A Look Back At My Posts From Twenty Eighteen

Today my annual look back at some of my posts from the past 12 months:

January:

• St. Louis’ Dr Martin Luther King Drive
• Transportation Investment Key To Redeveloping The North Riverfront Area

February:

• One Decade Since My Hemorrhagic Stroke
• Elevator Problems Again Ruin Arrival At Gateway Transportation Center

March:

• St. Louis Bike/Pedestrian/Smoke-Free Advocate Martin Pion (1936-2018)

April

• New Cafe Will Train Disabled Persons For Work In Hospitality Industry

May:

• Dead Sidewalks Won’t Come Back To Life With Overhead Walkways Gone

June:

• Before It Was Officially Named NorthSide Regeneration, We Knew It As ‘Blairmont’
• Blairmont Became NorthSide Regeneration, Received Blessing of Mayor Slay and a Majority of Aldermen

July:

• Entrance To Gateway Arch Should Have Faced Downtown From The Start
• After A Quarter Century, Still No Transit-Oriented Development At St. Louis’ Light Rail Stations

August:

• Well-Used Bus Stop Is A Muddy Hole After It Rains
• Sidewalk Obstruction Removed After Annoying Pedestrians For 7+ Years

September:

• From Municipal Auditorium to Enterprise Center
• Alley Retail Can Work…In The Right Conditions

October:

• Columbus Sculpture Should Remain in Tower Grove Park, Namesake Holiday Renamed Indigenous Peoples’ Day
• The St. Louis Region Needs To Let Go of Fragmentation

November:

• November: Evaluating Mobile Transit Directions in St. Louis
• November: Goodbye City Block 1404

December:

• Not Every IKEA Purchase Requires a Car; New ‘Planning Studios’ Will Serve Dense Urban Cities

Goodbye twenty eighteen, hello twenty nineteen!

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: How Should ‘2019’ Be Pronounced?

As 2018 comes to a close I think more about the pronunciation of the current year, next year, etc. So much so it is the subject of today’s poll.

Here’s the poll:

This poll will close at 8pm.

— Steve Patterson

My Remaining Bike Brings Back Great Memories

Prior to my February 2008 stroke, I’d bought numerous bicycles while living in St. Louis.   With two exceptions, all came from A & M Bicycles — at Arsenal & Morganford Rd. I bought my first bike from A & M back in the mid/late 90s, it was still owned by a descendant of the original founder. It wasn’t long after when the owner sold the shop to his employee, Karl Becker.

Numerous bikes, new & used, were bought from Karl. A couple of times I needed a used beater bike, we’d go down to the basement and come up with exactly the bike I needed.

The two bikes I bought elsewhere since 1990 were a used 50s Huffy fat tire at an antique store in the Kansas City River Market area, and a new Swedish Kronan bought sight unseen from a bike shop in San Diego. They disassembled it and shipped to Karl @ A & M, who assembled it. That was in 2004.

Last month Karl Becker died, a huge loss to the St. Louis cycling community:

Becker, Karl Joseph born April 7th, 1963 to Joseph H. and Mary Ann, passed away suddenly November 18, 2018 while surrounded by family and friends. Karl enjoyed life fully by engaging everyone he met as a friend. His passion for cycling started early in life by following in the footsteps of his father. He was enthusiastic about cycling, both participating and promoting the sport. His love of cycling culminated in owning and operating A&M Bicycle, the oldest bike shop in the city of St. Louis. Karl is survived by his mother, Mary Ann, sisters Mary Jane, Lisa Evans (Brice), Mary Margaret Hendrix (Bill), Amy Becker (Steve), brother Paul (Cyndi), loving friend Mary Ann Hoopes, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins and countless friends. Karl had a zest for life and passions included reading, music, art, Jeopardy, good beer, fireworks and above all his cat, PK. Karl was a kind soul who gladly helped those less fortunate. Even in death, his generous spirit is a gift of life to others. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Mid-America Transplant Foundation. www.midamericatransplant.org

Published in St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Nov. 21, 2018 (Legacy)

This month we took the bike down from the shelves, yet something wasn’t right. The pedal would turn, but the wheel wouldn’t move.

I knew A & M was still open, but we have no bike rack for our car. Friends suggested Big Shark’s downtown location. A week later we walked it five blocks East to Big Shark. A few days later we returned to pick it up — the rear hub was freed up for less than $30.

I haven’t ridden this bike in over a decade, but I just can’t part with it.  Lots of great memories on this bike. It also reminds me of Karl.

— Steve Patterson

Readers Unhappy Trump Partially Closed The Government

Unsurprisingly, most of those who resounded to the recent unscientific Sunday Poll are unhappy with the partial government shutdown, blaming the president:

Q: Agree or disagree: I’m glad President Trump is holding firm on money for the border wall, worth the partial government shutdown.

• Strongly agree: 6 [20%]
• Agree: 0 [0%]
• Somewhat agree: 0 [0%]
• Neither agree or disagree: 0 [0%]
• Somewhat disagree: 0 [0%]
• Disagree: 1 [3.33%]
• Strongly disagree: 23 [76.67%]
• Unsure/No Answer: 0 [0%]

I’m not going to waste my time trying to convince 20% why they’re wrong.

Those who wanted to visit the Arch museum should consider ice skating at Kiener Plaza. Skate rentals are $12 ($7 kids), skating is free if you have your own skates. See Winterfest for more hours, etc.

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Holiday Nostalgia

I’d originally planned to write about retailing, gift giving and such, however, I ran out of time. Instead you get some nostalgic ramblings.

My husband and I are both atheists, but Xmas is an important time for us. It’s about recalling childhood memories, watching favorite movies, and having a meal with family. For us this means my husband’s family (mom, brother, uncle) coming to our loft for Xmas lunch tomorrow.

I love getting to host a holiday meal, this is the 6th Xmas that we’ve had them over. As a kid we’d go to my grandparent’s houses for the holidays. At my maternal grandparents, Mennonites, that meant the men in one room and the women in another (kitchen/breakfast). After we were served, they’d eat. I wasn’t allowed in the kitchen to learn from my grandmother (1902-1982), or hang with my cousin. They never did a tree.

My paternal grandmother’s (1905-1994) house was very different. There everyone was in the kitchen enjoying the company and abundance of food, and her endearing laugh. She always had a huge tree.

Since marrying I’ve learned of traditions in his family, one year I made a traditional German stollen from scratch. His ancestors came here around WWI, fought in WWII.

I hope you have great memories, traditions, and plenty of food. To me, this holiday was never about what it has become: consumerism.

— Steve Patterson