I <3 WTC

WTC Model
Early 1964: Architect Minoru Yamasaki and Gov. Nelson D. Rockefeller pose with the first “finished” configuration model of the World Trade Center.

This humble post is dedicated to Minoru Yamasaki, modern architectural master, and Guy Tozzoli, the man who directly managed the original World Trade Center project and deeply loved his Twins.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was a source of political contention and financial worry. In the late 1970s, it was a symbol of metropolitan glamor (it was the Emerald City in The Wiz, after all!). In the 1980s and 1990s, it stood for commercial success and tourist fascination. In the early 21st century, it became Ground Zero. And now, for most people, the World Trade Center is back to being the World Trade Center once again, proof that determination can – just as in the 60s and 70s – overcome political strife. Things may never be right in Lower Manhattan again, but things can be good.

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Link: Berkeley Path Wanderers Association

Those who’ve lived there will tell you that the “Berkeley Paths” quickly become an important part of life in the hills of Berkeley, California. The Berkeley Path Wanderers Association website presents maps, photos, and stories about the quaint pedestrian passthroughs that zigzag those hills.

Where did these beautiful footpaths come from? According to the Berkeley Paths history page:

Berkeley ‘s population grew rapidly in the early part of the century due primarily to the growth of the University of California, the extension of the Key System rail line from San Francisco in 1903, and the influx of refugees following the 1906 earthquake and fire. Traction companies were formed and bought large areas of undeveloped land in the hills to the north, northeast and south of the University campus, and platted residential lots which were sold individually to home-builders.

These new Berkeley neighborhoods (developed before the automobile became the common mode of transportation) included Claremont (1900), Northbrae (1907), Thousand Oaks (1911), and Berkeley View Terrace (1926). Due to the slope of the northeast and southeast hills, upper lots were relatively inaccessible. Pathways served as pedestrian transportation routes linking hill residents to rail lines, parks, schools, and as short cuts for neighborhood residents.

Some of you already know of my inordinate fondness for the Orchard Lane Steps, part of the path system off of Panoramic Way. It’s less than a block away from Memorial Stadium, just around the southern outside edge of Strawberry Canyon on Panoramic Hill. When I lived in Corner (yes, all the rooms have names) at the Alpha Omicron Pi House on Prospect, I had a full frontal view of the Orchard Lane Steps. The Bancroft Steps – which connected the end of Bancroft way to the stadium parking lot/Panoramic Way/Prospect above – was our daily route to and from campus from our house.

Man on Wire

Here’s a trailer for a crazy documentary about tightrope phenomenon Philippe Petit and his successful 1974 attempt to cross the span between WTC 1 & 2 on a wire. The film is streaming on Netflix!