Look Smart Trivia: American Houses

JasonToon posted some pics said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 10:53am ET

It’s a real shame how monotonous new houses are. Nobody in a hundred years’ time will be able to tell an Indianapolis street from one in Phoenix - even the landscaping in new housing developments is pretty much uniform from coast to coast. Here are five houses built in the days when homes reflected something of the natural and cultural personality of the places they were built in. The first player to correctly guess all five of the U.S. cities where they stand will win a $5 Meh coupon. Insert signoff catchphrase here!

Yesterday @DennisG2014 came the closest to putting the films in our Chronological Jimmy Stewart quiz in order, getting the first three right and switching the last two. Lucky for me Stewart’s career straddled the gradual change from black and white to color. And, y’know, actors are good at looking older or younger. Here’s the correct order:
2. The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
4. Magic Town (1947)
3. Rope (1948)
5. The Far Country (1954)
1. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

13 comments, 19 replies
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Barney said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 11:12am ET:
1. Wichita
2. Wichita
3. Wichita
4. Wichita
5. Wichita
Now what is that I won again?
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- @Barney Here’s your prize:
  
  steelopus said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 11:30am ET
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- @steelopus Hey now, that’s better than nothing.
  
  Barney said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 12:00pm ET
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- you’re an all-star
  
  mediocrebot said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 12:00pm ET
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steelopus said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 11:30am ET:
1. San Diego
2. Philadelphia
3. New Orleans
4. El Paso
5. Boston
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steelopus said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 11:36am ET:
1. San Diego
2. Baltimore
3. New Orleans
4. Albuquerque
5. Boston
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- @steelopus You pretty much covered the areas I thought of. Though several of these could be multiple cities. Some of this trivia is particularly vague and can’t be definitively answered with the pictures.
  
  cinoclav said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 1:05pm ET
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DennisG2014 said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 12:22pm ET:

Wow. Less surprised that I won than that #5 wasn’t the oldest version of Jimmy Stewart.
Thanks, @JasonToon!
Now if only Meh would sell something I want to buy, even with a further $10 discount.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
/eightball Will Meh ever sell anything I actually want?
Better not tell you now

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- @DennisG2014 Patience. I had 3 triva codes saved up. Thought I’d never get to use them.
  
  And then… BOOM, within a few weeks:
  - Specks!
  - Leak Siren ($5 - $5 = FREE!)!
  - And yesterday’s powerbank for only $4!
  Of course… it helps to be VMP (ignoring the $60/year I’m giving meh for free shipping and other benefits).
  steelopus said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 12:28pm ET
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- @DennisG2014 @steelopus I had 3 also, until the mehrathon when I used 2 of them. Only drawback is not being able to combine them.
  
  cinoclav said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 1:21pm ET
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- @cinoclav @steelopus They can’t be combined???
  You mean I’ll actually have to find two different items to purchase?
  Oh boy, that really will be more challenging than most of these trivia quizzes.
  Oy.
  lol
  
  DennisG2014 said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 1:26pm ET
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DennisG2014 said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 12:27pm ET:

Re: today’s quiz -
Being a Boston-area native, I don’t think #5 is Boston.
Looks more like Cambridge, if anything.
Can’t be sure, but that’s my take.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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- If @jasontoon is so particular to not consider Cambridge as part of the Boston Metro area… then I’ll be mildly upset… but I’ll get over it after about 3 seconds.
  
  steelopus said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 12:30pm ET
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- @JasonToon @steelopus I mean, it is considered part of the Boston Metro area, but that’s really a region, not a city. Cambridge is its own city (its own Republic, according to some ) and I don’t think it’d be too pedantic to make the distinction in this case.
  Unlike, say, Dorchester, which is a neighborhood of Boston.
  All that said, I have no idea where that house really is.
  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  
  DennisG2014 said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 1:21pm ET
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- @DennisG2014 I lived in Cambridge too! I remember it more slum-like. Again, maybe I saw the bad parts.
  
  sammydog01 said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 3:32pm ET
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- @sammydog01 There’s a lot of variety in Cambridge. Some parts are definitely more run-down than others but, the majority, I think, are very well-kept old, very high-end properties.
  
  DennisG2014 said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 6:42pm ET
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cinoclav said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 1:19pm ET:
1. San Diego (That Craftsman style.)
2. Baltimore (They usually have more steps than Philly.)
3. Miami (The palm trees and the Spanish style architecture. Though I question it without the Art Deco.)
4. Albuquerque (Does any other city have so much Pueblo Revival style?)
5. Boston (That black fire hydrant seems to be a thing there.)
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- @cinoclav I considered Miami, but the architecture in that picture, plus the church in the background, and the ground, felt more NO to me. Looking forward to tomorrow, even if I don’t win, just to see what the answers are.
  
  steelopus said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 1:32pm ET
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- @cinoclav But that looks like grass in photo 1. They used green gravel when I lived in San Diego. Maybe I just lived in the wrong part of town.
  
  sammydog01 said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 2:03pm ET
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- @steelopus It’s definitely not my first guess but I had to go with something different. It could be something more obscure like Charleston.
  
  cinoclav said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 2:31pm ET
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- @cinoclav After sleeping on it… I’m convinced you’re gonna win this one.
  
  steelopus said Fri, Apr 5th 2019 at 7:44am ET
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- @steelopus I’m convinced I’m not. But it’s always fun trying.
  
  cinoclav said Fri, Apr 5th 2019 at 8:07am ET
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jmoor783 said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 5:09pm ET:
1. San Diego
2. Baltimore
3. Savannah
4. Albuquerque
5. Boston
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eonfifty said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 8:47pm ET:

L.A.
Baltimore
Phoenix
Albuquerque
Boston

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Kidsandliz said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 10:01pm ET:

Seattle has a lot of craftsmen houses too and depending on which direction the photo was taken you wouldn’t see the mountains and the sun does occasionally shine there.

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- @Kidsandliz Unless that’s a cell phone tower disguised as a palm tree in the background…
  
  cinoclav said Fri, Apr 5th 2019 at 7:26am ET
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- @cinoclav Oh - had only quickly glanced at the photos, didn’t carefully look so missed the palm tree. Guess not Seattle LOL
  
  Kidsandliz said Fri, Apr 5th 2019 at 11:29am ET
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f00l said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 10:04pm ET:

At least not

/image mcmansion

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- @f00l Yeah, I’d be pretty distraught having to come home to that.
  
  cinoclav said Fri, Apr 5th 2019 at 8:03am ET
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netlawyer said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 10:20pm ET:
1. Oakland, CA
2. Baltimore, MD
3. Savannah, GA
4. Albuquerque, NM
5. Boston, MA
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lehigh said Thu, Apr 4th 2019 at 10:38pm ET:

I’ll wait for tomorrow but I have a strange feeling I’ve seen house #4 in person or before… The three adjacent sewer grates are what’s triggering the deep recesses of my mind. I’ve never been to Albuquerque but I’ve been to Santa Fe a coupl

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medz said Fri, Apr 5th 2019 at 10:25am ET:

Hey, gang. Does anyone know if American actress and comedian Kirstie Alley still owns a house in Wichita, KS?

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