$2 lunch West of Western

Drained from walking around the neighborhood, I flushed the newsletter out of my head, and headed west, to check out a friend's new condo, and to sit on a bench in the park.

Burger King, or a buggy? The choice was clear. I got a mini jibarito for $1.25, along with a $0.75 cent soda, and soon watched the pigeons watch me, as they circled near the bench where I was sitting. I read part of this past Sunday's NYT, and found its magazine's cover story,

"What's a Big City Without a Newspaper?"

interesting. While there's been no shortage of coverage on the death of newspapers, and its future, this story focused on an unlikely cheerleader to keep a Philadelphia daily going: a former PR spin doc with a lot of influence, and passion for the printed word.

An excerpt from writer Michael Sokolove's story is as follows: Journalists still know how to gather news. And the Internet is a step forward in disseminating it. What's broken is the pipeline that sends money back to where the content is created."


I hadn't seen the word pipeline used in that way to describe what's going on, but it makes sense. Pictured is a mini jibarito, and a woman named Jamie, and her friend's puppy, Munchi, whom were ahead of me in line at the buggy.

A Business Plan for Humboldt Park

Last night my mother asked if I have a sleeping bag. She suggested that I go camping in Humboldt Park to escape the heat. Instead I just went over to my boyfriend's, though I usually prefer my own place, except when it's 100-plus degrees.

He told me that he joked with a friend that he might break up with me because I have no AC, and I told him that I joked with a friend that I might continue dating him over the summer because of his AC.

Camping is all the rage these days among the poor, homeless, and underemployed, in fact I am taking my sleeping bag to Wisconsin in a few days, but until then I will not be camping after dark in one of the most dangerous parks in the city. Maybe my mom is just scared I'll end up in her spare bedroom one day, and hoping I'll die of natural urban crossfire before that happens.

Though I'm not sold on camping at Humboldt, could I convince others, though, like tourists? I could pitch Humboldt Park's proximity to the hipster mecca of Wicker Park, the newly constructed Little Cubs Field, and highlight its expansive green areas, rose garden, playgrounds, and fishing, all of which I enjoy during daylight hours, along with quienciera/15th birthday parties that I crash while wandering around, pictured here, and then end up being the event photographer (I emailed the pictures to the family, and then at the request of a somewhat demanding and Internet challenged great grandfather ended up having to print copies, and blow out my toner. He sweetly offered me anything from his shop in exchange, and I selected this "7 Gotas de Amor Perfume," now half used since these birthday photos were taken two summers ago). There are nearby events like car torchings that can pave the way for campfire stories, and s'mores. Kumbaya!

Here are some photos I can use in the brochure.