SEPTA AND THE CITY SAY "LET'S DO THIS"

And now for some shameless self-promotion: here's a link to a press release about a panel discussion I participated in last night - "New Transit Revitalization Investment District Plans Released Today for 46th and Market Street Station, Temple Regional Rail Station; First for City." What was great was sharing the panel with higher-ups from both SEPTA and the City. They're the two key institutions if you want to see good transit-oriented development in Philadelphia, and both were overwhelmingly positive, enthusiastic, and committed to making this happen. It's a tough time, between real estate sluggishness and municipal budget deficits, but sometimes all you need is for the right people to say, "let's do this." I heard that last night, and that makes me hopeful.

Brits Know More

I knew this already, but spending five days with lots of Brits
cemented it for me: we Americans are globally stupid. The Brits who
spent five days with me in LA at a British-American leadership
exchange overwhelmingly knew more about American politics and history
than I did. And what little I knew about British and European current
events from reading the Economist hardly allowed me to make all but
the smallest contributions to any conversations on such topics. And I
would consider myself relatively more well-informed than the typical
American. I still think the US is the greatest nation on earth, as do
the Brits; but we really have to do something about our global
ignorance.

Keep the Baby, Not the Bathwater

I want to repeat here a question I first asked at a conference I
recently attended. I didn't get a satisfactory response there, and I
still haven't, so I'm hoping that someone can help me out. Here's my
question:

"As a Christian and a capitalist, I'm concerned that we are
threatening to throw out the baby with the bathwater in two cases.
First, free trade has lifted hundreds of millions out of crushing
poverty, and additional hundreds of millions solidly into the middle
class. Protectionism hurts poor people and poor nations the most and
leads to volatile food prices. Second, lost in our subprime meltdown,
as we've focused on all the people who defaulted on their loans, is
that many did not default on their loans. And easy access to capital
has led to people building buildings and buying homes and starting
businesses that were heretofore excluded from doing such things.
Clamping down on capital markets could lead to a return of redlining
and other practices that keep the most marginalized among us from
participating in the mainstream economy. So can you convince me that
an Obama presidency and an overwhelmingly Democratic Congress won't
throw these two babies out with the bathwater?"

I'm trying to convince myself that Obama has enough Clintonistas on
his team that saw what happened in 1994 when, after 12 years out of
power, the far left reached too far from 1992 to 1994, leading to a
resounding defeat in the congressional elections. I'm also trying to
convince myself that Obama has good economic advisors and is moderate
and pragmatic enough to not let ideology trump reason. I may need a
little help convincing myself of these two possibilities, and having
additional reasons these two babies won't get thrown out with the
bathwater. Anyone?

Leisure Reading

I admit I'm a workaholic. Indicator #719 was the way I spent my 5+
hours on the plane to and from LA. Since I was busy all the way up to
this trip and upon my return, and since the trip itself was packed
with activities, my plane times were really my two only big chunks of
uninterrupted time to myself.

So how did I spend them? Reading a big stack of articles that had
piled up over the past six months. All told, I plowed through 80+
such articles, on such topics as transportation, planning, and the
environment. I read special reports from the Economist, studies my
firm had done that I personally hadn't participated in, and Harvard
Business Review pieces. The articles ranged from 2 pages to 152
pages, and took me all around Philadelphia, across the country, and
around the world.

And when each plane landed, the stewardesses gave me funny looks when,
as they manned the aisles with trash bags, I handed them 300-page
stacks of paper. This is what passes for leisure reading for me. I
know, it's sick.

Triply Villainous

Within one sentence, it was clear that this year's attendees at the
annual British American Project were overwhelmingly for Obama. With
the election less than 72 hours in the rearview mirror, the fervor was
particularly intense. In the spirit of open discourse, I introduced
myself as "the only person in West Philadelphia who voted for McCain,"
just to put out there that there was at least one person who didn't
vote for Obama. My remark got some hisses and some incredulous looks,
but also some pats on the back, both from fellow Republicans as well
as from Obamaniacs who appreciated my desire to ensure a balanced
discussion.

As the conference progressed, I also detected some anti-Christian and
anti-capitalist biases, which similarly threatened to shut down
healthy conversation. Again I outed myself - as much as I'm unashamed
of saying I'm a Republican, I'm even more openly Christian and
capitalist - and again I got jeers, albeit in good humor. But mission
accomplished: I may have represented the minority perspective on all
three fronts, but the dialogue was respectful and gracious.

