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iamkidfish · 3 years

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some things we can’t get back (i miss the way we used to be)

Read it here!

Ian hears of a party happening this weekend from Taz Nguyen as they’re walking to class and tells Leah during their shared lunch break, sitting on a table in the quad. It’s something she’s been doing all semester, all of high school really, but there’s a weird sense of deja vu that hits Leah when Fatin, on the other side of the quad, walks by surrounded by a flock of people.

After a year, after the island, the bunker, some things stay the same: Fatin doesn’t even look at her.

or: after the island, Fatin retreats back to her old ways and Leah tries to help

Pair: Leah/Fatin

Wordcount: 2.7k of the most leatin angst I have ever written hehe

Read it on ao3 or under the cut

Leah knows something is wrong with Fatin pretty quickly after they return back to Berkeley, but it takes her months to pinpoint exactly what it is, and even longer to track her down on the weekends. It's harder than it should be, especially with Ian and Dot helping her, but then Fatin avoids eye contact with her in the hallway as Leah is walking to fourth period (like she has done all semester) and the realization hits her like a punch to the face: Fatin is running again, just like before except this time, (and it jolts sharply in Leah’s chest) she’s not just leaving out of spite, Fatin is running away from her.

It’s like she’s back in those fucking woods, muddied and exhausted, and fear is buzzing a warning in her chest that’s making her question her instincts instead of the suburbs of Berkeley, where her life should be going back to normal, but fuck, Leah will trudge through the woods until she sees Fatin again, even if she doesn’t want to be found.

Operation: Find Fatin (or O.F.F. as Ian writes it on a whiteboard in an empty classroom during their lunch break one day in October, after Leah explains the whole situation to him and embarrassingly, her feelings) starts with recon, both Leah and Ian trying to find what parties are happening and which ones Fatin is going to. That’s the hard part: determining which of her classmates Fatin would deem cool enough to party with and finding them. Once she asks, they’re more than willing to give her addresses, dates, and times, anything to get one of the members of the Unsinkable Eight to go to their party.

After a year, after the island, the bunker, some things stay the same: Fatin doesn’t even look at her.

Whatever they meant to each other on the island is gone now and it still leaves the sharp acidity of disappointment in Leah’s mouth.

The information Taz gives them turns out to be fake or Fatin doesn’t show, either way it’s kind of a disaster. Both of them get healthily shitfaced off of green apple vodka that burns the back of Leah’s throat and Ian helps himself to the wine cellar in the basement, which obviously Leah needs to make fun of him for his preference for expensive white wine. Whoever’s house it is, it’s fucking ginormous, enough for Ian to air out his (long) list of drunken grievances off the top balcony, overlooking the Bay below. He shouts it like he’s the king of the world, confident and stumbling all at once, and Leah’s too drunk to stop him. If their lives were a movie then maybe Ian would try to kiss her again and maybe if they were different people then Leah would let him, but luckily, that part of their lives has passed; instead, they both lean over the railing in silence.

Later when they’re back around people, she overhears info about another party with an address that’s close enough to Uber (because there’s no fucking way either of them are driving right now) without having to justify spending too much money on tracking Fatin down—even though she’s worth it—so Leah drags Ian away from the girl he’s talking to and they scramble outside.

The autumn air is cool and welcome on her burning face. As they’re waiting for the Uber, Ian stumbles around like the drunk idiot he is and Leah can’t help but laugh at him. Their car pulls up and then she’s shoving him inside, all of their limbs flailing awkwardly. The guy driving is nice, at least; he really doesn’t talk except to tell them goodbye. Even in her inebriated state, Leah’s still coherent enough to give him a five star review. The walk up the cobblestone driveway is a long one, especially since Ian keeps wandering off onto the perfectly manicured lawn, and she’s not a complete asshole but she’s also not perfect, so she pulls Ian back onto the driveway but not before he can stomp through some flower beds. She might as well have to buy one of those child backpacks that doubles as a leash.

Just as the alcohol is wearing off enough to make her reconsider walking basically the San Francisco Marathon to get to this house party, the house comes into view. Of course it’s fucking huge, just like the last one. There’s four giant stone columns, maybe about twenty feet tall, connecting from the top of the hours to the base of the porch, and Leah has to laugh because who the fuck would ever be pretentious enough to model their house after the Parthenon.

And it hits her, because she knows exactly the type of family who lives here, the one that buys thousand dollar waterproof suitcases and sends their eldest daughter off knowing fully what’s going to happen to her, and still somehow not giving a shit, the one that cares more about appearances rather than the wellness of their own children.

Vaguely, Leah remembers Fatin mentioning her mom being a real estate agent and yeah, by the look of their house, that checks out. The next time Ian goes ambling around, Leah doesn’t stop him from ‘accidentally’ knocking over a few potted plants along the stone walkway up to the front door, spilling soil behind him like a trail of breadcrumbs. The closer they get to the house, the louder it becomes—not just with music, omnipresent bass blasting out of what’s sure to be a state of the art sound system, enough to rattle Leah’s teeth, but people, singing or yelling, trying to be heard above the music—and the whole house swells and throbs with the cacophony of it all, a whole ecosystem behind the front doors.

Her plan is simple: grab a drink or two with Ian and then start wandering the house, looking for Fatin. Leah’s got a pretty good idea that Fatin has to be around here somewhere; she’s not the type to go ghost at her own party. Automatically, the plan becomes more complicated when Ian sees some of his friends right when they walk through the front door and they motion for him to come smoke with them. Leah lets him go and watches as Ian walks away, pulling a joint from behind his ear, where it rests against that silly arrow tattoo he has.

Now she’s alone, standing in the entryway and picking at the hem of her dress, and it’s not what she imagined her first time stepping into Fatin Jadmani’s house would be like. At the very least, she thought she’d meet Fatin’s brothers (remembers how fondly Fatin would talk about them, would swap stories with Shelby about their younger siblings) or maybe even her mother, obviously not in a romantic way (Leah doesn’t allow herself that much hope, even in daydreams), but meeting her family all of the same. Meeting her father is very much obviously out of the question, for the things he did of course, but more because Leah might punch him the second she sees him for making Fatin cry all those times on the island, after dark when she thought no one else was awake. And it would be during the day, not at what Leah considers Fatin’s attempt at the most successful rager on this side of the west coast

There’s really only one logical fix for this: she needs a drink.

Briefly, Leah does wonder where the rest of Fatin’s family is, if they’re aware this party is happening, as she maneuvers past the throngs of people settled in the living room, lying on the couches and floor like it’s their own house. As suspected, the kitchen—where all the drinks are—is even worse. Leah has half a mind to tell the people who are raiding the panty to have a little self respect, but the drunk part of her brain concedes there’s probably some great snacks on the shelves.

She grabs a hard seltzer from the fridge—she should slow down anyway—and settles in one of the chairs adjacent to the ridiculously large kitchen island complete with granite countertops. At least it’s a little less crowded here, people tend to grab their drinks and keep migrating to other parts of the house. Leah looks around, trying to find if she knows anyone else here, which she spots a few kids from school who look vaguely familiar, maybe they’re in the instrumental performance concentration, but it’s hard to tell because everyone is dressed differently (thighs and midriffs on display, unbuttoned shirts revealing surprisingly toned chests and stomachs ) honestly, most of their time is spent holed up in the practices rooms anyway. The majority of the people here she doesn't know and whether they’re from the local public high schools or UC Berkeley or have some other connection to Fatin she doesn’t know about, pretty much everyone is loud, annoying, and drunk.

So is Fatin, who Leah sees parading around the backyard, but she’s also soaking wet. And wearing one of the smallest bikinis Leah’s ever seen, which is impressive because she knows Fatin’s wardrobe. Maybe she lets her eyes linger a second longer on the shadow of Fatin’s exposed hip bones than she would if she was sober. Leah looks around the kitchen and the few other people sitting near her have also stopped drinking or talking or whatever they were doing to watch Fatin walk and talk to the posse of conveniently very attractive people who are surrounding her.

Now she knows, the Jadmani’s have a pool. And apparently Fatin likes to go swimming at nearly 1 a.m, effectively shutting down all coherent thoughts in Leah’s brain. She needs to get out of there before Fatin can get to the kitchen and notice her leaning against the countertops so Leah grabs the nearest liquor bottle, dumps a truly potent amount into her can, and slips out to the living room.

