Intriguing But Tedious: The Next Substantial Section

Wiltold Rybczynski's telling of the life of Frederick Law Olmstead is proving, while incredibly detailed and absolutely fascinating, a bit of a letdown in terms of the amount of information it provides on the works of Olmstead. True, I've only read a hundred pages into the book, but should I continue with this field I think I may have to start searching for the segments in this book that help forward my knowledge of Olmstead's projects, more specifically the Emerald Necklace. Still, that's not to say none of this information has been good to learn about. The most interesting thing I think I've seen overall is Olmstead's history before becoming a planner for America's public land. More specifically, what perplexed me the most is that for years Olmstead didn't know what he wanted to do and actually tried his hand at a handful of different jobs. In this section, Rybczynski goes into both his brief stint as a sailor, during which he traveled to China and essentially learned that the sea-faring life was not for him. Returning weak, he then began to try his hand at farming which he worked well with and occupied him over a period of six years, over which time he worked at several different farms and only returned home for a short period of time. The thing about this which caught my attention the most is that, while reading this, I had yet to see that many parts of Olmstead's young life that might have lead him to his future as a public planner, aside from a brief idea of being a surveyor. But farming, as I now see, would give Olmstead just the experience he needed to really see the beauty in planning out large areas of land. How to make them both function and pleasant. Seeing this, I can really see where Olmstead's life seems to be heading. In addition, I also found the new descriptions both of Olmstead's fleeting romances and his religious qualms throughout his young life (even during a religious revival) really interesting in looking at his life as a whole. though I may choose to switch my focus soon, learning about Olmstead has been fantastic, and I will probably continue to read this book through, even if this is my last post on its contents.

The Seeds of a Beginning

My journey into discovering the truth behind the creation and later problems of the Emerald Necklace began with starting the book "A Clearing in the Distance: Frederick Law Oldsted and America in the 19th Century." As of now, I've read through the first six chapters, and I'm beginning to get a good look at who Olmsted was growing up, and some of the ways he became the famous planner and developer we all remember. Olmsted is, as anyone can tell you, the designer and maker of such urban parks such as Central Park and indeed the Emerald Necklace. I figured a good way to take my first steps would be to better understand his life and see how the parks came into being, and in addition especially how Olmsted had a vision of the parks and how that vision was later changed by things such as budgetary restrictions, neglect, and whatever else caused the severe deterioration in the parks around Boston. Now, while I have no doubt in my mind that this book will eventually give me the answers I need, I still find the very beginning of this book both a bit boring and slow as well as not particularly revlavent to the topic of the Emerald Necklace. At this point I suppose the only thing to do is to wait for things to become more interesting, as I'm sure they will. Thankfully, the information, while a bit boring, is still good to know. Reading these backgrounds shows some Neckace. Now, while there is no doubt in my mind that this book will not be able t answer all fo the qestions I have with regards to the Emerald Neckalce and Franklin Law Olmsted, I do think it'll be able to give me a background on him and his projects while also providing a very interesting read into his life, even if the book is written a bit slow. The good news is, because I believe this I'm willing to read past the first 50 pages of this book, and see what kind of surprises Wiltold Rybencynski has in store for me as I turn the pages of this fantastic biography of Franklin's life, work, and eventual death.

And The Journey Begins

Though it's been an issue for a long time it's really only in the last couple of years that the public outcry against the collapse and lack of care for Boston's parks has become noticed. From newspaper clippings to magazine articles, to even the growth of the Emerald Necklace conservancy, the issue of what to do about Boston's parks has certainly become a larger one. Personally I found the subject fascinating, being a long time fan of green space, public parks, and tranquil areas among the hurried mess that is most of the urban jungle. So here, at the start of this expedition to learn more about the Emerald Necklace and the projects being done to protect it, I find myself only wondering about general questions, such as, "What's being done to promote conservancy?" Or, "How much of an impact are the private conservation groups having in swaying public opinion. However, I also think a lot about whether or not the Olmsted foundation is helping at all to preserve the parks? As I start researching, these are certainly the questions im going to be focusing in on. Mostly what I'm concerned about at this point is not only what's being done to help these parks, but why until recently there was nothing official that was being done. I know that recently a large bill has been passed by the MA state legislature to help preserve these parks, but what I'm wondering is why it took so long to get there. I mean i remember only 2 or 3 years ago walking through a few of the parks and being shocked at how out of repair they were. Even a study I read recently said all of the structure done in Franklin Park has essentially be allowed to be vandalized to destruction. It's both shocking, and fascinating. So I think the first steps for me will be looking into the creation and early history of the parks, and in that, looking into the life of  Frederick Law Olmsted, and the efforts done to conserve public area in the years during and after his death, in order to better understand how this issue became one in the first place.