Point A to Point B: The TECO Streetcar Edition

I'm a member of a photography group that went on a Saturday outing to Tampa recently.  I was happy the event organizer suggested we use the TECO Streetcar to get around town.  I had not previously ridden Tampa's electric streetcar system.  (TECO = Tampa Electric Company but the TECO Streetcar is operated by a not-for-profit corporation).

Many urban areas have a similar trolley or streetcar system, and those that don't should.  I still have fond memories of a family vacation to San Francisco in 1984:  The city's famous cable car system had just resumed operation after a two-year restoration project and riding the cable cars over the city's hills was a highlight of the trip.

In the case of the TECO Streetcar, the streetcar took us a distance of about 2.5 miles through Tampa.  The one-way fare is $2.50, which is a little steep but an all-day fare is $5.  The drivers were friendly and helpful.  The cars were air-conditioned; our entire group found that a blessing in Florida's blistering summer heat.

A few thoughts based on my first TECO Streetcar experience and my ongoing experience with Tampa Bay Area transit:

• There are three streetcar routes through the urban areas of Tampa.  The route coverage is good; it links downtown offices with historic Ybor City and the Channel District (also known as "where the cruise ships dock").  Shopping, hotels, museums and restaurants are easily accessible.
• One down side to the streetcar routes is that one is the TECO Streetcar and the others are In-Town Trolleys operated by HART (Hillsborough Area Regional Transit).  The schedule and fare structure for the TECO line are different from the HART trolley lines.  I find this a little confusing, and the HART trolleys have fairly restrictive schedules.
• Relating to the various fare structures, this is a great idea from the San Francisco Bay Area:  One fare card that will soon operate on all area transit agencies.  I would love see this in the Tampa Bay Area.  It's true, there is a one-month unlimited use pass that applies to both Pinellas and Hillsborough County transit agencies.  But I found this a little difficult to locate on HART's web site, and I would like to see more options beyond just the one-month pass.  I suspect it's just a matter of time.
• Google's trip planner apparently does not include the streetcar.  I'm not sure why, maybe because the streetcar schedule is not as comprehensive as a conventional bus or rail system.  It's still a disappointment to know trip planner is not giving us every option.

All in all, Tampa's TECO Streetcar is a good show.  It's useful for both residents and tourists.  If you are in Tampa, or plan to be in Tampa, leave the car and take the streetcar.  The best transit is not just functional, it also adds of the scenery, and the TECO Streetcar qualifies.

Food and Place

Regional food variations.  I had never even heard of Cuban sandwiches until I moved to Florida.  (I did enjoy a delightful Cuban restaurant when I lived in Raleigh, North Carolina.)  Here in Florida, Cubans (the sandwiches) are as common as subs.  Here are links to a couple of Cuban sandwich recipes:

Three Guys From Miami Recipes
Taste of Cuba

As a low-budget foodie, when I moved to North Carolina in 2001, one of the things I most looked forward to was trying red-eye gravy.  Being completely naive, I didn't even consider that it was called "red-eye" gravy for a reason.  I was probably the last person on earth to realize that red-eye gravy is made with coffee grounds.  I have a mild allergy to coffee and have never even liked the smell of the stuff.  So I steered clear of red-eye gravy after that.  But the southland redeemed itself with other regional variations such as eastern Carolina-style barbecue and hearty biscuits.

Julie and I had the good fortune to travel to Slovenia in 2006.  Slovenia was part of the former Yugoslavia until 1991.  The country doesn't have much in the way of "native" cuisine.  It borrows heavily from surrounding countries: Hungary, Austria, and Italy.  This was fun because we feasted on wood-fired pizza, wild boar goulash, and apple strudel.

One of the real negatives of national or global restaurant chains is that they reduce our opportunities to enjoy locally authentic food.  What are your experiences with local/regional cuisine?  Favorites?  Disappointments?  While you think about that, you might enjoy this TED talk from Carolyn Steel, the author of Hungry City: How Food Shapes Our Lives, about food and its impact on urban development.  It is a real eye-opener.



And if your local grocery or bakery doesn't have Cuban bread, you're really missing something.

The Durability of People and Places

The morning after:  A new normal, or a return to the old normal?

