Parking Spaces in Allston, MA, USA
This was taken just down the road from where I live, on top of the parking garage for WGBH (the awesome public broadcasting station). The next city over (Newton) is glowing in the distance, and the road with all the houses and lights is North Beacon Street. Newton is a bizarre suburb to border my neighborhood and seeing it glowing as an alien entity in the distance perfectly matched how I feel about it.
Place you live: Allston, MA, USA
Place your photo/video was taken: Brighton, MA (governed conjointly with Allston as the Allston-Brighton neighborhood of Boston)
Can you sum up Allston? A neighborhood in the west of Boston, Allston is often called Allston Rock City and people say “Keep Allston Shitty.” It’s filled with artists and musicians and hipsters and students. Bordered by Boston University on the east, Boston College on the west, and Harvard University on the North, we’re intellectual as well.
Occupation: Graduate Student
Preoccupation: Supporting myself as an artist.
A perfect day in Allston? Summer, when all the students have left and Boston is empty of all transient residents. Biking, drinking wine by the Charles, photographing empty parking lots and gas stations at night, seeing local music: my perfect day is some combination of all of the above.
If someone was visiting, what must they do? Not visit the tourist traps. They should catch some local music, barhop all the good spots like Sunset Grill and Tap, Lone Star, Deep Ellum and Soulfire and explore the public art pieces instead.
What and where is a perfect meal in the place you call home? Lone Star is an independent restaurant right in front of where I live and it has the most amazing tacos and the best drinks; I can spend an entire evening there eating and drinking.
What is the best thing about your spot? The access to education and intellectual resources in such a cool area dedicated to artistic creation.
What is the worst? The students, even though I am one.
A little known fact about where you live? Despite common beliefs that Boston is paved cow paths, it is actually a planned city with a logical structure. Problem is, it was built around three mountains that were later ripped down for landfill and coastlines that no longer exist.
Where is your favorite place in the world? I’m still on the hunt, but I love Boston with all my heart and soul and will probably always live here.
Who are your three favorite photographers? Jim Dow, Stephen Shore, and Adam Fuss.