Taking Refuge In Churches

one of the cool things about living in one of the older cities like new york, philadelphia, or boston is looking at all the old buildings, especially the churches. its really cool to see the old churches exist side-by-side with modern skyscrapers and other buildings. another really cool thing about the old churches is that most of the time they have beautiful courtyards which provide a little bit of green space amidst the concrete and asphalt. and they are open to the public.

i like that. recently i have found myself going into these courtyards and sitting, using them as an escape from the busy, noisy, and busy city. its fantastic how you can escape into these places that are just a few yards off the street, yet make you feel like you are 100 miles away from everything else.

it would be even better if synagogues were designed in the same way. maybe i would actually go to them.

This New Google Map Feature Is Amazing

check this out. go to google maps and type in new york, ny, or a more specific new york address, if you prefer. then click on the new icon at the top of the map that says "street view". you can then zoom in and literally get a view of what that particular block looks like at street level. you can zoom in and rotate and scroll the map...its pretty amazing. in addition to new york you can also do miami, denver, las vegas, and san francisco.

for other fun with google maps, ever wonder how to get from boston, ma to paris, france? google maps will tell you :)

Boston Respects Its Cultural Institutions

thank god there was no pizza involved in this one! stay classy, boston. the video is classic.