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View from parents’ balcony in Coimbatore vs my balcony in LA. This is basically the difference between India and the US. Can’t see the forest vs can’t see the trees (figuratively… literal tree cover is mostly gone from both countries)
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also, unobstructed views with long uninterrupted lines of sight are basically nonexistent in India... it's hard to be an authoritarian high modernist around here because there's no viewing point for it well, achievement unlocked... first post-covid international trip
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been unusually long since last trip (~5y as opposed to 2-3y between trips usually) so everything seems extra strange...
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I think especially because I moved to LA since the last trip, which is the epitome of urban vistas (and additionally I live high up and often view it from griffith observatory peak) the striking contrast in how you're situated in the environment is hitting me for the first time
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India is the opposite of "big sky country" ... you're always right in the middle of convoluted greebling and lookout out through bars/grills with the entire line of sight filled up 3d...
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and usually the soundscape is that way too... instead of legible soundscapes like "traffic" a mix of ambient noises of various sorts going on at once... traffic, loud music, people arguing, animals/birds too if you're a bit more on the inside
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what's osmnx It's a largely unplanned sprawl of a second-tier industrial city... textiles and small manufacturing there's a couple of major straight roads through it, the rest is old-world spaghetti
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