When a well-meaning architect attempts to plan a city, something like Longview, Washington occurs. In 1921, the leader of the Long-Bell Timber Company, an architect by the name of Robert Alexander Long, planned and built Longview, from KANSAS CITY, Missouri. Yes, a man that had never been to the area, never seen the area with his own two eyes, planned this city from halfway across the country. This area was chosen because of the rich timber in the area, and the possibility and feasibility of needing more workers than the two lumber camps in the area could possibly support. So Mr. Long built Longview, and several prominent buildings, including the high school I graduated from in 1999, the public library, and the Monticello Hotel out of funds from his own pocket.
Some elements, like the Civic Circle, were modelled after famous cities-- it's said that "the circle" is modeled after le Champs-Elysees in Paris. Lemme tell ya, it lost something in the translation.
The buildings in town are a hodge podge of various architectural styles-- in one block around Lake Sacajawea, one can see homes in a Spanish mission style, a colonial style, a ranch style... and the same trends occur all around Longview.
Lake Sacajawea is often called, "the jewel of Longview." Um, it's not a lake that you want to swim in. It's little more than a slough. I was cured of ever wanting to canoe or do much of anything in it when, at my sixth grade picnic in 1992, I saw not one, not two, but FIVE dead fish floating near the dock. It took a lot of cajoling for Eric and Devin to get me in that canoe a few years back on a Mormon outing-- and then when the jerks started to tip the boat, I DEMANDED to be taken back to dock ASAP. Shortly thereafter, Devin and I broke up. He's now married to a woman that I'm not sure what to think of-- other than she's kind of a bitch that has shown me enough attitude, of the wrong kind, to make me ever want anything to do with her, her faith, or to seek her friendship ever again. If a snake bites you once, and you go back lookin' for more and thinkin' it's no longer gonna bite, then you deserve the second, the third, the fourth bites.
I have many a picture of the area around Longview... some are good pictures, some are not. Most are self portraits, while some are a "excuse me, ma'am, can you take my picture" variety.
If you want to know more about the sordid little burg planned from afar by an architect, look here: http://ci.longview.wa.us/ and the Wikipedia entry, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longview,_Washington -- ENJOY.
STILL NO TAKERS ON THE TRIVIA QUESTION-- yeeeeeeeesh. Y'all ain't makin' this easy on me, are ya?
Some elements, like the Civic Circle, were modelled after famous cities-- it's said that "the circle" is modeled after le Champs-Elysees in Paris. Lemme tell ya, it lost something in the translation.
The buildings in town are a hodge podge of various architectural styles-- in one block around Lake Sacajawea, one can see homes in a Spanish mission style, a colonial style, a ranch style... and the same trends occur all around Longview.
Lake Sacajawea is often called, "the jewel of Longview." Um, it's not a lake that you want to swim in. It's little more than a slough. I was cured of ever wanting to canoe or do much of anything in it when, at my sixth grade picnic in 1992, I saw not one, not two, but FIVE dead fish floating near the dock. It took a lot of cajoling for Eric and Devin to get me in that canoe a few years back on a Mormon outing-- and then when the jerks started to tip the boat, I DEMANDED to be taken back to dock ASAP. Shortly thereafter, Devin and I broke up. He's now married to a woman that I'm not sure what to think of-- other than she's kind of a bitch that has shown me enough attitude, of the wrong kind, to make me ever want anything to do with her, her faith, or to seek her friendship ever again. If a snake bites you once, and you go back lookin' for more and thinkin' it's no longer gonna bite, then you deserve the second, the third, the fourth bites.
I have many a picture of the area around Longview... some are good pictures, some are not. Most are self portraits, while some are a "excuse me, ma'am, can you take my picture" variety.
If you want to know more about the sordid little burg planned from afar by an architect, look here: http://ci.longview.wa.us/ and the Wikipedia entry, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longview,_Washington -- ENJOY.
STILL NO TAKERS ON THE TRIVIA QUESTION-- yeeeeeeeesh. Y'all ain't makin' this easy on me, are ya?
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