#riverfront development

[philaretey]

IDEAL CITIES - NOT!

This is a video of Yanjin County, Zhaotong, Yunnan, reputedly the narrowest county in China, with only one main road. Amazing! What is unfortunate, of course, is that the buildings show no connection with their dramatic site. This is one of the most depressing things about the economics of modern design and construction. Except in exceptional cases, the ability to create environments in which we truly would want to live is entirely absent.

[rabbitcruiser]

Bow River Pathway, Calgary (No. 3)

The Centre Street Bridge is a historic bridge in Calgary, Alberta, crossing the Bow River, along Centre Street. The lower deck connects Riverfront Avenue in Chinatown with Memorial Drive, while the upper elevated deck crosses Memorial Drive as well, reaching into the community of Crescent Heights.

Centre Street Bridge is the central point of the quadrant system of the city.

It was built by The City of Calgary in 1916 for $375,000. It replaced the MacArthur Bridge, a steel truss bridge built in 1907 by a land developer called the Centre Street Bridge Company Limited. The MacArthur Bridge was destroyed by a flood in 1915. Centre Street Bridge was designed by John F. Greene, and features an upper and lower deck, cantilevered balconies on the upper deck, and four large cast concrete lions atop two pairs of ornamental concrete pavilions flanking each end of the bridge. The lions were cast by Scottish mason James L. Thomson. They were modelled after the bronze lions by Landseer at the base of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, London. The pavilions are ornamented with symbols of Canada and the United Kingdom: buffalo heads, maple leaves, shamrocks (Ireland), roses (England), and thistles (Scotland).

The upper deck, a reinforced concrete arch structure, spans 178 meters (584 ft) and is 15 meters (49 ft) wide. The lower deck, an "I" girders structure, runs for 150 meters (490 ft) and is 5.5 meters (18 ft) wide.

The Centre Street Bridge was listed as a Municipal Historic Resource for Calgary in 1992.

The bridge went through extensive restoration in 2001, when it was closed for one year. The lower deck is configured with reversible lanes. The original lions were replaced with replicas after considerable debate. Local legends of adjacent Chinatown hold that the lions would come alive after dark and roam the city streets. One of the original lions is now located at City Hall, the remaining three were placed in long-term storage. In April 2013, a city committee voted unanimously to place the remaining lions at one or more of the new West LRT C-Train (tram) stations. In 2018, one of original lions was repaired, conserved and is now displayed in Rotary Park. The remaining two lions are in storage to protect and preserve them for foreseeable future.

Source: Wikipedia

[the-city-in-mind]

This is good: The area around the United Center is getting a multi-year upzone to create a high-density hub of mixed-use residential, retail and offices!

Here’s the current view and a rendering of the project by master planning firm RIOS. It’s replacing a bunch of surface parking lots, and it’ll be served by new stations on the Pink and Green lines. With luck, this will serve to spur further densification between this area and the Loop.

Calgary should do something exactly like this around the Saddledome (or whatever replaces it), because it’s a similar urban stadium surrounded by parking lots and the Stampede grounds which sit vacant most of the year - not the best use of productive urban land - cutting off access to the riverfront too. Ideally this would be combined with burying or traffic-calming MacLeod Trail which is a barrier to pedestrian access.

[padraicratigan]

Excerpt from The Art of Walt Disney by Christopher Finch

In 1982, when The Black Cauldron began to show signs of endemic chaos, several artists had asked to be taken off the production and were given the go-ahead to develop a project titled Basil of Baker Street, based on the book of the same name by Eve Titus. The principals behind this project were two veterans of the story department (Burny Mattinson and Dave Michener) and two relative newcomers who would play major roles in the animation renaissance (John Musker and Ron Clements). All four would receive director’s credit.

Because production of The Black Cauldron was so attenuated, members of the Basil of Baker Street team had an unusual amount of time to hone their story so that what Katzenberg and Disney were presented with was a very complete and detailed set of storyboards. They liked what they saw and responded with cautious enthusiasm.

“What Jeffrey said,” recalls Musker, “was, ‘If you can make it in half the time you’re used to, for half the money — go ahead.’”

Retitled The Great Mouse Detective, the movie was made on budget and in time to be released in July of 1986, just a year after The Black Cauldron. The Great Mouse Detective is a far less ambitious movie than its predecessor, but given its modest aims and budgetary restrictions, it is very successful — a thoroughly entertaining film that both pays tribute to earlier Disney masterpieces and points the way to triumphs still to come. Its only serious faults can be blamed largely on the cost cutting that had been demanded. The animation in a few scenes seems sloppy, as if it had been done hurriedly, and there are even instances of backgrounds occupied by static (nonanimated) figures.

Still, The Great Mouse Detective is enlivened by some excellent character animation — by the likes of Mark Henn, Glen Keane, Ruben Aquino, and Rob Minkoff — and displays many merits, not the least of which is an emphasis on storytelling that harks back to the glory days.

The story pits a mouse detective called Basil (not without Holmes-like mannerisms) and his sidekick, Dr. Dawson, against the archvillain Ratigan (splendidly realized around the perfectly cast voice of Vincent Price). Aided by Fidget — a peg-legged bat with a sadistic sense of humor — and assorted thugs, Ratigan schemes to kidnap Queen Moustoria and replace her with a clockwork dummy. To build this robot, Ratigan has kidnapped Hiram Flaversham, a master toymaker. It is Flaversham’s daughter, Olivia, who begs Basil to take on the case of her father’s disappearance. The characters they encounter during their adventures include a sappy hound called Toby (supposedly belonging to Sherlock Holmes himself), an overfed feline executioner named Felicia, and assorted riverfront ne’er-do-wells.

All of these characters, even the minor ones, are well drawn, with Ratigan and Fidget making memorable additions to the ranks of Disney bad guys. Just as importantly, they are woven into a well-thought-out plot that moves forward briskly, never loses sight of where it is going, and is eventually resolved in an entirely satisfactory manner. The movie is full of snappy dialogue and witty sight gags — the latter sometimes more

reminiscent of vintage Warner Brothers cartoons than of earlier Disney features. It’s true to say, in fact, that the new generation of animators had grown up admiring Looney Toons along with the Disney classics, and they were anxious to graft a hipper kind of humor onto the Disney main stem. (Disney had had its share of hip humorists — Ward Kimball, for one — but the wisecrack and the off-the-wall sight gag had found their true home at Warners, where they were nurtured by Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Bob McKimson, and others.)

The Great Mouse Detective also featured fine atmospheric backgrounds (some harking back to those painted for Pinocchio) and inventive camera work (which is another way of saying that the layout department was making a valuable contribution to the drama and texture of the movie). If the nine old men had come to emphasize character animation at the expense of everything else, the hungry young men and women who succeeded them looked for a new balance in which all departments made a major contribution to telling the story. In this regard, The Great Mouse Detective anticipated the major achievements of the Disney feature renaissance.

The film includes one spectacular sequence that depends in part on computer-generated animation. The Studio had had some experience with computer animation in the live-action science-fiction movie Tron, which appeared in 1982, but that was outside the feature animation department. The climax of The Great Mouse Detective takes place in the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament, with Basil, Olivia, and Ratigan dodging one another along with the cogs, flywheels, gears, and counterweights that drive the clock known to the world as Big Ben. It’s a sequence that recalls the splendid 1937 Mickey Mouse short Clock Cleaners, but this time the machinery was animated with the aid of a computer, and the result was a mechanical ballet of a complexity and precision that greatly enhances the drama of the moment.

The Great Mouse Detective is a small-scale production, but — like Dumbo, another small-scale production — it is consistently entertaining and ultimately satisfying. The public responded to the movie and it turned a respectable profit. The feature animation department having justified its continued existence, new projects were put into development.

[walkingdetroit]

Hart Plaza to West Riverfront

Yesterday I walked from Hart Plaza along the Riverfront to check out the new Residences at Water Square development. Recently opened, I was curious to see what paths I could take to get there other than the People Mover, and this is one of them. I’m really looking forward to seeing what the plans are to make this area more accessible to residents who want to walk, bike, and run.

Although I’ve been on bike, I had never walked the Riverfront behind Huntington Place before. On a 48 degree afternoon in February, it was extremely peaceful along the Detroit River. I journaled by the river as I watched others ran by on this beautiful day.

[ryanfrogz]

Trains Down South: The Sequel

In doing research after my previous trip to Mankato, I discovered that I had missed some stuff. Some very cool stuff. And so, I headed back south.

My target was one of CHS's switcher locomotives. They have a big oilseed processing facility on the west side of town, along with a tank car washing facility, where I was supposed to find my little engine. My target was supposed to be parked on the stub track to the left of the picture. Rather than a unique orange locomotive, I found a boring blue one. CHS had recently exchanged their fleet of leased switchers for two of their own, and the old ones were nowhere to be found... or so I thought.

At the time of my visit, part of Mankato's downtown was undergoing a repaving project. The road that was closed just so happened to be my way out. I didn't feel like getting stuck in traffic, so I tried to find another way out. One wrong turn later, I randomly stumbled across this old Chicago & Northwestern bay-window caboose, adorned in a custom Mankato Tourism paint scheme. It dates back to 1957 and previously sat near the town's former train station, being moved to this parking lot near the riverfront in the early 2010s. The coolest finds are the ones you don't expect.

Since I was in the area I figured I'd get a proper shot of the Plymouth switcher buried in the weeds. It still isn't great, but better than nothing. I also flew over to the adjacent scrapyard to see their current switcher, and also found a 1947-built flatcar.

