Running the line with a Sagebrush Philosopher

I give credit to Matt Jones for finding the hobo terminology.
Friday afternoon after our meal at Beef Burger, Matt and I took a stroll down the tracks between Oakland avenue and Lee street. We came across countless "artifacts" ranging from rail road spikes and various metal parts to items that hobos had left behind on their journeys on the track. We couldn't carry all of the stuff we found so we piled it up on the Oakland side next to the fence so we could come back and drag it under afterwards. I'm not quite sure what we'll do with this stuff but I'm sure something will come to mind. The three tallest landmarks on this edge of campus are visible from Lee street: the stack from the physical plant, the telecommunications tower, and the water tower.

We found what appeared to be an abandoned rail road track on the Lee street side. Trees and bushes had grown up around the rails, hiding it from view unless you got within close proximity. The rails also appear to be a different style then the ones currently used. 
We were passed by a few trains during our field trip and I must say that they can be pretty quiet. I always thought they were loud but one time I didn't even know a train was coming until I looked up from inspecting a rail road spike. It was still a couple hundred yards away and there was plenty of time to move but the thought of being killed by a train passed through my mind a few times on this trip (how embarrassing would that be). The first train was traveling much slower but sounded louder (the conductor blew his horn and waved at us). The second was traveling much faster (30-40 mph?) but seemed to sneak up on us. I wonder why that is...


I've always been a fan of train car graffiti. I think its a wonderful form of communication (artists getting an audience in other cities and states) and art. The tags vary in size and detail. Some of the tags I've photographed seem like they would have taken hours to create. Although the thought of breaking into a train yard at night (or day I guess) and tagging a car seems pretty exciting, I don't really like it enough to chance having a felony on my record. Maybe if I say its a studio project they will let me off the hook. Until then I'll leave it to the professionals. 

We came across a lot of airplane bottles, bum wine bottles, interesting pieces of wood, and animal bones. We've got samples up in the studio of everything we came across. 







We crossed paths with a traveler (man in the yellow jacket). He had some rather friendly words for us but I'm not sure they are appropriate in this forum. Ask if you want to know, it was funny.

The artifacts we acquired represent this "no man's land" in between Oakland avenue and Lee street. Everything there seems discarded and forgotten. 

Lee Street Studio

(1950's signage and aesthetic, inside and out. The UNCG physical plant is in the background along with train passing by.)

On Friday afternoon around lunch time, Matt (site), Eric (precedent), and myself (programming) went to the Beef Burger on Lee street to refresh our memories (and taste buds) of the fine cuisine they have to offer. I made the mistake of thinking they took debit cards, which they don't. Eric made the mistake of believing me. Matt was the only one with cash so he payed for all of us. We all got the special which was a hamburger, fries and a drink for $3.99 (add 25 cents for cheese or 65 cents for bacon). There were other exciting fried items on the menu but the funds were limited so we went with what was cheap. The place is almost a half century old (if not older) and still running strong. We got there around 1 pm right before a rush of about 15-20 people from all walks of life got in line behind us.

The Beef Burger is part of a strip of land our studio is focusing on this semester between the Tate street and Aycock street intersections on Lee street. While most other places along the strip are for sale and/or are abandoned, the Beef Burger and a few other sites still maintain business (specialty rims, recycled batteries, gas station/auto body shop, army/navy surplus and various other strip stores).

I've always been aware of UNC Greensboro's master plans to acquire parcels to expand the university since there is no more space to build new buildings. This strip is included in that plan and they've already been successful in demolishing a lot and developing it into an overflow parking lot for the park & ride near the coliseum (fenced and gated of course). I've only recently become more aware of the city of Greensboro's Lee Street/High Point Road corridor plan through our initial studio meetings (first heard about it in an urban planning class last semester). I haven't thoroughly read into the information but I wonder how the two separate entities, the city and the university, are going to work with each other on this project.

And what will happen to the Beef Burger? Yum Yum's has been a staple in many students' daily meal rituals (you can only survive for so long off of $1 pink hotdogs). It is my hope that the university develops around Beef Burger so that it becomes part of campus life as Yum Yum's has. It stays open later which makes it a perfect match for a nearby architecture building with students working long days and nights.

If anything, we have a strong case to include Beef Burger in our program for the new studio.