How long?

How long would it take to drive from Southern Village in Chapel Hill to Pittsboro and then to Carrboro and then Hillsborough and then Durham and then Chapel Hill .... back to Southern Village? I suppose Mapquest would give us an estimate.

Whatever that is, imagine a bus traveling that route and making key stops along the way at places ranging from train and bus stations to shopping centers and developments, possibly including places like Meadowmont. Imagine buses circulating in opposite directions on the same route all day and into the evening?

Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission

I wonder if there is any plan to this project. How will all of the stories be presented? Or is this just a chance for those who want to tell their "stories" to do so?

If I were doing this, I would look for specific stories, prime the pump, and then welcome additions. By starting off is such an apparently diffused manner, I wonder if any coherent "picture" will emerge. But then this is an art project, not a journalism undertaking so I guess those who like that sort of thing will be very happy.

"Fatal Blast Wounds a Montana City to Its Core" - NYTimes.com

More discouragning news about another downtown.

What exactly is our vision for Chapel Hill as a community? Do we have one?

I don't mean 30,ooo feet ideas like "density"; I mean what do we want a day in the life of Chapel Hill to be in a year, 10 years? Where is that laid out today?

The PLENTY

I sure don't see any mention here of the Plenty. See the sidebar in this story for possible update.

"Interactive Map Showing Immigration Data Since 1890 - Interactive Graphic" - NYTimes.com

What a superb graphic - showing that in 1880, just for example, out of about 24,000 people living in Orange County, 40 were foreign born. In 2000, the foreign born population rose to nearly 11,000 out of a total poplulatoin of about 118,000.

What a city in France is doing - why not here?

I live in two worlds, one here in Chapelborham and the other in the southeast corner of France, in Nice.

Our local chamber of commerce there has launched a huge campaign to promote business among local merchants - stickers, posters, activities, etc.

Where is that taking place in Chapelboroham? I have not seen it.

Where are the pictures of community leaders of all kinds shopping at local businesses and talking about it, just for example? I don't see them anywhere.

Showdown of Two Political Adversaries, Each With a Knack for Theatrics - NYTimes.com

Why don't we see some events like this in Chapelboroham? Debates between key people taking different positions.

Smith Level Road project

I drove over to Carrboro yesterday to learn more about the plans for Smith Level Road improvements around the Carrboro High School and Culbreth Road intersection, down to the bottom of the hill by the elemenatary school.

It looks like this will begin in Jan 2011, all other things being equal, and may take 2 years to complete!

There will be sidewalks added all along the work route, and I urged them to coordinate with Chapel Hill and Carrboro on filling any resulting gaps.

The NC Department of Transportation people, who were very helpful and very well-informed, said that they expected the South Columbia St project to be completed before Smith Level begins. That's relevant to our link in Southern Village with downtown Chapel Hill - if both wind up under construction at the same time. They assured me that this would be coordinated to avoid that happening.

"Share My Ride" - NYTimes.com

Could we not combine the power of the internet with the good will of our neighbors and come up with a huge number of new pooling possibilities? Combined with Chapel Hill Transit and Durham Area Transit Authority, there surely are a lot of errands and trips where we could all do one another and the environment - not to mention our pocketbooks - a big favor. Surely the technology cannot be that tought to do that would allow each of us to say - I'm headed off to COSTCO on Tuesday, can I get something for you or would you like to come with me? Or wherever one might be headed?

Meanwhile, don't forget that we have Zipcar in Chapel Hill.

"DSI Comedy Theater"

They just started following me on Twitter.... Probably very good marketing!

CBS Nears Sell Out for NCAA March Madness Online

This is relevant to Chapelboroham because March Madness is a big local industry here! Note the plans of University Mall to project games on big screens and the many other food and related offers that I am seeing advertised locally.

Alas, there is no mention of the University Mall program on its website, but I followed the link to their Facebook page and found it here.