But then, not less than five minutes later, when she’s inspecting a piece of artwork hanging on the wall—

“Leah”

And she turns—

Fatin looks as surprised to see her as Leah feels, standing in Fatin’s living room and holding a can filled with a liquid she wouldn’t voluntarily drink even if her life depended on it, and there’s a moment where they just look at each other. Something like recognition flashes in Fatin’s eyes and Leah tries to say something, starts to open her mouth, but then Fatin’s jaw clenches tight (and she looks at Leah like how she did on the beach, blood on her hands, menacing) and she’s turning around to the people who surround her, loudly introducing Leah to them as her ‘friend’—like they didn’t spend almost three months surviving on a deserted island together, didn’t sleep next to her almost every night, didn’t hold Leah in her arms after she ran into the ocean, like all of these people don’t already recognize her—and the small, selfish part of Leah can’t hate her, but every other part of her body does.

The crowd of people, much larger now that two members of the Unsinkable Eight are in attendance together, cheers as Fatin makes her way over to Leah. She puts an arm around Leah, who’s so surprised by the physical contact she stumbles a bit, and the crowd roars louder. Then, Fatin kisses Leah’s cheek, hard and sloppy, and Leah can feel the hot alcohol on her breath and it’s nothing like the last time Fatin had kissed her, all slow and sweet and full of timid promise, as they watched the sun set over the island, but she stands there, allows herself be guided by Fatin, the cup in her hand shaking from the rattle of the bass and bodies pounding the floor.

Fatin kisses Leah’s cheek and it burns.

And it’s only after Fatin removes her arm from around her shoulders that Leah takes her cup, throws it back and downs the entire contents in one swallow.

Fuck, it’s not fair and she realizes how desperate and needy it’ll sound if she asks why Fatin’s been ignoring her at school, how pathetic it’ll sound, especially in front of a whole crowd of people who wouldn’t give her the time of the day if she wasn’t stuck on that island. And this plan was doomed from the start anyway so Leah lets herself be pushed around, Fatin holding her wrist and tugging her along, introducing Leah to all of her new ‘friends’, and reassuring them Leah is ‘chill’ (a laugh bites and claws its way out of her throat).

The night continues and Leah can’t stand it: the polarization of Fatin’s behavior, the way she’s gone from completely ignoring Leah’s existence to showing her off like a prop, the way the others talk Fatin into rolling up hundreds and brushing them through lines of God-knows-what on the coffee table, the way Fatin looks at her, once, after she’s brushed the drugs off her nose the second time, and her eyes are hazy but looking at Leah like she remembers, like she still cares.

Leah looks away first and Fatin goes right back to being the life of the party. Or maybe she’s always been like this and Leah’s just been disillusioned this whole time.

Somewhere between getting to the house and her fourth drink, Leah stumbles away to find the bathroom. Only when she opens a door, it opens up to a bed and not a toilet, and there’s two people making out on said bed.

And one of them is Fatin.

The other is a girl, which doesn’t surprise Leah but makes her do a double take when she realizes the girl has blue eyes. Blonde hair, pulled back into space buns, but blue eyes, just like hers. There’s a hickey, too, fresh on the girl’s neck.

Yeah, she needs to get out of here.

Leah pulls Fatin off of the bed with a mild grunt and suddenly they’re face to face, standing just outside of the doorway. Fatin is staring at her, freshly-kissed and beautiful, and her life is a goddamn tragedy because Leah’s experienced this before, on an island thousands of miles away, and well, it doesn’t look like she’ll experience it again anytime soon. Maybe Fatin remembers it too or maybe she just takes pity on Leah, but she’s always been too good at reading Leah’s feelings and she offers a quiet, too-sincere, “you can join if you want, a spot in the action,” and for one blissful, magnificent second, Leah considers it. Lets herself indulge and really looks at Fatin for the first time tonight, eyes roving over Fatin’s body and noticing her sunburn hasn’t totally healed right near her temple (even after months) and the mottled skin of her left thigh, the white scar there, from the first few days on the island, too high on her leg that Leah can’t look at it without getting dizzy.

She’s drunk enough to look Fatin directly in the eyes and stupid enough to think her offer means more than it does. And Leah realizes she just wants Fatin to be fucking serious for once, so she doesn’t break Leah’s heart while she’s drunk and high and fucking laughing about it, realizes bitterly that Fatin’s first direct sentence she’s spoken to her since the bunker, since everything, was about a threesome and how fucking fitting that is and what a goddamn full circle that is, and she realizes this isn’t going to work for them, not now, not like this.

So she does what the others wanted her to do that first week when they were searching in the woods, she stops looking, and leaves.

#the wilds #the wilds fic #leah rilke #fatin jadmani #leah x fatin #leatin #leatin fic #some times youre allowed to have bad coping methods after being used in a highly unethical experiment #writing #buckle up folks

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96thdayofrage · 4 years

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In September the Reader was alerted to two complaints, one filed with the city's Commission on Human Relations and the other with the Illinois Department of Human Rights, detailing discrimination and racist statements made by high-level managers at Pangea, one of Chicago's biggest corporate landlords. Until the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the company was the city's most prolific filer of eviction cases. Its apartment holdings are concentrated largely in Black neighborhoods on the south and west sides of the city and in nearby suburbs, now totaling 9,400 units in 492 buildings. The company also has several thousand more units in Indianapolis and Baltimore.

The complaints were filed by Armando Magana, 45, the chief maintenance supervisor at Pangea in Chicago who'd been with the company since 2010. He's worked in various roles and received promotions and bonuses, most recently in February, Magana writes. "Notwithstanding my exceptional performance, Pangea has repeatedly discriminated against me because of my Hispanic ethnicity and my Mexican national origin. Throughout my employment, Pangea has also subjected me to a hostile work environment based on numerous derisive and derogatory statements made by Pangea's managers and executives regarding my ethnicity and national origin."

Magana's complaint includes several examples of such statements from vice president of operations Derek Reich and CEO Pete Martay. He claims that in 2017 Reich "told me that I should avoid being seen working with an African-American work colleague if I did not want to be viewed in the same way as that 'lazy nigger.'"

Magana details two occasions in 2018 when Reich "suggested hiring 'illegals' because they will accept less compensation," and resisted Magana's recommendations for which employees should get raises, allegedly saying, "'aren't these guys illegal?'"

Further in the complaints he recounts a 2019 meeting in which management for a newly acquired building near Loyola University on the north side was allegedly discussed. "My African American colleague asked, 'who will be managing the building,' to which Mr. Reich responded, 'they've never seen a Regional Manager of your kind in that area.' I asked about getting access to the roof top, to which Mr. Martay stated, 'Yeah I can imagine Armando showing up with his trash can and saying "Hello I'm Armando, the janitor here to clean up after you."'"

Later that year, Magana alleges he "met with Mr. Reich at a property that Pangea had recently begun to manage. During a discussion regarding employee staff assignments, Mr. Reich remarked that 'Mexicans are for custodial and maintenance, Blacks for property management, and Whites for the back office, that's it.'" The following month Magana alleges that Martay said to him, in front of other employees, "I should make you pull your fucking tools back out and make you clean shit out of the fucking tubs, like you used to."

Magana writes that he reported Martay's "derogatory comments" to Reich and both supervisors' comments to Pangea's HR manager Lori Bysong as well as the company's CFO Patrick Borchard and cofounder and former CEO Steve Joung. "Mr. Joung listened to me, then responded by saying that he doubted workplace discrimination was occurring."

Magana claims in the complaint that at the end of 2019 he also had a conversation with Pangea's operations manager Sean McQuade about hiring and pay for new workers, requesting $22/hour for one of them. "Mr. McQuade responded by asking 'Do you know if he's illegal? Do you think he has papers? . . . Do you think this guy is worth $22/hour?'" Again, Magana claims he reported these comments to HR, Pangea's in-house attorney Jennifer Dean, and other supervisors.

"Despite having complained on multiple occasions directly to multiple members of Pangea management, no one at the Company ever responded to, investigated, or otherwise communicated with me regarding my several complaints," Magana writes. "Rather, Mr. Reich continues to make derogatory, discriminatory comments toward me. Specifically, on May 12, 2020, Mr. Reich called me and stated, 'stop treating me like a shine. Last time I checked I was white.'"

In both an internal e-mail obtained by the Reader and in an e-mailed statement from CEO Pete Martay, Pangea has denied Magana's allegations and said he's refused to cooperate in the company's internal efforts to investigate.