I suppose I don't mind and may even relish being triply villainous. I
would hope that where I am in the majority on an issue, I would be
accepting of the perspective of the opposing side, not in the least
because I might actually learn from it. This past week, when I was
the one in the minority, I certainly learned from others' vocal
stances, and my hope is that others also learned from me. Isn't that
what these cross-cultural exchanges are all about?

DEAR ZACHARY

While I was in LA for a conference, I got a chance to steal away to
Hollywood to catch the LA premiere of my friend Kurt's documentary,
"Dear Zachary." As a bonus, I attended a showing that he was actually
at, so we were able to chat before the film and I stayed for a portion
of his Q&A afterwards. I'm so proud of what he's produced, and the
thoughtfulness and follow-through he demonstrated in putting this
together. You really should consider watching this powerful film.
See additional information below on when and where you can catch it.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, Nov 12, 2008 at 3:01 PM
Subject: "Dear Zachary" opens Saturday in Portland, OR - continues in
NYC and Los Angeles

Hi Everyone,
I did warn you there'd be weekly updates this month, did I not? :)
Well, here's the latest -- "Dear Zachary" will be playing for 2
weekends in Portland, Oregon starting this Saturday. Here are the
details:
The Hollywood Theatre
4122 E. Sandy Blvd.
Portland, OR
www.hollywoodtheatre.org
Plays Saturday 11/15 - Monday 11/17 & Saturday 11/22 - Sunday 11/23
Check website for ticket details & showtimes
It's still playing in Chicago at the Gene Siskel Film Center today &
tomorrow for two shows daily at 6 PM & 8 PM:
www.siskelfilmcenter.com
And it's still playing 4 shows daily in both Los Angeles (at Laemmle's
Sunset 5) and New York City (at Cinema Village). As of Friday, it's
being held over for a 3rd week at Cinema Village and a 2nd week at the
Sunset 5, though they are cutting it down to one show daily as of
Friday. Check the websites for exact showtimes:
www.laemmle.com
www.cinemavillage.com
It's also showing this Saturday 11/15 at the St. Louis International
Film Festival, which I will be attending with Kate & David Bagby and
many of Andrew's St. Louis relatives, who I haven't seen since
interviewing them for this movie, and am very excited to see again.
:) It's also playing the Denver Film Festival on Saturday 11/15 and
Sunday 11/16:
http://www.cinemastlouis.org/fest.html
http://www.denverfilm.org/festival/film/detail.aspx?id=22162&FID=43%20
Just to recap what's ahead in the coming weeks:
November 21st -- opens in Nashville, TN at the Belcourt Theater
November 28th -- opens in Santa Fe, NM at the Center for Contemporary Art
December 5th -- opens in San Jose, CA at Camera 3
I will be at Camera 3 in San Jose to do Q&A at both evening shows on
Friday, December 5th, and all 4 shows on Saturday, December 6th. At
the Saturday evening shows, I will likely be joined by Kate & David
Bagby for Q&A.
Lastly, the date for its North American Television Premiere has been fixed:
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2008 - 9 PM - MSNBC
MSNBC has begun running teaser promos for it, so if you happen to be
watching you may see one. A friend of mine caught one last night
during prime time.
Thanks again for everything, and I'll keep you posted!
All the best,
Kurt
www.dearzachary.com

ON TOP OF THE WORLD

One of my favorite things to do when I travel is go for runs. I had time during my conference in LA to do two. One was a fairly prosaic jaunt through downtown LA. Because there are so many empty spaces, this run lacked the vitality you might find if you jogged through New York, Philadelphia, or Chicago. And if you're not careful, you might find yourself on a highway on-ramp with no place to go. So that run was a tad disappointing.

My other run, though, was simply sublime. I took the subway from near my hotel to the closest stop to Griffith Observatory. I emerged from below grade into a commercial district, which quickly gave way to a relatively run-down Hispanic neighborhood. I then reached the foot of the hill, and as I climbed higher, the houses got nicer and nicer, until I got to right before the park area, where the houses were really nice.

Once inside the park area, I climbed steeply until I reached Griffith Observatory. Having run myself out of breath, I was now out of breath on account of the view: a 180-degree panorama of the entirety of Los Angeles. I could even make out Long Beach in the distance. I stood motionless on one side of the observatory, taking it all in as the sun rose over the valley. I decided to walk around the perimeter of the observatory, and was treated to an up-close look at the iconic Hollywood sign not more than 1500 feet away. The run back to the transit stop was all downhill, and I was buoyed also by this wonderful discovery I had made. Painfully steep as it was, that was a run I wouldn't mind doing again.

