Alleyways

Alleyways have been intriguing to me for a few years now.  I first became fond of them when I was living in Boulder, walking through them for shortcuts and ease.  After starting to notice them more I preferred to walk through them, to be a part of their wayward character, to experience their uninhibited disregard for appearances.  Alleys might seem dangerous, dark, smelly, but they are the real thing; they aren't dressed up, designed and pretentious - they are haphazard and nonchalant.  It's this disregard for appearances that most attracts me to them.  In alleys, one can observe the subtleties and pace of life, the back reality of a decadent front that culture often feigns.

In the absence of my own collection of alleyway pictures, which I've wanted to amass, here are some pictures taken by others.  Alleys all have their own character depending on the neighborhood and region of the country/world.  I particularly like Western dirt alleys and the graffiti found in urban ones.