Five weeks into living at our new address in Tampa.  When I woke up about 2:30 Saturday morning, I thought I heard an explosion.  Since I was sound asleep, I assumed I imagined the noise.  We live near a fairly trendy bar/restaurant district, so when I heard a man yelling a few seconds later, I thought it was someone straggling home and being stupid.  Even when I looked out the blinds into the street, I couldn't see anything unusual.

When I heard car doors and voices a few minutes later, I looked out the window again.  Police officers walked up and down the street, police tape was put up to block traffic and that odd-looking trash in the middle of the street was marked as evidence - they were shell casings.  The officer who came to the door told me that one of our neighbors (we live in a triplex) had been attacked and had shot the assailant.

To our knowledge, it was the first act of violence in the neighborhood since we moved here.  We were shocked at the initial event and we remain uneasy.  Julie and I have both walked around the area extensively, during the day and at night, and saw no reason to be concerned.  Should we be now?

In 1992 I lived in Palo Alto, California, in San Joaquin County.  The next door community of East Palo Alto, in San Mateo County, was the "murder capital of the nation" that year.  The few times I went to East Palo Alto it was dramatically different from most of the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area; roads were crumbled, houses and businesses had bars over the windows.  I didn't feel in any particular danger, but I didn't linger.  Housing prices in surrounding communities rose so high that East Palo Alto became the only option for a lot of people.  In only a few years, major retailers started moving in, a bank opened an ATM (no bank had trusted East Palo Alto with an ATM prior to that), and housing prices doubled.  I haven't been there in many years, but I understand crime rates are down and some degree of gentrification has occurred.  I realize many people (including myself) have mixed feelings about gentrification and its impact on diversity.  But there is no doubt that East Palo Alto today is a changed city from what I saw in the early 1990s.

We remain optimistic about our own neighborhood, trying to view the violence in our street as an isolated incident.  But it got me thinking about the pace of local change.  At what point can we recognize change at the neighborhood or city level?  As with a recession, it seems we are well into the event before we identify it.  Often the events we expect to cause the greatest change - for example, a transition of mayors or city council members - bring little recognizable change at all.  The question applies at higher levels, also.  For example, the United States after 9/11:  Was the world really a different place on September 12, 2001, or was it only Americans' perceptions of the world that changed?  And to what extent did those new perceptions result in further global change?

New Orleans provides an example of how a dramatic event, Hurricane Katrina, did not so much cause change as exacerbate change that was already in progress, from a SeedMagazine.com article on Urban Resilience:

"In New Orleans, for example, more than 60 percent of wetlands have been lost in the last 60 years, due partly to oil and natural gas exploration and partly to the levies that were built to keep the Mississippi from flooding the city.  Ironically, the loss of these wetlands contributed very directly to the disastrous effects of Hurricane Katrina.  Researchers have since calculated that restoring 1 kilometer of wetland would reduce the wave height by one meter, and now efforts are underway to begin rebuilding the southern Louisiana coastline."

So what we perceive as change sometimes is just the result of change that occurred while we weren't paying attention.  Or, it may be a result of change that happened elsewhere; change in East Palo Alto was driven in part by the rising cost of living in surrounding cities.

I didn't really get back to sleep that morning after the shooting.  By about 5 A.M., I could hear birds outside singing, just like they do every morning.  When we left the apartment later to run errands, the only visible evidence of the horrible event was a section of police tape left on a telephone pole.  Otherwise, the neighborhood was quiet and looked exactly as it has every other Saturday morning.  People walked their dogs and went about their day.  Emotional shock waves were the only evidence that an exceptional event ever took place.  On some future day, maybe that will pass, too.

Point A to Point B: The Save Your Life Edition

If you could make a simple lifestyle change that would save the lives of 3,000 people every month, would you do it?  Think about that and read on.

Earlier this year a surfer was killed by sharks off the west coast of Florida.  Of course, this is a tragedy for the victim and his family.  It's shocking not only for the violence of the event but because it is so rare.  The media offered a series of lengthy reports on the subject.  On average, four people die of shark attacks in the entire world every year.  Do we all need to fear going to the beach?