ALTX 601 has served the scrapyard since the early 2010s. It's a very heavily rebuilt EMD NW2, only recognizable by the step-down ramp from the nose to the cab. It was originally built for the Peoria & Pekin Union Railway (they had the greenish-grey paint), and later went on to work for the Tazewell & Peoria Railroad (responsible for the blue/white stripes along the bottom edge). The flatcar is a General Steel Industries design, notable for its unique bulkhead walls.

While I was turning onto the main road out of town, something in the distance caught my eye. I saw the distant, sun-lit silhouette of a great machine parked atop a hill, no doubt a remnant of a long-gone limestone quarry.

I promptly found a place to launch my drone and flew over. What a cool machine! I believe it dates back to the 1960s, but I can't find *any* information about it online. Not one bit.

Here's what I do know. The site was once a limestone quarry, one of many in the area. It started operations in the '50s or '60s, eventually becoming a demolition landfill which was capped in the 1990s or early 2000s. I emailed who I believe to be the owner, asking about getting some closer-up pictures, but I haven't received a response yet.

While I was driving back north, a miracle occurred. Sitting on a siding near the town of Kasota were three small, unique switcher locomotives; the ones I had driven all this way to see.

IRSS 1237 is an EMD SW10. By the mid-1970s, the Union Pacific's fleet of switcher locomotives, all built between the late 1930s and early 1950s, were getting rather old. Many had developed issues and the less problematic ones were becoming too expensive to maintain. UP had a choice: throw out all of the old switchers and buy new ones, or rebuild them into something more modern. They chose the latter. And thus, the SW10 was born. 65 EMD switchers made up of TR5As, SW7s (what 1237 started as), and SW9s were selected for rebuild. Upgrades included a newer 645-type engine, larger electrically-driven radiator fans, and a large sandbox on the front of the nose. This space would usually be occupied by the radiator, which was moved to the roof, creating the unique & instantly-recognizable hump.

The two other switchers were ProRail 100 and LUNX 1105. ProRail was the company that did switching for CHS in Mankato, shutting down sometime in 2024 and causing CHS to bring in their own locomotives. The fate of these three is unknown, but they seem quite well maintained and I expect they'll find work elsewhere.

[mtaartsdesign]

Summer is for golden hour… with Barbara Segal’s “Muhheakantuck (The River that Flows Two Ways)” (2005) at MNR Yonkers station. The artwork is composed of two cast aluminum sculptures located on the face of the bridge below the tracks. “Muhheakantuck” is the Lenape name for the Hudson River. Translated into English, it means “the river that flows two ways.” Segal, a Yonkers resident, consulted both art-historical and scientific sources to evoke the river's past. During her research, Segal was taken by the fact that the river in this area can actually flow up and downstream, depending on tidal conditions. Segal explained to the Westchester Times, "The work is an abstract representation of the river... The sun and moon will constantly change the lighting on the sculpture, and the shadows will change with the sunrise and sunset." Segal’s research found that the sculpture is installed at a spot where the river's original shoreline was situated before landfill and development of the riverfront.

Photos: MTA A&D

[threadatl]

Walk the Chattahoochee with us today & talk about the future!

When did Atlantans stop visiting the Chattahoochee River?  We drive our cars over it, draw our drinking water from it, and dump our sewage into it.  But where can this beautiful river be visited and enjoyed?

Join ThreadATL's @driftthemap for a peek at Chattahoochee NOW’s vision to reclaim 53 miles of ATL’s hidden riverfront with a 5,000-acre network of farms, forests, parks, and nature preserves.

We'll be joined by urban planner Jodi Lox Mansbach, the Chair of Chattahoochee NOW who has been working to put 53 miles of metro Atlanta's overlooked riverfront corridor back on the map for recreation and sustainable development.

Meet us December 9 at 2 p.m. at Standing Peachtree Park, 2630 Ridgewood Road NW, Atlanta.  Wear sneakers for this two hour walk climbing riverbanks and walking the industrial neighborhood around the river.

[amazingarchitecturewebsite]

McGovern Residence, #Mooloolaba, Australia by Reitsma & Associates @reitsmaassociates. Read more: Link in bio! Photography: Kelli Jean Black @kjb_photographer. Reitsma & Associates: A landmark site, a radical client willing to take risks and a sensational builder, the dream commission. The south facing riverfront allotment was occupied by a very charming but exhausted 1940’s worker's cottage. The cottage was casually nestled between two mature trees, one to the street and one to the river, the secluded, sheltered feel needed to somehow remain. Surrounded by High-rise construction either side this would be the only house left in the street, it had to be excellent, not wasting a single inch of the expensive development potential site… #casa #australia #архитектура www.amazingarchitecture.com ✔ A collection of the best contemporary architecture to inspire you. #design #architecture #amazingarchitecture #architect #arquitectura #luxury #realestate #life #cute #architettura #interiordesign #photooftheday #love #travel #construction #furniture #instagood #fashion #beautiful #archilovers #home #house ‎#amazing #picoftheday #architecturephotography ‎#معماری (at Mooloolaba, Queensland) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp-XbSzMFRs/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[hero-deserves-to-be-happy]

When Sun Shines Again⛅: Chapter 7 "Changing My Life:" Part 2

⛅Chapter 7 Description: With his hopes for a lowkey evening of studying ruined, Hero finds himself searching for a quiet corner to wait out this party until he can finally go home. His friends, however, have other ideas.

The Party That Changed Hero's Life: Part 2 of 3

Chapter Word Count: 10,268. Link to Chapter 7 on AO3.

Description (for the entire work): When tragedy struck, Hero lost not only his dearest friend but also his dreams for the future. Even years later, Hero doesn't know what his "forever" looks like without Mari in it, but somehow he finds the strength to carry on and build a new life for himself. With his family and friends both old and new by his side, Hero struggles through life's ups and downs--the joys and sorrows he faces in a world without Mari. In the beginning, he's only looking to survive it all, but somewhere along the way, he might find a purpose, a reason he's still here. Maybe there really is a way he can learn to be happy again, and maybe, just maybe, when he's least expecting it, he might even find himself slowly opening his heart to love again--he might even find himself believing that even the darkest, stormiest of times will eventually pass and the sun will shine again.

A Hero-Centric story spanning 15 years of his life post-good end. Focuses on Hero finding healing & building a life for himself after the loss of Mari. Eventually includes him learning to love again after an extremely slow burn. All pairings are tagged upfront. Rated T for heavy themes & some language. Reading the prequel is recommended.

⛅Tags For The Story As A Whole (So A Lot Of These Are "Eventual" Tags):

Romantic Relationships: Main Ships: (Past) Hero/Mari and (Eventual) Hero/OC. Side Ships: Brandi/OC and a brief mention of Mikhael/Bebe are the only side ships involving canon characters.

Platonic Relationships: Hero & Brandi Friendship, Hero & Original Characters Friendship. Some Hero & Kel Siblings Relationship & Brotherly Friendship. Hero & Aubrey Friendship. Hero & Basil Friendship. Hero & Sunny Friendship. Hero & His Family.

Characters: Major Canon Characters: Hero (POV Character), Brandi [Intimidating Girl], Mari and Mari's Memory, & Kel. Major Original Characters (Hero's college friends): Kyle, C.J., Zoey, Tamra, and Lorraine. Other Included Canon Characters: Sunny, Basil, Aubrey, Sally, Hero's Parents, Bebe (Short Haired Girl/Fountain Girl) & Mikhael (The Maverick).

Genre: Hero-Centric Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Slice of Life, College Life, Lost Love, Finding Love Again, Finding Healing After Grief, Slow Burn, Developing Friendship, Developing Relationship, Greiving, Catharsis, Heart-To-Heart Chats, Hopeful/Happy Ending, Post-Good Ending, Hero Needs A Hug, Hero Deserves To Be Happy

Rating: T for some heavy themes and thematic elements (i.e. grief & healing from grief and trauma. Implied/Referenced Canonical Character Death & Implied/Referenced Mental Health Issues including depression & suicide. Mentions of Underage Drinking & Partying). Some language.

Warnings: Major Spoilers for OMORI! Heavy themes and thematic elements (i.e. grief & healing from grief and trauma. Implied/Referenced Canonical Character Death & Implied/Referenced Mental Health Issues including depression & suicide. Mentions of Underage Drinking & Partying). Some Language.

Link to Entire work on AO3.

⛅ Link to the "When Sun Shines Again" Masterlist. ⛅

Full chapter text below the cut. Thank you for reading! ⛅

Rowdy. That was the best word Hero could think of to describe this party. Since the host, Kyle’s friend Sawyer, lived in the ritzier part of town near Riverfront Center, there was a lot more room in the house than Hero had originally been anticipating. Still there were far too many guests than space probably allowed for, and the bad weather meant they were crammed inside where it was unpleasantly loud and uncomfortably warm from the amount of body heat. Not to mention the fact that it reeked of beer, as if someone had poured an entire keg all over the floor, mingling with smell of sweat, puke, and hard-liquor—probably from Sawyer’s parents’ whisky collection which Hero had been hearing so much about.

Brandi had said it smelled like an armpit in here, but rather than bemoan this fact in a quiet corner somewhere, she hadn’t particularly cared and had disappeared into the crowd ages ago with C.J. following dutifully behind her. Hero had lost Kyle even more quickly than that. He was probably off getting plastered and making out with some girl he just met, and Hero probably wouldn’t see much of him until he was ready to go home.

