Tis the Season for Sniffles and Sneezing

After an unusually warm winter in the northeastern United States, allergy season has arrived early this year. In years past I would have been resigned to taking over the counter medication to alleviate my symptoms. In fact, up until 2014 I was a bundle of sniffles and post-nasal drip delight for two to three months out of each year. This was accompanied by biannual sinus infections that required prescription antibiotics. Finally, after several years of using this tried and true method I would like to share with you how I have remedied my symptoms.

Healthy Travel Tips

Traveling is one of my favorite ways to spend long weekends, holidays and vacations. Getting out of our normal routine and visiting unfamiliar places is in my opinion an important part of a well-balanced life. That being said, it is also important to maintain some normalcy in our routines while we are away. Keep reading for a few of my best tips on keeping up your healthy habits while traveling.

Alternatives to Sugar: Maple Syrup

With each new year comes the sense of a new beginning for most people. This year is no different for me. After a long and enjoyable holiday season, I am starting my year off with a renewed commitment to healthy living. I believe that part of living a healthy life is knowing when to treat yourself. It is also equally as important to know when to set limits. In the coming weeks I am going to cover some options that have helped me make better decisions on my journey to my healthiest self. I will start with my go to substitutions when I want to cut back on refined sugar.

Never Procrastinate Again

As a former student of architecture I have many stories of late night studio sessions and last minute attempts to complete a semester's worth of work in one night. One thing that architecture taught me is to properly plan and execute work in advance. Procrastination is not a one time thing. It is the result of putting off what can be done today for tomorrow numerous times. There are usually many opportunities along the way to handle the task, but it is always easier to wait until later. Instead of continuing down this path of stress and lack luster products produced last minute, allow me to suggest an alternative solution.

3 Reasons to Choose Organic

The first time I purchased an organic product was in 2008 when I started making my own meals instead of eating in the school dining hall. What seemed at the time to be a minor decision between two types of milk ultimately changed my outlook on food. In the years that followed, I noticed an increase in the amount of organic options and I began hearing more about the differences. It was not until 2012 that I finally decided to delve deeper into the way food is grown and produced in the United States.

3 Tips to Feel Your Best Everyday

It took me years to realize that I had an unhealthy relationship with my overall wellness. I wasted so
much time obsessing over my body, health and eating that I missed out on enjoyable experiences. I still struggle with maintaining a balance, but I have put into practice a few tips that keep me on track.

Fully Ripend

This is the second post in a bi-weekly series that will cover topics ranging from health tips to quick and easy recipes.  This week we will discuss a fruit that is having a moment in the food world.  Its use to recreate everything from ice cream to muffins has proven that the banana is fast becoming the go to ingredient for those looking to cut back on sugar, dairy and gluten.  

Are You Doing It Right?

This will be the first post in a bi-weekly series focused on quick and easy tips to help you start making subtle changes to your eating habits.  This week we will discuss the importance of proper food combination.

Is It a Lifestyle?

This is typically the time of year where I begin to loosen up the reins on my "diet" and enjoy the fruits of my winter labor.  This year; however, I have decided to take a different approach.  In an effort to finally fully commit to the lifestyle that I have been touting for years now, I have decided to begin a detox.

A New Approach

I have often found myself at a fork in the road when it comes to food.  Since I can remember food has been a constant part of my daily thought pattern.  If I am not eating, I am mentally prepping for my next meal or snack.  Over the last few years I have come to realize that it has become a mild obsession.  This obsession has led me to try calorie counting and several other means of portion control.  At times this has been a very debasing experience and I have had lows that have led me to believe I would not find a solution.

