A Texas night, a Ford pickup and Led Zeppelin

I was a Texas teenager driving my dad’s Ford F-100 pickup. It had an AM radio with one speaker that probably sounded awful compared to even the cheapest modern car stereo. And no AC.

I was driving along one night with my friend Steve Garza riding shotgun. It’s lost on me now where we were going to or coming from. Probably on some highway in or around San Antonio that’s a lot more congested now than it was then.

We had the windows rolled down and that cheap radio cranked up. Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” came on.

I know that scene is cliche as hell. I probably kind of knew it then. But for 8 minutes and 2 seconds, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page made us feel like we were cool and the world was right.

Notre Dame of Paris back in the day

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2000. - photo by Joe Alexander
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2000. – photo by Joe Alexander
I was fortunate enough to visit Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris about 20 years before the fire of April 15, 2019.

In the first photo you can see the famous spire that collapsed in the fire.

It was wonderful to watch on TV earlier this week as Notre Dame reopened to the public.

You can see the famous spire atop Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2000. - photo by Joe Alexander
You can see the famous spire atop Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2000.

You can see the famous spire atop Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2000. - photo by Joe Alexander
You can see the famous spire atop Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2000.

Remembering a stroll through Paris

The Eiffel Tower around sunset in Paris, France in spring 2000. - photo by Joe Alexander
The Eiffel Tower around sunset in Paris, France in spring 2000. – photo by Joe Alexander
I spent almost a week walking the streets of Paris in the spring of 2000.

The weather was mostly cloudy and sometimes rainy – not unusual for that time of year in Europe.

Although it is easy to get around via the Metro (subway), Paris is a great city to see on foot.

Murals on Chestnut Street in San Antonio: Part 3

Mural on Chestnut Street near downtown San Antonio on Oct. 13, 2024. - photo by Joe Alexander
Mural on Chestnut Street near downtown San Antonio on Oct. 13, 2024.
More public art on Chestnut Street near downtown San Antonio. These murals at the corner of Nolan Street at Chestnut, a short distance north of the Alamodome.

SanAntonioStreetArt.Org

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@sanantoniostreetart
@DREAMUrbanarts

Murals on Chestnut Street in San Antonio: Part 2

Mural on Chestnut Street near downtown San Antonio on Oct. 13, 2024. - photo by Joe Alexander
Mural on Chestnut Street near downtown San Antonio on Oct. 13, 2024.
More public art on Chestnut Street near downtown San Antonio. These murals are a short distance north of the Alamodome in the area around Houston Street up to Nolan Street.

SanAntonioStreetArt.Org

INSTAGRAM
@sanantoniostreetart
@DREAMUrbanarts

Murals on Chestnut Street in San Antonio: Part 1

Mural on Chestnut Street near downtown San Antonio on Oct. 13, 2024. - photo by Joe Alexander
Mural on Chestnut Street near downtown San Antonio on Oct. 13, 2024.
I spent some time this weekend checking out the public art on Chestnut Street near downtown San Antonio.

These murals are a short distance north of the Alamodome in the area around Houston Street up to Nolan Street and were created as part of the San Antonio Street Art Initiative.

SanAntonioStreetArt.Org

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@sanantoniostreetart
@DREAMUrbanarts

Paint Jam 6 at San Antonio’s Essex Modern City: Day 2

The second day of ESX ART Paint Jam 6 at Essex Modern City in San Antonio on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.
The second day of ESX ART Paint Jam 6 at Essex Modern City in San Antonio on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.
The new artwork at Essex Modern City was either done or close to it on Sunday afternoon, the second day of ESX ART Paint Jam 6. Top muralists from San Antonio and South Texas gathered for the event.

The second day of ESX ART Paint Jam 6 at Essex Modern City in San Antonio on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.
The second day of ESX ART Paint Jam 6 at Essex Modern City in San Antonio.

Paint Jam 6 at San Antonio’s Essex Modern City

ESX ART Paint Jam 6 at Essex Modern City in San Antonio on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.
ESX ART Paint Jam 6 at Essex Modern City in San Antonio on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.
Artists at work on Saturday afternoon at ESX ART Paint Jam 6 at Essex Modern City on San Antonio’s near east side not far from downtown.

The even is scheduled to continue on Sunday.

INSTAGRAM:
@esxart210
@essexmoderncity
Location: Essex Modern City

New Jersey Shore: Atlantic City, Stone Harbor, Wildwood

Atlantic City, New Jersey in late September 2024. - photo by Joe Alexander
Atlantic City, New Jersey in late September 2024. – photo by Joe Alexander
Long before the beaches of New Jersey hosted reality TV, my family used head this way for summer vacations.

I made it back in late September. It was well past tourist season, especially on a weekday, but it was still warm enough for some enjoyable walks on the sand and boardwalks.

Memorials and public art in Atlantic City, New Jersey

9-11 Memorial near the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, N.J., in September 2024. It honors first responders lost at the World Trade Center in New York. - photo by Joe Alexander
9-11 Memorial near the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, N.J., in September 2024. It honors first responders lost at the World Trade Center in New York. – photo by Joe Alexander
There are a number of murals and other public art near the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, N.J.

The New Jersey Korean War Memorial and 9-11 Memorial are also just steps from the Boardwalk.