Last summer, I posted an interview here with a fellow in Portland by the name of Karl Anderson. Anderson, as you may recall, had formed an activism/public arts entity by the name of Futel with the goal of democratizing telecommunications through the introduction of free payphones into America’s urban centers. Well, as you may also […]
Tag Archives: 209 Pearl
Ypsilanti once again has a payphone… only this time it’s free
Landline Creative Labs to open April 1
I’m beat. I spent every available minute this weekend at 209 Pearl, trying to get the Landline space ready for our tenants, all of whom are hoping to move in on April 1. Today, among other things, we finally hung our sign in the front lobby, and put pollyeurothene down on the floors, which we’ve […]
OK, Ypsilanti, let’s talk about gentrification
In a text I received today, someone I know referred to Depot Town as “little Ann Arbor.” My sense, given the ensuing exchange, is that he didn’t intend it to be a compliment. He asked me if, since I took a stand way back when about the Quizno’s that had opened in Depot Town, I’d […]
Running out of things to say about mass shootings… well, almost
I tried to write something last night about the Orlando shooting that just left 50 people dead, but I gave up an hour or so into it. I’d sliced my hand open earlier in the day while working on the renovation of 209 Pearl Street, which made it difficult to type. [My right thumb was […]
It’s a beautiful day in Ypsilanti
As I write this, I’m sitting on the roof of 209 Pearl Street with a cup of ice cold cider after a long day of work, listening to the Hare Krishnas chant in the distance, and watching strippers roll joints in the alley below. It’s kind of magical.