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Good morning Kogs and Kossacks in Dailykosland!
Merry Monday and welcome to the working week...
Very few people who live in Boston would say "Boston" in response to the question "where do you live?"
Neighborhood feeling here is so strong that people answer "where do you live" with the name of their *neighborhood*. The Post Office even delivers letters addressed to neighborhoods. Mattapan, Brighton, Hyde Park, Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, Charlestown, Dorchester, Roxbury, and Roslindale are all actually part of Boston. But the post office will deliver mail addressed to those specific neighborhoods.
Downtown there is a bright line between smaller communities like Beacon Hill and Back Bay and Bay Village. No one would ever confuse South Boston with the South End. The Financial District and the Leather District are right next to each other but everyone knows where one ends and one begins. The rest of the city may hyphenate Allston-Brighton, but Brighton people (like me) know we don't live in Allston and Allston people know they don't live in Brighton.
There are lots of little neighborhoods in Cambridge, where I work: Avon Hill, Strawberry Hill, Huron Village, Agassiz, Cambridgeport, Riverside. But people don't address their mail with those names.
The best method for learning your way around the Boston area is to know the connections between the “squares” that help define neighborhoods. But the line between Central Square and Harvard Square is a fuzzy one. Where does Porter Square end and Davis Square begin? People who live in Codman Square address their mail to Dorchester, not Codman Square. No one addresses their mail to Kenmore Square or Egleston Square.
I grew up in Washington DC and my early years were in a neighborhood that I never heard anyone put a name to, although the area is now called Petworth. The few neighborhoods I had heard of that had separate names were either famous or infamous. Georgetown, Embassy Row, Cathedral Heights, Gold Coast, Capitol Hill; Anacostia, Shipley Terrace, Congress Heights, Barry Farms.
My mom also grew up in DC, in a working class neighborhood on a street of rowhouses. A few years after she moved away, urban renewal arrived in the area and developers discovered her old neighborhood. Gentrification mushroomed. The rowhouses that were not torn down for apartment complexes got upscale renovations. A modern live performance venue was built to draw even more attention to the area. A name that once had a slightly negative connotation suddenly became one of the most desirable neighborhoods in DC.
An apartment/hotel/office complex in my mom's old neighborhood is called the Watergate. The entertainment venue is the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. How my mom would smile today if she knew that the humble community where she grew up now has this exalted name: Foggy Bottom Historic District!
I took a year off from college and lived briefly in New York City and while there my head spun from the wide variety of neighborhoods there. So many different distinct communities packed in such a small space, with character boundaries so specific that the atmosphere could change abruptly sometimes just by crossing a single street. SoHo, Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Harlem, the Bowery. Chinatown, Koreatown, Little Italy, Little Brazil. Give my regards to Broadway, remember me to Herald Square. And there were all kinds of crazy little neighborhood names only known to the people who live in them: Tudor City, Turtle Bay, Yorkville? The list goes on. But all those people if asked would probably say they live in New York City, or Manhattan.
For a while I lived in a small town that was so small it did not have any neighborhood names. There was a slight rivalry between the "East" and "West" High Schools (West is, of course, best!) but there were no subcommunities. It was too small to break itself up like that. And yet several named NYC communities packed together could have fit easily in the same amount of space as that exurban town.
Do you live in a city with a variety of neighborhood names? Used not just by real estate agents in housing listings, but by the people who live there, including on their mail? Do you live in a famous (or infamous) neighborhood? When the name of your neighborhood comes up, does it evoke a particular positive reputation or negative stereotype?
Do you live in a neighborhood with a special name?
Let's Build Communities!
Our team is here to provide support and guidance to new and existing volunteer leaders of each regional and state group, helping them with recruiting, organizing and executing social and action events.
We invite you to join in this effort to build our community. There are many ways to pitch in.
If there isn't a group to join near you, please start one.
Instructions on HOW TO FORM A NEW DAILY KOS GROUP
List of All Existing Meatspace Groups
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
Three Star Kossacks & Nashville KosKats Meet-up
by marykk ♥ for Three Star Kossacks
The Three Star Kossacks and the Nashville KosKats met Saturday, March 8th for dinner and then a show afterward to welcome Sandy on Signal to town. About 15 people attended. The organizer marykk said it was the most well attended and succesful event yet for her Kossacks. State Senate Candidate Mary Mancini attended as well as a representative from Planned Parenthood due to an upcoming amendment to the state Constitution which would allow more restrictive abortion legislation.
Here's a couple of photos:
L-R: Patrick is Lucky, sow hat, Mr. sow hat, Sandy on Signal
L-R: Mr & Mrs JKTownsend
You can join Three Star Kossacks, which includes the entire state of Tennessee, by sending a Kosmail to marykk.
Also, you can join Nashville KosKats by sending a Kosmail to ZenTrainer which is for the city of Nashville.
Event Organizers! Please contact wink from Netrootsradio.com by KosMail to schedule airtime with them to live broadcast your Event. Wink & Justice will then promote it on The After Show radio program!
Saturday, March 15th
LAKossacks Roll Out the Red Carpet for shanikka!