Hero was used that by now. His friends were much more interested in partying and the “college experience” than Hero could ever be. He tried to be supportive and to keep them safe by making sure they drank plenty of water and didn’t drive drunk—even if that meant that Hero himself spent a lot of parties stalking out a quiet corner where he could hide out of the way and desperately watch the clock, waiting for the minute it would finally be over and they could go home again. In his freshman year, he purposely avoided parties and at the ones he, unfortunately, found himself attending, mainly clung to Brandi “like a sad, lost puppy” or so she often teased him, but since he had made the decision to join a fraternity against her advice to the contrary, she had unceremoniously told him he was now on his own and would have to learn to survive college parties without her.

She said this of course, but within an hour she had plopped down next to him on the couch—wrapping an arm around him and leaned against his side with a disgruntled huff. As she slammed her empty bottle on the end table, she nestled into the crook of his neck, and Hero gently patted the top of her head like a concerned and comforting parent. It was the same thing he would have done to Kel or Aubrey, Sunny, and Basil if they ever curled up next to him like this—but they wouldn’t, not anymore. And Brandi only did this when she was drunk. Otherwise, she didn’t need him.

“You okay?” asked Hero in a quiet, gentle voice as he ran a hand through her hair. He stopped abruptly and flushed as he realized what he was doing and how it must look to the outside world, and he frantically, pleadingly glanced over at C.J. who was perched on the curving leather arm of the sofa hoping he wouldn’t be bothered by it or get the wrong idea. He was grateful for Brandi’s friendship, but he didn’t see her in that way. He hoped C.J. knew that. Thankfully, like with most things, he didn’t seem too phased by it.

Brandi hummed with a crooked smile as she replied bluntly, sarcastically, “I’m peachy.”

“How was beer pong?” he asked. “Did you win?”

“Yeah, but then I got hit on by some gross, drunk guy so I don’t feel like a winner.” Brandi rolled her eyes—shaking her head. “That’s the last time I tell some stranger about my tattoo.”

Hero’s eyes widened. “You have a tattoo?” The question sounded more surprised than he had intended, and he hoped Brandi wouldn’t get the wrong idea.

She shifted away from him until she could look into his face with a crooked smile and a coquettish quirk of her eyebrows. “Yeah, you wanna know where it is?”

“Um…only if you want to tell me.”

Brandi burst into laughter followed by C.J. who tried and failed to stifle his. Hero flushed a little, honestly kind of unsure about what was so funny before Brandi playfully elbowed him in the arm. “Oh Hero” she sighed before a laugh interrupted her. “You really are one of a kind. Please tell me you’re here to meet girls.”

Hero’s face grew hot, but he swallowed hard—sheepishly running his hand across the nape of his neck. “I’m the designated driver.”

Brandi snorted a laugh before rolling her eyes again. “Of course you are.” Shaking her head, she sighed again. “I need a drink.”

“I can get it for you,” chimed C.J. with a shrug of his shoulders. Brandi blinked at him for a moment, but conceded, “Okay, but take Hero with you. He needs to get up off this couch at least once during this party.” Brandi shot him a pointed, intimidating glare, and Hero knew there was no arguing with her. With a dutiful nod, he took off after C.J. making his way to the kitchen where a bunch of beverages were haphazardly strewn across the counter.

“Have you seen Kyle at all?” asked C.J. as they waited their turn at the makeshift bar.

Hero shook his head. “You?”

“Last I saw him, he was being fawned over by some girl.” C.J. sighed shaking his head and muttering, “Some guys have all the luck.”

Hero’s brow furrowed thoughtfully. He wasn’t sure that was necessarily lucky. He had been rooming with Kyle for almost two months now and had noticed that even despite his excessive flirting, constant dates, and the many girls he had brought in and out of the house, there always came a point where Kyle was alone. And it seemed to Hero that none of these girls stuck around long enough to really get to know him—the actually kind of sweet and very generous guy he was under all that fun-loving goofiness and flirty bravado. Like Brandi, they tended to write him off as just another shallow and self-absorbed trust fund baby concerned with very little beyond just having a good time. And sure, Kyle could be those things, but when he stumbled drunkenly into their room alone at the end of the night and Hero tucked him into bed like a little kid, he couldn’t help but think he was more than that…He was lonely.

Hero would never say anything, would never be so presumptuous as to know what exactly went on in Kyle’s innermost world. It was possible he didn’t feel that way at all, but it seemed to Hero that getting fawned over by numerous beautiful women and having more flings than Hero could keep up with, never really made Kyle nearly as happy as Hero had been with Mari. That real, genuine companionship—being with someone who truly knew you and truly loved you was priceless and, at least to Hero, much more meaningful than the idea of turning the heads of every woman in the world. He’d give up the chance of ever being noticed by a woman again for just five more minutes with Mari—would give anything just to talk to her one more time, even if he never got to say his peace and they just talked about silly, mundane things like the terrible, stormy weather that had seemed to follow him around ever since she had died.

He and Mari had been able to talk for hours about anything. He had hung on every word she said—enthralled by her passion, the way her face lit up when she spoke. He could’ve listened to her talk for eternity and had loved being with her so much that he had often found himself completely losing track of time whenever he was with her. It was as if Mari could make time stop…

His chest ached—hollow and twisting until something bittersweet burned behind his eyes. Even if she couldn’t, her death certainly had—had frozen him in a never-ending nightmare where time moved on but he didn’t.

Even so, he was painfully aware of the passage of time now. Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes into hours, and hours into days as the world kept turning—reminding him that Mari hadn’t kept it in motion and he’d have to continue on without her. He could no longer lose track of time anymore—it loomed over him like a dark cloud. He didn’t have conversations like he had had with Mari anymore either. He doubted he ever would again.

He tried to push the thought away as quickly as he could, but he realized he had already zoned out and missed whatever had made C.J. transition into prattling about his “one good pickup line.”

Hero sighed. C.J.’s “one good pickup line” was that he had once been told, supposedly by his high school girlfriend, that he looked like Usher with glasses. As much as Hero would’ve never admitted it to C.J., it wasn’t actually a very good one.

“It works sometimes,” C.J. insisted, and Hero’s face flushed—suddenly and irrationally concerned C.J. had somehow read his mind. “I mean…I’m no Kyle, but I get by. Kinda wish I had his game though…” He sighed heavily—glancing back over at Brandi with an almost wistful look in his eyes.

Hero’s expression softened, and he placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You don’t need that. You don’t need every girl in the world to like you. You only need one, and if she’s the right one, her love and being worthy of it…is so much better than being fawned over.”

C.J. blinked at him in wide-eyed disbelief—whether at the sentiment itself or the fact that those words had actually come out of Hero’s mouth, Hero wasn’t sure.

Before he could say anything in response, however, a lithe voice cut him off, “That’s so sweet—like something out of a movie.”

The girl who had just spoken let out a cheerful, tinkly giggle, and Hero caught sight of a wave of thick dark curls. Bright mauve lipstick popping against dark skin as her lips curved into a warm smile. As he turned away, he was suddenly struck by the glistening purple of her earrings.

Something panged in Hero’s chest. Music notes. He was sure he had given Mari the exact same ones once upon a time.

“Your girlfriend’s really lucky,” she giggled again, and that bittersweet ache permeated the hollowness inside him. He shut his eyes tightly. The way she laughed… It reminded him of…

He didn’t get to finish that thought—cut off instead by C.J.’s elbow nudging him in the ribs and the girl kindly asking, “Are you okay?”

“Uh…yeah…sorry. Thank you…” he mumbled apologetically, whether at the girl or at C.J. he wasn’t entirely sure. He could feel C.J.’s secondhand embarrassment oozing off of him as the girl laughed again. She took a deep breath as if she was about to say something but was interrupted by another girl patting her on the back but looking right at him when she said, “Tamra has a boyfriend, but I don’t.”

“Well I’m sure you’ll find one soon,” said Hero, in best his attempts to be reassuring.

C.J. smacked his hand against his forehead so loudly that Hero could hear it. Was he saying the wrong thing? He was so bad at this.  

The taller girl didn’t seem too perturbed by that, however, instead she eyed him, deliberately and replied, “Maybe I just did.”

Hero’s face flushed red. He got it now. And he wanted to sink into the floor.

“Uh…um…” he stumbled over his words—his cheeks burning.

Unexpectedly, though thankfully, Tamra chimed in with gentle, “I think he’s taken, Madison.”

“What?” she huffed, whipping towards him accusatorily as if demanding an explanation. Hero swallowed hard, wondering how he was going to explain his way out of this and desperately wishing he didn’t have to when suddenly he felt a hand snaking around his back.

“Hey babe, what’s been taking you so long?” asked Brandi in a low almost seductive voice. She glared directly at Madison but wrapped her hand protectively around his arm like a child might grip onto her favorite toy.

After swooping in to save him from being hit on more times than Hero could count, Brandi had this down to a science. Hero however, did not and awkwardly stumbled his way through, “Sorry, uh…there was a line…” Luckily, it didn’t seem anyone heard him or at least didn’t care as Madison scoffed.

“This is your boyfriend? You really expect us to believe that.”

“I don’t really care what you believe,” said Brandi without even flinching. “But he’s mine so back off, Madison.”

Madison frowned. “How come you never mentioned him to us before?”

Hero took a deep breath—trying his best not to look pleadingly at Brandi despite putting all his hopes in her to be able to somehow get him out of this situation.

“I knew about him,” said Tamra quietly though a kind, knowing smile twitched in the corners of her mouth. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so many good things about you. I’m Brandi’s sorority sister, Tamra.” She held out her hand for him to shake, and Hero sighed. He felt bad that Brandi’s friends were getting involved now. Still, he politely introduced himself. “I’m Hero. It’s nice to meet you too.” He hoped the expression on his face would convey his gratitude. He’d have to ask Brandi to thank Tamra properly later, but she was a little too busy glowering at Madison at the moment.

