Not to say that I don't appreciate the more polished cities, I do. I love them all. But I have a special feeling for the neglected ones, the battered edges, the rust and hard earned distress marks. I'm comfortable with underdogs. I'm not going to tell you to go to Hartford instead of Charleston for a long weekend, I'm just telling you something about myself here.
There's a lot less blogging and blog reading going on these days. I've been feeling inertia myself in that regard, but I love the connections I've made here, the friendships. You guys have sustained me through some difficult times. Maybe I just need to shake things up a bit to keep it going, be a little more real, a little less edited.
I'm going to the country this weekend. (my other love is landscapes--forests, mountains, deserts, rivers…) I think it's too early for wildflowers, but I can't wait for the sharp air, the scent of moving water.
*All pictures here taken in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
I don't really appreciate one type of city more than the other, but I do gravitate to cities with history, old history. But there is something special about the neglected ones...they have their stories written all over them just as the polished pretty ones do.
ReplyDeleteOh, this blogging thing....don't you stop. I know a lot of people have gone to instagram and quit their blogs or disappeared all together, but I don't understand why. Is everybody rushing on to something "new and better." I'm going to write until I can't find one more word to say and read until the last person on my list closes shop :)
Enjoy your country weekend! xo
Please do keep writing, Sarah--I adore your blog! (And thanks for the encouragement.)
DeleteI agree. Keep blogging; if for nothing else, it's a fine expression of your photographic artistry.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice thing to say, Karen! I wish you posted more too, but it's something one has to want to do--no good if you feel obligated.
DeleteI think an appreciation of a grittier urban atmosphere can be magnified by spending time in the country. At least that's my experience. It's about finding balance. I was a city kid, but we camped and hiked and went apple picking. I liked it all, the variety. Still do.
ReplyDeleteAnd I grew up in the country! I agree with you about balance. When we lived in Brooklyn, we often rented a place in the country--we needed the quiet and space. Also the experience of living in a battered city is very different from visiting or working or going to school in one.
DeleteNot intertia: Instagram. I've been planning a blog post for a month but never get the right photo for it, blah blah.. so much easier to take a pic with my phone and post it where no one expects it to be perfect (me)!
ReplyDeleteI spend 30 minutes each morning reading blogs. I'd hate to miss that routine.
I bet you'll find a few wildflowers and ramps!!
Inertiagram!
Deletehahaha!!
DeleteI agree with Sarah, it's Instagram, not for me. I know I blog less but there's just so much one can say, however the connections I've made are priceless and as I commented on Jane's post, I do read less blogs than I used to but I would miss the ones I do read terribly if they stopped. My way of saying please don't stop:) Speaking of cities, I work with a few millenials and I tell them about when I moved to New York back in 1982 and how dirty it was and dangerous. I tell them about the peep shows on 42 street and how gross Times Square was, they don't believe me, can't imagine it since New York is now DisneyLand. I loved it so even then, it was edgy and one of a kind. Still is and I don't miss the danger. Now, Paterson is a whole other story.
ReplyDeleteI moved to NYC in '83 and you are so right. Those were the height of the crack years too. So much character has been edged out of the city.
DeleteI have a special attachment to Paterson because I was very involved through my work in the family courts and teaching at the comment college. It is a very depressed city, though with an interesting history. I probably shouldn't have said it in the same breath as Lowell, whose downtown is beautiful and thriving. There's a college there, and that always helps.
Hello Jen, I learned to love neglected cities when I lived in New Haven, with all its old buildings and neighborhoods. The city still has a huge survival rate from an earlier day (even though that rate is being nibbled away). I even liked to go to the old industrial areas by the Quinnipiac River and the Mill River. My favorite things to see were the 19th Century houses, of which New Haven has one of the best stocks.
ReplyDelete--Jim
You make a great point, Jim. All of these old cities were thriving at some point and have marvelous houses.
DeleteI love the the gritty and grey stuff too. pretty only gets me so far. it's nice to look at, but I often can't connect the same way as I can with 'other' stuff. not sure why. as to less blogging. I notice that too. everywhere. and it's a little sad. a lot of people moved on to twitter and instagram. but I simply can't connect the same way over there. as to less edited, more real. I'm all for that. maybe we can find a good middle ground...
ReplyDelete