Hmmm, who to root for? A real brain tickler. Compelling arguments on both sides.
(The Bradford Debate Club meets behind Academy Plaza, which I pass every day on my way to my job at a huge multinational corporation.)
Categories » ‘graffiti and street art’
Where the riverwalk ends.
April 6th, 2010 by Cosmic AmandaThe weather was beautiful Sunday. Hoping to reverse the effects of our Easter gluttony, we decided to head down to the newly opened Haverhill Riverwalk and get our power walk on.
Problem is, the riverwalk is 300 feet.
I mean, they’re glorious and all, don’t get me wrong, but that’s barely a stroll! It looks more like the parking lot was jealous of The Tap and went out and got it’s own totally kick ass deck. (There were two ladies sunbathing on it.)
Well, I guess this is only Phase A, right? I checked the mayor’s monthly newsletter:
Phase B awaits further funding.
*crickets*
What DID seem to get funding though, was PHASE C! which is a more nature trail-esque walk on the Bradford side of the Merrimack. From the Mass Highway Dept. project web site:
The project begins at the Route 125 bridge over the Merrimack River and ends at the Gonzalian Bridge near the MBTA commuter rail station in Bradford. The section is approximately 3700 feet long. A linear park and interpretive elements are planned as well as several gateway entrances and parking.
So, we have that to look forward to…in 2015!
But hey, being a true Hillie is all about patience. Plus, we didn’t let the slow grinding gears of progress stop us. We enjoyed our own (albeit somewhat gritty) riverwalk behind Washington and Merrimack Streets instead. I give you the Haverhill Fever Back Alley Riverwalk!
To begin, cut across Riverfront Park. If you’re lucky, your gateway to the Haverhill Fever Back Alley Riverwalk is pleasantly scented of beer brewing at The Tap. (It was Whittier White when we were passing by) Here are some of the more scenic highlights:
Like Swayze.
Helllllllo, Newman’s.
The Haverhill Fever Back Alley Riverwalk’s colorful conclusion.
I don’t know. I’ll be excited when the new riverwalk is finally finished, but in the meantime, this one isn’t half bad. There’s interesting architecture, a glimpse into local culture, and even some art!
*shrug* I guess you can take your time, 2015.
Doug not know Peter feel that way…this awkward.
April 4th, 2010 by Cosmic Amanda
Street Art, She Wrote
March 31st, 2010 by Cosmic AmandaWhile you were busy pumping out your basement this week, this Bradford resident was doing a bit of super sleuthing…
There’s been a mystery baffling me since late fall. You see, one night back in November, I was driving home after an especially soul-crushing day spent languishing in my cubicle, when I rounded a corner on 125 and came face to face with this:
“Whaaaaat!?” I thought. Then I had to pull over to the side of the road I was laughing so hard. This is nearly Banksy-level shizz! Right here in Bradford! Amazing!
This moment was the very first to give me hope for the coolness of my city.
Ever since that fateful night, I’ve been keeping an eye out similar acts of awesomeness, all the while dying to know who the responsible party might be.
So, while it’s been pouring buckets these past few days I’ve been on a mission to uncover the truth…and I finally cracked the case!
While I can’t explain my investigative methods, for fear of spoiling the anonymity of the street artists behind the billboard hack, I did get the scoop on their motivation.
Says one of the artists:
“We’re into finding places to explore and leaving our mark in subtle ways that are more for humor than anything else. Obviously in this case it was just taking a jab at a bad comedian haha.
For instance, if we see a face that we find funny on a billboard or wherever, we’ll oftentimes dash out to the billboard in the dead of night, cut out the face using a box cutter, and then, using wallpaper glue, paste the face somewhere obscure and random, where if someone sees it, it’ll make their day. We don’t like these things to be too obvious, because we want it to stay up for at least a little while, so we tend to put them in areas people don’t tend to look in (but it’s usually something ballsy like the inside of an overpass on the highway or side of a bridge.)
So, if you have ever passed a billboard with it’s face cut-out (like that one in Bradford that they put up three times)… That’s us. Just a bunch of dudes having fun and trying to make people laugh or go ‘what??’ without spray painting or doing any permanent damage to anything. It’s all pretty ephemeral stuff, but I guess it’s sorta like building a sandcastle in that it’s fun to do anyway.”
So, there you have it. Case closed!
And, I really shouldn’t brag about my sweet detective skills, so I’ll defer to our mystery artist once again:
“By the way, really good detective work on your part. Bravo.”