As I was enjoying oysters, a glass of wine, and a good book, my mind began to wander. “I feel like I’ve been here before.” I set down my book and pulled out my phone to look at our family “Been There Done That” Google Maps list. And I had been there. Not in that restaurant, but in that location. I knew it! That caused me to start browsing — finding other places that have changed in the time we’ve been here. There were some places I had been to as three different restaurants.

The city is organic and always changing. You might walk by a closed door a dozen times without giving it any thought, only to walk by and see a brilliant new restaurant or shop reaching far back into the space behind each building as if it has always been there. Or a favorite place that closes, only to be replaced by another favorite just a few weeks later. Or sometimes you don’t even notice an absence until something new pops up.

Memorializing our block

As I try to remember, “What was here before?” I realize I have an opportunity to memorialize the places on our new block from the start of our time here. So that’s what I am setting out to do. I grabbed our low-res Leica and began to photograph the places, walking around only our block. Since shops and restaurants have a – let’s call it a loosey-goosey schedule, I have grabbed some missing spots with my phone and clumsily tried to degrade them to match. But I plan to replace those with the same camera when I am able.

The four sides—Sea, Right, Mountain, and Left—each have their own personality. As they change, I plan to take new photos and follow the progression of each, seeing how our block changes over the months and years. This post, much like our block, will evolve as places change. Some already have.

The sea side

The right side

The mountain side

The left side