I think I'd like to have a frank talk with this window about my life. I think it would tell me the truth. It would be hard to sit and listen to it all, but in the end I think the window would be right.
20.6.10
Up Front
Windows like this one seem very honest to me. Nothing to prove. What you see is what you get. Take it as it is or not at all.
I think I'd like to have a frank talk with this window about my life. I think it would tell me the truth. It would be hard to sit and listen to it all, but in the end I think the window would be right.
I think I'd like to have a frank talk with this window about my life. I think it would tell me the truth. It would be hard to sit and listen to it all, but in the end I think the window would be right.
19.6.10
Watch It Live
It's world cup, world cup, everywhere here in Beirut. But it's also the weekend, it's summer. It's party time. What to do? Stay in and watch the game, or go out with friends?
You don't have to choose. All over town, you can go out and still catch the game. Most restaurants have set up huge screens, so viewing the game at their place is even better than at yours.
This place, right on the Corniche, wants you to know they've got you covered. WATCH IT LIVE!, the banner says. They don't even have to tell you what "it" is.
Carry on. In Beirut you can have it all.
You don't have to choose. All over town, you can go out and still catch the game. Most restaurants have set up huge screens, so viewing the game at their place is even better than at yours.
This place, right on the Corniche, wants you to know they've got you covered. WATCH IT LIVE!, the banner says. They don't even have to tell you what "it" is. Carry on. In Beirut you can have it all.
18.6.10
17.6.10
Plan
Ever since I was little, floor plans have fascinated me. Each weekend, the Sunday paper arrived and I combed through the real-estate section for drawings of newly constructed homes. I loved imagining the space based on the architect's map of the interior.
There's so much new construction in Beirut, and much of it is residential. Outside some of these new structures, there are floor plans of the interior, and I find them just as fascinating as I ever did.
This plan shows two homes on a single level. The three orange squares are elevators. To the right and left of the elevators are the entrances for each unit.
Some things I find notable:
1. The family bedrooms are all located in a cluster, usually there's a door that separates them from the living space.
2. Two living rooms. This is a must.
3. Two dining areas, also a necessity
4. Separate elevator and entrance for the maid.
5. The maid has a room connected to the kitchen, away from the family space.
There's so much new construction in Beirut, and much of it is residential. Outside some of these new structures, there are floor plans of the interior, and I find them just as fascinating as I ever did.
This plan shows two homes on a single level. The three orange squares are elevators. To the right and left of the elevators are the entrances for each unit. Some things I find notable:
1. The family bedrooms are all located in a cluster, usually there's a door that separates them from the living space.
2. Two living rooms. This is a must.
3. Two dining areas, also a necessity
4. Separate elevator and entrance for the maid.
5. The maid has a room connected to the kitchen, away from the family space.
16.6.10
Filigree
A filigree collage for you today. These are some of my favorite decorative arches in the city.
15.6.10
Map of Another Time
The bullets stopped flying years ago, but the facade of this building has yet to forget. It hasn't moved on.
It preserved a kind of tragic map of another time, another conflict, another crisis.
I really hate a lot of the new and newer buildings in Beirut. They lack texture and rhythm and a long list of other qualities, absent virtues. But they also lack history. They lack pain. They testify against no one, blame nothing, make no cry for justice. They are free from oppressive memories and legacies and inheritances. And that quality is (I suppose) virtue enough.
It preserved a kind of tragic map of another time, another conflict, another crisis. I really hate a lot of the new and newer buildings in Beirut. They lack texture and rhythm and a long list of other qualities, absent virtues. But they also lack history. They lack pain. They testify against no one, blame nothing, make no cry for justice. They are free from oppressive memories and legacies and inheritances. And that quality is (I suppose) virtue enough.
14.6.10
Lots of Bikes
It seems to me that only a few short years ago, renting a bike was still a strange thing to do in Beirut. That's completely changed in recent years. Tourists and locals, young and old can be seen on rental bikes cruising around town. Most of them choose to stay off the roads (too scary, I guess), and so the Corniche is the natural place to be. Here's the sidewalk outside Beirut by Bike--a rental place that does a lot of business at this time of year. They're located just a block from the Corniche at the end near McDonalds. Kids bike rentals cost 5,000 LL an hour.
They do most of their business in the evening, since school's still going here. During the day, the sidewalk outside their shop becomes a kind of workspace where bikes that need it are repaired, adjusted, or upgraded.
Happy riding, everyone.
They do most of their business in the evening, since school's still going here. During the day, the sidewalk outside their shop becomes a kind of workspace where bikes that need it are repaired, adjusted, or upgraded. Happy riding, everyone.
13.6.10
Penthouse
I took this picture a few months ago and forgot to post it. These folks are working on the penthouse level of a new high-rise.
You'd have to have a strong tolerance for heights to do this sort of work. To prove it, here's the zoom-out.
It's impressive that they can do it, but I feel a bit dizzy just looking at the picture, so I think I'll stop now.
You'd have to have a strong tolerance for heights to do this sort of work. To prove it, here's the zoom-out. It's impressive that they can do it, but I feel a bit dizzy just looking at the picture, so I think I'll stop now.
12.6.10
A reflection
Here, the very shiny headquarters of Blom Bank reflecting a neighboring building and the overhead pedestrian link between them.This weekend you can check out other reflections from around the web and around the world here.
11.6.10
Out Front
In the morning, every morning, crates of fresh stuff arrive at cafes and restaurants around town.
I love the look of it--all that fresh stuff out front, ready for the day.
I love the look of it--all that fresh stuff out front, ready for the day.
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