More than eight years after the horrific events of September 11, 2001, our news media and politicians continue to obsess over terrorism.  Is there a legitimate terror threat?  Yes.  Should we expect a terrorist around every corner?  (Or worse, assume that every person of a particular religion, or dressed in a certain way, or born in a specific country, is a terrorist?)  During a 38-year period, from 1968 to 2006, a total of 3,227 people were killed by acts of terrorism in the United States.

According to the CDC, you're much more likely to be killed by heart disease; over 631,000 people died from it in the United States in 2007.  In one year.  That is the leading cause of death in the U.S.  A combination of diet, exercise, and, when our genes fail us, cholesterol-lowering medication, can drastically reduce heart disease deaths.  Have you tried the latest supersized bacon-cheeseburger combination from your local fast food chain?

According to the National Safety Council, 39,800 people were killed in the United States in motor vehicle crashes in 2008.  That comes to 3,317 every month.  Research shows that 90% of crashes are caused by people (as opposed to vehicle failure).  In 2007, motor vehicle crashes were the tenth leading cause of death in the United States.  So every month nearly 3,000 Americans die because we are driving too fast, talking on the phone, running red lights, or performing some other dangerous behavior.  Not to mention that auto dependency has taken us off our feet and contributed to widespread obesity.  How we get from Point A to Point B is one of the most dangerous things we ever do.  We rarely stop to think about that, or about what we can do to make our roads safer.

Here are a couple of passages from Tom Vanderbilt's book Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us):

In the wake of those attacks [on September 11], polls found that many citizens thought it was acceptable to curtail civil liberties to help counter the threat of terrorism, to help preserve our 'way of life.'  Those same citizens, meanwhile, in polls and in personal behavior, have routinely resisted traffic measures designed to reduce the annual death toll (e.g., lowering speed limits, introducing more red-light cameras, stiffer blood alcohol limits, stricter cell phone laws)."

And this:

"Traffic fatalities are by far the most important contributor to the danger of leaving home."

Often, it seems to me we've taken our eyes off the ball.  We scan the waters for sharks that almost never appear.  We demonize people for the color of their skin or because they worship differently.  Most likely our own choices will do us in.  Do you really want to save lives?  Slow down, pay attention, and let the phone wait.  It's simple and the life you save could be your own.

As for the bacon-cheeseburgers, that's a subject for another day.

The Three Dimensional City

For years, I've wondered about America's apparent obsession with building out instead of up.  I understand, it costs less to build a single-story building than a multi-story building of the same total square footage.  That benefits a developer, or a few developers.  But it has caused a terrible cost on society.

Building up creates a higher density.  Density makes mass transit practical; that reduces our dependency on fossil fuels.  Density brings destinations closer together; that reduces the amount of time we waste driving from place to place.  And it reduces our need to turn our landscapes into vast parking lots to accommodate big-box retailers.  It's no surprise that residents of Manhattan, one of the highest-density markets in the country, use less water and fuel on a per capita basis than the rest of the country.

So I've always wondered why we choose to help out a few developers, who are probably doing all right financially anyway, at such a high cost to the rest of us.

I've only realized lately that a lot of people, much smarter than me, have been thinking the same thing.  I've also noticed that a few more developers are starting to think in three dimensions.

In February, I came across this article in the Baltimore Sun; it talks about a two-story development with a Lowe's Home Center on the first story and a Walmart on the second story.  The entire project will include additional retail space and residential units.

In my recent hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida, a Publix grocery store built the majority of its parking lot underneath the store.  Buy your groceries and take your grocery cart down an escalator to your car.  I'm surprised how many people complain about the escalator.  I've tried it, it's easier than walking across a large parking lot, especially when it's raining.

The photo shows a development in Tampa, my current hometown.  Instead of the usual oversized parking lot, we have a multi-story parking garage.  Next door is a multi-story retail development with Target upstairs and Whole Foods, and other retailers, downstairs.  The overall footprint is smaller than the typical suburban retail development.

These examples indicate change on a small scale.  But they are good examples of building up instead of out.  We live in three dimensions; we should think in three dimensions when we plan our cities.

