6857 Leland Ave, Harwood Heights. This is where my aunt Lottie lives; I stayed with her for a couple of months when I first moved to Chicago. These buildings are banal, but there's something charming and refreshing to me about them. Her whole block is basically this same building with different surface treatments, but they all seem uniquely Chicago.

4736 N. Malden #111, my first apartment in Chicago, 9/02-8/03. My apartment was at the back of the building and not visible in this shot. This was my view. About 30 units in this building, mostly working-class families and lower-income, but the area is rapidly gentrifying, so that will probably change. Here's a view from the front door area.

5626 N. Broadway #3, my apartment in Chicago from 9/03 to 7/04, living with Heather. Our apartment was on top of the building on the left, my room faced the alley and Walgreen's parking lot. We were near the lake and the Red Line, here's an east view at nighttime. Used to be a bar downstairs, now it's a hotdog stand...poor Heather!

The house I spent my late childhood and teenage years in (1988-96), at 38239 Paw Paw Rd., Paw Paw, MI. It's a farmhouse on about 3 acres (not a farm though). I used to have skateboard ramps in the back yard. It was really trashed when my parents bought it. My dad recently sold this house.

The first apartment I lived in in Norfolk, VA (after the PETA intern house) from 1999-2000, 622 Raleigh Ave, #2. I'm in top left window in this photo. Keiko lived here with me for a summer. Here's my business card from this era. View of a crappy children's park across the street, and an ugly hospital complex.

1122 Redgate. This was the building I lived in last in Norfolk, VA, 2000-2002. A duplex w/ 4 apartments, mine was top-front, shown here. I often slept on that front porch. Jean lived here with me for a while. This apartment even had laundry! Good times.

I lived at 209 E. 25th St. several times during my years at MCAD. I also lived at 2511 2nd Ave. South, 2537 Stevens Ave. South, 2550 3rd Ave. South (before MCAD owned it), and 2515 Blaisdell Ave. South with Ogaz for a few months. Great area, I really miss it.

A rather artsy shot of the apartment complex where Keiko's family lives. 4/98, Kanagawa, Japan. Masaomi-san ga "Abura-e mitai" to itte kureta. Many many families in Japan live in similar apartment buildings, it's simply too expensive to own a home given the cost of land.

The house where I lived with the Kuze's in Kyoto, Japan for 5 months in 1998. Very modern, with 3 floors and an elevator! I prefer more traditional architecture, but it was nice. This is a fairly nice home; many Japanese don't own their building (or a car!); the Kuze's had 2 cars.

Jean and I took a road trip into rural VA, spotted this amazing trailer. 9/01.

The house my grandparents lived in when I was a baby, on M-40 in Paw Paw. I also lived here briefly but have no recollection of it. The house still looks almost the same almost 30 years later.

The boyhood home of Johnny Cash, on a stretch of rural road in Dyess, AK. (got directions from Cisco Clifton's Fillin' Station). The town honors him in no obvious way (museum, etc).