Vintage Ain Mreisseh

Beirut is a city of change. Not too long ago I found some evidence of that, an on-line stash of pictures of Beirut taken in 1965. If you have the time go ahead and follow this link and browse around. It'll show you around 80 pictures of Beirut back in the day.

What amazes me about these pictures is how little I recognize. So much has changed. But this one looked very familiar.

Those distinctive rotund balconies are still there, and it looks like parking in this part of town has always been a problem.

Other elements of the surroundings have transformed. There are lots of new (and tall) buildings, and the facades have changed. The tall yellow towers carry electrical wires, though it looks like the wooden one (attached to the side of the building in the center) in the first picture is still there now.

It's a little hard to see, but yeah, that's McDonalds and Hard Rock Cafe down the road.

I could do a lot more like this, pairing shots of the old Beirut (that I can track down) with a current image. If you'd like to see others like this, let me know in the comments.

Taking the Air

I really love this. Want to know why?

The architecture, of course. I'm inclined to align this style with art deco, but that's me simply drawing a visual inference. The colors are completely Beirut, so are the rugs--they're a strange collection of new and old, airing out on the balcony. Just another normal day on a normal street in the city.

You Know It

It's summer, and there will be ice cream.

This truck brings it to you on the Corniche, but all over town little shops have restocked their freezer chests, filling them with popsicles and ice cream cups and bars and sandwiches and all kinds of frozen treats.

Double Take

Ooooh, shiny.

You know summer's here when suddenly there are motorcycles everywhere. And there are. But I don't often see the same bike twice, at least, not the way this motorcycle is here twice--once on the street and also reflected in the convex mirror overhead.

You can see lots of other reflections from around the world here.

Unanswered Questions

There he is, out there with his feet in the water, fishing.

I wonder why. The sea was rough. New waves kept washing over his feet. He must have been wet up to the knee. Can you really catch anything with waves like that? And where's his gear? If he actually catches something, where will he put it? How will he re-bate his hook?

Renovate

The Starbucks on Hamra Street has been under renovation for a few months at least. Recently, while out with one of my kids, we noticed that the sidewalk was completely obstructed. A huge something had just been delivered, and a half-dozen people at least were ripping packaging off of it. Kids love stuff like that so we stayed and watched a bit. Turned out to be a new refrigerated display case.

When we passed by it looked like they were very close to completing the renovation. Good for them, I say. They'll be ready before all the tourists arrive.

Dancing Sunlight

Reflected late afternoon sun danced on the upper floor of this decadent villa in Achrafieh as I happened to pass it.

I love the horseshoe arch, especially when it looks balanced as these do. The horseshoe can look top-heavy and unstable, but these are just right I think.

Before and After

Before the shop opens, and after.

Make Up Your Mind

Some days, I just can't decide. Or more accurately, I won't.

So, I give you three views of the same building.

Good thing the stakes were so low.

Happy Sunday, everyone.

Sigh

I love this. I don't want to stop looking at it.

It was such a beautiful place, and so distinctly welcoming. Every inch of this doorway is a joy. To stay there and gaze all I wanted was squarely within the realm of the possible. I could have.

It was possible but not practical. If I had stayed to continue taking it all in, it would certainly have ruined the day for my kids. They rely on me, you know. And it very likely would have made the residents of this little piece of perfection nervous. I might have gotten into trouble. So I took a picture and walked on.

And now, though it's nothing to the actual place, at least I have this picture and I can look all I want.