With a huff, Madison, it seemed, finally conceded muttering bitterly about how “some girls have all the luck.”

“I’m pretty sure Cody’s available,” interjected C.J. with a shrug of his shoulders—motioning through two French doors to one of their fraternity brothers who was currently doing a keg stand on the back patio.

Madison just blinked for a minute but then shrugged with a resigned, “Okay” and took off onto the back porch.

“Thanks,” said Brandi sharing a knowing look with Tamra who merely waved her hand.

“No problem. I’ve actually got to head out here. They need me to fill in at work tonight, but I’ll be back to pick you up later.” She paused, then turned to Hero with a smile. “It was nice meeting you, Hero. Bye, C.J.”

“See ya,” C.J. called after her and Hero waved goodbye as she disappeared into the crowd with her drink. When she had gone, Brandi huffed—finally untangling herself from him and reaching for another beer.

“You’re welcome,” she said pointedly, through her teeth, and Hero’s face grew hot.

“I’m sorry…” he began to apologize, but Brandi just crossed her arms.

“You can’t even put your foot down with Madison? She’s dumber than a box of rocks and, I swear, talking to her for more than five minutes would make even you want to bang your head in a cabinet.”

C.J. snorted a half-stifled laugh, but Hero just shuffled his feet mumbling, “Sorry, Brandi.”

“Seriously,” she huffed. “We have got to get you a spine. I can’t keep stepping in as your fake girlfriend forever you know. I’m going to start demanding ‘real girlfriend’ perks—fancy dinners out, expensive gifts, maybe even a kiss.” She clicked her tongue, and Hero’s face grew hot. “And I don’t think you want that.”

“I’m really sorry, Brandi,” he apologized, sidestepping most of what she had said and hoping she wouldn’t notice or at least wouldn’t care. “Thank you for helping me. I appreciate it. I…uh…will try better next time.”

Brandi raised her eyebrows. “I don’t believe you, but I’ll let it slide because you’re so cute.” She pinched his blushing cheek and laughed as Hero glanced apologetically over at C.J. who this time, at least, seemed the tiniest bit rattled.

“Listen, I know it’s none of my business, but you guys aren’t…actually like…?” C.J.’s voice trailed, but his question was clear enough to make Hero’s blush deepen and Brandi snort a laugh.

“I’m honestly kind of flattered you think I could bag a guy like Hero. He’s sweet, cute—the perfect gentleman, and yeah, I’d date him—no woman wouldn’t. But…” Giving Hero a pat on the shoulder, she shot C.J. a bright, crooked smile. “He’s just a friend, and I’m just a tease.”

A smile curled in the corners of C.J.’s mouth. “So are you seeing anybody?”

“At the moment, no,” answered Brandi twisting her mouth to one side. “But you know I don’t date frat boys so don’t get any ideas.”

“You just said you’d date Hero.”

Brandi huffed. “Hero’s a den mother to a bunch of fraternity guys—that doesn’t count.”

“But I actually did join the fraternity,” Hero gently interjected. “So technically I am a—”

“How did that happen anyway?” Brandi cut him off before he could finish his sentence. “You hate drinking, partying, and being hit on. What in the world could you possibly want out of a frat?”

“Friends…” Hero mumbled, his face growing warm again. He hadn’t exactly meant to say that aloud though he didn’t exactly understand what the problem was. After all, Brandi herself had joined a sorority in the hopes of making friends and having a good time. If anything, he thought that was why most people joined—or at least, he liked to think that…regardless of evidence to the contrary.

“You’d have better luck making friends at a nursing home, grandpa,” she teased—snarky and sarcastic, but she shook her head. “I can’t believe you let Kyle talk you into this.”

“Kyle can be very persuasive,” Hero insisted.

Brandi scoffed—snorting a laugh before she took a sip of her beer. “Kyle couldn’t persuade his way out of a paper bag. You just couldn’t say ‘no’, admit it.”

Pursing his lips together, Hero stared down at his shuffling feet. He couldn’t really argue with that.

Still Brandi sighed, “If you’re so desperate for friends that you’re willingly going to room with Kyle, I’d be happy to introduce you to some of mine. They’re not all like Madison. Tamra’s pretty cool and so’s her roommate. She’s a real old person, just like you—only joined our sorority to keep her sister out of trouble.”

“Thanks Brandi, but uh…I wouldn’t want to give anybody the wrong idea.”

Brandi snorted. “Yeah…pretty sure you couldn’t do that even if you wanted to. But even if you could, she’s a ‘married to school’ type—wants to get a master’s degree or something. And Tamra actually does have a boyfriend, so no worries there.” Brandi paused and shrugged. “I’m actually kind of glad you finally met tonight. I’ve been thinking you would really get along but I didn’t want to say anything because she—”

Brandi stopped abruptly as she glanced from Hero to C.J. then back to Hero again. It wasn’t like Brandi to self-censor, but Hero appreciated it when it was for his sake and he knew exactly what Brandi was about to say because he had been thinking it too. Tamra reminded her of Mari…and reminded him of her too.

Rather than explain this to a confused looking C.J. however, Hero hurriedly said,  “She’s a musician” hoping Brandi would crack the code without perplexing poor C.J. any further.

Brandi, however, just tilted her head at him. “Yeah…she’s a music major. How did you know?”

Something ached in Hero’s chest again as he mumbled, “Her earrings…um…” He stopped turning away from Brandi and the look she was giving him now. “They’re music notes.” He conveniently and purposefully left out the part about how Mari had had the same ones, how she had run around town showing them off after he had given them to her—how she had almost been buried in them but they were given back to him by her mother and were now locked away in a box in his closet at his parents house with the rest of the things that reminded him of her.

With a bittersweet sigh, he pushed the thought away as best he could. He didn’t like to talk about Mari. Didn’t like to think about her either, not just because it made him feel sad but because it made his friends look at him the way C.J. and Brandi were now—a strange mix of pity and confusion.

“Your ex was a musician?” asked C.J. It wasn’t much of a question, and despite the look of confusion passing over Brandi’s face, Hero thought it was best to just nod and hope that changed the subject. It didn’t.

“You’re as bad as Brandi, you know?” C.J. turned his attention back to her—shaking his head and bantering, “You’re such a bad influence.” Brandi frowned, but it seemed she couldn’t quite hold back the twitch of a smile in the corners of her mouth. “You do know it’s okay to have a type, right? And swearing off dating anyone with the same traits as your ex is kind of extreme—especially if they’re really superficial like being a musician or in a fraternity.” Despite his playfulness, he gave her a pointed stare. Brandi, however, side-stepped the point entirely.

“Since when do you know Hero has an ex?”

Hero grew suddenly interested in his twisting hands, but C.J. just shrugged. “A couple of hours ago—I dunno. It’s not some big secret, is it?” He chuckled awkwardly, perhaps even a little confused, but he half-teased, “It’s not you is it?”

“No,” Brandi snorted. “I can’t even play the triangle.”

“Well then how’d you know?”

Hero found himself holding his breath—praying that Brandi wouldn’t say ‘because I knew her’ opening up this conversation to a myriad of questions Hero did not want to answer. She must have seen this on his face or else sensed him pleading with her because she took a step forward—tilting her head at C.J. “He told me,” she flat-out lied like it was nothing, and her lips curved into a smile. “Unlike Kyle, I actually can be very persuasive.”

Winking at C.J., she wrapped her arms around his neck, and C.J. swallowed—that coral red seeping into the tip of his nose and ears again. “And now I’m gonna persuade you to go get us some chips and pretzels—just give us two minutes…” Her voice was low, flirty again, and she held up two fingers to him. Hero fidgeted as he watched C.J.’s hands find their way to her waist. He felt like he was intruding on something private.

“Will two minutes be enough? How about five?” whispered C.J. in a tone of voice which proved he was much more smooth than he had given himself credit for earlier, even if Hero knew the two of them were just playing around. “And what about Funyuns? I saw they had a bag of them over there, and I know they’re your favorite.”

Brandi’s smile widened—it seemed, almost in spite of herself, and she laughed, the words slipping out under her breathy, somewhat tipsy chuckling, “I love you.” Though she didn’t show it, Hero knew her well enough to know she hadn’t exactly meant to say that. Brandi was always honest—often to a fault, but that was just a little too sincere.

C.J. knew this too—or at least he seemed to. His eyes widened, but before he could recover from the compliment, Brandi pulled away from him, patted his cheek, and quipped, “But I’m still not dating you.”

And the moment was gone.

Laughing, C.J. gave her a thumbs up. “Got it. Friendship snacks only,” he teased, before turning to Hero with a smile that somehow seemed brighter than before. “You want anything Hero?”

“No thanks.” Hero shook his head and weakly insisted, “But you—you don’t…have to go.”

“Yes you do,” Brandi interrupted, grabbing Hero by the arm and dragging him back over towards the sofa. “Just give us a minute.”

C.J. just shrugged and headed off towards the snack table, and Brandi huffed, gritting her teeth. “I know what you’re thinking and we’re not wasting our five minutes talking about me and C.J.…”

“I wasn’t going to say anything, but uh…now that you mention it…” A smile twitched in Hero’s mouth. He was grateful for an escape from whatever conversation Brandi actually wanted to have. “He really is a nice guy you know? His little sister Cami is seven and she calls him almost every night so he’ll tell her a bedtime story. It’s really sweet.”   

