Metropolitan

I believe the city to be an integral piece to the unity and coherence of the world first and foremost. Globalization and all other motives are secondary. Seattle to Toronto, Berlin to Tokyo, the world is like a giant interactive dot to dot picture. Each is completely different offering its own unique atmosphere, attractions, and sensibilities, yet at the same time completely the same. I don't mean this in the sense that you are no longer aware of your location, e.g. Lounging in a Starbucks in New Orleans one day and lounging in a Starbucks in Melbourne days later and wondering, "Where the f*ck am I?". That is a major consequence I will try to overlook for now. Given that each city has its financial districts, ghettos, city centres, educational institutions, art scenes, and other subculture communities, we can see the metropolitan city as the quickest and most efficient distributor of information, whether it is news, ideas, art, music. It does this to a degree in which the internet could not possibly match up to...for now...gawd. It cannot imitate the experience of space, true social interaction, and just the act of traveling to that spot and being there. The main point actually has nothing to do with the internet. It is what the urban setting has that the rural and suburban lack. It is the convenience in the accessibility of everything that forces you out of your small apartment into going out into the world. There is plenty of potential space for discomfort. Ironically, more room to grow than on a farm in Idaho.
I've traveled quite a lot in the past 365 days. San Francisco, Seattle, Taipei, Sacramento, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Chicago. It was on my trip to Chicago that I added up these thoughts that I've had for quite a while. Unlike my parents, I was meant for the city, with room for the mountains and the seaside on the weekends. Living in Taiwan showed me this. Suburbs might as well be deserts. I find it hard to breathe. It leaves me longing for the city, leading to quarterly visits to Berkeley which I took just 2 weeks ago to get my fix. Simon I envy you.


Simon's apartment.


The view form the window.


I have a thing for store fronts.


I love this kid.