"Pangea Properties has zero tolerance for racist or discriminatory behavior," Martay wrote to the Reader. "We take allegations of this nature very seriously. As a result, we hired a neutral investigator to carry out a prompt and thorough investigation and have also engaged legal representation to defend the company against allegations we believe are baseless. The complainant and his witnesses have refused multiple requests to participate in our investigation."

The Reader also presented the company with an opportunity to respond to additional allegations made by ten other current and former employees about Pangea's corporate culture. These included vivid descriptions of demeaning statements by Reich and other supervisors, as well as allegations of segregated and demeaning working conditions. "We categorically deny the claims in the complaint and also the statements made against us by former employees," wrote Martay. Neither Reich nor McQuade, whose conduct Magana also referenced in his complaint, responded to a request for comment.

Hostile work environments are both ubiquitous and difficult to reform. Their toxicity can be hard to pin down and prove on paper, especially when corporate promotions and official praise are interspersed with interpersonal disrespect and disregard. As a reckoning over the prejudices endemic to white-dominated workplaces roils the private and public sectors, employees of color from businesses and institutions as varied as Adidas, LinkedIn, Vogue, the San Francisco health department, and Loyola University have begun speaking out about the racial microaggressions, gaslighting, and harassment that defines office culture for them.

Even as he received glowing performance reviews, Magana could also feel hostility from management. For example, in an August 2013 e-mail obtained by the Reader, Reich wrote a brief note to another regional manager. The subject line read, "Armando was excited about converting to Islam . . . " and inside the body of the e-mail the sentence ended " . . . Until he found out you can't eat pork." Attached was a photo of Magana, grinning, in a little white hat reminiscent of a kufi skull cap.

When asked about the e-mail Magana said he was dismayed at being the target of a crude joke that appeared to be both Islamophobic and about his weight. "I never thought he was gonna take a picture and send it," he said with a grim chuckle as we looked at the image over beers at the nearly deserted patio of the Promontory in Hyde Park. Magana wore a black valve mask and a short sleeve blue polo, apparently unbothered by the biting gusts of wind on that late September afternoon. As he stared at the photo he said the fact that it had been e-mailed was unusual; in his experience Reich rarely left a paper trail of demeaning comments. "It was always phone calls with Derek," Magana said. "He really doesn't like to put anything in e-mail. If you send him an e-mail, he'll call. If you meet him in the field, he'll make those comments."

As documented in his complaints, Magana attempted to have the "discriminatory communications and behavior" he experienced addressed internally, but complaints to HR and leaders of the company didn't help. Finally he started working with attorney Marc Siegel to appeal to external authorities to intervene. The company soon also hired an outside attorney to help handle the situation.

Pangea's lawyers "kept telling [Siegel] that I was exaggerating and they always treated me good and they weren't being racist toward me," Magana told the Reader. "Long story short, I told my attorney I'm not gonna play this game, I'm gonna file this with the state and city and I'm gonna make it public."

By late spring the stress of working at Pangea had intensified due to the coronavirus pandemic. "I broke down because when the COVID started Derek was just calling me every other day, every other day: 'What are you doing?' I'd say 'We're working . . . but we don't have any sanitizing supplies. We don't have masks.'"

Magana said Pangea didn't offer hazard pay. Some field employees took time off because they were scared to go back into the apartment buildings, especially when word got around that tenants were falling ill. Magana says Reich didn't seem to care. "It was like, 'All these guys need to come back to work.' I'm like, 'Derek we're all working, there's some people who took off because they're scared.'"

Magana said that Reich demanded that he choose five of his staff to fire as part of a company effort to reduce the employee headcount to below 500 so that Pangea could qualify for a Paycheck Protection Program loan from the federal government.

He said that in late March Reich called him. "He says, 'You got any shitty people working for you? Give me five.' I'm like, 'I don't have any shitty people working for me.' He's like, 'Well, give me five.'"

The Reader obtained an e-mail Magana sent to Reich the next day, listing four employees who changed positions in the company without being replaced and one who was about to leave Pangea anyway. "There's your four plus one, he's already out the door," Magana recalled thinking. He said that after that he got another phone call from Reich who demanded he name five additional people to fire because Pangea's employee count was at 512.

Magana said he submitted another list of names. "I was destroyed about that," he said. According to records released by the Small Business Administration in July, Pangea was awarded a $5-$10 million loan through the PPP program. They listed an employee count of 494.

By June, Magana needed a break. The stress of the job was getting to him and affecting his family, and he took a leave of absence for a month and a half. "I got kind of depressed, stressed out, I was trying to take care of my health," he said. "I found out my son was depressed, so I had to dedicate myself to him."

Magana said things got worse for him at Pangea after he came back to work in July. There were sudden extra meetings where he was questioned about his work. He felt increasingly micromanaged.

Nevertheless, Magana was still determined to continue working at the company, where he was making $115,000 in salary, got bonuses, and to which he'd devoted a decade of his life. "I'm happy where I'm at, I'm good at what I do, I've done nothing wrong," he said.

Word about Magana's complaint began to get out at Pangea, and e-mails from pseudonymised accounts suddenly appeared in all field employees' inboxes, sharing Magana's complaints and encouraging them to file their own. The company quickly deleted these e-mails from employees' inboxes, however. In a September 30 e-mail to all field employees obtained by the Reader, Martay acknowledged that deletion, adding that the "current employee" who complained about mistreatment "refused to cooperate and will not speak to the independent investigator" Pangea hired to look into the allegations. Though Martay didn't refer to Magana by name in this e-mail, Magana says he felt the CEO's message was meant to undermine him. "We categorically deny the claims made in the complaint and have engaged legal representation to defend the company against them," Martay wrote.

By the beginning of October, Magana felt he could no longer remain at Pangea. "I cannot continue to work under hostile environment with retaliation," he wrote to me in a text message. Though he technically resigned from his job himself, his attorney argues that he was "constructively discharged" by management because of the "discrimination and harassment and retaliation he faced at work."

According to legal precedent established by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 2006 Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. White decision, the definition of retaliation for complaints about workplace discrimination is broad. "It could be making your work life more difficult. It could be micromanaging you. It could be icing you out—anything that could make a reasonable person feel dissuaded from bringing a complaint," said Siegel. "It doesn't have to be a termination or written suspension."

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oliveratlanta · 5 years

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A wild, important year in review: Atlanta mobility edition

Maybe 2020 will bring the answer to Atlanta’s e-scooter predicament. | Sean Keenan, Curbed Atlanta

What 2019 had in store for trains, bikes, and anything else but automobiles was remarkable

It doesn’t take a traffic expert to figure out that Atlanta still holds motorists in higher regard than the likes of cyclists, e-scooter riders, and pedestrians. But that doesn’t mean the city isn’t making changes to better the lives of Atlantans who prefer traveling options beyond automobiles.

Atlanta has, in fact, come a long way in the past 345 days. The plans public officials laid out for the future during the wild year that was 2019 could inform the transportation habits of generations of Atlantans and commuters to come.

For instance, it’s been less than a year since Atlanta lawmakers made their first stab at regulating the city’s most popular new mobility option, e-scooters. Hard to believe, maybe, but true.

E-scooter madness

Introduced by a company called Bird in May 2018, the two-wheelers have become nearly ubiquitous in Atlanta, and their riders have proven hard to tame.

Atlanta City Council officials attempted to batten down the hatches of the e-scooter regulations a few times this year, but it wasn’t until multiple riders died in collisions with motorists that they, as well as Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, kicked reform efforts up a gear.

In July, Bottoms halted the permitting of all new e-scooters—there were already about 12,000 devices licensed in town—and August brought the infamous nighttime ban, a still-effective law that mandates dockless vehicle providers shut down their scooters at 9 p.m. (Atlanta witnessed its first e-scooter operator cease operations soon after the ban was enacted.)

Shutterstock

While a quick glance at Atlanta’s scooter-littered streets might suggest the changes haven’t been enough to curb worries of sidewalk crashes and blockages, the hoopla over e-scooters seems to have spurred an intensified interest in something called LIT lanes (a high-brow nickname for bike lanes that stands for Light Individual Transportation).

By August, it seemed clear that Atlanta led major U.S. cities in e-scooter-related fatalities; in September, Bottoms unveiled a $5 million action plan to boost the city’s mobility network.

Courtesy of City of Atlanta

Blueprints for the $5 million mobility action plan.

Let’s get LIT

The relatively vague game plan promised some 20 miles of intown streets would be reimagined in a way that prioritized alternative modes of transportation, not just for cars. It even came with a guarantee the city would triple its stock of protected bike lanes.

