I imagined myself sipping a glass of champagne before jetting off to Paris for the day… That was me, in awe of the champagne bar at St. Pancras International in the heart of London. Actually, I was in awe of everything at St. Pancras- the 30 foot bronze sculpture of a couple saying their goodbyes… [Read more…]
Everyone, or nearly everyone, will spend a few moments reflecting on the close of the first decade of the 21st Century before beginning the next decade with a an awe inspiring hangover. We, here in the land of green opportunity, are no different. Let us review the events of the past decade in all their… [Read more…]
It’s barely 36 hours after the polls closed in California’s November election, and less than 72 hours after the San Francisco Giants put the finishing touches on the World Series. What do these two disparate events have in common? Texas and California’s right to self determination. The Texas Rangers, whose previous owner, former President Bush, made… [Read more…]
Just in time for Halloween the pod people have arrived in San José - except these folks come with the Podcar and are not interested in eating your brain. San José’s city hall is home to a three day conference on the latest in personal rapid transit (PRT). Touting podcars as the latest in green, fast… [Read more…]
October 10, 2010 by shilohballard
In the US, garages are akin to storage units, providing a safe haven for holiday decorations, photo albums, camping gear and that bike you manage to ride very infrequently. In Amsterdam, garages are used to park cars. How does this happen? In Amsterdam the Dutch do not allow people to buy a parking… [Read more…]
Who knew that taking over parking spaces with trees, grass, plants and people could be so much fun!? Last Friday was PARK(ing) Day, an international, grassroots event for artists, advocates and citizens to temporarily transform on-street parking spaces into urban parks. This annual event got its start in 2005 by Rebar, a San Francisco art… [Read more…]
NewIPO cycling correspondent Michele Beasley delivers part two in her series on becoming an avid cyclist. Recipes to follow… Last night, when I came home from work just past 9:30pm, I was feeling pretty jazzed. So far I have made good on my commitment to do my bike/ Caltrain commute once a week. We had… [Read more…]
September 5, 2010 by shilohballard
New IPO foreign correspondent Shiloh Ballard gives us an update to her cycling mission in the Netherlands. On the way to Utrecht from Amsterdam, the first thing I noticed about bikes was the bike parking. I saw a double decker parking structure and was shocked. That was just the beginning. There were full blown parking… [Read more…]
August 23, 2010 by shilohballard
by Shiloh Ballard Tuesday night I pulled into my garage, got out of “my” car and plugged it in to the wall. This sounds like a seemingly mundane action but I found it to be more special than I had anticipated. I felt a new kind of freedom, and had I exclaimed anything, it would… [Read more…]
As a kid I walked the beaches along California’s Central Coast. Often coming home with thick bits of black goo stuck to my feet, my clothes and on the shoes I refused to wear in the sand. Mom was not happy. I would stare at the oil rigs far offshore and wonder why fish and… [Read more…]
January 3, 2011 by thenewipo
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