Movies and Place: The Sequel

A few location-specific movies of interest:

Kontroll (2004):  Filmed almost entirely in the Budapest subway.  Romance, cynicism, and a murder mystery prove there's a lot going on underground.  Move toward the light.

Hoosiers (1986):  I'm biased because it was filmed in my home state.  People who call this a sports movie don't get it; it's about forgiveness and second chances.  The opening credits show rural Indiana beautifully and that's how it really looks.

Casablanca (1942):  Still one of the most beautiful films every made.  Casablanca is the transition point between war-torn Europe and the hope of freedom in America.  Only a special breed, like Rick and his friend Renault, choose to stay in Casablanca.  The film reminds us that, like today, "isolationism is no longer a practical policy."

The Untouchables (1987):  Sean Connery asks the all-important question, "What are you prepared to do?" in the movie that taught us about "the Chicago way."  The heart-stopping train station shootout was filmed in Chicago's Union Station.

The Last Picture Show (1971):  The dust blows, the windshield is cracked, and the bed creaks to wake the devil - Peter Bogdanovich shows us life in a small, remote town with clinical precision.  The nearest glamour is in Wichita Falls, but Cybill Shepherd, Jeff Bridges and Timothy Bottoms give us the beauty and recklessness of youth born in a town without hope.

See my previous post on movies and place for additional suggestions.

Tampa: Is Transit the Missing Link?

I'm not what you would call an optimist.  But I just moved to Tampa, Florida, and I'm feeling, for me, fairly upbeat. Two factors are putting me on the sunny side of the state.

First, let's be honest, when you're at or near the bottom, there's not much to do but improve.  Lately all the news seems bad.  Consider this:

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the Tampa Bay Area's unemployment rate was 12.7% for March, 2010.  That's horrible, but at least an improvement over our January peak of 13.2%
• Bay Area home prices declined 11% in 2009, making us the second worst performing housing market in the country.
• In February, Forbes declared us the worst area in the United States for commuters.
• The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index ranked the Tampa Bay Area among the unhappiest metro areas in the United States recently.
• GMAC Insurance reports that Florida's drivers rank among the worst 10 states in the nation.  Of course, reckless driving is not just a safety problem, it drives up insurance costs for everyone.
• In 2009, Transportation for America and the Surface Transportation Policy Project ranked Florida the worst in the nation for pedestrians and cyclists.

This gives the impression we're all trying to run over each other, what with our unhappiness, cheap homes, and free time from being unemployed.

Still, there are good things going on here.  Some extraordinary beaches and wilderness areas have been preserved despite the best efforts of developers to bulldoze every square inch.  Tampa is an international air and sea hub.  We have an increasingly diverse workforce, not to mention the University of South Florida.

One recurring theme in Tampa, and the entire Tampa Bay Area, is poor transportation.  Florida transportation departments at every level, historically, have been primarily road builders.  The result has been endless sprawl.  I have to think that contributes to our inability to attract employers and the resulting unemployment and unhappiness.

And that's the second reason I'm upbeat:  Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio has been leading the charge to develop a comprehensive area transit system that includes light rail and expanded bus service.  I haven't lived in Tampa long but I can't help but like the Mayor.  She just looks like an optimist, something we need these days.

In a recent column for the St. Petersburg Times, the Mayor wrote, "I see the construction of a modern transit system as critical to our future economic growth and quality of life."  She wisely points out that comparable cities like Charlotte, Phoenix and Dallas have successfully implemented light rail networks.  We are "at least 20 years behind in building a comprehensive transportation system," and this leaves us in poor standing when the Great Recession finally drags to an end.

It's when things seem worst that planning for the future can be most important.  Despite a year's worth of bad news about Tampa, serious people like Pam Iorio are looking at the long term.  The Tampa Bay Area has shown such promise in the past, imagine what a serious transit network will do for us.  Voters in Tampa and the rest of Hillsborough County will hopefully have a chance to vote this November to fund light rail.  I've lived in, and traveled to, areas with serious mass transit systems and it makes a tremendous difference in the quality of life.  And there's good evidence that transit spending is a more effective economic tool than road building.

So I'm optimistic about Tampa's future.  There are still plenty of good things about this area, and the right transit system will bring it all together.