Some mobility advocates, albeit welcoming of the new commitment, felt stung that it took outrage about the new kid on the block—the e-scooter industry—to incite a sense of urgency in evolving to accommodate non-drivers.

After all, earlier this year, students at Midtown’s Grady Memorial High School rallied in favor of “complete streets”—transportation infrastructure improvements that sacrifice automobile infrastructure in exchange for LIT lanes, wider sidewalks, and more—inspired in part by the 2016 death of freshman Alexia Hyneman, who was hit by a car while crossing the street near school.

Atlanta Bicycle Coalition

Atlanta Streets Alive events throughout 2019 showcased how streets could be utilized if cars didn’t rule the road.

That activist effort, of course, was far from the only push for complete streets: Cyclists this year have made a habit of riding down the treacherous DeKalb Avenue during morning rush-hour in a bid to bring awareness to the fact that shared streets can be safe.

Elsewhere, such as in Midtown, complete streets initiatives have moved forward this year. Local leaders in March began mapping out plans to give West Peachtree Street a “road diet,” which means ditching a car lane for alternative transportation facilities.

Additionally, Midtown officials and the City of Atlanta have teamed up to create a complete street out of a section of 5th Street, between Williams and Myrtle streets. Construction is slated to launch in 2020.

Midtown Alliance

The vision for 5th Street.

The 0.6-mile 5th Street project survived the chopping block that befell the TPLOST and Renew Atlanta programs, both of which were found to be severely underfunded and in need of reorganization.

Many complete street projects, however, were kicked to the curb when program officials finalized the project lists in March.

But in November, the City of Atlanta (finally) created its own department of transportation, with Josh Rowan, the former general manager of the Renew Atlanta and TSPLOST programs, at its helm.

The introduction of the new DOT meant the Renew Atlanta and TSPLOST operations, as well as any other transportation-related responsibilities at City Hall, would fold into the new department. Plus, the announcement came in tandem with the unveiling of a plan to spend more than $200 million on mobility infrastructure projects.

The One Atlanta Strategic Transportation Plan lays out a three-year framework to reach Vision Zero—the goal of having zero traffic fatalities or serious injuries—by way of bike lanes, sidewalk improvements, and other bike- and pedestrian-friendly upgrades.

The More MARTA, the merrier

Now that the city has its own DOT, the potentially $2.7 billion More MARTA transit expansion program is expected to be expedited, MARTA CEO Jeff Parker told Curbed Atlanta last month.

The program promises almost 30 miles of light rail lines, 13 miles of bus rapid transit lines, and improvements to MARTA’s existing infrastructure, like bus stops and train stations.

James Willamor

More MARTA’s sweeping project list was green-lit by agency officials in October 2018, and they approved a timeline for the endeavor this past June.

The city’s first-ever bus rapid transit line, which would connect downtown to the Beltline’s future Southside Trail, is inching closer to realization. MARTA leaders recently sent updated plans for the route to the federal government to ensure U.S. officials were willing to provide a $12.6 million grant to help fund the revised blueprints.

Should that go according to plan, MARTA would need to obligate funds for the project by next September in order to secure the federal funding, and the circuit could be operational by 2024.

MARTA

The northern part of what could become Atlanta’s first BRT route.

Another big-ticket transit item on Atlanta’s road map is light rail expansion.

City of Atlanta and Beltline officials recently announced they’d secured a $2.8 million grant from the feds that will help fund studies to determine how to link downtown’s underutilized streetcar system to the Beltline on either side of the city.

Construction of those connections, however, isn’t expected to kick off until 2025. Still, progress is progress.

Curbed Atlanta

But Atlanta isn’t the only metro city that’s warming up to the idea of mass transit; the historically transit-averse suburb of Gwinnett County, just months after voters shot down a referendum that would have linked heavy rail lines to the area, has launched a committee to study the implications of welcoming MARTA.

Even Cobb County is kicking the tires of mass transit within its borders, weighing a referendum of its own that could go before voters in 2022.

Bigger, better Beltline

Back at home, the Beltline project has come a long way since January.

In July, nearly seven years after the first leg of the Eastside Trail opened to the public, construction crews wrapped work on extensions to the popular trail segment, which now (finally) links Midtown’s Piedmont Park to Reynoldstown’s Memorial Drive.

Just weeks later, in August, Beltline officials opened up the much-awaited Southside Trail as an interim hiking path, and earlier this month, they announced a builder had been secured to pave the path from University Avenue to Pittsburgh Yards.

John Becker, Atlanta Beltline Partnership

The Southside Trail, now an interim hiking trail.

In fact, this winter, three different, significant pieces of the Beltline and offshoot connecting trails are expected to be under construction, officials have said. That work is anticipated to bring the popular multi-use trails closer to the likes of the Proctor Creek Greenway, Buckhead’s PATH400, and the new Peachtree Creek Greenway in Brookhaven.

Just think, all of this—and more—happened in less than a year.

It could be decades before Atlanta is renowned for its public transit and mobility options. But if 2019 is any indication of where we’re headed, we’re on the right track.

source https://atlanta.curbed.com/2019/12/11/21009965/2019-year-review-atlanta-transportation

#OliverAtlanta

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melissawalker01 · 4 years

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ATV Accident Lawyer American Fork Utah

Among all community, no community catches the Spirit of America more than the City of American Fork. Tenderly balancing the small-town charm it was founded upon with big-city retail and opportunity, American Fork enjoys steady growth in industry and population. More than 30 percent of American Fork residents have a bachelor’s degrees or higher. The State of Utah has an unmatched number of bilingual residents of all ages. Utah Valley University, Brigham Young University, Mountain land Applied Technology College, and Provo College are just minutes away. The City is served by the Alpine School District and is also home to a number of private, charter and vocational schools. The community is enriched by the American Fork Arts Council, which presents a variety of programs throughout the year. The City also enjoys the talents of the American Fork Symphony and the Utah Regional Ballet. The American Fork High School Bands have established a reputation for excellence. The American Fork High School Marching Band finished as a Semi-Finalist in the Grand Nationals competition in 2008 and 2013, and have been State Champions for more than 20 years.

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The City is popular for its outdoor trails, biking, hiking and outdoor recreational opportunities. Recreational and camping opportunities abound, from the American Fork Boat Harbor at Utah Lake to Timpanogos Cave National Monument and the Alpine Scenic Loop, located in beautiful American Fork Canyon. The City’s central location puts it within a half day’s drive of Utah’s 15 spectacular national parks, monuments, and recreation areas. Utah offers three unique ways to enjoy life. You can take advantage of the urban environment in Salt Lake City and the mountains that surround the area, enjoy world-class skiing, and have all of the amenities that you’d expect with big-city life. You can choose the suburbs if you wish to save a little money without sacrificing too much of your access. More people are moving away from the city center; however, so prices are rising rapidly. You’ll want to establish your home quickly to avoid another potential 9% increase in the next year. There is also the rural life waiting for you in Utah. You can start farming, ranching, or manage a longer commute to create the home of your dreams. It is the perfect solution for some freelancers or those who are self-employed too if a data connection is available. The pros and cons of living in Utah are essential to review because there can be some unexpected surprises with this decision. You can build a nice life for yourself here, but it might come at a steep price.

Pros of Living in American Folk Utah

• The cost of living in Utah is competitive with the rest of the country. You can find pockets of space in Utah were the cost of living is exceptionally competitive. There are places of natural beauty like Moab that receive support from the tourism and hospitality industries. Green River offers centralized access to the state without charging an arm and a leg for real estate like you can find in Salt Lake City. If you want to live in a rural area, there are extensive land parcels that can give you your own patch of paradise. Even if you decide to live in one of the cities, the combination of high wages and low real estate, utilities, and grocery costs makes it an inviting place to live.

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• The rental market in Utah offers competitive pricing as well. Rental prices in Utah tend to match what the average costs are in the United States at all sizing levels.

• The climate in Utah is supportive in ever season. You will discover that Utah offers a dry, continental climate that supports all four seasons throughout most of the state. The only exception to this advantage would be in the southwestern desert areas where many of the national parks are located. You will enjoy warmth in the summer, reasonable winters, and low precipitation levels except for the mountain locations.

