South End Exploration

The South End: one of my favorite areas of the city to just meander through. A little old, a little new, and always amazing colors.


I would live here happily...
The clouds reflected = perfection

Color close-up

Contrast the worksite with the cityscape (want to paint one too?)

My mom, an architect, always taught me to remember to look up.

She loves construction sites, too. I always take a second look.

He's keeping an eye on things....

Storefront on waltham...

Dream brownstone. All that's missing is me walking down those steps leaving for work in the morning...

Group of wildly fashionable men, checking out the abandoned Sahara restaurant...

Just made me smile....

Twinkle twinkle

Shadow and light and an amazing space at the South End Open Market

City gardens. One day, i'll have a spot in one.

Ivy-covered anything

Pravda, eat your heart out--some boozehound left your classy nip outside a classy hotel last night...this would make an amazing ad.

I spy, with my little eye...

I really like people. And watching them. And listening. And asking questions. And figuring out how they all interact with one another. Lots of good ways to do all of those things.

Favorite experience today: watching a pair of deaf men signing at dinner in the South End tonight. Between their amazingly expressive faces, rapid and energetic signs, and the clear chemistry and rapport between them (couldn't tell if they were in a platonic or romantic relationship), I could barely keep myself from staring at their fantastic conversation.

Next to them was a large table of about a dozen men (not to stereotype, but we were at Francesca's, on Tremont, on a Friday night, most likely a gay crowd), whose appearances ranged from preppy to gauged ears to fauxhawks to trenchcoats. They were laughing and flirting and carrying on, didn't care how big a scene they made.

I wonder what I looked like to the surroundings tonight. At the open studios we went to, we were fairly obvious in our checking-out of the artists and the crowds, and openly commenting, sometimes knowledgably, sometimes not, about lots of pieces. I know plenty about jewelry and nothing about paintings, Kate's been checking out more galleries lately. At dinner, Kate and I rambled through a bizarre range of topics, texting and googling things. I knew one of the waiters, so he gave me a backrub, demonstrated the latest dance he'd learned, and fawned over us. We ate all sorts of random things, topped off with take-out containers of cake. Lots of laughing, but also lots of getting really worked up about a few subjects. Wonder if anyone watching thought we were students or professionals, silly or smart, interesting or vapid, pretty or plain, boring or invested.

I think I learn a lot about myself and my community by actively observing--how else can you get such a good sense of people's behavior, especially when they're not always aware of being watched?