Aug 10, 2013 | Urban Explorer
VENTURA'S DOWNTOWN; A FINE ROLE MODELCities such as Ventura are creating distinctivecivic directional signs.Way to go downtown Ventura! Every town deserves a nice Main Street, and Ventura has built a great one. It has all the elements - wide sidewalks,...
Jun 17, 2013 | Urban Explorer
One of the most fun aspects of being a tour guide is meeting people from all over the country and the world. Ever since I started peddling my tours to the local hotels, I've had over 25 tours with guests from upstate New York, New Orleans, Louisiana;...
Jun 10, 2013 | Urban Explorer
My latest tour visited the east LA County city of Claremont. This college town is truly one of the prettiest and most friendly in Southern California. Originally founded by the Santa Fe Railroad, the town benefitted from the decision by...
Jun 6, 2013 | Urban Explorer
One of my absolute favorite tours is the "Four Rail" LA Skyscraper Tour. Not only do we see 100 years of skyscraper design evolution, we also ride subways, light rail, funiculars and Amtrak. The city looks a lot different from the...
Sep 13, 2011 | Urban Explorer
Double-faced, projecting, customsigns work at pedestrian-scale.Signs are the most consistently colorful feature of cities - a fact that can be both good and bad. Commercial signs can be gorgeous and well-integrated to the architecture, especially in in...
Sep 3, 2011 | Urban Explorer
Sitting places are now a big priority for shopping centers. Have you noticed lately that many shopping centers are becoming quite sittable? Have you seen leather chairs, outdoor fireplaces and cafe tables "a la Europa" inside of your local mall? ...