Brandi just blinked at him with a long and heavy sigh. “You’re a terrible wingman,” she said, shaking her head. “But we’re not talking about this right now. I don’t date fraternity guys. It’s not up for discussion.” Her pointed glare and the grit of her teeth made Hero swallow hard. He knew better than to argue with Brandi especially when she was in this kind of mood.

Brandi sighed again and changed the subject. “Did you really tell C.J. about Mari? Like…the whole story?”

Hero shook his head. He hadn’t really told C.J. about Mari at all, and barely anyone knew the whole story about her, even Brandi didn’t.

“Well it’s a start anyway…” Brandi sighed—taking another sip of her drink, but something softened in her expression, as she asked, “Are you okay, Hero? You’re thinking about her again—aren’t you?” When he didn’t answer, she added, “Don’t let it ruin your night, okay?”

“It’s okay. I wasn’t having much of a good time anyway…” He flushed, realizing how that sounded only after he had said it. He hurriedly added, “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant…I—I’m not much of a partier, you know?”

Brandi nodded but gave him a nudge with her elbow. “Yeah. Yeah. I know, grandpa. I just…I started to feel bad, I guess. I should’ve given you a heads up about Tamra, but this is exactly why I didn’t mention her.”

“It’s okay,” Hero insisted, something guilty twisting in his chest. “She seemed really nice. I’m glad you’re friends.”

“I knew there was something familiar about those earrings…” Brandi continued—whether she hadn’t heard what he said or just ignored him, however, Hero couldn’t be sure. “Mari had the same set, didn’t she?”

Hero nodded.

“Did you give them to her?” asked Brandi, and Hero nodded again. His eyes widened.

“Yeah…” he admitted. “How’d you know?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Brandi swallowed. “Tamra got those from her boyfriend too—some science guy she’s known forever named Andre.” She paused—the slightest twitch of a smile in her mouth. “You know you can always tell how much a girl likes you by how often she wears the jewelry you give her. Tamra never takes those off.”

Brandi let out a breathy chuckle—shaking her head almost in disbelief. “You should hear the way she talks about him…like he’s her soulmate and they’re going to be together forever. And it’s not that she’s goo-goo-eyed or infatuated or delusional…you know, like most girls when they talk about their boyfriends.” Brandi snorted but her face softened, “I—I really believe her…I don’t even think she sees other men, if you can believe that?”

“I can,” answered Hero though the surprised quirk of Brandi’s eyebrow seemed to imply she had only meant that as a rhetorical question.

Still, she tilted her head at him, the sharper edge in her tone of voice softening as she said, “I’ve only ever heard one other girl talk about her boyfriend like that, you know?”

She stopped and met Hero’s eyes, but she didn’t have to. Hero knew what she meant—knew who she was talking about. It made his heart ache.

Mari…

“She’s really lucky,” sighed Hero, deflecting the conversation away from him and back to Tamra. “A love like that is really special—only comes around once in a lifetime.”

“You’re never gonna date again with that attitude,” Brandi quipped, rolling her eyes, and Hero’s face grew hot. Something sickening coiled and twisted in the pit of his stomach, and his eyes burned. It was beyond his imagination, and he didn’t even want to think about it.

“I…I don’t want to,” he quietly, gently insisted.

Brandi frowned. “Ever?” Hero nodded, and Brandi sighed again.

“I understand,” she conceded though she didn’t sound particularly happy about it. “But you do know that’s like a giant middle finger to all the women of the world, right?”

Hero blushed and guiltily shuffled his feet. “I…I wouldn’t say that.”

“You’ve seen what we have to choose from. And yeah…you’re a one woman guy but that’s one woman who won’t have to end up with a Kyle or a Trent.”

Hero paused at the mention of Brandi’s ex—the one who had made her swear off fraternity guys forever, but he felt awkward mentioning anything about that so instead he said, “Kyle’s actually a pretty nice guy. There are a lot of nice guys out there. C.J.’s nice.”

“C.J.’s not a bona fide prince charming like you,” Brandi insisted—Hero noticed—conveniently withholding judgment on whether or not C.J. was, in fact, a nice guy.

“I—I’m not…” he began to protest, but Brandi cut him off.

“You know, there’s this rumor going around my sorority about this ‘prince’ who drives drunk girls home from parties and doesn’t hit on them, even though he totally could because he’s super cute.” She stopped, giving Hero a pointed look that made him fidget. “When I first heard that, I just knew they were talking about you. You’re the perfect gentleman—like something out a fairy tale.”

Hero choked—his face burning as he awkwardly twisted his hands. He didn’t think he deserved such high praise and had always considered himself kind of boring and awkward—much more of a dork or a “grandpa” as Brandi teasingly called him than a prince.

“You’re a catch, is all I’m saying. It’s a shame to think you’re gonna count yourself out when I know a ton of girls who would give up a limb just to have the chance to date someone like you.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I know I would.”

Hero swallowed hard—wringing his hands again. “Brandi, I uh…um…I’m really flattered but uh—”

She, thankfully, cut him off with a laugh. “Calm down. I didn’t mean it like that. Honestly, I think I’d get tired of your wet blanket, doormat shtick pretty quickly.” She winked at him before she swatted him in the arm. “But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t go for it if you actually wanted me. Graduate from ‘fake girlfriend.’”

Hero knew she was just teasing, but something twisted inside him all the same. “Brandi, I think you are amazing. You deserve to be someone’s ‘real girlfriend’—someone’s one and only. Everyone deserves that…to really be loved.” He took a deep breath. “I’m just…I’m not sure I can do that anymore. I”—a bittersweet smile tugged at his mouth—“I already had my ‘one.’”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be another one,” bantered Brandi, but she hummed thoughtfully. “Look, I’m not trying to be pushy. I get it—you’re not ready, but that doesn’t mean you won’t ever be, right? It’s a big world out there, Hero. There’s tons of people in it, and who knows, maybe someday—not necessarily today but maybe years from now when you’re like middle aged and picking out gray hair or something, you’ll meet somebody and you’ll realize it was silly to think you’d never be able to feel that way about someone again.” Brandi stopped shaking her head with a smile.

“And that girl is gonna be so lucky,” she teased in a low drawl before she winked at him again causing his face to flush an even deeper red. Before he could even begin to stumble his way through a response, however, C.J. returned with the snacks and handed a paper plate of potato chips, pretzels, and Funyuns to Brandi.

“You’re not gonna believe this, but I actually saw Kyle, you guys,” C.J. chuckled. “He’s out on the patio”

“Let me guess,” Brandi cut in. “Deep in lip-lock with some girl?”

C.J. nodded. “Yep. Honey-blond hair. Striped tube top. Big blue scrunchie. Totally Kyle’s type”

“That sounds like my roommate,” Brandi quipped, but she stopped suddenly, whipping around towards the windows to the outside. Sure enough, there was Kyle sloppily making out with a girl—except Hero actually vaguely recognized this one. He had driven her home from a party a couple of weekends ago while she and Kyle had drunkenly made out in the backseat of his car. He felt sorry for admitting it but he couldn’t really remember her name.

“Courtney!”

That was it, thought Hero, as he watched Brandi huffily stomp off through the double doors into the backyard.  He wasn’t sure if he should follow her, but C.J. pulled him along, practically dragging him outside onto the patio, a decently-sized covered area filled with wicker furniture and a grill beside the inground pool Kyle had mentioned which was still open despite the autumn chill in the air and no one swimming in it.  

There was even more furniture out in the yard arranged around a fire pit, and it seemed that now that the rain had let up, a lot of guests had congregated out there—mostly huddling around the keg where they had seen Cody earlier. He wasn’t out there anymore—maybe going off somewhere more private with Madison, unlike Kyle who had absolutely no problem making out with Courtney in front of everyone on one of the poolside lounge chairs.

“Courtney! Courtney!” huffed an irritated Brandi, tapping her repeatedly on the shoulder when her calls failed to get her attention.

Finally, she disentangled herself from Kyle with a disgruntled, “What?”

“Do you have any idea who this is?”

Courtney rolled her eyes. “Yeah. It’s Kyle Davenport—like the library.”

“Like the moron,” Brandi quipped. “And the library is ‘Carl Davenport’ after his grandpa.”

Courtney blinked at her—that drunken brain fog seemingly taking the words longer to register, but she eventually just shrugged with a matter-of-fact, “Look when you’re that rich, you don’t have to be smart.”

Hero immediately glanced over at Kyle whose expression was blank until, it seemed, he had finally caught his breath enough to laugh. “Hey. That’s what I always say!” he joked in a slurred voice.

Hero sighed. He was wasted—again. He shouldn’t have been too surprised about that.

“Don’t mind Brandi,” Kyle reassured Courtney with a wave of his hand before he tangled it into her hair and leaned towards her again.

“No,” scolded Brandi like a stern schoolteacher, and Kyle just turned to her with a smug, charismatic grin.

“Who knew you were so jealous?” he teased, clicking his tongue at her. “You should’ve just said something.”

Brandi rolled her eyes. “I’m not jealous. I just don’t want you to make out with my roommate—I see you way too much as it is.”

“You can’t tell me who to make out with,” scoffed Courtney. “You’re not my mom.” She practically lunged towards Kyle, but he swerved out of the way. C.J. shot Hero a bewildered look, and he knew his friend must have been thinking the same thing. They had never seen Kyle ever turn down a kiss with a beautiful girl before. Coutney pouted—looking somewhat outraged and embarrassed, but Kyle didn’t seem to notice.

“Wait…” he asked Brandi in a trailing voice. “Courtney’s your roommate?”

“Yes,” huffed Brandi again, clearly losing her patience.

Kyle’s brow furrowed and turned back to Courtney again. “You didn’t tell me you were one of those Triple E girls?”

