Why this soppy nostalgia? Because I've found that no matter where I'm at, there are those quick glimpses into the views that we so dearly love in architecture or that represent a culture that we enjoy. For example, where is this photo?
The architecture can certainly be built anywhere, but it really reminds me of the alleys all through Paris full of little bistros. Barely able to fit through some of these "streets" myself, I'm always astonished to see the occasional vehicle make the attempt. This such alleyway, found in downtown Asheville, North Carolina, is set up similarly where the presence of tables are the only clue that it's not meant for very small cars to slip in off the street and into the courtyard attached.
This quick leap into a different world surprised me as I was walking through downtown Mansfield, Ohio. In reality, I supposed it does represent exactly what it is, a very early nineteenth century town that became a major manufacturing feeder for the many railroad lines. However, it's easy to forget that unless you in the bubble of old town centre, and this particular street threw me back to some memories of very old Boston especially. While Boston is technically New World, it certainly hummed simultaneously along with the Old World, and I will always love rambling along it's old streets that stem from the mid-1600s.
My lesson, to myself at least, is that it's foolish to think there's only one location that can hold special memories. They are everywhere around us. We just have to notice them.
