I had a quick but busy day, and was back on the shuttle at 3:30pm with a friend-colleague. We decided to walk up to meet another friend-colleague, so that meant pushing my bike slowly up the hill. We made our right on Fayette, and as we got to Paca I noticed the construction and a bucket in the sky dangling from a crane moving I don’t know what around. I pointed it out excitedly to S., who wasn’t sure what was getting me so excited–the smoke? the crane? She finally saw the bucket swinging in the air.

I pulled over and pulled out my phone to get this picture, though it doesn’t capture the thrill of movement. Because yeah, I guess I’m still nine years old and blown away by construction equipment.

And then I thought about what they are building here, and what they’re going to tear down. The remodel of Lexington Market is underway, and I have mixed feelings about it. The market absolutely needs health and safety upgrades. Nobody argues about that. But those upgrades, I fear, will come at the cost of displacing merchants and the people who use the market now. For some, they’ll only use the market if the people who currently use it have to go somewhere else. And those some are the ones with access to developers, capital, and understand how this place can yet again be a site of extraction.

So yeah, I’m excited by the earth movers, but I’m less excited for the many things that will and have already been moved to make way, in the same old way. I hope the life of Lexington Market stays there, and I hope the merchants who want to stay, can.

It’s not always easy for me to figure out what I’m excited about. Thank goodness I have friends and colleagues who help me see.

And then we walked to The Market, had a beer, and I rode home in sunshine. Spring is here, and I am going to get to bike with bare legs soon. I can’t wait.