Davis Square on Wikipedia!

[photoprince.livejournal.com]

I stumbled across the Davis Sq. page on Wikipedia recently, and and found it to be insulting and a shambles. I did what I could to tidy it up and give a proper shout-out to the neighborhood, but my knowledge of the square is limited and out of date. (I lived near Davis Sq. for years until I moved to Australia a year ago.) 

If you have five minutes, take a look at the page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davis_Square) and add your bit to the collective knowledge of the world!  It's like the ultimate opportunity to represent.  Any info on the history and public art of the square would be especially helpful.  Thanks!

Comments

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Interestingly enough in the talk page, it says Davis is not walking distance from Harvard. Yet I've made that walk several times. Gah. People will find anything to fight about on the Internet.

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

I think we've made that walk several times :)

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

We should do it again soon! I am sooo recovered from my crippling injuries of last week. (which was, being a damn fool who walked 6 miles)

[ron_newman]

"Walking distance" is a pretty subjective thing. The walk takes me 30 minutes which is fine for me, but for most folks I'd consider "walking distance" to be 20 minutes (1 mile) max.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

It is over 1.5 from Brattle St to my house, I grant. I just think it's funny how people will pick the funniest battles.

Wah! Someone is being WRONG. On the Internet!

[photoprince.livejournal.com]

it would be most objective to just put the distances from the other squares and let people estimate their own walking abilities and speeds to determine whether it's within walking distance or not.

[ron_newman]

I agree.

[photoprince.livejournal.com]

Done. "Walking distances" debate hopefully settled once and for all, in an objective fashion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davis_Square#Location

"While conceptions of what is "walking distance" vary according to interest and ability, Davis Square is 0.65 miles from Porter Square, 0.84 miles from Tufts University, 1.1 miles from Alewife, 1.68 miles from Harvard Square, and 1.8 miles from Union Square, all of which some residents consider walkable."

map available on http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=111171307868917844562.000459b63df09df611d06&ll=42.392657,-71.119652&spn=0.05984,0.154495&z=13

I now leave the Wikipedia page in the hands of others. Back to my new life on the other side of the world.

[reverend-jim.livejournal.com]

Bah, I borked the link in my reply. The point was, get to work (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebron,_CT).

[photoprince.livejournal.com]

Hey, man, no need to get all stalker-y on me. My hometown and its Wikipedia page are none of your business. You have no idea how much work I already do in the world, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't think you had some right to tell me to do more. The whole reason I brought the Davis Square Wikipedia thread to the attention of this Livejournal community in the first place is that I don't have the time or local knowledge to do it myself. That applies to my hometown's page as well: I haven't lived there in ten years, I now live on the other side of the world, and I'm up to my ears in trying to do some real good in the real world. Speaking of, back to my real work.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

1.8 to Union? Really? Huh. I guess that makes sense, just seems odd Harvard is closer.

[lonelyholiday.livejournal.com]

That's actually discussed in that post Ron linked to just above... I clicked the link before I continued reading the comments here, and thought ukelele's comment (http://community.livejournal.com/davis_square/747200.html?thread=5919680#t5919680) summed up the issue.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Meaning I should have? Sorry.

[lonelyholiday.livejournal.com]

Oh no, not at all. I was just pointing it out because I thought it was interesting when I went over there, and then scrolled down and the same discussion was beginning again. And I thought his/her point was an important one, that "walking distance" depends on what kind of walk you're measuring.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

That was rather a good thread.

define "walking distance" plz

[jovianconsensus.livejournal.com]

People have walked across the United States before so clearly Davis Square is within walking distance of Caltech.

Re: define "walking distance" plz

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Thank you for proving my exact point, bravo, golf clap.

Re: define "walking distance" plz

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

You want anything, I'm swinging by there tomorrow.

[mattdm.livejournal.com]

Seriously, I walk there several times a week now. And back, sometimes.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Vas?! You can make it in half an hour!