The Map of Belgium
August 13, 2007 | permalink
I was out and about today, enjoying the beautiful weather, and I was treated to several strange and unusual sights, all of which (in their own special way) reminded me of how much I love this fabulous city, and how no matter how many times you have walked through it's streets, there is always something new to see. Of course, sometimes it's not really new, it's just something tucked away in an out of the way place. Well, like this:
Really?!? A plaque dedicated to the first automobile fatality in the Western Hemisphere? Is that something that we really want to advertise? On the other hand, it is kind of fitting. I can't imagine a place more plausible than New York to be the site of the first poor bastard to be run down by a car. And I suppose it can be viewed as a kind of cautionary tale for the tourists- look where you're going, if you want to get out of here in one piece. Sometimes it seems like they (the tourists, I mean) lack all sense of self preservation, so I suppose every little bit helps.
Then there was this little gem:
I guess it's an HOV lane scam. But I would think that a) you would want to perhaps conceal your scam once you were in the city and your car was parked, and b) you would use a dummy that was a little more realistic. This picture isn't great, so you might not be able to tell, but it's basically a cotton scarecrow with a paper mask on. It's kind of creepy, actually.
Regretfully, the last unexpected thing I saw I was unable to get a picture of- I just wasn't fast enough. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tail disappear into a knothole in a tree. My top-brain said 'squirrel,' but my bottom-brain thought that didn't look quite right, so I stopped and peered into the hole, which was at least 9 inches across and 18 feet up, and a raccoon poked his head out. He looked at me for a few minutes (enough time for me to have gotten a picture, except I was too fascinated to think of it) and then disappeared back inside, presumably to sleep for the rest of the afternoon.
What did you see this weekend?
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that thing is going to kill me in my sleep, isn't it.
It's possible, meg. You had better start sleeping with a flare gun under your pillow. Everyone knows that HOV dummies are vulnerable to flare guns...
i was thinking that "bliss" is a rather ironic last name for someone who was killed in the first car accident in the western hemisphere. (and also, where was the first car accident in the eastern hemisphere? aren't autos a creation of the western hemisphere?)
Ironic indeed! And upon some further research, you are right. I discovered that the first recorded automobile fatality occurred in a small town in the Irish Midlands in 1869. A woman named Mary Ward fell from the carriage of the car and was run over, later dying from those injuries. Unfortunately for the city's Historic Marker fact-checker, Ireland is firmly within the Western Hemisphere. I suppose that demotes Mr. Bliss to 'first accident in the New World'
Remember, Gentle Readers, you can't believe everything you read... even if you read it here!