Traveling to see how the social network views social networks.
Location: Here

I had a chance to stop into Milwaukee and tour around for a few hours. One of the highlights was getting to see the Quadrraci Pavilion close and open at high noon. It is a fascinating and gorgeous piece of architecture inside and out. A true gemstone on Lake Michigan. If you ever get a chance to pop into Milwaukee I highly recommend checking it out. Especially if you’re there at noon.

Here is a video I put together of the event sped up. The whole event lasts under 10 minutes and the wings close in a few minutes time before reopening.

“Those who say dreams are just dreams
say words end when you can’t hear them
Listen closely as they fade
and witness the world’s construction”
- lyrics from “Connjur” by School of Seven Bells

As I’ve been making my way out into the Midwest, one of the major things I’ve noticed is how much street art there is. From Montreal to Toronto, Buffalo to Columbus, I’ve been seeing some great urban art work and installations. NYC is a deluge on your synapses for billboards and blinking lights with all things media, so when the senses escape that stimulus overload, you begin to notice the work when it shows up in the landscape. There’s been some wonderful works which got me thinking about how much design is integrated and vital to our lives. It’s great to have it around.


Short North mural in Columbus, OH


Kensington Market in Toronto


Mural in Montreal

Just imagine if everything was standardized for design. We’d be living like the Dharma Initiative on Lost.


Image from ryebrye.com

My travels north of the border were very enlightening. It was great catching up with friends and the conversations that flowed. Toronto was refreshing after not being there for over a decade. The biggest thing I noticed was the amount of green initiatives within the city. There is a building boom with all the new condos, but a lot of the city has taken steps to greenify. From the trash receptacles on the street dividing recyclables, compost and garbage to the Steam Whistle Brewery that is nearly completely run on green energy.



Much of the new architecture within the city has also reclaimed some of the old city from Brookfield Place with an original streetscape and bank facade to the Distillery District in the west part of the city renovating existing architecture with galleries, theaters, restaurants and residential space.



The social awareness that the city as a whole has taken and developed with these initiatives shows the ease of acceptance. I’m sure there are levels of bureaucracy involved, but the US could take a lesson or two from the friends to the north. And people adopt it fairly rapidly, from the collection calendars to park development.

A mix of old and new in the era of technology.

Some cool things I’ve noticed about Montreal. The street art is actually artful. The farmers markets are palettes of wonder. And the Bixi is a great way to get around to see it all.


Graffiti du Montreal


Marché Jean-Talon (Jean-Talon Market) farmers market


The Bixi bikes

There are usual stories of places on the planet that have found a snug home in a pocket of time, ageless to effects of trends and marketing that cities fall victim to. They exist where they exist, and how they exist, without a brand name tagged to every available patch of real estate and product, cushioned by the community around it. The small towns and resort escapes on the rocky coast of Maine are a wonderful example of an era talked about in memories, but living comfortably in the salt tinged breezes and shade of the cool hues of the forests.

Being a sucker for design, type, color and all good things creative, the gold mine all around Maine were the signs. Signs for business, recreation, accommodations, eateries, establishments and everything else imaginable. They harken back and reference the era when type was set and made by hand. Wood-carved, hand painted, illustrated and characterized with character.



It throws back to the era of Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast in a lot of ways. Each establishment having it’s unique identity and even spilling over into the decor of the venue. The Wonder View Inn where I stayed in Bar Harbor, ME was a step into 1982 as if grandma’s plastic furniture covers were taken off revealing the pristine retro that lie underneath.



I noticed the way design is different immediately, but it took a while of me bathing in it on a daily basis for it to really soak in that instead of seeing examples in a book, I could walk amidst it and look at it up close. I wish I took more pictures than I did of all the different signage. I made a mental note to do so more the rest of the way. This time around, I found myself walking in a different time.