• The crime rate in Utah is one of the lowest in the country. Salt Lake City sees the highest levels of crime in the state, which can push the average statewide levels above the national median in some years. Most of the incidents involve property crime. Violent crime in Utah is almost 40% lower than it is across the rest of the country. If you don’t mind moving to one of the rural communities, then the crime rates are up to 80% below average. Utah is frequently rated as one of the top 10 safest places to live in the United States. With its robust religious background and rural nature, you can hang your shingle without really worrying about what might happen in the middle of the night.

• The educational opportunities in Utah are excellent. Most of the school districts throughout the state receive average or above average grades for the quality of education that the provide to students of all ages. There are several higher-learning institutions present in Utah as well if you wish to pursue an undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degree after moving here. Many of the schools receive national recognition for the quality of education they provide.

• Utah is an outdoor paradise. You will find that most of Utah is covered with mountains. There are numerous opportunities to go hiking, cycling, and fishing throughout the state. It offers beautiful rivers that you can explore, whitewater rafting destinations, climbing, backpacking, horseback riding, and skiing all at world-class levels Utah is also home to five national parks: Arches, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Canyon lands, and Zion. If you can make life happen in Green River, then you will have a base camp to all of them. Add Goblin Valley into the mix (which is a state park), and you could spend an entire summer exploring what is available in your backyard.

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• The economy of Utah is stable and thriving. Utah is a wonderful place to consider relocation because it has such a thriving economy. The unemployment rate is below 3% overall, with some areas seeing even less than that. The number of high-tech jobs has grown by over 70% in recent years, with many of the positions located in or around the Salt Lake City region. The SLC metro area has had one of the fastest-growing labor forces in the country for nearly a decade. That means you will also have plenty of opportunities to start your own business or begin freelancing if you want to live in Utah. The entire economy thrives because of the innovative approach of so many here in the state.

• Utah is a relatively young state from a demographic standpoint. The average age of a Utah resident right now is a little over 30 years old. Over 90% of the population graduates from high school each year, with about 30% of students deciding to pursue an undergraduate degree at one of the state’s schools. That means you are joining a community that is young, educated, and ready to be productive. When you combine these attributes with what is available throughout the rest of the state, and then it is easy to see why so many people want to call this area home.

• The transportation networks in American Folk Utah are supportive and well-built.

• Utah offers an emphasis on equality. Even though there is a strong religious presence in the state because of its history, you will also find that people tend to feel equal when they live in Utah.

Cons of Living in Utah

• Home prices are a lot higher on average when compared to the rest of the United States. The average price of a home in Utah is above $302,000, which places the state in line with a high-demand city like Denver if you’re looking to purchase a starter home. The in-demand neighborhoods and suburban communities around Salt Lake City can have an average which is $100,000 higher than that figure. Some of this disadvantage is a little misleading because homes in the SLC region are 90% more expensive than they are across the country. If you don’t mind a little bit of a commute, then you can usually find something in your price range.

• There can be a lot of nothing between communities in Utah. If you are taking the east-west route between Green River and Salina, then you’d better check your fuel gauge before making the journey. There are 106 miles that you’ll need to drive before you can reach the next service facility. That is 106 consecutive miles of no towns, meaningful exists, or even a legal way to turn around if you need something. It is the longest stretch of emptiness in the entire U.S. interstate network.

• Like it or not, religion is a way of life for many in Utah. Surveys that look at the spiritual demographics of Utah find that about 60% of the population identifies as being Mormon. If you only look at the southern counties of the state, the figure climbs to more than 80%. Although there is a certain acceptance that exists here, especially if you can support yourself and respect differences, you can encounter the occasional zealot who demands compliance with their specific religious beliefs – and this disadvantage is not confined to just the Mormons.

• Taxes can be a challenge when you start living in Utah. If you look at the current tax structure of Utah and compare it to the rest of the United States, you’ll find that it hits the exact median of what to expect. The state is the 25th highest in the country for its overall rate of taxation. There is an income tax of almost 5% that applies to your income, a sales tax that can be up near 9% in some communities, and a property tax rate of 0.66%. Then there are the alcohol, cigarette, and gasoline taxes that you’ll need to pay when living in the state. If your plans involve business ownership when moving here, there is additional taxation issues that you’ll want to review before finalizing your plans.

• Home prices are rising rapidly in the state. The average price of a home in Utah has risen by over $100,000 in just five years. Zillow states that the median rate in 2015 was $229,000. By the end of 2019, the expected valuation is $332,000. Although the cost of housing in the state is reasonably affordable, especially if you can be outside of the City metro area, the prices are continuing to rise at one of the fastest rates in the country. If you are trying to keep costs down, that means you’ll be living somewhere that is outside of the normal pattern of traffic. The rural communities can be 100+ miles from where you plan to work, so your commute (and the wear and tear on your vehicle) could be extensive.

• Driving can be problematic when living in Utah. When you can go for over 100 miles without running into another town, then there is a desire to drive a little bit faster. You’ll find that the wide-open spaces encourage a heavy foot on the accelerator, even if you’re not the biggest fan of speeding. If you live in a community like Delta, then you could be an hour away from the next significant town. There are a lot of places, especially in the western part of the state, where you are literally in the middle of nowhere. That means there are a lot of desert climate challenges that you can face when living in the state as well. Sandstone dominates Utah, especially in the southwest where the weather is hot and dry. You’ll have insect issues to manage, water access problems in some regions, and a lot of open space where it could be miles before you reach your neighbor.

• There are times when you will need to deal with the inversion layer. The only problem is that they do this in the winter months too, which means the smog from the city can become part of an inversion layer that can sit over your home for days. If you have asthma, allergies, or other health issues that impact your breathing, then this disadvantage could be problematic enough that moving here may not be the best idea. You will find less of an emphasis on sustainability here than in other parts of the country as well. Long stretches of empty highway are a temptation to create litter for some drivers. Shooters go into the desert and leave their casings behind. Even something simple, like using a reusable shopping bag, seems like a waste of time to some in the state.

• If you like baguettes don’t purchase the ones you can find here. For the record, a baguette is a thin, long loaf of French bread that comes from lean dough. It has a crisp crust to it with a diameter that is 6cm maximum. What you can find in Utah is something closer to a traditional loaf that requires slicing, although the shape of it is somewhat similar. There are a lot of imposters. And this disadvantage only serves as an example. You will find Utah versions of a lot of foods that may not seem quite “right” to you. If you’re a traditionalist who wants certain items, then you may need to shop at specialty stores to get what you need. It can be quite the inconvenience at times.

• Utah still uses a 3.2% definition for liquor. Although Utah has taken recent steps to modernize their liquor laws, the state is far behind the times when compared to the rest of the country. Taverns, bars, nightclubs, and anyone else who sells beer, wine, or spirits shut down at 1am in the state. You can purchase packaged beer at the grocery store, but the maximum alcohol content is 3.2% by weight for beer sold there and at restaurants. That means you must go to a liquor store (unless it is Sunday, because the store will be closed), to stock up on your favorites.

When you have been injured in an ATV Accident in American Fork Utah, please call Ascent Law for your Free Consultation. We want to help you.

American Fork Utah ATV Accident Attorney Free Consultation

When you need legal help with an ATV injury in American Fork, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

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mayarosa47 · 4 years

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ATV Accident Lawyer American Fork Utah

Pros of Living in American Folk Utah

• The rental market in Utah offers competitive pricing as well. Rental prices in Utah tend to match what the average costs are in the United States at all sizing levels.

• The transportation networks in American Folk Utah are supportive and well-built.

Cons of Living in Utah

When you have been injured in an ATV Accident in American Fork Utah, please call Ascent Law for your Free Consultation. We want to help you.

American Fork Utah ATV Accident Attorney Free Consultation

When you need legal help with an ATV injury in American Fork, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Recent Posts

Does A Small Business Owner Need A Lawyer?

Step Parent Adoption Attorney

Joint vs. Sole Custody

Qualified Personal Residence Trust QPRT

Commercial Property

Chapter 11 vs Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

from https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/atv-accident-lawyer-american-fork-utah/

from Criminal Defense Lawyer West Jordan Utah - Blog http://criminaldefenselawyerwestjordanutah.weebly.com/blog/atv-accident-lawyer-american-fork-utah

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asafeatherwould · 4 years

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ATV Accident Lawyer American Fork Utah

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Pros of Living in American Folk Utah

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• The rental market in Utah offers competitive pricing as well. Rental prices in Utah tend to match what the average costs are in the United States at all sizing levels.

youtube

• The transportation networks in American Folk Utah are supportive and well-built.