“Yeah…” Courtney frowned, and Kyle cursed under his breath. “Is that a problem?”

“I can’t date Triple E girls.”

“Oh my gosh! Not you too,” exclaimed C.J., mostly playing up the melodramatic outrage. “What is wrong with you guys?”

Kyle blinked at him in confusion before turning to Hero. “What’s he talking about, Mama?”

Hero shrugged. “It’s kind of a long story…” he mumbled, but before he could say anything more, Brandi cut him off.

“Not that I’m upset about this but just what exactly do you have against Epsilon Epsilon Epsilon?” Brandi glowered at him. “And don’t give me some crap about how we’re not as hot as the other sororities because we totally are.”

“Nah, yeah”—he waved his hand at her—“you guys are total babes, but I promised Zuzu that her sorority sisters are off limits.”

“You have some crazy jealous ex in our sorority?” interjected Courtney shaking her head. “We don’t have to like…tell her, you know?”

Kyle burst out laughing. “Zuzu’s not my ex! She’d never, ever date me. I’m not her type at all.”

Hero squirmed. Had Kyle looked over at him when he said that or had he just imagined it? He tried not to think about it.

“We’re just friends,” Kyle insisted emphatically, and Brandi snorted.

“Somehow I find that harder to believe than her being your ex.”

Kyle laughed again, but asked, “Why?”

“Because she’d have to have multiple conversations with you sober and still want to talk to you after, and I don’t think any of my sorority sisters are that stupid.”

Kyle scoffed in mock offense—gripping his heart. “You’re so mean to me,” he whined. “And Zuzu’s not stupid. She’s like super smart. She was—what’s that thing called where it’s like not the valedictorian but like the runner up?”

“Salutatorian,” said Hero quietly, and Kyle clapped his hands.

“Thank you!” He pointed two fingers at him before he jumped into a semi-incoherent drunk ramble that Hero couldn’t quite keep up with, “Yeah! She was that for our whole fancy prep school. She probably would’ve been valedictorian too, but Gabe is an asshole and beat her by like 1% or something. But it’s fine ‘cause like she got a full ride scholarship and is gonna be an engineer and build bridges and stuff…”

Brandi stopped—a look of realization passing over her face. “No way. I think I know who you’re talking about. But there’s no way she actually talks to you.”

“She does to!” Kyle exclaimed, his face flushing whether from indignation or intoxication Hero wasn’t entirely sure. “She’s like my best friend. She bailed me out of jail and everything…”

Hero’s eyes widened, and C.J. stifled a disbelieving laugh. Courtney seemed disinterested or perhaps just dazedly drunk, but Brandi huffed, “What were you doing in jail?”

“It wasn’t a felony or anything just some underage drinking, destruction of public property, and drunk and disorderly conduct.”

“So basically your usual Friday night?” bantered C.J., and Kyle tried his best to frown even though he couldn’t stop laughing.

“You know, I don’t have to put up with this,” he tried and failed to huff. “You guys are supposed to be my friends.”

Brandi crossed her arms. “You’re not exactly the most believable person in the world, Kyle. You got any corroborating evidence?”

“Don’t go all lawyer on me,” he playfully whined. “You know I can’t keep up with that.”

“Hold on. Hold on. I’m confused,” interrupted Courtney. “Should I like go…? Are we like…not gonna make out?”

Kyle sighed bitterly, but shook his head. “We can’t. And if you could not tell Zuzu about how we kind of made out a little earlier tonight, that would be great.”

Hero’s brow furrowed. So he didn’t remember making out with Courtney in the back of his car. He supposed that was okay…since Courtney didn’t seem to remember it either.

With a shrug of shoulders, Courtney fixed her hair. She didn’t seem too upset about this, especially when Brandi quipped, “It’s really for the best believe me.”

“Yeah…whatever. What about him?” She turned her attention to Hero, batting her eyelashes and smiling at him in an undeniably flirtatious way that made him feel uncomfortable. He felt even worse knowing that Brandi couldn’t swoop in to save him this time.

Or so he thought anyway until she said, “That’s Hero. He told me earlier tonight that he’s taken a lifelong vow of celibacy.”

“You have?” gasped Kyle so stunned he actually rose to his feet losing his balance and tottering towards Hero who steadied him with his hand.

“Woah, easy there. Maybe we should get you some water.”

There was a slight delay as Kyle just blinked at him before his face relaxed into an easy, nonchalant grin. “Nah, I’m fine, Mama. Don’t worry. But…are you really gonna be a monk or something?”

“That’s such a shame,” sighed Courtney who seemed to be suffering from the same kind of alcohol-induced mental haziness.

“I know that’s what I said.” Brandi shook her head, and Courtney turned her attention to C.J. instead. “Well…what about him? He’s cute.”

“Thanks. Hi, I’m C.J.,” he said holding out his hand to her. “I’m a friend of Brandi’s—we have the same major. I think we’ve actually met before and—”

C.J. stopped abruptly. His eyes widening behind the rims of his glasses as Brandi snaked an arm around his back just like she had done to Hero earlier that evening. Only this time, she positively glowered at Courtney and she held onto C.J.’s arm so tightly that her long nails dug into the sleeve of his sweatshirt as if to say far louder than any words, “mine.”

“He’s not for you,” she said.

“Oh,” shrugged Courtney. “Is this the guy from your legal research class you called dibs on? Because you’re totally wrong, he actually does look like Usher with glasses.”

“Thank you!” exclaimed C.J. his face lighting up, but Brandi rolled her eyes.

“And I suppose you think Kyle looks like a Backstreet Boy.”

Courtney tilted her head discerningly at Kyle before she said nonchalantly, “Yeah. He kinda looks like Nick Carter.”

Kyle groaned—burying his face his hands and bitterly muttering something along the lines of “Zuzu! Why did you do this to me?”

But he was promptly cut off by C.J. who seemed to have finally caught onto the truth behind Courtney’s words, “Wait a second…you called dibs on me?” He turned to Brandi his face beaming with that 100-watt smile even though it curved into a teasing grin.

Indignantly, Brandi frowned. “I did not call dib on you,” she insisted but that slight flush of pink in her cheeks implied otherwise, and C.J. knew it.

“You did! You called dibs on me.”

“I did not,” she huffed, but it was no use.

C.J.’s face was as bright as a little kid’s on Christmas morning, and he playfully poked her in the arm, repeating in a playfully juvenile sing-songy voices, “You called dibs on me.”

“I still don’t want to date you,” she declared as C.J. just smiled and Kyle practically doubled-over with laughter in the background.

“She does. She totally does,” chimed Courtney rolling her eyes again.

“Thank you, Courtney,” said C.J. turning towards Brandi with a teasing smile. “Let me help you out, too. Have you met Lance? He’s available.”

As he headed towards the double doors and led Courtney back into the house, C.J. looked over his shoulder and teasingly winked at Brandi with a, “You comin’?”

Brandi huffed, but eventually rolled her eyes and took off after them—a cackling Kyle stumbling behind.

“Mama?” he called to Hero before he disappeared back into the house, and Hero lurched forward to catch him as he lost his balance in the doorway. Hero helped Kyle over to the kitchen and gave him a cup of water from the makeshift bar, then a plate of potato chips from the snack table. It was a shame there wasn’t anything more substantial to eat here, but he hoped that would hold Kyle over and prevent him from falling on his face.

“Thanks, Mama,” he said with a kind smile as Hero refilled his water cup.

“I’m sorry about Courtney,” Hero said awkwardly but trying to be sympathetic.

“It’s okay, man. Zuzu’s way more important.” A genuine smile twitched in the corners of his mouth. “There’s nobody else like her. You’ve got to meet her one of these days.”

Hero nodded. “I’m sure I will.” If he was being honest, he kind of hoped he would get to meet her at least once someday. He was kind of curious about the girl who could get Kyle to set any kind of limitations on his flirtations. Truthfully, it was probably kind of good for him. She was probably kind of good for him, and it was interesting to think that she brought out a different side of Kyle he hadn’t gotten to see before. Most of what Hero saw of Kyle was what he assumed Kyle wanted him to see—airheaded, shallow party boy and charismatic flirt, but he was still generous, kind, and devoted to his friends. It was nice to see that beyond all that binge-drinking. That reminded him…

“You’re not ready to go home, are you? If you’re feeling tired, I can take you back to the house…” Hero glanced down at Kyle’s bad knee. From the way he was shifting his weight, he could tell it was bothering him again, but it wasn’t something they ever talked about and Hero didn’t feel it was his place to bring it up especially when Kyle just laughed and shrugged him off with a, “What do you mean? The night’s still young! We’ve barely been here at all.” Kyle downed his water before determinedly whipping around towards the dining room. “I think I’m gonna go play beer pong. You wanna come?”

Hero sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, but he tried his best to manage a, “no thanks. I…uh…I think I’m gonna get some fresh air.”

With a shrug of his shoulders, Kyle nodded. “Suit yourself. See ya later.” He waved at him before disappearing once again into the crowd.

Hero poured himself another cup of water and decided it actually would be good to get some fresh air, plus it would likely alleviate his guilt in having had to say no to Kyle’s request.

As Hero made his way back outside, he was just lucky enough to find an empty bench removed from the rest of the guests, and he took a seat on its weathered, floral seat cushion. This was as good a place as any to wait for Kyle until he was finally ready to leave—the unfortunate consequence of being the designated driver, he supposed. He should have brought organic chemistry textbook with him to pass the time since he would probably be better off studying for his upcoming exam than sitting in a friend-of-a-friend’s backyard.

