Fantastical Cartography
June 2, 2006 11:21 AM Subscribe
Interesting, but I kinda wish I could zoom out on these; never having been to any of these places, the sense of scale and comparison is lost on me.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:46 AM on June 2, 2006
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:46 AM on June 2, 2006
The Minneapolis one is sort of interesting, but also really, really lazy. He couldn't find a better way to make it work than to submerge half the city and all of St. Paul?
although if that means that Garrison Keillor is now under 50 feet of water, maybe Kottke's on to something.
posted by COBRA! at 11:54 AM on June 2, 2006
although if that means that Garrison Keillor is now under 50 feet of water, maybe Kottke's on to something.
posted by COBRA! at 11:54 AM on June 2, 2006
A few years ago, I took my brother to the Brooklyn Promenade, which has a great view of Manhattan.
He said, "That's it? It's so small."
He so does not get it.
posted by fungible at 11:55 AM on June 2, 2006
He said, "That's it? It's so small."
He so does not get it.
posted by fungible at 11:55 AM on June 2, 2006
I don't know why the map of Chi-town next to Manhattan got me all goosepimply. Maybe because they're two of my favorite places in the world, and my mind started reeling with various potential "challenges"--do the Art Institute, Field Museum, Whitney, and MoMA in the same day? While eating as many Devil Dogs and NY cart franks as possible? And seeing a Cubs day game and then going up to the Bronx for a Yankees game?
Which is to say, I think this is cool. Reality needs improvements like this.
posted by bardic at 12:00 PM on June 2, 2006
Which is to say, I think this is cool. Reality needs improvements like this.
posted by bardic at 12:00 PM on June 2, 2006
This is an interesting foreshadowing of what will happen when energy becomes too expensive for ordinary uses and our agricultural system collapses and we enter a new dark age: as the commoners begin fighting and squabbling for food and fuel and a kind of Mad Max sensibility settles on the land, the über-rich will have Manhattan's banks sheathed with a hull, then its underside excavated and made waterproof, the whole island floated, a rudder and massive nuclear engines installed. The seagoing city-state of Manhattan will then roam the world, raiding and plundering the now weak and defenseless land-based civilizations for antiquities and sexual slaves.
2011 at the outside.
posted by George_Spiggott at 12:05 PM on June 2, 2006
2011 at the outside.
posted by George_Spiggott at 12:05 PM on June 2, 2006
What about the errant isle of Staten? I always thought it was funny that the mta subway map (pdf) depicts Staten Island 1/6th size and floated up the hudson to rest at the tip of lower manhattan.
posted by eddydamascene at 12:08 PM on June 2, 2006
posted by eddydamascene at 12:08 PM on June 2, 2006
By Staten Island, I assume you're referring Shaolin, no?
posted by bardic at 12:11 PM on June 2, 2006
posted by bardic at 12:11 PM on June 2, 2006
By Staten Island, I assume you're referring Shaolin, no?
Actually, google maps puts Shaolin right above city hall in Manhattan (link).
posted by eddydamascene at 12:22 PM on June 2, 2006
Actually, google maps puts Shaolin right above city hall in Manhattan (link).
posted by eddydamascene at 12:22 PM on June 2, 2006
Seems like the fpp should be chasing's. Not content with taking people's money now, kottke moves on to content.
posted by OmieWise at 12:35 PM on June 2, 2006
posted by OmieWise at 12:35 PM on June 2, 2006
There's a wonderful old scifi series, Cities in Flight, by James Blish, where most earth cities actually pick up intact (thanks to anti-gravity 'spin-dizzies') and head out into the galaxy, um, looking for work. The protagonist city is of course, Manhattan. Comparatively, seeing it floating in Lake Michigan just seemed so pedestrian.
posted by ulotrichous at 12:38 PM on June 2, 2006
posted by ulotrichous at 12:38 PM on June 2, 2006
Imagine trying to get from San Francisco to Oakland during rush hour if the bay bridge went through Manhattan. Oh, the pain.
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 12:51 PM on June 2, 2006
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 12:51 PM on June 2, 2006
chasing's link put the SF Bay - Manhattan in a much more sensible place. With better road connections too.
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 12:55 PM on June 2, 2006
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 12:55 PM on June 2, 2006
Seems like the fpp should be chasing's. Not content with taking people's money now, kottke moves on to content.
They're both excellent and FPP-worthy. And for heaven's sake, it's not like Kottke's trying to hide his source: "A few months ago, I found an image online (which I cannot for the life of me relocate...any ideas? aha! it's from Bill Rankin's project, The Errant Isle of Manhattan) that worked to alleviate some of that dissonance." What, he's not supposed to post about anything he's seen elsewhere?
posted by languagehat at 12:59 PM on June 2, 2006
They're both excellent and FPP-worthy. And for heaven's sake, it's not like Kottke's trying to hide his source: "A few months ago, I found an image online (
posted by languagehat at 12:59 PM on June 2, 2006
The seagoing city-state of Manhattan will then roam the world, raiding and plundering the now weak and defenseless land-based civilizations for antiquities and sexual slaves.
Woo! i'm past ready for that (or at least secession from the state and country). : >
He did like 30 seconds of work on each mashup--sad.
posted by amberglow at 1:18 PM on June 2, 2006
Woo! i'm past ready for that (or at least secession from the state and country). : >
He did like 30 seconds of work on each mashup--sad.
posted by amberglow at 1:18 PM on June 2, 2006
Metafilter: antiquities and sexual slaves
posted by CynicalKnight at 2:07 PM on June 2, 2006
posted by CynicalKnight at 2:07 PM on June 2, 2006
Way long ago when New York City was in a dire financial situation, a Los Angeles Radio Personality I worked for came up with the idea of buying Manhattan Island and moving to just off the California coast to become a theme park (we already had a town named Manhattan Beach, but the folks in not-yet-incorporated Malibu showed the most interest, naturally). He called the NYC Mayor's office (I forget who it was at the time) live on the air and it was incredible how many layers of bureaucracy he passed through before somebody asked "This is a joke, right?" But then, it was the pre-historic era of shock jockery.
I just wish The Kottke had done a map of Manhattan Island next to Manhattan Beach, CA...
posted by wendell at 5:27 PM on June 2, 2006
I just wish The Kottke had done a map of Manhattan Island next to Manhattan Beach, CA...
posted by wendell at 5:27 PM on June 2, 2006
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posted by chasing at 11:24 AM on June 2, 2006