stripped-to-the-concrete

The north wing of Park Hill flats is now fully functioning with new owners/tenants in residence. The entire re-fit combines stripped-to-the-concrete minimalism inside with a new frontage picking up colour hints from the Le Corbusier block in Marseille (see pic below). Up top, huge bedroom windows look out across the north west of Sheffield to the moors beyond, with balconies at the back that catch the sunrise. No one can look in but it doesn't stop people erecting net curtains, as you can see if you look closely.

For context, go here (scroll down for Park Hill analysis), and here.

a very pretty boy

Allen introduced himself. He was talking about Walt Whitman and I mentioned I was raised near Camden, where Whitman was buried, when he leaned forward and looked at me intently. “Are you a girl?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “Is that a problem?”

He just laughed. “I’m sorry. I took you for a very pretty boy.”

I got the picture immediately. “Well, does this mean I return the sandwich?”

“No, enjoy it. It was my mistake.” He told me he was writing a long elegy for Jack Kerouac, who had recently passed away. “Three days after Rimbaud’s birthday,” I said. I shook his hand and we parted company.

More: here

Pic: here