The Stroud Special

Stroud is a quaint town about an hour and a half outside of London.  It is not a particularly captivating place except for the fact that you can purchase a ticket, the Stroud Special, from London Paddington to Stroud.  This ticket will cover travel, refreshments during the ride and discounts at the local shops.  This is an attempt by the locality to capitalize on the fact that trains run through Strroud at least twice a day  during the week when people commute to and from work.  The question that should be posed is whether or not this idea is worth the effort and money being invested in it.
While in theory this is an amazing opportunity for the town it is not the right place for such a venture.  It would be the opportune venture for a small town that had enough attractions to compete with a large city such as London.  This is, however, not the case with a town such as Stroud.  While it would make for  nice stop on a long trip it is not the type of place that one could spend an entire day.  There are a couple attractions such as the Dunkirk Mill and the town's high street.  The Dunkirk Mill is an eighteenth century woolen mill that has now been converted into flats.  A portion of the ground floor is still dedicated to the mill and offers tours.  There is also a brochure that can be purchased here by visitors and used to navigate the main attractions of the town.  The high street begins at the low point where the more affordable shops are and continues up hill to the high end shops.  There are a reasonable amount of shops that would appeal to people seeking shops that can not be found in other places, but there is nothing so extraordinary that it would compel people to travel out of their way.  About three quarters of the way up the hill there is a side street that has a restaurant that looks rather ordinary at first glance.  Once you enter the restaurant you can walk past the dining room and continue through an alleyway that leads to a culdesac of  shops where you can get kitchen supplies and other trinkets.
Nothing about Stroud sets it apart from any other English country town.  This is not to say that Stroud is not worth a visit if you happen to be going that way, but if is not a place to plan a trip around.  There are frankly better ways for the town to spend its money.  If they instead focused on improving and promoting the main attractions of the town it would take the pressure off the entire town to be something it is not.  This way the entities that naturally shine will have the opportunity to be seen and appreciated for their uniqueness.  This is the opportunity of the town to create an amazing destination, but if it focuses its energy into the wrong aspects it will end up where it started.  Looking for a special to draw the crowds.  

Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace and Gardens

Last Monday for my course in 'Aspects of Architectural and Urban Development' we took a day trip to Hampton Court.  It is one of the many royal palaces here in England and is a must see for all interested in gardening/landscape practices of the sixteenth century to present.  The history of the palace itself may also be of great interest to those interested in architectural trends during those periods.  The property boasts multiple breathtaking gardens, but the must see attraction is the Privy Garden.  It is the most intricate and conversational part of the property.  Hampton Court has been open to the public since 1838 when Queen Victoria ordered that the palace should be open to the public without restriction and free of charge.  This not only changed the atmosphere of the property, but it also required that a much more careful eye be kept on the condition of the property.  Since then people have flooded to Hampton Court to partake in a piece of history that was once only privileged to royals and their guests.

While this is an amazing property, and one that lends to the overall character of England and its history, it is important that it be looked at for what it is.  Although the gardens are the main attraction for most people visiting the palace they are in fact the most unauthentic parts of the property.  While visiting it is easy to become entrapped by the beauty and forget that they are in their current condition yet another part of the lengthy and ever changing history of the property.  There is no guarantee that the next overseer of the property will not through research and other determining factors decide that this is not actually the most historically accurate representation.

So with this in mind one has to ask themselves what are the determining factors in what is the most historically intriguing period of the garden's history.  What is the precipice upon which they decide what should be represented?  What makes one period more worthy than another to be represented to the public?  These are a few of questions that a viewer of this and any other restored property might find themselves wondering.

It is an intriguing argument that could be presented as to what restoration really means.  A property like Hampton Court has undergone so many changes throughout the course of its history that one period becomes just as historically significant as the last.  Restoration really is done based on a matter of opinion because one person is not necessarily qualified to discount or determine the importance of one period over another.

It can sometimes seem as if in the effort to "restore" what actually ends up happening is the destruction  of current and although not original still very significant history.  It can be said that is the problem with historic preservation.  It is so focused on the past that it fails to recognize the recent as something that will one day be considered  historically significant.  The idea of preservation is not only to preserve what is old, but to remember the impact of each period of change and transformation.  Each period of change is not to be looked at as a blemish or scar on the original, but as an addition and extension to the original history.  Preservation is all about the recognition and appreciation of the preexisting.  Love it or hate it.  

Wrapping Up

Essentially my goal throughout this blog has been to shed some light on the relevance of parking in urban environments. Each city faces its own challenges; however, each one has at one time or another struggled with parking issues. This is because the prevalence of cars in this country (the United States) increased during the 1990s when the economy was booming. Families were moving from owning one car to two automobiles becoming the standard. This led me to question whether or not cars are truly necessary to live comfortably in an urban setting. Over the past two decades the need for parking has increased significantly and the built environment has had to adjust accordingly. For some people this has meant they have to leave earlier in the morning in order to account for the time they will spend searching for parking and for others it has been trying to prevent parking from replacing a meaningful part of their community. The people parking has caused some of the biggest problems for is preservationist. Although preservation has had advocates for close to two hundred years now the general public has only recently become interested. With the idea of being green becoming more popular and people trying to do their part in helping the planet preservation has risen in the ranks of importance to most people. So the answer to my earlier question is that there really is no one solution to the problem. What I hope people take form this blog is not that parking is bad or that I think everyone should use public transportation, but that it is important to understand what is happening in the environment around you.

