Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Escalators are not usually thought of as modes of mass transit, nor are they thought of as being outside. In Las Vegas, however, you don't always get what you expect. Along The Strip, escalators, elevators, and skywalks are used to keep people from crossing Las Vegas Boulevard at street level. [2019 and 2022]

Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA

Covid Behaviors: Wear your mask. Most of us are no longer wearing masks except in the most crowded of places. But, we will always remember the years of ubiquitous reminders to Mask Up. On this city bus the driver wore his mask and his passengers had to, as well. [2022]

Providence, Rhode Island, USA

February is all about the number two, and 2/22 is a palindrome too! The Americans with Disabilities Act, signed into law in 1990, was one of the 20th-century's greatest pieces of legislation. Both sides of the political spectrum came together and solved some problems for millions of Americans. Times sure have changed. Be sure to to see yesterday's post. [2021]

Bucharest, Romania

February is all about the number two, and 2/22 is a palindrome too! Have you ever boarded a trolley bus from the rear? Have you ever boarded a bus from the rear? Have you ever boarded a bus? The answer to all three questions from most Americans would be no (at least not since their school-bus days). Be sure to see tomorrow's post. [2014]

Hurricane, Utah, USA

It's only a row of storefronts along the town's main street. What sets it apart? A peddler's wagon. It was used to haul sorghum and fruit to communities in the north, and wool to rail stops for shipment back east. Maybe Hurricane should add an historical marker explaining all that. Oh, wait, they already did! Where do you think all this info came from? [2019]

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Here is a 'best practice' for building community pride: Get your community's name out there and keep it in circulation. Make sure it can be seen from every angle, even from high above, as here in Charles Center Plaza at the heart of downtown Baltimore. What's the color of Baltimore? Orange, of course! [2021]

Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Electric scooters have become common sights on city streets across the country. Compare the footprint of the electric scooters seen here with the footprint of the full-size automobiles across the street. Which mode of transit is more space consuming? more energy efficient? more calorie consumptive? more climate neutral? more winter worthy? [2021]

Lisbon, Portugal

Sixty trams serve Lisbon. This one serves the tourist destinations, of which there are many in this former imperial capital. It almost looks as if it goes back to the early 1900s when fixed-rail transit first arrived in the city. [2009]

Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon's trams run on the electricity provided by overhead lines, so don't think that EVs, or electric vehicles, are something new. Line 15 trams are modern and air-conditioned, while other lines resemble trams of yesteryear. [2009] 

Lisbon, Portugal

Crowded bus stops, lifespan diversity on city streets, elevated (really elevated) highways soaring over 6-story buildings, no private automobiles in sight, plus a small fleet of night buses materializing after dark: Rarely do you see such scenes in American cities. [2009]

Bliss, Idaho, USA

♫ These Are a Few of My Favorite Things ♫ ~ People: Dad's a trucker, but when there's nothing to haul he shares the road with his boy. Blissful, isn't it? Meeting people anywhere and everywhere is one of the joys of traveling as a geographer. Sometimes they pose, and sometimes they don't. [2020]

Jonesborough, Tennessee, USA

"Goodbye, Miss Fourth of July" was filmed here in Jonesborough (a stand-in for Montgomery, West Virginia) in 1988. The backdrop to the movie may sound familiar: (1) an immigrant family fleeing persecution, (2) KKK hatred toward a person of color, and (3) the flu epidemic of 1917 as it hit the town hard. It may be time for a re-broadcast. [1988]

Istanbul, Turkey

Maps on the Landscape ~ Continental Scale: Let your caravan remind you (and everyone else) where you're going and where you've been. It looks like the red line (see it?) maps the route, which either begins or ends in Istanbul. It's so very "ecostream" to see these folks use a map showing physical geography! [2010]

Virgin, Utah, USA

Here is the type of covered wagon that served settlers moving westward from the prairies. It amounted to a farm wagon outfitted with a cover. In fact, you wouldn't even call it a covered wagon if you grew up in Pennsylvania. An authentic one had to come from the Conestoga area of Lancaster County; hence, the name Conestoga wagon. [2019]

Begg Estate, Gibraltar

Gibraltar covers only 2.6 square miles, but The Rock itself covers at least half of that. So, what happens when the population keeps increasing? There are only two options: (1) Go vertical: Build high-rises. (2) Go horizontal: Build out into the sea. You can see the results of both processes from the Gibraltar Cable Car. [2015]

Angangueo, Michoacán, Mexico

The pots shouldn't be prettier than the plants! But, because they are, these crocks may be on their way to  a porch or patio near you: from potter to porter to pickup to border and on to a corner to be sold by a foreigner to an American gardener. [2008]

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Wheel chair rolling. Pedestrian strolling. Corner approaching. Two souls rendezvousing.
An uneasy feeling. Back pocket starts squealing. Wallet's revealing some ringgits for dealing.
Some gracious accepting. Lives intersecting. Good deeds compiling. God must be smiling.
[2011]

THE BACKSTORY ~ Posted on the 10^th Anniversary of Geographically Yours, 4 August 2020: When I saw this transaction unfolding on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, I had to get to my camera fast. I knew something was taking place that everyone should see. I had to document it. Snap, snap, snap: Done. This is the way “almsgiving” works in a Muslim society. People take care of those who can’t easily take care of themselves, even if they are strangers. Just don’t call it charity! It is nothing “over and above”; it is the least that God expects. Here were a few seconds of performance art that made tangible one of the pillars of Islam. It reminded me so much of my studies and travels in the Arab World, where I met some of the kindest and most hospitable people anywhere. I am so glad I was quick on the draw with my point-and-shoot (so much more responsive than those old 35mm varieties I used to strap around my neck). After I returned home, I found the images here to be among my favorite mementoes. I liked the scene so much I wrote the poem above. D.J.Z.

Tombstone, Arizona, USA

In Tombstone, the stagecoaches still roll, and neither roads nor sidewalks are paved. Of course, it's all an attempt to capture a moment in time: an era defined by gunslingers, high rates of murder and suicide, out-of-control alcoholism, high infant mortality, no modern medicine, and rampant disease. Sounds like an era worth re-creating. Right? [2018]

Aleppo, Syria

His ancestors were domesticated in this very region over 3000 years ago. (No, not the boy, the ass.) Three millennia later, they are still navigating the narrow streets of ancient cities. In fact, they are probably providing essential labor as Aleppo rebuilds after the four-year battle that left the city incapacitated. [1996]

Aroumd, Morocco

You can't see the path, but the mule can! As for his master, he seems to be completely secure in the knowledge that his beloved pack animal will not tumble downslope and send him rolling into a hospital. Have you ever seen anyone ride a horse in a position like this? [2017]