I've discovered over the years as a city transplant from a small town in the west that there are several unspoken rules to city living, but the primary and most intriguing one is what I call The Every Other Rule. Its parameters are simple: no one shall sit next to someone either in a public place or on public transportation if there is an empty chair anywhere else. Frequently, moreover should a spot open up after you've sat down and settled down next to someone, you should quickly vacate your previous seat and resettle in the empty one .
This rule is one I find a tad paradoxical given how many intimate moments and conversations do end up in the eyes of the public - frequently in areas of close proximity such as crowded buses, trains, or the snaking morning coffee line. In cities there is no respite, no easy quite corner to retreat to away from the eyes and ears of others - make-up is applied or re-applied on moving buses or trains, men shave in their cars while waiting for the light to change (yes, I did witness this once). The line between public and private is far more mutable in cities than elsewhere and more often than not entirely erased. And yet, The Every Other Rule is vehemently enforced.
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I'm fascinated by the notion of place and placemaking. I grew up in a small valley in the west but have lived in a large city on the east coast intermittently for the past four years, first for school and now for the longer foreseeable future for work. I notice how people interact with the places they occupy. This blog is my attempt to articulate those observations further and see what others think as well (what do you think of the Every Other Rule? How have you seen the line between public/private blurred in city living - I'd love to hear!). Simultaneously it is also a place to write about other things I enjoy and think about as well -namely books and coffee. These are the things that bring texture to my life. Welcome!
This rule is one I find a tad paradoxical given how many intimate moments and conversations do end up in the eyes of the public - frequently in areas of close proximity such as crowded buses, trains, or the snaking morning coffee line. In cities there is no respite, no easy quite corner to retreat to away from the eyes and ears of others - make-up is applied or re-applied on moving buses or trains, men shave in their cars while waiting for the light to change (yes, I did witness this once). The line between public and private is far more mutable in cities than elsewhere and more often than not entirely erased. And yet, The Every Other Rule is vehemently enforced.
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I'm fascinated by the notion of place and placemaking. I grew up in a small valley in the west but have lived in a large city on the east coast intermittently for the past four years, first for school and now for the longer foreseeable future for work. I notice how people interact with the places they occupy. This blog is my attempt to articulate those observations further and see what others think as well (what do you think of the Every Other Rule? How have you seen the line between public/private blurred in city living - I'd love to hear!). Simultaneously it is also a place to write about other things I enjoy and think about as well -namely books and coffee. These are the things that bring texture to my life. Welcome!