POTD: Strolling the Aegean Esplanade

"Seafront in Izmir,
Sila's voice warms the cool night,
Joy flows through the square."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 05 19 Ephesus and Izmir

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken along the seafront of Izmir, Turkey. The Kordon esplanade runs along the Aegean Sea for 1, 3, 5 miles, or more, depending on who you ask. It's a great place to dine, stroll, and people watch. At night, you might be lucky enough to see a local festival, like the free Sila concert that was on at Gündogdu Square on the night of our stay in Izmir, the Turkish holiday known as "May 19th Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day".

Bonus photos after the jump.

The Worst Places to Eat in Richardson Last Month

Graphic by City of Richardson.

The City of Richardson is rightly regarded as having some of the best, most diverse, dining options in north Texas ("Eat & Drink"). But that doesn't mean every restaurant in Richardson exceeds in every measure. Here is a list of the ten worst places to eat in Richardson last month, based on the City of Richardson's Health Department Restaurant Scores for last month. Not all Richardson restaurants are included in this ranking. Each month, different restaurants are visited by the Health Department. Only those visited last month are ranked here. Only the bottom ten are shown.

Nickel Boys (2024)

Rotten Tomatoes

Nickel Boys (2024): In the 1960s, a wrongfully convicted Florida teen gets sentenced to an abusive boys reform school. With first-person POV, closeups, handheld camera shots, quick cuts, it feels immediate. Fictional but based on a real story, it's a tragedy that ought to madden you. A-

In theatres

Compare with the original novel: Nickel Boys.

One of These is Not Like the Others

Consider four different streets, four different apartment buildings. One of these is not like the others.

Source: Belt+Main.

The others are after the jump.

A Blockhouse Two Football Fields Long

Source: Planned Development Main Street Form Based Code.

On February 10, 2025, the Richardson City Council is scheduled to hear a zoning application to build a 275 unit apartment building smack dab in the middle of downtown. Some people might be opposed to this because it's yet another apartment building. Not me. I'm OK with the use. It's the form of the apartment building that I think is a disaster for future development of downtown.

Richardson Now Has a Three-Way Race for Mayor

Source: Ketomed.com.

Richardson will elect a new Mayor and City Council on May 3, 2025. The mayor's race will have three candidates on the ballot: incumbent Mayor Bob Dubey, former City Councilmember Amir Omar, and outsider Alan North.

Charter Review: Articles 1,2,17,18

Artist: John Trumbull.

On January 30, 2025, the Richardson Charter Review Commission started their review of the Richardson City Charter, article by article, beginning with Articles 1, 2, 17, and 18. (Only the five visitors in attendance saw what happened. Maybe someday, someone will invent something that could record government meetings for the convenience of people who can't attend in person.)

The Commission was looking for changes to the Charter to suggest to the City Council to put before voters in November. The City Council has the last word about what goes on the ballot. The citizens, at the ballot box, have the last word about what goes in the Charter. In three hours of deliberation, there was only one substantive change that was deliberated.

POTD: Street Life in Izmir

"Street food delights.
Dress shop filled with modern flair.
Sweet Danger Menu."

— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 05 19 Ephesus and Izmir

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in a shopping district of Izmir, Turkey, "a city on the west coast of Anatolia, the third most populous city in Turkey, and the largest urban agglomeration on the Aegean Sea."

Bonus photos after the jump.

Random Thoughts: My CFP Bingo Card

2025-01-01: On my CFP bingo card I didn't have Ohio State blowing out Oregon and Arizona taking Texas to two overtimes. Crazy day of football.

2025-01-03: Georgia lost to Notre Dame by 13 points. National reaction: Notre Dame is good.
Indiana lost to Notre Dame by 10 points. National reaction: Indiana is bad.

POTD: Walkable Ephesus

"Columns line the way.
Gentle slope and stone beneath
Worn by countless feet."
— h/t ChatGPT

From 2024 05 19 Ephesus and Izmir

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in the ancient Roman city of Ephesus, Turkey. It shows Curetes Street, which is "one of the three main streets of Ephesus. It runs between the Hercules Gate and the Celsus Library. The street was an archaic Processional Way, an important sacred route that lead to the Temple of Artemis. Therefore, it takes its name from the priests that would walk the street during religious ceremonies."