We've all seen the street cleaning signs Downtown. No Parking on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, take your pick, from 8 a.m. to noon, usually. We've struggled trying to remember which side is which when we've come home late at night, and then tried to find a spot on the correct side. Is it all really necessary? I've had occasion to be home on a number of street cleaning days for my street. The funny thing is, I haven't seen street cleaners--ever! I don't see the evidence that they've even been there. What I do see are tickets. Evidence that the meter maid has come by to ticket you for parking someplace. Someplace where they need to clean, but won't. For transparency's sake, during a recen

 You can’t escape it if you’ve been downtown for more than 5 minutes. Whether it’s a large mural, a few hastily scrawled “letters”, or an unintelligible scribble. Graffiti, an art form to some, a nuisance to others. I’ve seen it on cross country trips as Amtrak passes any number of freight trains. It’s nearly the signature of the New York City Subway system. What is graffiti? It depends on who you ask. The most common, and in my opinion least attractive, is tagging. Usually done with a paint pen on a street sign or a business door or window. The kind of graffiti I saw on those trains is a more elaborate form of tagging. Sometimes it’s a persons nickname, other times it’s a word, occasio