The excellent arrow
“The excellent arrow” is what I named this the day I found it.
It was a wayfinding arrow, showing where the parking lot was, for a now-defunct restaurant in downtown Lubbock. I like the curves, the blue-and-white, the way the artist signed it, the dappled sunlight on the concrete block wall.
For that matter, I even liked the restaurant.
(Regarding my use of the urban-planning term “wayfinding” – you may not know this about me, but I actually am a licensed urban planner! That doesn’t mean much, really, except that I once passed a test and continue to pay dues to the American Planning Association. But every now and then, just to keep in practice, I throw in a planning term. Here’s another one, just for fun: road diet. It really IS an exciting profession.)
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 3.13.2011
Posted on January 15, 2014, in Photography and tagged 365 photo project, architecture, downtown, downtown Lubbock, lubbock, lubbock texas, melinda green harvey, one day one image, photo a day, photography, texas. Bookmark the permalink. 17 Comments.
One Day | One Image 
Definitely an excellent arrow. And the shadows add a nice touch; usually I’d try to avoid shadows on my subject, but these add a layer of reality to the scene. Thanks for the urban-planning vocabulary lessons, and for letting us know you a little bit better.
LikeLike
I actually had to look at other shots from that same day/place because I couldn’t remember if the wall was shadowed, or damp.
I am just a wealth of (mostly useless) information!
LikeLike
Indeed and excellent arrow.
And thanks for the trip to Wikipedia and my wander-off at the links at the bottom. Even as interesting as “road diet” the term “contraflow lane reversal” is also dandy… sounds very important!
LikeLike
Thanks.
“Contraflow lane reversal” is a dandy term. However, I don’t think you can use it as a defense if you get pulled over for driving the wrong way on a one-way street.*
*Not actual legal advice.
LikeLike
In addition to seeing a very nice photo, I’ve boosted my vocabulary today. I can’t wait to use these terms in general conversation.
LikeLike
Terms like these often come up in general conversation. If you’re talking to a bunch of planners. Should you decide to use them around normal (that is, not planner) people, please be prepared to get some looks.
LikeLike
Great, dynamic, and happy photo. How little it takes to create a mood.
LikeLike
Blue-and-white is nearly always a happy combination, isn’t it?
LikeLike
Road diet is a particularly interesting term, and implies a society that needs to be on a bit of a diet in multiple ways. But maybe I read too much into it – perhaps the person that invented the term had a teenager on a diet at that particular time and the word just sprang to mind. There should be arrows like this painted on streets, instead of the rigidly angular ones we usually see.
LikeLike
Evidently in places that are more progressive than Lubbock (which would be damn near everywhere) it’s a thing to do street projects that take away driving lanes for single vehicle cars and add transit lanes, bike lanes, and widen sidewalks so there’s more room for pedestrians and “street use” things like outdoor cafe seating. That’s a long-winded way of saying that I don’t think you are reading too much into it.
I think traffic engineers would get all twitchy if they had to use arrows like this. So, there’s another reason to use them!
LikeLike
We are on a big road diet in Victoria. The refer to them as traffic calming devices a lot of the time (these are narrow waists in the middle of blocks, often with cross walks) but also a lot of bike lanes. Car drivers often don’t much approve as it reduces their options, but in many instances it works better, makes for a nicer environment in the area.
LikeLike
Here in Texas, we can’t understand how a “nicer environment” could possibly restrict cars……
LikeLike
I like that term ‘Wayfinding’. It’s certainly an excellent arrow. Someone has gone to some trouble to create something worth looking at it and should encourage ‘followers. A Licensed Urban Planner, really! Licensed Premises usually mean premises that serve alcohol over here. So how does this work in Urban Planning. Are you a purveyor of alcohol as a sideline, or does the term distinguish you from Teetotal Urban Planner. Or maybe the provision of alcohol ‘oils’ the wheels of urban development. Unfortunately I suspect it’s something far removed from booze and to do with qualifications.
LikeLike
A licensed planner, sadly, doesn’t have anything to do with serving alcohol. The profession’s buzzwords would be a lot more interesting if it did! All it means is that I took and passed an exam. Oh, and got a certificate to hang on my office wall.
I went to graduate school at in New Orleans, which has a fairly open view of drinking. There was a bar on campus, in fact. I can neither confirm nor deny that my friends and I “studied” at the bar on a fairly regular basis.
LikeLike
I was afraid the answer might be something to do with Certification. Studying at the bar, in the bar, was quite common during my six year degree course.
LikeLike
For non-lawyers, you guys seem to have come to the bar rather a lot (snicker).
LikeLike
Ha! HA! I see what you did there!
LikeLike