Cons of Living in Utah

When you have been injured in an ATV Accident in American Fork Utah, please call Ascent Law for your Free Consultation. We want to help you.

American Fork Utah ATV Accident Attorney Free Consultation

When you need legal help with an ATV injury in American Fork, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Recent Posts

Does A Small Business Owner Need A Lawyer?

Step Parent Adoption Attorney

Joint vs. Sole Custody

Qualified Personal Residence Trust QPRT

Commercial Property

Chapter 11 vs Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Source: https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/atv-accident-lawyer-american-fork-utah/

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michaeljames1221 · 4 years

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ATV Accident Lawyer American Fork Utah

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Pros of Living in American Folk Utah

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• The rental market in Utah offers competitive pricing as well. Rental prices in Utah tend to match what the average costs are in the United States at all sizing levels.

youtube

• The transportation networks in American Folk Utah are supportive and well-built.

Cons of Living in Utah

When you have been injured in an ATV Accident in American Fork Utah, please call Ascent Law for your Free Consultation. We want to help you.

American Fork Utah ATV Accident Attorney Free Consultation

When you need legal help with an ATV injury in American Fork, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Recent Posts

Does A Small Business Owner Need A Lawyer?

Step Parent Adoption Attorney

Joint vs. Sole Custody

Qualified Personal Residence Trust QPRT

Commercial Property

Chapter 11 vs Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

from Michael Anderson https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/atv-accident-lawyer-american-fork-utah/

from Criminal Defense Lawyer West Jordan Utah https://criminaldefenselawyerwestjordanutah.wordpress.com/2020/04/30/atv-accident-lawyer-american-fork-utah/

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advertphoto · 4 years

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ATV Accident Lawyer American Fork Utah

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Pros of Living in American Folk Utah

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• The rental market in Utah offers competitive pricing as well. Rental prices in Utah tend to match what the average costs are in the United States at all sizing levels.

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• The transportation networks in American Folk Utah are supportive and well-built.

Cons of Living in Utah

When you have been injured in an ATV Accident in American Fork Utah, please call Ascent Law for your Free Consultation. We want to help you.

American Fork Utah ATV Accident Attorney Free Consultation

When you need legal help with an ATV injury in American Fork, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Recent Posts

Does A Small Business Owner Need A Lawyer?

Step Parent Adoption Attorney

Joint vs. Sole Custody

Qualified Personal Residence Trust QPRT

Commercial Property

Chapter 11 vs Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Source: https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/atv-accident-lawyer-american-fork-utah/

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aretia · 4 years

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ATV Accident Lawyer American Fork Utah

youtube

Pros of Living in American Folk Utah

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• The rental market in Utah offers competitive pricing as well. Rental prices in Utah tend to match what the average costs are in the United States at all sizing levels.

youtube

• The transportation networks in American Folk Utah are supportive and well-built.

Cons of Living in Utah

When you have been injured in an ATV Accident in American Fork Utah, please call Ascent Law for your Free Consultation. We want to help you.

American Fork Utah ATV Accident Attorney Free Consultation

When you need legal help with an ATV injury in American Fork, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Recent Posts

Does A Small Business Owner Need A Lawyer?

Step Parent Adoption Attorney

Joint vs. Sole Custody

Qualified Personal Residence Trust QPRT

Commercial Property

Chapter 11 vs Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Source: https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/atv-accident-lawyer-american-fork-utah/

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divorcelawyergunnisonutah · 4 years

Text

ATV Accident Lawyer American Fork Utah

youtube

Pros of Living in American Folk Utah

youtube

• The rental market in Utah offers competitive pricing as well. Rental prices in Utah tend to match what the average costs are in the United States at all sizing levels.

youtube

• The transportation networks in American Folk Utah are supportive and well-built.

Cons of Living in Utah

When you have been injured in an ATV Accident in American Fork Utah, please call Ascent Law for your Free Consultation. We want to help you.

American Fork Utah ATV Accident Attorney Free Consultation

When you need legal help with an ATV injury in American Fork, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Recent Posts

Does A Small Business Owner Need A Lawyer?

Step Parent Adoption Attorney

Joint vs. Sole Custody

Qualified Personal Residence Trust QPRT

Commercial Property

Chapter 11 vs Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

from Michael Anderson https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/atv-accident-lawyer-american-fork-utah/

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gonnagoandrunwiththehorses · 4 years

Text

ATV Accident Lawyer American Fork Utah

youtube

Pros of Living in American Folk Utah

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• The rental market in Utah offers competitive pricing as well. Rental prices in Utah tend to match what the average costs are in the United States at all sizing levels.

youtube

• The transportation networks in American Folk Utah are supportive and well-built.

Cons of Living in Utah

When you have been injured in an ATV Accident in American Fork Utah, please call Ascent Law for your Free Consultation. We want to help you.

American Fork Utah ATV Accident Attorney Free Consultation

When you need legal help with an ATV injury in American Fork, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Recent Posts

Does A Small Business Owner Need A Lawyer?

Step Parent Adoption Attorney

Joint vs. Sole Custody

Qualified Personal Residence Trust QPRT

Commercial Property

Chapter 11 vs Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Source: https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/atv-accident-lawyer-american-fork-utah/

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coming-from-hell · 4 years

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ATV Accident Lawyer American Fork Utah

youtube

Pros of Living in American Folk Utah

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• The rental market in Utah offers competitive pricing as well. Rental prices in Utah tend to match what the average costs are in the United States at all sizing levels.

youtube

• The transportation networks in American Folk Utah are supportive and well-built.

Cons of Living in Utah

When you have been injured in an ATV Accident in American Fork Utah, please call Ascent Law for your Free Consultation. We want to help you.

American Fork Utah ATV Accident Attorney Free Consultation

When you need legal help with an ATV injury in American Fork, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

Ascent Law LLC

4.9 stars – based on 67 reviews

Recent Posts

Does A Small Business Owner Need A Lawyer?

Step Parent Adoption Attorney

Joint vs. Sole Custody

Qualified Personal Residence Trust QPRT

Commercial Property

Chapter 11 vs Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Source: https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/atv-accident-lawyer-american-fork-utah/

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jwindish · 5 years

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The Pontiac Trail – A Day Trip on Route 66

Are you looking for an adventure filled with nostalgia, Midwest charm, and some time behind the wheel? If so, the section of old Route 66 between Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri is filled with plenty of adventure to get you “off the beaten path” and back to what made the American road trip famous. Jump on the Pontiac Trail and take a day trip on Route 66.

Pontiac Trail

Affectionately called The Pontiac Trail, this route was the original route traveled between Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri. As we know, this route later became Route 66, “The Mother Road”.

Research will show that there are/were different sections of Route 66 in use at different times in history. The oldest sections of Route 66 follow the Pontiac Trail in what was designated as Illinois Route 4, which is the route we decided to explore on our Pontiac Trail day trip along old Route 66.

Having traveled most of the eastern sections of old Route 66 from Bloomington to Chicago at various times, we decided to explore the western section of the Pontiac Trail. Starting in Chatham, Illinois and working our way down to Edwardsville, Illinois.

Read about our day in Pontiac, Illinois HERE.

This particular section took us about three hours to drive with some stops for some local adventure and sightseeing.

Below are some highlights of some sights along this section of Route 66. This is just a sample of some sights you’ll encounter along this route, we don’t want to ruin it for you by giving away too much.

Here is a good website as a reference for the different routes that can be taken along Route 66 in various states – a great reference with good directions and tips. Click HERE

Springfield, Illinois was not on our itinerary for this trip. Springfield, onetime home to President Abraham Lincoln and state capitol, really needs its own post and much more time to explore. So, we bypassed Springfield on this trip.

First stop….

Chatham, Illinois

The Old Chatham Bridge, pictured above, was an early route that was in use for a short time. By 1930, better and straighter roads bypassed most of Chatham.

The old bridge is obviously no longer in use, except for what appears to be support for a water line supplied by a nearby pump station.

The bridge was hard to locate due to poor GPS coordinates and the fact that the Old Chatham Road is mostly closed to traffic yet still marked. Not a worthy destination for sightseeing, but I had to start somewhere.

On to…..

Auburn, Illinois

A lovely town with some of that Midwest charm we talked about above.

Seen below is the double-decker gazebo that sits in the middle of the town square. Oddly enough, you can’t get to the second level of the gazebo. So, we were left wondering what the purpose of a double-decker gazebo would be if you can’t get to the upper level.

