Bricks

On my way into work the other day I noticed an elderly man sitting on the sofa in the lobby, holding a large portfolio on his lap. I nodded and said hello and he stood quickly. The security guard nearby rolled his eyes.

The man asked if I was a reporter and I said yes, I was. He unzipped the portfolio and pulled out two large laminated sheets of poster-board upon which he had pasted an assortment of photographs of Queen Elizabeth II. I had trouble understanding what the man was trying to tell me, or how on earth this was news, but I got the sense that he was very proud of his collage. I told him I was late for a meeting (I really was), but I'd return. I wound up convincing Lane to go talk to the man (lol), but the exchange got me thinking about newspaper buildings and how much I love them. I'm glad people still show up in the lobby with something they want to show the world.

I've been inside quite a few newspaper buildings, large and small. I often seek them out when I travel and sometimes pop inside to say hello. When folks visit here, I love giving the tour.

Here are a few of the places I've worked.

The San Angelo Standard Times, San Angelo, Texas. On Friday nights in the Fall, we'd close out Sports and head down the block to Blaine's Pub, where the women dance on the tables. Good place. I can still hear the woman in the lobby answering phones.

Times Herald-Record, Middletown, New York. We lived close enough to the Record that we could sled in on snow days. I can't think about this building without seeing Joe Dowd smoking out front and Oliver Mackson asleep at his desk.

Tampa Tribune, Tampa, Florida. The Trib's newsroom was pretty cool, with a big hole in the floor so you could spit on the Newschannel 8 talent below.

The Tampa Bay Times, Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Melissa Lyttle) You can report on fires from miles away.

Tampa Bay Times. St. Petersburg, Florida.

Here's an awesome slideshow of newspaper buildings around the world. My favorites: The Danville, Ill., Commercial-News ("The Paper That Does Things") and the Juneau County Reminder (great name).