Column: Topographical Scars and Concrete Arteries

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I was headed toward a friend’s place for tea, on foot from my place to hers. I wove through Old Town, and then into the heart of downtown, climbing uphill toward the south and west. I followed I-405 as it snaked through the city center and up into the hills. I first spotted her building from a few blocks away, perched near the base of a hill overlooking the interstate.