Waste Not, Want Not

If parking were not provided would less people drive? It seems as though people drive to most places because the option is available. The price of parking alone was enough to change my mind, but some people are willing to hand over the cash for the convenience. So once the people unwilling to pay have been weeded out that still leaves quite a few people. There are codes and ordinances for all other aspects of parking, so why not on the amount. This does not give license for those constructing garages to build as high as they would like either. When a parking structure is more noticeable than an actual building it is time to make some adjustments. It is a good idea to look for solutions to a problem before it gets out of control. When there is enough parking for one hundred plus cars within less than a block priorities need to be reevaluated. There should not be that many people in such a small proximity unless there is a major event. In the case of an event parking is usually not allowed in the immediate area. So then the question becomes what purpose does this parking really serve. It is not ever used to its full capacity and in cases where it could be it is not properly utilized. This would lead one to believe that if parking were more efficient then there could be less of it. It is important to look for areas of waste and use them to eliminate some of the excess. No one ever cries or is distraught when a parking garage is demolished, so why have so many? The answer must lie in what already exist. Obviously there are more car owners today then there were when most of the structures in Baltimore were built; however, cars should not dictate the development of Baltimore. The city should dictate how and if parking fits into it.

Preservation vs. Parking

Baltimore Heritage is a preservation organization located in Baltimore, Maryland. It focuses on local preservation issues in the area. Some of its biggest struggles have been with parking which is not typically an issues associated with preservation. Institutions are supported by parking and Baltimore Heritage has realized that shunning it completely is not the answer. When people come into the city to attend events or visit they want a safe place to park their vehicle. No one wants to return from a fabulous evening only to find their vehicle vandalized or the victim of a hit and run. Parking is not on the majority of the populations radar; however, organizations such as Baltimore Heritage are shedding light on the issue. They make people aware of the threats to historic sites and usually play major roles in rallying support for sites that would otherwise go unnoticed. Sometimes people just need a little push and the organization is willing to offer that. Baltimore and other cities like it are full of amazing history that is threatened by parking lots and structures. Most people probably find parking important especially during a crowded day when it is scarce, but it is not a must. In a city public transportation should be utilized and walking should also be encouraged. It is so easy to hop in your car and go to a place, but it is not always practical. A twenty minute walk never hurt anybody. It would not only benefit the environment, but it would give people a chance to exercise that they would not normally have. In the years to come preservation will hopefully gain more supporters and become more important to the average person.

Central Park

Central park is bustling with people going about their Saturday afternoon activities. The majority of its occupants (with the exception of cyclists and runners) are traveling in pairs. There are not too many people here alone unless they are exercising or walking their dog. This Saturday brings out parents with their children, couples and the casual group of friends. A couple was at the Bethesda Fountain taking wedding portraits. No one was really too concerned about what anyone else was doing. Everyone was just enjoying the day. There were pick up games of volleyball on the courts throughout the park and there was even a rollerskating group near the band shell. The road was dominated by cyclists, roller skaters, runners and carriages, but the paths belonged to the pedestrian. No one was in a rush. Some people had left the path to enjoy other activities such as boating, baseball games and sailing electronic boats. Children were waiting in line for the carousel and people were sitting on the bedrock reading books. Relaxation seemed to be the theme of the day. Sheep Meadow was filled with people sunbathing and taking naps. There were gondola rides across the lake for couples and the line for boats was out the gate. There were people riding horse drawn carriages and bike carriages around the park. People were taking photos and documenting their day with their children, friends and families. Overall it was a wonderful afternoon in Central Park and everyone was making the most of the weather.

