should definitely have that in DC. :) Have fun! I always dig old Georgetown and such. Alexandria even has some really nice areas and ole' architecture. Too many areas to name...

It's interesting how many people are obsessed with The New Deal but know almost nothing about the economic situation actually leading up to the Great Depression, or the economic events that transpired most likely because of The New Deal. On that note I'm curious, what exactly about it do you like? I'm going to have to post an entry soon about it, I suspect, since many are infatuated about it but know little to nothing about what really happened or what went on.

Portland is the same on that note, right up there with the best like SF's options. Even though we're a small town by comparison to big ole' SF. I also ponder a lot (re: http://www.transitsleuth.com) about why the planners seem to be so dumb right along with tons of the riders.

Then of course, I know better than to expect the average masses (the riders) or the planners (public servants) to really have things coordinated accordingly. There is always a bit of confusion between those masses.

Every visit to SF though myself and Joleen (the GF) have only ridden in a car once. Everything else is Muni, BART, etc. I've even answered questions for locals, since I tend to know the system fairly well. :)

Ditto Mariad. That's what my bag o' Stumptown is always for. I wouldn't dare take that extra 20 minutes to prepare my own in the morning (especially considering my mix of either doing a French Press or a Vietnamese Style Coffee, the later taking almost 30 minutes some morning). If you haven't tried the later, check out a Pho Restaurant there in Seattle (I know a few if you need references) and order a Vietnamese Style Coffee when you're there.

I stayed with the significant other down the street while visiting friends in SF. Awesome connections to the transit, but I'd rather have stayed somewhere else solely because of this abomination. I'm into crazy architecture, but I'm into the crazy functional aspects of things, not abhorrent disregard for the human element.

The building would make for great Sci-Fi Film, but it is horrid to add a pleasing feeling to the street.

Then of course, this building only aggravates me a little, in comparison to the other goddiness and superficiality of other Government buildings I've seen. Most of the time they're large, overbuilt, and act only to remind people - if they think - that Government will be there to stand the test of time and apply the jack boot of thuggery.

I'd rather visit the torn up parts of LA and see gang members. At least I know they have family, friends, loved ones and can sit down for the ole barbecue among the known violence that occurs. These buildings just remind me of empiricism which provides nothing in solitude for peoples...

Enough of my commenting mind running rampant now. Obviously, I'm in agreement with your judgment of the building. :)

@adronbh - yeah, count me in too.

Personally, I think people are just that laid back in PDX. No one ever seems to fret over time or anything here. I thought the southeastern United States was laid back, but Portland has got it beat.

As for the bus lanes... I use whatever road there is, but often get in trouble. Thus I try to stick to using the bus lane by riding the bus. :o

this and private should be evident though. If not, something is amiss...

I love seeing the ridership increases, but I gotta say I hope it tapers off a bit soon. Rush hour is almost untolerable on the majority of routes alreay. If anything the major routes, like #12, MAX, and others need buffed up more before anymore increase can really be seen, unless TriMet and the city figure a way out to get companies to really encourage more remote and non-9 to 5 work hours.

Wrote up a response to this at http://adronbhall.com/blogs/technology__softwar...

But to cover the bases, great write up. I sure hope Starbucks manages to get themselves back on track before they turn into another mundane, disgusting, and below average McDonald`s type of product. In the north west they already are, as one would expect, the north west takes their coffee seriously. Thus Starbucks is the standard joke du jour in cities like Portland AND Seattle these days.

Starbucks employees and staff - go enjoy some coffee from people who know about the product like Stumptown. You could take quit a few lessons from the small guys these days.

That is the way to fly...

Wow, you hit that on the head.
Irony here, is that ATT is basically buying back what it CREATED in the first place but had to give up by force because of the Government. So now all the acquisition costs will have to be paid by ATT (and their customers) and Bellsouth (and their customers).
If the Government would have kept it's meddling hands to itself and just allowed businesses to compete, we'd have the competition we have now and probably better service from all of these telecom companies.
I'll bet they've spent billions of dollars over the years compensating for their forced competition created by the Government.

Just like most people, they're actually Libertarians. Americans do cherish their freedoms, and their business freedoms. Regardless of what the blues and reds want to tell you.