There was no information about the origins of this gazebo that we could find, however, it is still a well preserved and lovely destination to stroll around to take in a lovely day.

Below is the lovely Commercial Hotel located on the East side of the Auburn square. An interesting story found in research was that the Hotel had caught fire in about 1910 and was destroyed. There is not much other information available, however, it was obviously rebuilt and is as it is pictured here.

The Commercial Hotel

A must-see near Auburn – The Route 66 Brick Road

Bricks laid over the original concrete in this section of Route 66. Only about 1.5 miles in length, this is a must-see for the Route 66 road-tripper.

Just enter Snell Road, Auburn, Illinois into your GPS and you’ll drive right to the brick road. Definitely a photo opportunity as well – very cool place.

Next stop…

Virden, Illinois

Pictured above is the History of Virden mural. The mural is the attraction we were looking for and appears that the mural has changed quite a bit over the years – repainted and redesigned with varying highlights.

An interesting fact about Virden – A dispute between mining laborers and the Chicago – Virden Coal Company in 1898 in which the company hired “non-union” laborers when original miners went on strike led to a gunfight. 13 people would be killed in this short battle.

On to….

Girard, Illinois

A must stop in Girard is Doc’s Soda Fountain on the square.

A well-maintained example of a period Soda Fountain, Doc’s is a must-do attraction when traveling through Girard. You can sample a soda poured directly from the original fountains, surrounded by some beautiful hand-made and carved wood that would have been in the building during the time of Route 66 heyday.

I opted for a hand-dipped Vanilla milkshake, which was pretty tasty.

Doc’s Soda Fountain

Since the soda fountain was once a drug store, the owners have assembled a collection of antique items that would have been in the store during the times.

We would love to have this old Rolltop desk, but I’m sure they aren’t interested in selling.

Don’t forget to sign the Guestbook – I did and that’s me on the last line. Just a few lines up were some guests from England.

There are a few other sights located in Girard, however, we were on a tight schedule and just moved on.

West to Nilwood…..

Nilwood, Illinois

Nilwood, Illinois is a pretty small town and there isn’t really much to see. However, a fun item just south of Nilwood is the Turkey Tracks of Route 66.

During the 1920s as the concrete was being poured for what would become Route 66, a turkey wandered onto the fresh concrete and left its mark. Still there today and is marked well with a sign and outlined in a white border.

This stretch of what is now Donaldson Road is one of the best examples of concrete road that would have been Route 66 during the period when used from 1926-1930.

Pretty incredible that this road is nearly 100 years old now. Cracked with grass growing in between the cracks, this stretch of road is not in too bad of shape. Sadly, this is the best example we saw of the original road.

Directions – Approximately two miles West of Nilwood, turn South onto Donaldson Road. The turkey tracks are about one and a half miles down the road. Well marked so you can’t miss it. GPS may not work.

Next stop …..

Carlinville, Illinois

Carlinville, Illinois is the county seat of Macoupin County.

With a fabulously well-kept downtown area, Carlinville is definitely on our list to return to when we have additional time to visit.

The town square offers period architecture that has been well preserved, great food options, some limited shopping, and a fabulous destination to just walk and enjoy a wonderful Midwest town.

Macoupin County Courthouse

An interesting story about the courthouse. Construction began in about 1870 with an estimated cost of $50,000. Construction was stopped when costs ballooned to over $1 million. Parts of the courthouse were never finished.

At the time the courthouse was built, it was the second largest courthouse in the United States.

Downtown Carlinville

On to …..

Gillespie, Illinois

Michelle’s Pharmacy in Gillespie is home to a lovely depiction of the Route 66 heritage and period.

The depiction of the Civil War soldier was once a large statue in the town that was located near the drug store. It is no longer located there and there was no information pertaining to its whereabouts.

I just love murals.

Next to last stop ….

Edwardsville, Illinois

Edwardsville, Illinois is a bustling, busy Northeast suburb of St. Louis, Missouri.

Home to the University of Southern Illinois at Edwardsville, the town has seen rapid growth over the years and is largely due to the university.

Still embracing its historical roots, Edwardsville’s downtown area certainly does not look much like it would have during the heyday of Route 66. However, many of the important buildings, homes, and other sites still remain.

One such site is the Wildey Theater.

Constructed in approximately 1909, the theater was conceived by the International Order of Oddfellows. The theater has seen big-name entertainers such as Ginger Rogers and W.C. Fields during its years in operation.

The last film shown before the theater was closed from full-time operation was “The Big Chill” in 1984. Some 400 patrons attended including media.

The theater was purchased by the city of Edwardsville in 1999 and is still operating to this day.

Here is a link to the theater EVENTS – Who knows, maybe you’ll be passing through town and want to take in a show.

Wildey Theater

A photo of Wildey Theater wouldn’t be complete without a shot of its next-door neighbor, Herby The Hereford.

Herby was erected atop the butcher shop that resided next to the Wildey Theater during the late 1940s. Herby is still there today but his red fur is looking pretty faded.

Edwardsville, Illinois is pretty much where our adventure ends for this segment of Route 66.

Our last stop of the day – Fire-N-Smoke BBQ. Just a quick ten-minute drive from downtown Edwardsville, you’ll find some of the best BBQ between Chicago and St. Louis.

HERE is a link to our review of Fire-N-Smoke from a previous visit – We stopped this time as well and I highly recommend it after a long day of adventuring.

Travel Tips

Give yourself plenty of time for driving. You won’t be doing 65-70 on these roads – this is old school road tripping.

Do some online research of sights that interest you and just plan to hit those. You likely won’t have time to see everything – some things won’t be worth seeing.

Visit one or two sections of the “old” road for nostalgic purposes but stay on the main highways for the most part. Most of the original road is in pretty bad shape or has been cut up into smaller side streets. Route 66 signs with directional arrows may take you onto the old road only to put you back on Route 4 in half a mile or maybe just a few hundred feet. It just isn’t worth the constant turns and stops.

Buy a map or reference book such as this one I recommend. GPS may or may not work in some locations depending on your cell service and you may find yourself needing some old fashion paper maps or guides. There are also travel tips included in this guide – very handy.

Buy this Guide Book from Amazon HERE

Some destinations or sites along the route may still show on searches, however, are closed or moved. We found this to be true at least twice on our trip. Good research will help with this.

So, there you have it folks, The Pontiac Trail – A Daytrip On Route 66. At least the western section of Illinois’ Route 66.

Now that we have your interest sparked, get out there and see what the old “Mother Road” has to offer – there still is really a lot to see on this great American road.

The Pontiac Trail - A Day Trip on Route 66. Take a trip with us as we give you a peak at some of Illinois' best Route 66 destinations. The Pontiac Trail - A Day Trip on Route 66 Are you looking for an adventure filled with nostalgia, Midwest charm, and some time behind the wheel?

#Illinois #Midwest #midwest travel #Photography #Reviews #Route 66

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massivelyinnerparadise-blog · 7 years

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robertkstone · 7 years

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Celebrity Drive: Daniel Wu of AMC’s ‘Into the Badlands’

Quick Stats: Daniel Wu, actor/executive producer, AMC’s “Into the Badlands” Daily Driver: 2014 Tesla Model S (Daniel’s rating: 8.5 on a scale of 1 to 10) Other cars: see below Favorite road trip: Route 66 Car he learned to drive in: 1986 VW Golf First car bought: 1991 Toyota pickup

Daniel Wu loves cars. Landing in big-budget movies in Hong Kong helped get the starring role in AMC’s martial arts action series “Into the Badlands.” That has allowed him to buy his desired cars on two continents.

Wu still has a few cars in Hong Kong, where he still keeps a residence. “I have a lot of cars,” he says. In California, Wu’s daily driver is a 2014 Tesla Model S. He had a Toyota Prius, and the Tesla was his chance to try the technology of a purely electric car, he says.

“I’m just interested in car technology in general, so when they went fully electric, I thought Tesla was the game changer in terms of build quality, the mileage you can get on one charge,” Wu says. “The other cars, like the Leaf was only 80 miles (of range) on it. It was not really practical to me. So I thought Tesla was the luxury end of it and having long range of up to 300 miles on one charge.”

Wu rates the Tesla an 8.5 out of 10. “It handles great. The power’s amazing, the torque is amazing, all those things about the electric car. A couple things I would knock it off for are — if it’s supposed to be a luxury car it should be a little more luxurious on the inside,” he says. “The leather doesn’t feel as luxurious. They can up their game on that, especially for the price point.”

