A Fortress Manchester milestone

With 100 Fortress Manchester blog posts now under my belt, I’ve learned one thing: there is a lot of interest in purchasing goat meat in Manchester, NH.

Or so this website’s analytics program tells me. This program also tells me that folks are also quite curious about bicycle parking in Manchester, NH, as well as information about the city’s private clubs and the new downtown restaurant XO on Elm. And months after her death, the search words “Crazy Karen” Carter are still bringing people to this site to see what might be the last picture taken of her:

 

When I started Fortress Manchester back in August, 2008, I wasn’t quite sure where it was going to lead. My purpose was, and remains, to share, in words and photos, what I find interesting, odd, frustrating and just plain weird about Manchester, NH, the city I adopted some five years ago and one which I have come to love.

Looking back at my previous 99 posts, I seem to write a lot about the city’s poor, including the aforementioned Karen Carter. Posts with the "Manchester's Other Half" tag range from the prevalence of abandoned shopping carts in Manchester, NH, to an inside look at the Cadillac Motel to a look at the churches found in the poor parts of town.

The environment and all things green has been another popular topic of mine, as has the city’s food scene. Indeed, it was a four-part series exploring the ethnic food markets in Manchester, NH, that produced what might quite possibly be the most awesome photo I have taken for this blog:

 

I have also used Fortress Manchester to champion ideas I think might improve life in Manchester, NH, including the formation of a bus riders union, time banking, guerrilla gardening and a homeless sports league.

Folks sometimes ask where I get ideas for posts. Truth be told, there’s usually no rhyme or reason to what I write about – it’s generally whatever happens to catch my interest on any particular day, be it the funny traffic calming signs on Lake Avenue to evidence of Confederates in our midst to the city's obsession with dog fouling.

While my analytics program can tell me exactly how many people view a particular blog post, my general gauge to a post’s popularity is in how many reader comments it elicits. Using this standard, the most popular post thus far (eight comments) has been “Anatomically Accurate Art Abounds,” showing the male anatomy of the city's equestrian statues:

 

Also popular were posts advocating for an improved public bus system (seven comments) and another looking at the prevalence of puns in the names of Manchester, NH, hair salons (six comments).

In the process of producing this blog, I’ve even broken news a time or two. Stories including the removal of basketball hoops from center city parks, the use of red X’s to designate abandoned homes in Manchester, NH, and the formation of a food co-op, all appeared on Fortress Manchester before they were picked up by the city's newspapers.

Here's to another 100 posts.

Comments

[Brenda N]

Congratulations! I look forward to each one of your posts. Cheers!

[Jason]

Wow -- 100 posts! I really look forward to each of them and I hope you continue to find interesting/unusual things to write about!

My personal favorites are the 1 on Middle Eastern food: http://www.fortressmanchester.com/home/2009/9/29/the-middle-east-in-manchester-nh.html (though I haven't tried the falafel anywhere yet)

and

Postcards: http://www.fortressmanchester.com/home/2009/3/18/the-more-things-change.html

-Jason

[Will Stewart]

Thanks for the kudos!

[Mark Hayward]

You do a great job, Will.
Here's to another 100 posts by mid-year.
Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah.

[Will Stewart]

Thanks, Mark! The same to you and yours!