L.A., Subways, Bridges and Me

Stephanie recently asked me, What's up with you and Subways? It reminded me of something my friend Ben once told me. He and I had been friends for a few years. Then I met a new friend Jo in Grad School who was actually an old friend of Ben's. Anyway, I was talking to Ben one day and told him that I met this girl Jo that knew him. He told me he knew because he had talked to her recently. Then he told me that Jo said "boy he sure loves bridges." I was surprised. Of course I do love Bridges. And having been roommates with Ben for about 3 years, Ben knew that too. But I had not known Jo very long at this point and it was clear to her.

Some other things I really like are Baseball Stadiums, Interstate Highways, specifically interchanges, Shopping Malls, High Rise Buildings, aircraft carriers, steamboats, space exploration, oh, and movies.

There is a connection, and its not just arbitrary nerdiness. I like Mankind, not to put to fine a point on it. errr Humankind I mean. What gets me excited, what turns me on, what makes me want to tell stories is this idea of humanity.

Throughout history, Cities have always been Man's greatest achievement. It was what made us different from the animals. We built homes for ourselves out of bamboo and grass, but we put those huts in a circle and created an area to meet and gather in the center. Those villages turned into little hamlets and towns. Town squares and intersecting streets happened. None of it according to any one person's master plan. The ability to build large communities, and the ability to travel between communities are two of the most basic, yet truly amazing qualities that humankind possess.

Bridges and skyscrapers are just amazing to me. You have to stop for just a minute and take yourself outside the world you were born into and take for granted. Then take a look at some of these things.


The Empire State Building. Not built with today's modern technology. Built in the 1930

The Brooklyn Bridge. Built in the 1870s! Built before Cars


In some ways its now an example of what is wrong with our cities. But nonetheless impressive.

The US. 101 / I-110 interchange near Downtown LA. Built in 1962. All, amazing feats of construction.

There is something so amazing about the size and scope of these things that we can do. Do you know that we have landed on the moon? No really, we all know that. But stop to think about that for a moment. And all of this, balanced against the fact that we are such personal and emotional creatures as well.

I like movies about people. Small and tight, emotional and personal movies about individual humans dealing with life and relations with others. And grand sweeping movies about humankind and what we as a group can accomplish. These are the best kinds of movies and stories. And these are the things that excite me most.

-T