The Tesla is the largest sedan Wu has ever owned. “It’s really big, really wide, it’s like a 7 Series BMW size,” he says. “It doesn’t look that way at first, but when you drive it, it feels really wide.”

2017 Ford Focus RS

Rating: 8

Wu recently bought the Ford Focus RS. “The Ford is more a toy because it’s a little race car. That’s more for satisfying a different side of me,” Wu says. “It’s really set up to be a little race car.”

But Wu says it can be a daily driver as well. “It’s docile when you want it to be, but then it has a Sport mode, a Track mode and a Drift Mode, so when you want to get aggressive, you can get into other things,” he says. “The build quality is great because it’s made in Germany, so the quality is there.”

Wu could’ve chosen a similar ride from one of Ford’s competitors. “But I like it because it’s a sleeper car. It doesn’t really look like a racer car like a Mitsibishi Evo X or a Subaru WRX-STI, but it has the power of both cars. They look like racer boy cars, but this car looks like a regular Ford Focus. It has a body kit on it, but it’s very subtle. I wanted a car that was fast like those other ones, but didn’t look like a racer boy car.”

A Ford Focus RS is shown here

The Ford is Wu’s first American car besides the Tesla. “I’ve only had German cars and maybe a Japanese car here and there in my life,” he says. “It had glowing reviews from “Top Gear” to “Grand Tour” to Motor Trend, who reviewed it gloriously, and it’s the type of car the European market has had for a long time, but the American market never had.”

He says it reminds him of the Mustang’s presence in Europe. “Europeans are buying up Mustangs like crazy because they’d never had access to the Mustang before,” Wu says. “They always had Ford Focus RS’s in Europe, but they never had them in the United States, so the opportunity to have a little nice car that you can take out on the winding roads that was a Ford was interesting to me.”

Wu likes all the bells and whistles on the Focus RS for the near-$40,000 price. “It’s amazing. The torque vectoring differential, AWD, the turbo, the 350 HP, the 350 lb-ft of torque, the Recaro seats, all that stuff is a great value for money,” he says.

What’s lacking for Wu is that it’s interior can be improved on. “It’s fine for what it is, but it’s not a luxurious sports car, if that’s what you’re looking for. But for the price point, you get what you pay for. So what I’m going to use it for is — take it to the track, thrash it around. It’s cheap enough that I don’t have to worry about it too much. If I got a nicer sports car, like a German one, I’d be worried about pushing it on the track,” he says, laughing, referring to his home track of Sonoma Raceway. “It’s the closet one to me in the Bay . I’m probably going to autocross it as well.”

1988 Porsche 911

Rating: 9

The Porsche 911 was his dad’s and he drives it once a week. His dad bought it as a retirement present for himself, but a few years ago he wanted to get rid of it because at 87, he didn’t drive it anymore.

“I said, ‘Dad, you’ve had it for 25 years, don’t get rid of it.’ So I bought it. I bought him a BMW 3 Series and a traded it for him. We just stopped him from driving this year. I love it. It’s a classic car that you can drive on a daily basis because it starts every time. In Hong Kong I have a 1966 Jaguar E Type and that thing you never know if it’s going to start,” Wu says, laughing.

Wu points out the Porsche has no power steering, no airbags, no ABS. “It’s an old school race car. It only has 70,000 miles on it and it’s almost 30 years old now. It was the final year before they switched to the 911s that have all the plastic bumpers and body.”

2014 Range Rover Sport

Rating: 9

The Range Rover is the family car. “My wife rides horses, so we need an SUV to go to the farm and dirt roads and haul the horse trailer,” he says. “We needed one that was practical, but I also wanted one that handled well and drove really well, and it really does drive like a car.”

Wu notes there’s been a lot of improvement from the older Range Rover Sport. “I got it the first year this new body style came out and because the platform is based off the Range Rover and not the Discovery, it’s got a better chassis, it handles really well, it’s supercharged, it has tons of power and it’s big enough and the luxurious side of it is great,” he says. “The leather, the build quality on it is amazing.”

A 2014 Range Rover Sport is shown here

Car he learned to drive in

Wu grew up in Northern California, where he learned to drive his sister’s manual 1986 VW Golf, first going to a nearby BART station. “There’s these big parking lots in the suburbs where people park and they’d take (rapid transit) into the city, so my dad took me there to learn and I learned stick first,” he says.

Wu got more time with his first car, a 1984 BMW 318i. “I got it when I was 15 and a half, before I was 16 when I had my permit. My parents wanted me to get a Volvo 240 because it was safe and I convinced them to get the BMW because it was cheaper second-hand than the Volvo. I went to a school that was 15 miles away from home, so my parents were tired of driving me to school every morning,” he says, laughing. “Once I was able to drive, they were like, ‘Yeah, go drive yourself to school.’”

Three months after he got his license, Wu crashed the BMW. “It was wet, I was coming home from school, I made a turn on a slick road and I slipped into a ditch,” he recalls. “The rear tire went into a ditch and it pulled it into the wall that was right next to it and slammed the back corner.”

He was able to fix and kept it until halfway through college. Wu built furniture for people while a student at the University of Oregon and needed a pickup truck. “I got a Toyota pickup so I could haul the furniture that I was building,” he says. “I was snowboarding a lot, so it was perfect for that. They used to call them Tacoma SR5, but when I had it, I think it was a 1991, it was just a Toyota pickup truck 4×4.”

Being in Oregon at the time there was loads of trails he took the truck to. “I beat the crap out of it. I went off-roading in it. I just thrashed it, because I could,” he says, with a laugh.

Favorite road trip

In the summer of 2002, Wu rented a convertible with a best friend from high school to drive Route 66. “Our rule was the entire time we could not put the top up, we had to keep it down unless it rained. So we came back really dark from that. Driving through Arizona and New Mexico with the top down, it was pretty brutal. “

It had always been a dream of his to do this road trip. “It’s like the American dream, Route 66 is such a classic route. We stayed in really dumpy crappy motels the whole way,” Wu says. “It was something we had been talking about since high school that we wanted to do and we didn’t do it in college.”

Wu was in Hong Kong and had just finished a movie, while his friend had 10 days off in between jobs, so they took the whole time they had together to drive Route 66. They started the road trip in Oakland and went as far as Colorado and then turned back going through the Southwest, which included Vegas, New Mexico, Arizona and Los Angeles.

He wanted to do it the way many great road trips are done. “We didn’t even really plan it out, we just rented the car and started driving,” he says.

The road trips was eye-opening for Wu. “It was interesting that two Chinese guys driving through southern America, it was kind of scary at some point because you’re either Latino or you’re white down there and there’s no other races,” he laughs. “I’d grown up all my life in California and I’ve only been really on the West coast and East coast and I’ve never really been to the middle of the country. Like driving through some parts of Colorado is also weird, we’d go through towns and people would be looking at us.”

For Wu, growing up in a diverse community like the Bay Area, even going to college was his first experience on what it was like in the rest of the country. “When I first went to Oregon, the first time I saw a truck with a gun rack with a gun in it, I was like, ‘What? This is real? People actually drive around with guns?’” he says with a laugh.

AMC’s “Badlands” and Warner Bros.’ “GeoStorm” Oct. 20

Wu stars in AMC’s martial arts drama “Badlands” which is available on Netflix, and returns on AMC Sundays at 10 p.m. in 2018 for an expanded Season 3, with 16 episodes.

“The highlight of the show is the incredible action that we do, it’s Hong Kong-style martial arts on American television and the biggest comments are that people are blown away by the action. They’ve never seen this kind of action on TV before,” Wu says.

Wu does 90 percent of his own stunts on the show. “I do all the fighting, I’m not allowed to do the dangerous stuff like jumping off buildings. The network doesn’t allow that, but I do all the fighting,” he says.

The show was shot the first season in New Orleans, but by Season 2, they moved it to Ireland. “We were very limited in New Orleans because everywhere you look is just swamp, swamp and more swamp, and this is a show that takes place 200 something years in the future in a post apocalyptic derelict, rundown America. When we went to Ireland, we were able to make the show much more epic, much more cinematic. So it looks like a very big movie, but it’s actually a TV show. It’s a pretty fun show. It’s really fun, it’s bloody and gory,” he says, laughing.

Wu is stars in the Warner Bros. suspense thriller “Geostorm” in theaters today. He’s also in the new “Tomb Raider” movie out March 2018.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures