Citgo Sign: Landmark or Curse

Citgo Sign: Landmark or Curse

The Citgo Petroleum Corporation began in 1910 by Henry L. Doherty originally known as the Cities Services Company. A big sign was built a couple blocks away from Fenway Park at Kenmore Square in Boston Massachusetts. City services changed its name to CITGO. Thus, changing the sign to what today is known as the Citgo Sign. For the company the Citgo sign was just for advertisement but for Bostonians it became much more.

"See it go"

Foley, the famous electrician who began working on the sign in 1965 at the age of 20, has been the keeper of the sign ever since. He upgraded the sign in 2004 from neon to LEDs to save energy and keep the sign up to date. Foley, in an interview with the New York Times, said, ““I was only a kid when I started servicing it, and I’m still servicing it. It’s part of me.” Not only has it become a part of Foley, but it has become a part of the city’s culture. The sign has become important to the city and is now in tour guide brochures and post cards as a representation of the city. 

The sign originally became famous by its exposure through the Red Sox games. A tradition at Red Sox games is to chant “C-IT-GO” whenever a player hits a home run over the left field. The sign has become a symbol of good feeling for Red Sox fans all over the world. In 1980 the mayor of Boston, Edward J. King, wanted to turn off and tear down the sign as a symbol of energy conservation. By that time the sign had gain affection from all over the nation and the world. After many protest and the acknowledgement of its importance to the city, the mayor decided to pause the removal of the sign and turned it back on in 1983. No other sign has had such an impact or importance on a city since the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign which is well known all over the world and was declared a national landmark. Most Bostonians and Red Sox fans everywhere believe the sign should be a landmark while others have cynical views about the sign and wish to remove it. 

Signs of Time: Citgo and Hugo by Andres Orozco

Citgo was sold to the Venezuelan government in 1990 and to this day the connection between Hugo Chavez, the dictator of Venezuela, and the sign, angers many Americans. The sign for these Americans resembles a foreign dictatorship that should be tore down not be promoting Chavez. They see it as a constant reminder of a horrible dictator. This global political problem brings a lot of controversy to the city of Boston, but luckily for locals their only concern is the significance the sign symbolizes to the city of Boston and Red Sox fans. The sign has become part of the Boston culture and holds a big significance to Red Sox fans world wide.  

Not so Golden After All

In Raymond Chandler’s hardboiled crime fiction, The Big Sleep, Philip Marlowe is portrayed as a private eye in the corrupt city of Los Angeles. He is hired by a wealthy man, General Sternwood, to determine who is blackmailing Sternwood’s daughter Carmen Sternwood. Carmen fills the role of the femme fatal who Marlowe finds himself rescuing throughout the entire novel. The novel tells a tale of murder, betrayal, schemers, and corruption in the sunny city of Los Angeles. 

Since 1968 California has held the nickname “The Golden State” mainly for the expectations of the glitz and glam that Hollywood and Los Angeles are famous for; however, The Big Sleep portrays the alternative side full of fraudulent behavior and violence. The opening scene depicts Marlowe in a powder-blue suit saying, “I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn't care who knew it. I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on four million dollars” (3). Marlowe’s appearance is crucial because it emphasizes the importance of money in this society. Marlowe is willing to do whatever will please his client in order to get the four million dollars. This creates an attitude for the remainder of the novel where characters are willing to lie, cheat, and steal to get what they want. Throughout the novel it is interpreted that many characters end up in the life of crime not because they chose to but because they have no other lifestyle to turn to. Harry Jones says to Marlowe, “She's a grifter, shamus. I'm a grifter. We're all grifters. So we sell each other out for a nickel...” (168). The 1930s era contributes to the pessimistic attitude Harry Jones has for the crime in Los Angeles. He attributes the crime rate to the fact that no one has anything to lose so they join a life of felony.