Park and Ride

I must admit that some mornings I drive to the train station when I could take the bus. The thing that separates Baltimore buses from say New York or Washington D.C. is that they are notoriously unreliable. The other morning my co-worker (who lives in D.C.) was talking about how the bus took ten to fifteen minutes to get to her stop. I had to laugh to myself since that is how frequently the buses run in Baltimore during rush hour. Compared to other cities Baltimore's public transportation system is subpar at best. It is definitely a car dependent city. If you do not own a car everything becomes a little bit harder. What could convince the city to spend more money on public transportation? A city should not require a car. It is not like there aren't people who take the bus. The bus was so crowded the other day that people were standing over the yellow line. With the amount of people that own weekly and monthly bus passes there could not possibly be a shortage of funds. There is an underwhelming desire to improve the system from its current state because people have become complacent. Even if they have to sit through traffic and even if it cost less to buy a monthly pass than to pay for gas they would still rather drive. Why is this? Because no one wants to wait for extended periods of time for the bus only to find themselves standing again on an overcrowded bus once it finally decides to arrive. It is an important step in the growth of Baltimore to improve upon the areas in which it is lacking. It needs to be competitive in order to become an attractive location to the military families being brought in by Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). If it can not compete then families will look elsewhere. This is a chance to bring in much needed money to a city with so much untaped potential. Otherwise Baltimore will always wonder what if.

University Transportation

There are several universities in the City of Baltimore and they undoubtedly bring in a good deal of traffic. The shuttles run by each school offer students an opportunity to get around the area without using their individual vehicles. It not only benefits those students that do not have cars, but it also cuts down on the traffic. People like convenience and usually look to their cars to provide that comfort. Universities such as Towson have on and off campus routes that provide services to students who need to get to class or go to the train station. The benefits of a service like this one are that less traffic is coming into the downtown area and makes a more livable environment for residents and visitors. The city should budget for each school to provide extensive shuttle services because not everyone has a car and the need is there. The city stands to benefit from such a deal because less traffic makes for a more pleasant environment. When tourists come visit and have a pleasant experience then they will recommend a place to people they know and its popularity will increase. More popularity means more tourist which means more money and there isn't a city in this country that could not use more money in this economy. In addition the fewer students that bring their cars into the downtown area the more parking there will be for tourist and residents which will inevitably eliminate the need for as much parking (in the form of lots and structures). People pay extra money to avoid the hassle of driving around for extended periods of time searching for parking. Baltimore should consider a solution of this nature because the population only stands to increase with the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) bringing so many military families into Maryland. This is the opportune time for Baltimore and it needs to seize the moment before it disappears.

User Friendly

Can the average person come into New York and use the public transportation system? It can be overwhelming at first glance and even third and fourth glances. Like with anything the more you use it the better you become, but that is not helpful when you have places to be. As amazing as the system is it is so intricate that new comers can easily get confused. Of course it is best to have someone with you that knows the ropes the first few times, but everyone does not have that luxury. There needs to be more options for those who want or need to drive. People who are visiting for a few days do not want to be bothered with figuring out the way the system works. The catch twenty-two is that parking is so expensive that taking a cab suddenly looks appealing. People want convenience and practicality all in one, but it is possible that those looking to visit New York should not expect it. Regardless of how unlikely it may be it is always nice when a place can accommodate everyone. Like real estate, parking cost more the more in demand it is. New York is not exactly booming with tons of land to place sprawling parking lots. Even if the space were there that does not mean it needs to be used to its full capacity. People seem to have a problem with empty space especially in the city. It is not always a bad thing. People need breathing room and the city is desperately lacking it. Whether it be parking or open space the city needs to focus on opening up the space and not always piling building on top of building.

Why Preserve Instead of Park?

New York has taken eliminated the need to deal with many of its parking issues by creating a public transit system that is more efficient than driving to work. Why drive if you can get there faster through other methods. Most parking in Manhattan is underground, but that is not plausible for preexisting structures. Preservation depends on the ability of those in the field to anticipate what the next big threat will be. There are always the naysayers that have no interest in preserving anything, anywhere or at anytime. There could be plenty of parking in New York if every historic building was replaced with parking. The question is how many people would stick around to see that happen. The charm that attracts so many tourists and incoming residents to New York is that it has incorporated the old and new into one place. The most appealing part of the city is that the new does not overshadow the old. People can see the new and the old and appreciate each for what they are. Parking can be apart of that equation if done right. It's best if parking is kept as close to the ground as possible. A low profile will give parking a better reputation because people in the design world will not have so much distain for it.