Hero sighed. There was that MCAT book he had recently purchased too. He was pretty sure it was still in the back of his car with the other non-perishables he had bought earlier today which Kyle had not deemed important enough to bring into the house and put away before the party. Maybe he could run out really quickly and get that before anyone realized he was gone. On the other hand, it might be rude to start studying in the middle of somebody else’s party, but it might be even ruder to sit off alone. Maybe…

“Eeek!”

Splash.

That yelp followed by a squishy, wet noise pulled Hero out of his thoughts immediately. All of those summers he had spent working as a lifeguard, suddenly flooded back to him—just like they had when Sunny had fallen into the lake in Faraway Park, or Hero supposed, jumped in after Basil, even if he couldn’t swim very well.

Splish. Splash.

The next thing he knew he had ripped off his jacket and stood to his feet rushing over to the side of the pool. Some of the spectators had turned to stare at the girl struggling in the deepest part of the water. Hero thought about Sunny sinking under the surface of the lake, about Basil floating amongst the seaweed—both of them lifeless until Hero had managed to fish them out.

Something coiled in his stomach, bile burning the back of his throat as he thought about what would have happened if he hadn’t been there.

Splish. Splash. Splosh.

When the girl didn’t immediately swim to the surface, Hero’s stomach dropped. What if she also couldn’t swim? His heart pounded, once again thinking of Sunny and Basil floating in that lake in Faraway Park, and without a second thought, he jumped in after her.

Splash.

The water was frigid. It prickled against his skin and the added weight of his soaked sweater made it difficult to swim freely. Still, he managed to reach her fairly quickly and help her back up to the surface.

By the time he pulled her out of the pool, a whole hoard of concerned bystanders had gathered. He could hear them murmuring about calling for an ambulance. Hero pushed the girl’s sopping blonde hair out of her face and leaned close enough to her to determine whether or not she was still breathing. He sighed in relief to discover she was. She coughed, then spluttered—staring up with him with wide, eyes as her pale cheeks flushed a bright red.

“Where…? What…?” she stumbled shifting and rubbing her head.

“Easy…” he said softly, and he gently held her shoulder as she tried to stir. “Are you okay? Does anything hurt?”

She shook her head. “No…”

“Do you remember what happened?”

She merely blinked at him, and Hero’s brow furrowed in concern. “Do you know where you are?” he asked to only more blinking. “Or who you are? Your name I mean.”

She blinked again but finally said, “Lorraine. What’s your name?”

“Um…it’s Hero.”

“My hero,” she repeated with a smile, and his face flushed. Though he was embarrassed and perhaps a little flattered, he didn’t think now was the proper time to correct her, especially since that certain distant dreaminess in her voice concerned him. Had she hit her head on her way into the pool? Was she concussed?

When she tried to sit up again, he helped her the best that he could; then asked, “Did you hit your head when you fell in? Do you remember?”

Lorraine tilted her head at him as if she was confused by the question, but she shook her head. “No, I didn’t hit my head. I…I just tripped and…” The poor girl shivered and then tears began to well up in her eyes. “I…I fell in. Oh my gosh! I’m so embarrassed!” She buried her face in her hands as her shoulders began to shake with sobs. Hero awkwardly tried to pat her back to comfort her as his friends pushed through the crowd of spectators.

“What the hell happened?” exclaimed C.J. as Brandi followed quickly behind him with a stack of towels. Hero had no idea where she found those, but he didn’t think it was the proper time to ask.  

“She fell in the pool. I’m not sure if she was hurt or…” Hero’s voice trailed as Brandi handed him a towel, wrapping the other around Lorraine’s shoulder.

“Are you okay?” asked Brandi. Nodding, Lorraine sniffled as Brandi patted her shoulder comfortingly, then turned to the nosy crowd. “What are you all looking at? She’s fine. Get on with the party and mind your own business.”

At Brandi’s intimidating glare, the rest of the party guests began to fan out, and she looked fairly pleased with herself before she turned to Hero with a concerned expression.

“What do you think, Hero? Should we call an ambulance? Or maybe someone should take her to the hospital?”  

Hero sighed. Since Lorraine was clearly drunk, it would be difficult to tell for certain if she had suffered any kind of head injury—though it was promising to hear that she didn’t have any headaches or pains and she didn’t seem to have any other signs of head trauma. He tried to think back to his first aid training—trying to remember the questions you were supposed to ask someone who may have suffered a concussion.

“Can you count backward from ten?” Lorainne just blinked though Hero wasn’t sure if she was confused by the question or just intoxicated.

“Yeah?” she answered unsurely, and Hero chuckled. It was probably on him that she had misunderstood question.

“Do you know what day it is? Or who the president is?”

“It’s Friday,” answered Lorraine though her brow furrowed. “And um…oh…it’s—it’s that guy…um…what’s his name?” She sighed. “You know I’m not very political…”

“Ask her who her favorite Backstreet Boy is,” suggested C.J. earning him a scowl from Brandi.

Lorraine however quickly chimed in, “I like AJ. He’s a bad boy, but Nick’s pretty cute. I like his bangs.”

Hero thought Kyle would probably be happy to hear that, but it was probably an inappropriate time to be thinking that now.

“What about *NSYNC?” quipped C.J. with a lopsided smile.

Brandi, however, was unamused and glowered at him with a pointed, “Knock it off.” She turned to Lorraine. “Don’t answer that.”

Lorraine blinked at her with wide, confused eyes, and C.J. huffed but was luckily cut off by Kyle letting out a string of curses before he could put his foot in mouth even further.

“Lorraine! Lorraine!” exclaimed Kyle, catching his breath from his sprint up to them. Hero’s brow furrowed. He wondered if he had ever seen Kyle look so genuinely concerned before as he practically fumbled over himself, kneeling down on his knees next to Brandi and Lorraine. “Are you okay?”

“Hold on…you know two each other?” asked Brandi, and Kyle nodded.

“Since high school.” He tilted his head. “Do you?”

“Yeah she’s in my sorority.”

“Oh that’s right…I almost forgot about that…” Kyle mumbled distractedly. He reached out his hand to Lorraine—comfortingly pushing her hair out of her face. “Are you okay, Lorraine?” he asked again—his voice low, gentle.

Lorraine sniffled but whined in a voice slurred probably from too much alcohol, “What are you doing here, Kyle?”

“Checking on you. What the heck happened?”

Lorraine groaned. “I fell in the pool because I’m drunk. Don’t tell my sister. She’d kill me.”

Kyle’s expression softened and something genuinely kind passed over his eyes. “Don’t worry. I’m actually pretty good at keeping a secret, believe it or not.”

Whether Lorraine actually agreed with him on this point, Hero could not be sure, since she pulled her hands away from her teary face and turned to look at the rest of them. “I’m really sorry for all the trouble. I’m okay. I think I was just so drunk that I tripped and fell in, but I didn’t hit my head or anything.” She turned to Hero. “Thank you so much for jumping in and saving me.”

As she smiled at him, Hero felt his cheeks grow warm. He fidgeted. He never had learned how to take a compliment or gratitude. 

“It’s no problem. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks, man. I really owe you one.” Kyle patted his shoulder and sighed with genuine relief. “You um…you think you can get her home? I’d do it myself but uh…”—he scratched the nape of his neck sheepishly—“I…uh…can’t um…”

“Gotcha,” whispered Hero with an understanding nod. “And sure. I’d be happy to give her a ride, as long as that’s okay with her…We don’t really know each other so…” Hero knew it was extenuating circumstance but they were still strangers and he wouldn’t really want to climb into the car of someone he didn’t know.

“I can vouch for him,” quipped Brandi with a smile. “You remember those stories about that guy who drives drunk girls home but doesn’t hit on them?”

“The taxi prince?” asked Lorraine, and Brandi chuckled.

“Yeah…that’s him.”

Lorraine gasped, then nodded towards him solemnly. “Your majesty!”

Hero’s face burned, but he cleared his throat. “I…uh…I’m not actually a prince, but I uh…I’m still happy to give you a ride, if someone will give me directions?”

“Uh…yeah!” interjected Kyle, even though Hero had really been looking to Brandi who actually lived there. “You know…it’s just like down the road and to the right…or maybe the left…”—he rubbed the back of his neck—“Sorry, I can’t think right now. Um…maybe I can call Zuzu…”

“No!” cried Lorraine, actual tears in her eyes again. She practically lunged forward, gripping onto Kyle’s arms as the slightest hint of pink flushed in his cheeks. Hero’s eyes widened. Until this moment he honestly hadn’t thought it was possible to make Kyle blush. “Please, Kyle. Don’t tell her. You promised.”

“I was just going to ask for directions…” Kyle insisted though his voice cracked as she burrowed into his chest. He would probably be soaked himself soon, but he didn’t seem to mind. “But okay, okay.” He somewhat awkwardly patted her on the back. “Mama’s really good with directions so I’m sure he’ll find it.”

As Lorraine nodded, Kyle turned to him with a somewhat helpless, pleading smile, and Hero, never one to argue, simply sighed with a stumbling, “Yeah…”

“Or I can just give him directions…” Brandi shook her head with a sigh as she mumbled with a certain affection, “Idiots…”

After Brandi had given him directions back to her sorority house, Hero grabbed his keys and wallet from his jacket pocket, then draped his coat over Lorraine’s shivering shoulders—helping her up to her feet and out to his car with her leaning on his side the entire way, her long, wet hair splayed across his cheek. Kyle staggered behind them, but he did manage to open the passenger door and help Lorraine into the car. For a moment, it was almost as if he had completely forgotten that Hero was there with them as he gently stroked a hand through her wet hair and kissed her forehead with a soft, “Take care of yourself, okay, Lorraine?”

