Category Archives: scenic byways

Celebrity bridges of the United States in pop culture

The following images and information identify 12 of the most well-known and recognizable “celebrity” bridges in the United States . These impressive structures have starred in a variety of pop culture media, including movies, documentaries, television and radio shows, books, … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, advertising, archaeology, architecture, art, bicycling, books, branding, bridges, business, Cars, cartoons, cities, civics, commerce, Communications, culture, economic development, engineering, entertainment, film, fitness, fun, geography, highways, hiking, historic preservation, history, infrastructure, land use, movies, music, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, product design, psychology, recreation, scenic byways, Science fiction, skylines, songs, spatial design, Statistics, technology, Television, topography, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transit, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, video, walking, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Confessions of a recovering freeway nerd

Source: wired.com I’ll admit it. In my younger days, I was a certified freeway nerd. Growing up in Indianapolis, I was in awe of the Interstate Highway System. Lucky for me, Indy had plenty of them, including my teenage and … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, Advocacy, Alternative transportation, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, bridges, Bus transportation, Cars, cities, civics, climate change, commerce, culture, density, distribution, downtown, economic development, electric vehicles, energy, engineering, environment, EVs and hybrids, fun, futurism, geography, health, Highway displacement, highways, historic preservation, history, humanity, infrastructure, land use, nature, new urbanism, Passenger rail, pictures, placemaking, planning, politics, pollution, poverty, product design, racism, rail, Railroads, recreation, Renewable Energy, revitalization, scenic byways, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, sustainability, technology, topography, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transit, transportation, Travel, trucking, tunnels, urban design, urban planning, visual pollution, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Highest mountain passes, gaps, cuts, notches, and saddles on the Interstate Highway System

Below is a list of the highest elevation mountain passes, gaps, cuts, notches, and saddles in the United States on the Interstate Highway System. This blog author has traveled through the ones that are shown in italics. The list represents … Continue reading

Posted in Cars, environment, fun, geography, Geology, infrastructure, land use, mountains, natural history, nature, place names, recreation, scenic byways, spatial design, States, Statistics, topography, toponymy, tourism, transportation, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Timeless Portraits of the Oklahoma Panhandle

Some places seem to remain largely fixed in time despite the constant changes that occur in the world around them. The narrow strip of land, affectionately known as the Oklahoma Panhandle, is just one of those places. Even today, the … Continue reading

Posted in agriculture, archaeology, books, business, cities, climate change, commerce, culture, economics, energy, environment, geography, historic preservation, history, humanity, infrastructure, land use, Maps, Mining, movies, Native Americans, nature, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, poverty, rail, Railroads, Renewable Energy, scenic byways, Skies, skylines, Small business, spatial design, Statistics, topography, toponymy, tourism, Trade, transportation, Travel, weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Place Name Hall of Fame: Distinctly recognizable town/small and mid-sized city names

The following list identifies those towns/small cities that have distinctly recognizable names — ones that are well-known enough that most people would have immediately have a mental image of it if the place was mentioned in conversation or literature, even … Continue reading

Posted in advertising, archaeology, architecture, art, branding, business, Canada, cities, civics, commerce, Communications, Cuisine, culture, diversity, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, Economy, entertainment, entrepreneurship, environment, fun, geography, Geology, hiking, historic preservation, history, inclusiveness, land use, marketing, Mexico, music, Native Americans, natural history, nature, North America, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, recreation, scenic byways, shopping, spatial design, sustainability, third places, topography, toponymy, tourism, Trade, trails, Travel, urban design, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Twelve planning lessons from Taos and the Taos Pueblo

The following are ten+ planning-related lessons learned from our visits to the 400+ year old Town of Taos and the 1000+ year old Taos Pueblo. The beauty of this area is beyond mere words — a good reason why the … Continue reading

Posted in air travel, airport planning, archaeology, architecture, art, aviation, branding, business, cities, civics, climate, climate change, commerce, culture, demographics, diversity, economic development, ecosystems, environment, futurism, geography, government, historic preservation, history, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, injustice, land use, Native Americans, natural history, nature, placemaking, planning, politics, rivers/watersheds, scenic byways, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, third places, topography, tourism, Trade, traffic, transit, transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, visual pollution, water, water conservation, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Madrid, NM – Coal mining ghost town to eclectic art colony

Among the many attractions within an hour’s drive of Albuquerque and Santa Fe is the former coal mining town of Madrid, New Mexico. Located in a rugged valley bounded by the Ortiz Mountains, the town had acquired the nickname of … Continue reading

Posted in adaptive reuse, archaeology, architecture, art, branding, business, cities, classic vehicles, commerce, Cuisine, culture, demographics, economic development, entertainment, environment, Environment, fun, geography, health, highways, historic preservation, history, Housing, industry, land use, marketing, Mining, nature, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, pollution, recreation, revitalization, scenic byways, shopping, Small business, spatial design, sports, Statistics, topography, tourism, Trade, Travel, Uncategorized, urban planning, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Places that should be National Parks

The photos speak for themselves, but the list below are some of the beautiful and inspiring places in the United States (and one in Canada) that this author believes should be National Parks. Some are already part of the National … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, culture, deserts, entertainment, environment, fun, geography, Geology, Great Lakes, hiking, historic preservation, history, land use, landscape architecture, Native Americans, natural history, nature, pictures, place names, placemaking, planning, recreation, rivers/watersheds, scenic byways, States, topography, toponymy, tourism, trails, Travel, volcanoes, walking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An enchanting old ballpark filled with baseball history

As one who appreciates the both history and nostalgia associated with America’s pastime, I understand the importance that vintage ballparks holds in our combined psyche. Often in baseball, the places where baseball is played are as important and the game … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, cities, culture, entertainment, fun, historic preservation, history, land use, pictures, placemaking, recreation, scenic byways, sports, third places, tourism, Travel | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

These places NEED to become one National Park!

Of all of America’s national parks, three (3) tend to stand out as pre-eminent showcases of outstanding natural beauty. Those are Yellowstone, Zion, and Yosemite. However, there is a fourth location that currently consists of a national monument, a national … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, Animals, archaeology, climate, culture, ecosystems, entertainment, environment, fun, geography, Geology, government, health, historic preservation, history, land use, Maps, Native Americans, nature, peace, pictures, planning, recreation, rivers/watersheds, scenic byways, Statistics, topography, toponymy, tourism, trails, Travel, waterfalls | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment