Magnificent Municipality

Town Hall by norm.fm

Town Square - (BTT) Being mayor doesn't seem like a bad gig if you can get it. Not only do you get your own mansion (more often than not, anyway), but you also get to spend your workday in quite possibly the most impressive building in town. Of course you do have to deal with the politics of it all, and all the ribbons aren't going to cut themselves with giant novelty scissors, but for a few brief moments in the morning, as you walk beneath the swords and through the majestic wooden doors, you truly feel like a king returning to his castle. That is until the phone rings and you learn your knights of the round need to discuss zoning document 4871b as soon as possible.

Stamp of Approval

Post Office by Eric Badis 

Letter Lane - (BTT) Black Friday sales were down while Cyber Monday sales were up. It seems like anything brick-and-mortar is slowly going the way of the dinosaur, and certainly this website isn't about to advocate spending less time online. Despite the seeming doom and gloom, there is one physical establishment that couldn't be happier about the news - the post office. After all, those packages aren't going to walk themselves to your front door unless they are first in the hands of a postal carrier. As grey as the skies during those days with rain, snow, and gloom, this building stands strong in an uncertain world (until Google and Amazon perfect strapping boxes to drones).

Chic Shack

Norwegian Shack by Mattias Søndergaard

Still in Norway - (BTT) This author isn't ready to end this Scandinavian adventure just yet. Perhaps a little harsh calling itself a humble shack, this small-in-stature but huge-in-comfort dwelling has everything a person could want a mere arm's length away (literally). Despite the modern facade, this building blends harmoniously with the natural landscape around it. It even sits on stilts to minimize its footprint, allowing flora that don't mind a little shade a nice roof over their head, too.

Must Be Herring Things

Modules 1, 2 and 5 by birgburg

Norway - (BTT) While this author is personally partial to Swedish Fish (no bones in those!), there is no denying the appeal of a good ol' Norwegian herring. This sleepy little fishing village has been in the business of smoking, salting, and pickling these morsels of the deep for generations now, leaving no confusion as to their main product by painting it right on the side of the buildings. Do keep a lookout for birds in search of a free lunch though, so as not to end up wearing their previous meal.

Just the Ticket

Studdington Station by Snaillad

Studdington Township - (BTT) Looking like a shot lifted straight off a postcard from a bygone era, the humble Studdington Station continues to welcome and say farewell to the weary travelers that pass on through. Those waiting for their ride are free to take shelter under the wonderfully detailed canopy on rainy days, which are most days around these parts to be quite honest, or sit among the flowers lining the cobblestone sidewalk when weather permits.

Belles and Whistles

Beloved Belle by Kristel

Union Square - (BTT) For an item of clothing that is ideally only purchased and worn once, the wedding dress really exists a word apart from other apparel - it's hard to imagine a cable TV show devoted to people bickering over the perfect pair of tube socks after all. This author won't pretend to understand the difference between eggshell and ivory, but the employees of Beloved Belle have encyclopedic knowledge of every shade of white out there. As elegant on the inside as it is on the exterior, this shop has everything needed to make brides-to-be the center of attention on their special day. Upstairs, two apartments (and a neglected attic) fill out the rest of the building, hopefully with sufficiently soundproofed floors for the times tempers run hot below.

Checking Out

The West Eagle Grand Hotel by eyescream54

Avian Avenue - (BTT) In a world where some websites allow homeowners to become (legally questionable) private hoteliers while others advertise "couch surfing" to try and make sleeping on something that isn't even a bed sound like an extreme sport, one has to wonder what the future holds for all the standard hotels out there. Call this author old-fashioned, but there is still appeal in room service, fresh towels, and pillow mints. As splendid as the name implies, the West Eagle Grand Hotel remains proud to serve those of us who think sleeping on a mattress isn't an unreasonable request to have.

Shiver Me Cubicles

Pirate 100 by lisqr

100 White Collar Way - (BTT) Other than the threat of scurvy, potential loss of limbs, and all-around general seasickness, who wouldn't want to be a pirate? Sadly, there really isn't a huge demand for buccaneers in today's modern society, where accountants and telemarketers are oddly deemed more beneficial to society at large. You may be a landlubber, but that doesn't mean you can't still dream of life on the open seas. With a footprint resembling the ocean waves and windows the color of the inky blue abyss, workers in this office building swear that they get an occasional whiff of the briny sea air as they trudge solemnly from their desk to the copier.

Last Man Standing

Ragge Runarson's Business Building by LegoJalex

Ramshackle Road - (BTT) Letting go is hard to do. It seems like only yesterday that everything was shiny and new, from the bright-eyed optimism of the upstart business owner to the exterior of the buildings he and his team inhabited. Perhaps a board got loose here and a crack appeared there, but those were to be worn as badges of pride, proof of a hard day's work. Then one day you look out your window and find the rest of the world has moved on without you. Torn between the memory of what was and the reality of what is can be bittersweet to say the least, but surely having a few extra badges is better than having none at all.

Not Quite Dead

If the old adage “absence makes the heart grow fonder” really is true, then Brick Town Talk’s fondness level is at an all-time high, so at least there’s that.

Clearly that isn't the reality, but this extended hiatus has certainly made me miss this little site, and what could be better timing to stage yet another comeback than with the leak of the next modular, the Detective’s Office, due out early next year (thanks to Eurobricks for the pic below).

Detective's Office courtesy Eurobricks

This past year and a half have seen a fair amount of changes in the world of Lego blogs, with the death of a few of my favorites (goodbye Classic-Town) and the creation of some new ones (hello Modulars by Kristal). Still, I don’t think that there really is another site quite like this one, celebrating all the wonderful Lego architecture out there regardless of scale or style, so it’s worth keeping around, at least in my opinion.

For now, expect the usual reporting from me with a few minor tweaks here and there to margins and removing some dead wood. Don’t expect these every day, but definitely more than once every 18 months. Going forward, I am thinking about other features that would make the site more interesting to both the audience and the author so this isn’t just a series of images you’ve already seen on flickr. If there is anything you would like to see, feel free to email me (and if you have emailed in these last months, I am slowly getting through them).

As for my own Lego creations, those also took a year off. I am happy to say that I am slowly getting back in the MOC game, starting with the completion of my jewelry store, pizzeria, and bike shop (lovingly inspired by the official Bike Shop and Café set). Expect to see it soon in the Rockefeller Center Lego Store, and look forward to some new modulars in 2015.

Jewelry Store, Pizzeria, and Bricklyn Bike by Jonathan Grzywacz