From the beginning of the novel Philip Marlowe is depicted as a knight whose job it is to rescue the Sternwood daughters. Upon entering the house for the first time Marlowe observes a stain glass mural above the doorway of a knight attempting to rescue a damsel in distress. Marlowe thinks to himself, “if I lived in the house, I would sooner or later have to climb up there and help him” (4). Marlowe becomes the hero and protector for the Sternwood girls because their main protector (their father) is no longer in the condition to save his daughters from villains and predators. This observation is significant because from the first moment Marlowe steps in to the Sternwood home he understands his duty. When General Sternwood meets Marlowe for the first time and assigns him the task of finding out who is blackmailing his daughter Carmen he says, “Vivian is spoiled, exacting, smart and quite ruthless. Carmen is a child who likes to pull wings off flies. Neither of them has anymore moral sense than a cat. Neither have I. No Sternwood ever had” (13). Marlowe recognizes that Sternwood’s daughters are much more wicked than General Sternwood sees them but decides that it is important to protect General Sternwood from seeing the truth about his daughters. Throughout the entire novel Marlowe is forced to come to Carmen’s rescue: first, the night when Geiger was shot and Carmen was sitting in his living room naked, to eventually witnessing Carmen end up naked in his [Marlowe’s] bed. When Marlowe sees Carmen in his bed he remarks, “Knights had no meaning in this game. It wasn't a game for knights” (156). Marlowe identifies the corruption and deceit in Los Angeles and realizes that there is no place for him in this society because it is dominated by the kings and queens. He submits to this defeat upon killing Canino and finding his place among all the other criminals in Los Angeles. 

Los Angeles in the 1930s

The city of Los Angeles is responsible for de-armoring Marlowe of his knightly lifestyle. Marlowe wants to be able to protect the people of the city from the corruption and crime that takes place but he realizes that no matter how much he tries to protect Carmen Sternwood she will always find trouble. In the finale of the book Marlowe believes he does not deserve the money from Mr. Sternwood because he has not held true to his honor and has fallen like the rest of society.

Warning: May Contain Nuts. How Austin Keeps It Weird

Let's face it: Austin is not a typical Texas city. Perhaps it's the lively music scene, or the University of Texas, or even the unique "vibe" of the Austin streets. Whatever the reason, all Austinites will agree: Austin is weird. After all, why else would actor John Hawkes say, "When I lived in Austin, I was always cast as pretty normal people. When I moved,  I was immediately branded as a psycho."

Classic Austin city art. Source: www.buckmcarthur.com

In order to keep Austin's unique culture alive, quirky local businesses needed to be supported. In 2002, the Austin Independent Business Alliance, a group of 300 local businesses, adopted the slogan "Keep Austin Weird."  The idea was to encourage Austinites to patronize their local businesses not just for the culture of Austin, but for Austin's well being as a city. In an article in The Daily Texan,  journalist Abhinav Kumar reported that if someone spends $100 at Borders bookstore, only about $13 would end up back in the Austin economy, but if they instead spent $100 at Book People booksellers, $45 would go back into the local economy. Thankfully for Austin culture and economy, the idea of "keeping Austin weird" caught like wildfire. 

A tourist enjoys some Austin "weirdness"

Immediately, several local Austin businesses and institutions benefited from the "Keep Austin Weird" initiative. In 2009, just seven short years after the slogan was introduced, CNN named Austin the 8th best city in the United States to start a business. Perhaps most interesting is the variety of businesses that fall under the "Keep Austin Weird" umbrella. Places like clothing stores to restaurants to bars have benefitted, and they're located all over the city. On this Google Maps, one finds that "Keep Austin Weird" businesses are on both the west and east side of Austin, illustrating that people of all different races and economic backgrounds contribute to the overall culture of Austin.

Amy's South Congress location. Source:http://www.512brewing.com/

One of the most famous "Keep Austin Weird" businesses is Amy's Ice Creams, with locations all around the city. Amy's has been a weird Austin business since it began in 1984. Amy's keeps it weird and local by hiring students in the Austin area and using an unique application process. Instead of the usual paper work and interview, Amy's instructs its hopefuls to apply by using a paper bag in any way they see fit. The only requirement is that the applicant's name and phone number must be somewhere on the bag. The most creative bags get jobs. Amy's also stays "Austin" by hanging the work of local artists in their stores and playing music that is often featured in the various music venues around the city. At the locations downtown, customers can hula hoop while they wait in line and guess the daily movie quote to get their ice cream free. Keeping it weird has certainly helped Amy's: Amy's has been voted "Best Ice Cream" in the Austin Chronicle for eight consecutive years.

