No, I'm not Tim Gunn, but I do love the way he says "Make it so." Walking around the city of Boston, I've noticed that some of the older walk/don't walk buttons at many of the crosswalks have not yet been replaced with the newer models. The older buttons feature the conventionalized "walking man," the universal symbol that lets visitors and Bostonians alike know that this is the button to push if you want to cross the street, no matter which language they speak. Although this walking man is easy to understand (don't we all want a man like that?), he's a bit, well, boring (and we don't want a man like that!). I've also noticed that some Bostonians have taken to making these plain guys a little more interesting. They're scattered arbitrarily around Boston, without rhyme or reason. Cambridge, Back Bay, the North End, could there be more of these guys, waiting to be discovered?
Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum of Bravo TV's Project Runway
I wonder if there are any other "improved" signs in and around Boston? Or, for that matter, anywhere else in the country? How many other incarnations of this ubiquitous walking chap are there? Maybe a punk rocker with a mohawk? Maybe he's in drag? Perhaps there's a car bearing down on him from behind because he crossed against the light, having failed to first press the button and thus, ignoring the very traffic safety device which bears his likeness. If anyone finds any other "defaced" versions (actually, he can't be defaced because he doesn't really have a face, does he?), take a picture of it and send it to me at bostonredlox [at] w i c k e d b e a u t i f u l [d o t] [c o m] (minus the spaces, using the proper symbols) and I'll post it on this blog. Of course, I'll give credit where credit is due, including a link to your website. Or if you'd rather remain anonymous, that's cool too.
I started taking pictures of these signs back in October, and posted them on another blog. But I thought Project Walkway deserved its own site. Maybe this could spearhead a national movement of some sort, to track the different variations on these guys. So seriously, if anyone comes across other examples and would be so kind as to take a digital photo and email it to me, I'd really appreciate it! Please help Project Walkway to document the socio-political connotations of this urban underground movement throughout the walkways of America. Thank you.