Hero had never seen Kyle like this before—so gentle with such a tenderness in his expression. From all accounts, including the ones from Kyle himself, he was a shameless flirt and a serial dater with a trail of short-lived, failed relationships in his wake, and Hero had never thought it was any of his business to speculate about why that was. But the way he had jumped to Lorraine’s rescue, the genuine care and concern he had shown to her, and the look he was giving her now, certainly made him wonder.

In an instant, however, the moment was gone, and goofy Kyle was back with a final sigh of relief and the return of his lopsided grin as he closed the passenger door. He gave a big wave and mouthed an emphatic “thank you” to Hero before taking off back to the party.

As Hero climbed into the driver’s seat, Lorraine mumbled words of thanks and protest. “You really don’t have to do this…Kyle worries about me. I don’t know why. But I’m okay really…”  

“It’s no problem…” Hero gently insisted as he started the car. “I’m happy to help, and any friend of Kyle’s is a friend of mine.”  

Lorraine leaned back into her seat, and her expression relaxed into a bright smile. As he drove through some of the residential streets back towards their campus, he was sure that she had drifted off to sleep, until she asked drowsily. “Is there anything you want right now?”

“Uh…why? Do you need me to stop and get you some food?”

Lorraine hummed. “Do you want any food?”

“I’m okay,” Hero reassured her, but his stomach rumbled. As Lorraine giggled, Hero sheepishly admitted. “I guess I could really go for a sandwich right now…”

“Me too!”

Hero nodded, but his brow furrowed. “I don’t know if there’s anywhere open right now—at least not that we’ll pass on our way back to your house, but if you have ingredients, I’d be happy to make you a sandwich when I get you home.”

“I’d like that,” said Lorraine. “Thank you, your highness.”

“I’m really…uh…not a prince. I’m just a guy…” he tried to explain again, but Lorraine just shook her head.

“I don’t think so,” she insisted, and Hero sighed. There would be no convincing Lorraine of this while she was this drunk and tired. Truthfully, she might not even remember this conversation tomorrow so Hero supposed it didn’t matter much.

Still…he thought back to what Brandi had said earlier about him being a ‘bona fide prince charming’ and swallowed hard—his cheeks burning. He had never really felt like much of a prince and didn’t feel he deserved that kind of praise. The truth was he was just kind of ordinary. It surprised him that nobody really saw that in him…at least not anymore.

But maybe that was for the best. Getting put up on a pedestal he didn’t deserve at least kept him away from people—prevented him from hurting them and from letting them down. It would be far worse to actually be seen—to have people know he wasn’t anything special.

He wasn’t a prince or a hero or perfect… He was just a guy. And he was sure that if people really knew that, they’d only be disappointed.

[studiohromi]

A recent medical illustration breaking down the stages of fetal heart development. Illustrated for the Peoria Riverfront Museum's new Heart exhibition. Descriptive labels were added by them to explain the processes involved at each stage.

[rabbitcruiser]

North Saskatchewan River, Edmonton (No. 1)

The North Saskatchewan River valley parks system, also known as the Ribbon of Green or the River Valley Parks, is a continuous collection of urban parks around the North Saskatchewan River valley in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. The park system encompasses over 7,300 hectares (18,000 acres) of parkland, making it the largest contiguous area of urban parkland in the country. The park system is made up of over 30 provincial and municipal parks situated around the river from Devon to Fort Saskatchewan, with trails connecting most of the parks together.

Proposals to create a large park along Edmonton's riverfront were first proposed by landscape architect Frederick Todd in 1907, although the formation of a park system did not take shape until the late 20th century. In 1996, the River Valley Alliance (RVA) was formed to coordinate the development of the park system across the metropolitan region. Although large portions of the river valley are public parkland, some sections of the river valley are privately owned. In addition to the park system, the river valley is also used by the metropolitan area for stormwater management.

Most of the river valley is grasslands, although sections of it are forested. The river valley supports a high level of biodiversity and is used as a wildlife corridor by a variety of animals.

Source: Wikipedia

[themarketorwhiz]

Top 10 Visiting Place in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad is a vibrant city that offers a rich blend of history, culture, and modern attractions. Here are the top 10 places to visit in Ahmedabad":

Swaminarayan Temple: This magnificent temple is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Ahmedabad. It is dedicated to Lord Swaminarayan, and is known for its intricate carvings and beautiful architecture.

2. Bhadra Fort: This 15th century fort is one of the oldest and most iconic landmarks in Ahmedabad. It is now a museum that houses a collection of artifacts and exhibits that tell the story of the city's history.

3. Sabarmati Ashram: This ashram was the home of Mahatma Gandhi for many years, and is now a museum that commemorates his life and work. Visitors can see Gandhi's personal belongings, and learn about his philosophy of non-violence.

4. Sabarmati Riverfront: This is a beautiful stretch of land along the Sabarmati River that has been developed into a popular recreation area. Visitors can enjoy walking, jogging, cycling, and boating here.

5. Kankaria Lake: This is a large artificial lake that is a popular spot for boating, picnicking, and enjoying the outdoors. There is also a zoo, an amusement park, and a children's park located on the lakefront.

6. Adalaj Step-well: This is a unique step-well that was built in the 15th century. It is one of the most well-preserved step-wells in India, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

7. Hathee Singh Jain Temple: This is a beautiful Jain temple that is known for its intricate carvings and unique architecture. It is one of the most important Jain temples in India.

8. Jama Masjid: This is one of the largest mosques in India. It is a beautiful example of Indo-Islamic architecture, and is a popular spot for tourists and locals alike.

9. Sarkhej Roza: This is a complex of mosques and tombs that was built in the 16th century. It is a beautiful and peaceful place that is worth visiting.

10. Kite Museum: This is a unique museum that is dedicated to the history and culture of kites. It is a fun and educational place that is worth visiting for people of all ages.

[anoopbartariacreations]

Transformative Conversations at the Chambal River Front: UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal and Architect Dr. Anoop Bartaria Discuss 'KOTA NAVNIRMAN SAMVAAD' with Bestselling Author Chetan Bhagat

Kota, Rajasthan, [Oct 05, 2023] - A picturesque setting along the Chambal River Front provided the backdrop for a captivating exchange of ideas as UDH (Urban Development and Housing) Minister Shanti Dhariwal and renowned Architect Dr. Anoop Bartaria engaged in a stimulating conversation with acclaimed author Shri Chetan Bhagat Ji. The occasion was none other than 'KOTA NAVNIRMAN SAMVAAD,' a platform for transformative discussions and visionary perspectives.

The serene Chambal River Front, with its tranquil waters and lush surroundings, offered the perfect ambiance for this inspiring dialogue. As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the river, the stage was set for an evening of profound insights and creative musings.

Dr. Anoop Bartaria, the brilliant mind behind the magnificent Chambal River Front project, took the opportunity to guide Shri Chetan Bhagat Ji on a tour of the entire riverfront. The architectural marvel has already garnered immense attention for its blend of modern design with natural beauty, transforming the riverfront into a cultural and recreational hub for Kota residents.

During the tour, Dr. Bartaria shared his vision of creating an inclusive space where nature and architecture harmoniously coexist. Shri Chetan Bhagat Ji was visibly impressed by the meticulous planning and sustainable features of the riverfront, which seamlessly integrates green spaces, recreational facilities, and cultural zones.

The heart of the evening, however, was the insightful conversation that unfolded among the three distinguished personalities. Minister Shanti Dhariwal, with his vast experience in urban development, discussed the importance of such transformative projects in enhancing the quality of life for citizens. He emphasised the need for sustainable urban planning and inclusive growth to meet the challenges of the future.

Architect Dr. Anoop Bartaria shared his journey and creative process in conceptualising and executing the Chambal River Front project. He explained how the project aimed to rejuvenate the cityscape while preserving the natural beauty of the Chambal River.

Shri Chetan Bhagat Ji, known for his thought-provoking novels and social commentary, contributed to the conversation by highlighting the role of cultural spaces like the Chambal River Front in fostering creativity and community engagement. He praised the collaborative effort to create a space that not only celebrates architecture but also serves as a vibrant cultural hub.

'KOTA NAVNIRMAN SAMVAAD' is a testament to the power of dialogue, innovation, and collaboration in shaping the future of urban spaces. As the conversation concluded against the backdrop of the Chambal River Front, it was clear that this evening had been a transformative experience, one that would resonate with both the local community and the nation as a whole.

In a world where sustainable development and creative spaces are becoming increasingly important, the Chambal River Front and the insightful conversations it hosts stand as shining examples of a brighter, more inclusive future.

For more information and updates on 'KOTA NAVNIRMAN SAMVAAD,' please visit https://bit.ly/KOTA-NAVNIRMAN-SAMVAAD

[walkingdetroit]

Art in the Stations: West Riverfront

Once known as Joe Louis Arena Station, West Riverfront is making way for a new neighborhood feel. Whimsical, glittery colors in "Voyage" by Gerome Kamrowski embodies both mythology and astrology. The tiles were made in Spillemberg, Italy by Crovatto Mosaics- the same company that created "Calvacade of Cars" in Huntington Place Station!

Kamrowski has been creating beautiful glass mosaics for many years, as shown below in "2002, Cottage Studio, Ann Arbor."

Hop off the Detroit People Mover and head to the riverwalk to check out the beautiful pedestrian path as well as the new Water Square development.

Although there is a lot of work to be done to make it a walkable neighborhood, the 25-story Residences at Water Square is under construction at the former Joe Louise Arena site. Currently pre-leasing for February 2024, the project is coming together nicely!