Southern Pacific and Amtrak
B102864-1

One of the defining features of Slatter’s Court is its proximity to the railroad; a juxtaposition casting Slatter’s Court on “the wrong side of the tracks.” Slatter’s looks worn, and dumpy in contrast to the stucco apartments across the street. But, the community is unique. It offers its inhabitants anonymity, freedom, and cheap rent. When the trains thunder by, the largest and loudest, rattle the homes like shacks.

Southern Pacific and Amtrak
B102864-2

Mostly the railroad serves as a reminder that Slatter’s Court exists as a crossroads. The community is neither a point of departure nor a destination. There is a sense that everything is here by chance; lost objects, which have trickled through fortune, fingers, and fate. Not existing in a space, but between spaces. We are the transients, perpetually arriving and leaving. -J.S.