Washington DC fantasy metros:

Couple of folks got really crazy for these maps:



















Version 1:























Version 2; I'm not sure which one I like better, and again, I've got my own notion which I will post soon.

Chicago fantasy metros

I've posted one before; now I want to post both together:

--This is the first version I found





















--This is version two; I believe this is what the CTA is actually proposing to build.






















--And version 3. Eventually I will get around to posting my version, but it's pretty rough at the moment and I'd like it to look a little bit more professional.

More fantasy metros

See what I've found of late:















--San francisco






















Columbus, Ohio (Yes, Columbus; transit lovers are everywhere apparently)




















St. Louis, Missouri. Note: most of the red line and part of the green line (to Shrewsbury) are already built.






















Boston; if Boston had this metro it would be a fun city to live in.


As always, these are not my creations (you'd think I would have saved the link; I was just happy to find them). someone else did the hard work; I just assembled the images into one convenient spot.

"Live moved slower when the trains moved faster."

sucess at my former employer

--While I have left East Moline, I still keep tabs on some of the projects I was working on. We submitted several appropriations requests to congress, and one was successful. Here is the article:

(PS: I worked hard on this and several other appropriations requests, including meeting with the Senators' staff on a regular basis, so I am absolutely taking partial credit for this one.)

E.M. in line to get $250K grant for downtown
Comment on this story
By Bill Mayeroff

Cheri Bustos could think of a few ways to improve downtown East Moline with $250,000."We've got to make sure it looks good," said Ald. Bustos, whose 4th Ward contains the downtown area. Ald. Bustos added she also would like to use the money to do something with the former Strand Theater at 1008 15th Ave. "That marquee's getting to be an eyesore."

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., announced Thursday that East Moline is in line for a $250,000 grant for downtown redevelopment. According to a news release from Sen. Durbin's office, the grant is part of a $57,631,404 appropriations bill passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee. In order for East Moline to get the grant, the bill still must be passed by the full Senate and House of Representatives, although that's unlikely to happen before November's election.

East Moline, Kankakee and Chicago are the only three cities to receive the federal money for economic development efforts, according to the release.Scott Feldt, who became East Moline's economic development director June 30, said he's not sure what would be done with the money if the city gets it. But he knows it will be helpful."Any time you can have an infusion of cash to help revitalize the downtown, it's a good thing," Mr. Feldt said Friday, adding that a committee run by Ald. Bustos to revitalize downtown will likely make a lot of the decisions about spending the money."I'm just going to try to help implement what the downtown revitalization committee wants," he said.

Without Ald. Bustos, the city likely would not be in line for the money, Mr. Feldt said."Ald. Bustos was instrumental in getting this done," he said. "She deserves the credit for all that."A spokeswoman for Sen. Durbin did not return phone calls asking why he chose to appropriate the money for East Moline. But Mayor John Thodos has an idea."Sen. Durbin has close ties to East Moline," Mayor Thodos said Friday.

Sen. Durbin has worked in the past to get money for other projects in East Moline, he said.Ald. Bustos said she's known Sen. Durbin a long time and has talked with him about downtown East Moline even before she took office in May 2007."We've talked with Sen. Durbin and his staff over the course of the last year," she said. "He knows exactly what our challenges are. I'm so appreciative to Sen. Durbin. My hope is that this will be the start of something great."

Although he knows of Ald. Bustos' work with Sen. Durbin, Mayor Thodos said he still was surprised to learn East Moline was up for the grant."Any time I get any grant from any level above my pay grade, I'm surprised," he said.

Fantasy Metros

Well, it seems there are other nuts out there like me, who think transit systems are incomplete, and proceed to 'complete' them. Never mind cost and politics; this is dreaming big after all. I plan to do a couple of these myself, but in the meantime, enjoy these:

Indianapolis

Chicago 2055

DC (one version)

LA, looking very much like the London Metro

DC photos

In DC for a conference, and to hang with Kathi, her sister, and her sister's significant other (gushyboo). Some photos from today:



Victorian buildings in chinatown (which of course you would expect to find a Fuddruckers!)

Steven Colbert, whose portrait hangs in the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian (one sign of the apocalypse). To their credit, they did hang it next to the bathrooms, as far out of the way as humanly possible and still be in the museum.

St. Patrick's Church, Washington. Built in 1792.

Shriners's hall.

Russian Embassy. Closed when I was there; They were probably all at the military parade in Moscow.

Bald Eagles (and some other birds)

Went out to shoot bald eagles today.
I got a few halfway decent shots, but the camera doesn't have a great telephoto lens, so they only came out so well. It's a borrowed camera (I don't have a digital yet), and when I get my own I aim to rectify this situation. That having been said, here you go:
















1) Eagle and Gull 2) Eagles and other birds

1) Eagle and hawk 2) Eagle on an ice flow

Eagle fighting with a hawk for a fish

Eagle in flight