Sity = S[C]ity
No, that’s not a spelling mistake in the title, let me explain.
I was in the Phog Lounge last night on the eve of Canada Day and the first night of a three week vacation, devouring Frank’s great Poutine, drinking Guinness and talking with friends and listening to the great music that the Tom always seems to book.
I like the Phog for many reasons but the one I like the best, is its nearness to the street, with the big windows right on the side walk. You can be inside but watch the city walk, bike, roller blade, strut, in gaggles, in pairs, shuffling from somewhere to somewhere else, slowly, hastily, strolling, looking in waving, with us on the inside waving back, or paying no mind, or just going on about their lives, in all seasons of this city.
The big windows seem to create mini really short videos, framing those on the street in very short stories that we inside give their lives or suppose of their lives. Spinoza would say Monads of life, as if it is one very long movie film, frame by frame by frame, ever changing, ever moving. A movie without a beginning nor an end.
Well, the evening came to an end for me, when I couldn’t swallow another mouthful of Guinness and the clock was tomorrow already. Time to go home.
Getting home, I decide just to take a quick look at Facebook and see what everyone was up to, when I posted some quick thoughts from the night onto the white of the page.
I wrote these:
City, such a simple word for something so dynamic and complex at the same time.
City, has as many definitions equalling all the individuals living in it.
Sity, a place you like to sit in a city.
I don’t know how Sity came out of me but it describe what I was feeling, that we all have places other than home or work that we like to sit in a city, thus Sity. I don’t know if I created a new word but I like it.
For me the Phog, The Milk, Mick’s Irish Pub all have that in common, a big window right on the street.
So dear friends and readers where is your favourite Sity in this city?
Tags: Downtown, Milk Bar Cafe, phog lounge, sit, Sit City, SitCity, sitting, Sity S[c]ity, streets, Windsor
Post Feedback
At first I thought you meant Sh*t + City = Sity…
For me, my favourite place to sit is on the saddle of my bike rolling along the streets… Ever changing sights and scenery, plus a feeling of freedom…
Being on two wheels is simple and it brings me back to the freedom of movement of my youth… Back to the days before jobs, families and responsibilities…
My sity is always moving and always in flux…
My favs downtown are The Pour house, especially with their great new patio and the Coffee Exchange. Plus going to the Farmer’s Market downtown is a wonderful experience where I spend at least an hour milling around and talking with people.
I agree Mark, city is complex and Windsor has it’s perks.
Nice post Mark.
Sitting on a bench at the riverfront, between the Ambassador Bridge and the parking lot at the foot of California Street, watching the sun set.
Relaxing on a bench at the Jackson Park garden is a close second.
Your sity Andrew is a good one!
Dave, the market is excellent and outside the access to all that great local food, it’s my neighbours and strangers that I meet, that I really enjoy!
Tristan, agreed with the riverfront, I would just like more things to do down there.
Jackson Park, I have trouble with. For me personally it is a park I never visit, it is out of my walking convenience distance, which is twenty minutes there and back, thus it isn’t a local park. Secondly it is not pedestrian friendly. The park is bounded on two sides by six lanes of fast moving traffic and the traffic lights are to short in time for seniors and children to cross safely. And thirdly, I find it all to passive and boring. People want to see and be seen, do things and watch people doing things! The park might be better off as a cemetery.
With another thought, we talk about walkability of “hoods” the dowtown etc., may I suggest “sitability” as yet another way to measure if a neighbourhood is vibrant or dead.
About a year ago in a bigger city newspaper, there was a story of man in single family home somewhere in a downtown area who cleared an area of his front lawn right beside the sidewalk and put in a bench for anyone to sit on at their convenience. Neighbours wondered but with time, kids sat there on their way to and from school, seniors enjoyed the bench as a place to rest, neighbours met there to discuss all and any issue.
A place to sit - how simpler can it get!
Mark,
I have a bench across from me that is utilized every single day from many different people. The only problem is having to call the city to cut the grass, trim the bushes on a monthly basis. After a while I get fed up and do it myself or with some of the neighbours.
I find our parks budget to be whoefully inadequate in this city. Plus with the students being hired they are rarely if ever supervised. I have seen to many large mistakes being done by these students when either trimming, sculpting bushes and/or cutting grass.
Look at the state of many of our “jewel” parks and tell me that it still looks like CUPE isn’t on strike?
We talk about “world class” parks but what I want to is to see “world class” parks.
The one great thing I enjoy is sitting and just people watching…in my sity.
Sitting in our downtown has got to include a pint or three in Vermouth’s patio on Ouellette. You get to see the best and worst that our downtown has to offer.
Dave, thank you and your neighbours for your and their civic pride in keeping the bench clear. Not many consumers of this city would do this. I use the word consumers rather than citizen(s), because most would say or call the city and say “I am a tax payer(consumer) and I demand goods and services, because I pay for them!” A citizen thinks differently as you and your neighbours do.
It almost appears a return to feudalism, where the serf had to give time to lord or landowner by providing certain duties, patching roads, clearing land etc. and pay tithes/taxes!
Sity.. Awesome