METRO MUSINGS

I've been to LA countless times, but this past trip represented my first times riding Metro there. Some musings on my experiences:

* My first trip, from downtown LA to Long Beach, was the most confusing. I knew I'd be making at least four trips on Metro (two round-trips), so I purchased four one-way tickets. Only when I was done paying for them did I realize these tickets were only good for trips originating from that station. Then, I boarded the train without having to give my ticket to anyone; I found out quickly that the Metro operates on the honor system, and the only thing deterring free riders is the possibility of a $250 fine (plus 48 hours of community service) if you're caught. Then I made what I thought was a free transfer, from one line to another, only I was told later in the day that there is no such thing as a free transfer, but rather you're supposed to buy a second, one-way ticket when you get to the station where you're transferring. Then, once I arrived at my destination, I decided to buy my return ticket right away, so I wouldn't have to worry about getting it in case I was running late. Only once I got the ticket I realized it was time-stamped, and that by the time I would actually need to use it, it would have expired. Needless to say, in total I spent a lot more than I needed to, even though I illegally rode one leg without paying. This is a strange system.

* My second trip was much smoother. I took one line from near my hotel to the closest stop to Griffith Observatory, so I could run up the hill to it. I had to stuff my credit card and then the ticket into my sock, but at least I remembered to not buy my second ticket until I actually needed it. Of course, I'm not used to spending $2.50 on my runs, and I got some funny looks stretching in the stations and on the trains; but I can live with that.

* My third trip was the most harrowing. I cut out of a dinner party slightly earlier and walked down the street to a bus stop to take a direct bus to Hollywood for my friend's movie premiere. I ended up waiting at the bus stop for almost 45 minutes, during which time the place got increasingly sketchy. Let's just say I felt a little out of place in my suit in the midst of a growing amount of cussing, smoking, drinking, and even urinating. Of course, no sooner did the bus finally arrive than the driver announced that he would be detouring onto the highway on account of a Prop 8 protest. The detour didn't affect my travel plans, but it did add a surreal element to the trip. What was also surreal was the juxtaposition of riding through posh sections of Hollywood, people dressed to the nines on the streets, while I sat with pretty run-down-looking fellow passengers. On my return trip, I was sandwiched between a scantily clad woman on my left and a potential suitor on my right; they coyly flirted through me as I desperately tried to read my Economist magazine. Good times!

* By the time my conference required all of us attendees to ride the subway to one of the venues, I felt like I had seen it all. That ride was, unsurprisingly, very prosaic. Although it was humorous to me to share a train car with scads of well-dressed yuppies like me, interspersed with the usual Metro clientele, obviously wondering who the heck all of us were and what the heck all of us were doing on the subway. Only in LA.

LA is literally caught between a rock (the mountains) and a hard place (the ocean). And more and more people want to live there. So more people will have to ride the Metro, and more Metro capacity will have to be built. From a convenience standpoint, the system isn't half bad; you can get to a fair amount of places for $1.25, or $2.50 at the most. But because very few upper-middle-class folks currently ride, the experience can feel a little disorienting to newbies. Here's hoping more and more people cotton to Metro; there's clearly enough capacity to bear more riders, and when it comes to riding public transportation, there's safety in numbers.

BRITS AND AMERICANS

I just got back from five days in LA at the annual British American Project conference. More musings'll trickle out in the following days, but for now I want to say thank you to the conference organizers for all the great colleagues I met, lessons I learned, and experiences we shared. I don't know how many others of these I'll be able to make, but I know now it's in my interest to try as hard as possible to make them. Thanks!

AFTER OIL

This Rockefeller/Penn conference asks the right questions: "Urban Design After the Age of Oil." I was unable to attend any events but stopped by the exhibit hall. The designs may seem outlandish, but the urgency no longer seems out of place. Here's hoping we don't act like the proverbial frog that never jumps out of the slowly boiling pot.

PHILLY BEATS TAMPA AGAIN

I'm a little late to this party, but here's a nice piece on Tampa vs. Philadelphia as places to live. Sorry to spoil the suspense, but Philly comes out on top in this article, 8-7, even though the author stakes Tampa to a 3-0 1st inning lead on the basis of its milder climate. With environmental sustainability concerns and an increasingly knowledge-based economy making urban settings all the more attractive, look for Philly to increase its lead if such a comparison were being made a generation from now.