Keep Austin Weird T-shirt. Source: http://www.outhousedesigns.com/

In 2003, just a couple of years after it was adopted, "Keep Austin Weird" faced some serious criticisms. A corporation called Outhouse Designs trademarked the slogan and has dominated the production of "Keep Austin Weird" merchandise, including the famed tie-dye T-shirts.  The Austin community was outraged, because a corporation owning the rights to the slogan violated the overall message. Indeed, Andrew Allemann, who started the ironic website Make Austin Normal, angrily asked, "How can you have a commercial slogan that screams anti-corporation?"  Many Austinites were wondering the same thing.

However, at the end of the day, keeping Austin weird is more than just the local businesses, though they are crucial to the Austin culture. Keeping Austin weird now also makes locals think of Austin things like Austin City Limits Music Festival and Bat Fest, events with higher participation thanks to the "Keep Austin Weird" moniker. Austin icons like Leslie Cochran, a man who was famous for dressing in crazy clothes and generally making a scene, give Austin its unique identity. Whatever keeping Austin weird means to you, all Austinites can agree that the city is better with a few nuts. 

Austin City Limits and the Austin skyline. Source: http://adobeairstream.com/

Every Town Needs a Trail

It's a damp, almost sweet smell, infused with the scent of plants, lake water, sweat, and trail dust. This special smell is always the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the phrase "Hike and Bike Trail." I was raised in Austin by two active parents whose favorite past time was toting me, their only child, down to the trail every Saturday morning to walk the path and play in Zilker park. Consequently, many of my childhood memories take place in and around the 10 mile "Hike and Bike Trail" that wraps around Lady Bird Lake and meanders through downtown Austin. The trail has something to offer everyone-a family and animal friendly place to bring kids and pets, a great running, walking, and biking path, countless scenic places to sit and look out over the lake, and a serene environment to just slow down in and take a break from any stresses. 

Before 1971, the shore of Lady Bird Lake (then called Town Lake) was composed of mostly weeds, mud and trash. In 1971, the City of Austin created the "Town Lake Beautification Project" and appointed Lady Bird Johnson (former Texan president Lyndon Johnson's wife) as honorary chairman. Johnson donated almost $20,000 to the Town Lake project, and the trail was soon constructed and surrounded by freshly planted bushes, trees and flowers. The trail is dotted with cultural things and places that hold great significance to the Austin community. Next to Auditorium Shores is a tall bronze statue of legendary musician and native Texan Stevie Ray Vaughn, erected against the backdrop of downtown Austin and the Congress Avenue bridge. The Congress Ave. bridge is where hundreds of people congregate to watch the legendary 1.5 million bats that live under the bridge take flight at sundown each warm summer night in Austin. Along with Stevie and the bats, there is also Zilker Park, Barton Springs, Deep Eddy swimming pool, and the Texas Rowing Center to add to the cultural mix of the trail.

  

In 2007, Austinite and triathlete Jen Ohlson wrote the beautiful book Every Town Needs a Trail, commemorating Austin's unique Hike and Bike Trail and the diverse community of people who frequent there. Along with stunning photographs of the trail and its surroundings, the book interviews citizens such as former Austin mayor Will Wynn, Dell founder Michael Dell, and 80-year-old runner Marcus and his wife Millie, who have lived in Austin over 50 years. This book does a great job of capturing the blissful, unique environment of the trail. 

 The trail has always been and will continue to be a big part of my life, and it's the perfect place to spend any sunny, blissful Austin day. And as if anyone needed any more motivation to go to the trail, it's a known fact that actor Matthew McConaughey frequently runs shirtless down around the lake.