TIME: 12:30 PM
LOCATION: City Tavern
9739 Culver Blvd. • Culver City
ORGANIZER: Send Dave in Northridge a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. Dave in Northridge
2. shanikka (Guest of Honor)
3. jakedog42
4. Gay CA Democrat
5. Otoelbc
6. susans
7. gmats
8. Mugwumpblues
9. Shockwave
10. SanFernandoValleyMom
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Maybees:
homogenius
Former Chicagoan Now Angeleno
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Latest diary: Los Angeles Kossacks - Rolling out the Red Carpet for Shanikka - March 15, Culver City
Saturday, March 15th
Sacramento/Central Valley Kossacks, Silicon Valley Kossacks and the SFKossacks Demonstrate at "Don't Frack California"
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: California State Capitol lawn
1315 10th St. • Sacramento
YOU CAN FIND US GATHERED AROUND OUR DAILY KOS 7 ft. BANNER
-courtesy of tmservo433.
After the protest ends we'll be heading over to a local watering hole. Meet us at KBar at 1000 K Street, a couple of short blocks north of the Capitol building.
The Don't Frack California website has also arranged for buses from all over California. Places as far away as San Diego and Los Angeles. Check out their ride board and buy a ticket STAT.
RSVPs:
1. Anthony Page aka SecondComing
2. mrsgoo
3. Dan Bacher
4. smileycreek
5. paradise50
6. navajo
7. Meteor Blades
8. dsb
9. Where4Art
10. remembrance
11. Glen the Plumber
12. TLO™
13. Glescagal
14. kimoconnor
15. stagemom
16. cooper888
17. gotmooned
18. aitchdee
19. ybruti
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Maybees:
jpmassar
dharmasyd
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Latest diary: The California Frack Wars: Episode 3 Revenge Of The Greed
Quick re-mention of March 15 statewide "Don't Frack California" demonstrations
Sunday, March 16th
NYC Kossacks Meet-up
UPDATE: Special Guest Star! It's Juliana Forlano, known on DailyKos as IronicNews. She's a political satirist and the host of the news parody series Absurdity Today.
TIME: Noon
LOCATION: Spitzer's Corner
101 Rivington Street (Ludlow) • NYC
ORGANIZER: Send sidnora a kosmail to RSVP
RSVPs:
1. sidnora
2. rubyr
3. joanbrooker
4. belinda ridgewood
5. MBNYC
6. jfdunphy
7. communitygis
8. No Exit
9. Its the Supreme Court Stupid
10. Denise Oliver Velez
11. Mets102
12. plf515
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Maybees:
Laura Clawson
Rosalie907
Ian Reifowitz
kathny
Bethesda 1971
David Nir
wader
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Latest diary: NYC Meetup, Sunday, March 16: Good times ahead, now with special guest!
Saturday, March 29th
Houston Kossacks Meet-up
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: Fadi's Mediterranean Grill
4738 Beechnut Street • Houston
ORGANIZER: Send Chrislove a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. Chrislove
2. htowngenie
3. Libby Shaw
4. MarciaJ720
5. Bree Davis
6. krwheaton
7. Mary (Honorary Kossack)
8. Alan (Honorary Kossack) |
Maybees:
Mr. Libby Shaw
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Latest diary: Houston Area Kossacks: Meet-Up Scheduled for Saturday, March 29 (plus a note on future meet-ups)
Saturday, April 5th
Seattle & Puget Sound Kossacks Meet-up
TIME: Noon - 3:00 PM
LOCATION: Pyramid Alehouse, Brewery & Restaurant
1201 First Avenue South • Seattle
ORGANIZER: Send EagleOfFreedom a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. EagleOfFreedom
2. Reetz
3. John Crapper
4. John Crapper's S.O.
5. WisePiper
6. bleeding blue
7. mlharges
8.
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Maybees:
Ojibwa
otto
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Latest diary: Seattle & Puget Sound Kossacks April Meeting
Saturday, May 3rd
DKos Asheville Kossacks Meet-up
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: The Bywater
796 Riverside Dr. • Asheville
ORGANIZER: Send randallt a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. randallt
2. davehouck
3. Joieau
4. Gordon20024
5. SteelerGrrl
6. SteelerGuy
7. GulfGal 98
8. Otteray Scribe
9. flwrightman
10. people power granny
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Maybees:
Audri
Mr Audri
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Latest diary: [Waiting for linked diary]
Tuesday, May 13th
SFKossacks Roll Out the Red Carpet for LeftOfYou & Expat Okie
TIME: 11:00 AM, Early lunch!
LOCATION: Yank Sing
Rincon Center, 101 Spear St. • San Francisco
ORGANIZER: Send navajo a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. navajo
2. LeftOfYou
3. Expat Okie
4. side pocket
5. Justice Putnam
6. dharmasyd
7. Lorikeet
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Maybees:
annieli
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navajo maintains the above event list. Kosmail her if you have any diaries
about your event or if you have changes or additions.
EVERYONE is welcome, tell us what you're working on,
share your show and tell, vent, whatever you want.
This is an open thread. Nothing is off topic.