I’ve walked, jogged, and cycled around Lake of the Isles over 10,000 times in the 40 years I’ve lived in Minneapolis. Each time I’ve circled the lake, it has been a different experience. For most of the year, walkers take the inner path, while cyclists ride the outer path. In warmer weather, people set up…… Continue reading Lake of the Isles: Always Something New
Author: Tom Wilson
The Time I Sneaked onto a Night Train from Communist East Berlin to Prague
August 1972. My brother and I stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin. We had just arrived from London on our first flight ever. The flight was cheap by 1972 standards: just £14. In 2018 pounds that’s £181 (US$230), a lot of money for us: I was an undergraduate, and my brother…… Continue reading The Time I Sneaked onto a Night Train from Communist East Berlin to Prague
A Motorized Ottoman and Other Specialized Household Items
I like good solutions to household challenges. Take harvesting apples. When we had a house, there was a lovely apple tree in the front yard. Every year it produced an amazing quantity of crunchy, sweet apples. Problem: How do we reach the highest apples?Solution: We used an apple picker. Apple PickerA balding male who attempts…… Continue reading A Motorized Ottoman and Other Specialized Household Items
Don’t Touch the Concrete
Last week my partner and I walked along a Chicago residential street to Wrightwood 659, a brand new exhibition space designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The Antithesis The previous day, a wonderful volunteer docent, an elderly woman, went silent when I said that Ando walks on water. Maybe I had offended her religious sensibilities,…… Continue reading Don’t Touch the Concrete
Finding Tadao Ando
This week my partner and I will make a quick trip to Chicago to visit Wrightwood 659, a new art space designed by Japan’s Tadao Ando. We’ll explore the inaugural exhibition, Ando and Le Corbusier: Masters of Architecture. Ando’s signature concrete, 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, Tokyo, October 2018. In March 2014 I was vaguely aware of architect…… Continue reading Finding Tadao Ando
Northern Pacific Bridge Number 9
Northern Pacific Bridge Number 9 is one of the “lesser” bridges connecting the east and west sides of Minneapolis across the Mississippi. The bridge is significant for its configuration as a deck truss, which is a rare truss type in [Minnesota], and innovative reuse of 1885 pin-connected deck truss spans that were reinforced in 1922…… Continue reading Northern Pacific Bridge Number 9
Ma: The Space Between
Entrance to temple, Kyushu, November 2017. A torii (traditional Japanese gateway), and steps receding into the distance to an unseen temple, exemplify the Japanese concept of ma, the space between. The gate frames space. The steps provide space in time to prepare the mind. As I read around, there are many definitions of ma, but…… Continue reading Ma: The Space Between
Snapshots: 3 Days in LA Using Mass Transit
Last week we made a short visit to Los Angeles where we cycled, hiked, explored, and saw a show. We got around entirely by public transport. For such a car-centric city, Los Angeles has a fairly decent system of buses and trains. Many points of interest can be reached by public transport. Detail from LA Metro…… Continue reading Snapshots: 3 Days in LA Using Mass Transit
Which Bicycle Should I Choose?
[wp_quiz id=”3314″] Finally the rain came today. Normally I would use my own bicycle to run errands, but it doesn’t have mudguards. I would end up with a muddy stripe down my backpack. On a day like today, I prefer to run errands using shared, NiceRide bicycles. They have mudguards, and I can always switch to…… Continue reading Which Bicycle Should I Choose?
Insistence on Truth
March 2018. I was on an inter-city train racing through the countryside of southern Spain. Across the aisle was a mother and her teenage son: she was engrossed in an e-book while he was engrossed in study exercises. I needed to be engrossed in something. I wanted to close my eyes and listen to music.…… Continue reading Insistence on Truth