On the Outskirts

Recently, we traveled through the town of Belleville, Illinois on the light rail. From our seats on the train, we saw barren corn fields and dilapidated houses surrounded by garbage. What we did not see were the antique brick houses or quirky little stores that we knew thrived in Belleville.

This particular trip reminded us of how crucial it is to consider scenery in our ongoing conversations about light rail culture. In our case, the scenery consisted of what most people would consider to be the “outskirts” of Belleville.

Every day, the light rail shapes riders’ perceptions of the various towns and cultures along the tracks. For better and worse, the outskirt views become the source of knowledge. And so for many riders, the glimpses of the towns might represent the whole of what they know about the places they pass.

For those of us who know Belleville, for example, the glimpse the light rail offers doesn't begin to reflect the town's substance. For those of us who know little of the towns on the route, we hardly know what we are missing.

Because of convenience and zoning restrictions, the light rail necessarily travels on the outskirts of the various towns it crosses. And sometimes the outskirts of towns provide viewers with visually stimulating scenes.

Yet, there's always this sense that the light rail enhances and distorts cultural perceptions of particular places. What have you noticed along your travels?

Image courtesy of EZ Journey

Freestyle Friday

For today's post, we've decided to share some of the images we've gathered traveling along the light rail.

And it's freestyle Friday, an "open thread." So if you have suggestions or links you want to share relating to light rail travel or public transportation, feel free to place them in the comments section.

By the way, we've coordinated today's post here with our SIUE black studies blog by using a common soundtrack.

Have a good weekend.

audio: excerpt from John Coltrane's "Alabama;" excerpt from The Roots' "Clones."

Viewing the City

On their daily journeys into the city, lightrail commuters see a variety of scenery such as buildings, houses, nature, and artwork. The St. Louis skyline with the Gateway Arch is perhaps one of the more distinctive shared scenes that riders witness. As Illinois travelers approach Missouri from East St. Louis, they have an especially scenic view of the skyline.

The Arch is actually an important business enterprise for Metro as the organization “operates the Gateway Arch Tram and ticket center” for the thousands of tourists who visit. The Arch is a popular tourist designation for many one-time visitors to the area, but what do the Arch and, more broadly, the St. Louis skyline mean for daily travelers?

Daily commuters have likely grown accustomed to this sight that so often leads tourists to snap photos. For the transit riders headed toward Missouri in the mornings, approaching the St. Louis skyline means that work is fast approaching.

And perhaps the association to work diminishes some of the skyline’s glow. For daily commuters from Illinois, it is perhaps preferable to be traveling away from the St. Louis skyline, away from work, and toward homes, toward families.

But then, the view of the city holds a special interest for baseball fans traveling from various parts of Illinois to watch the St. Louis Cardinals play. Glimpses of the Arch in the distance mean that the city approaches, and with the city comes the game.

One recent evening, we traveled from the SWIC College station headed west. At each stop, more and more Cardinals’ fans boarded the train. As we moved toward the city, the skyline came into view.

The Cardinals’ faithful had no doubt seen the view of the city countless times before this journey. Still, the particular lights and shadows produced by the clouds and the setting sun gave us reason to take notice and look upon the skyline with renewed interest.

Image: View of St. Louis from East St. Louis while traveling along the light rail. Courtesy of H.R.

Views Along the Light Rail: Track 1

Well, we're still in the process of working out the kinds visual and mixed media compositions we want to do with this project. You know how it is, you compose, revise, and compose again. For now, we've provided an early look at the ideas we've developing.

This short video features a few scenes you might witness while traveling along the light rail here in the Metro East. There's more to come, of course.

And oh, it's "open thread" Friday, so if you have suggestions or links you want to share relating to light rail travel or public transportation, please feel free to place them in the comments section.

Have a good weekend.