Thirty Hours on Megabus: St. Louis to Memphis to Little Rock to Dallas & Back

Two week ago I arrived in Dallas for a workshop & conference. I left St. Louis at 3:40pm Monday, arriving at 7:35am Tuesday morning. Amtrak? Drive? Greyhound? No, Megabus.  I last wrote about Megabus in August, see My First Trip Via Megabus. At that time the official stop was just a spot on 14th between Spruce & Clark. Now Megabus uses one of Greyhound’s bays at the Gateway Transportation Center — a huge improvement.

Departing & arriving inside a building with food & restrooms is so much nicer than just a spot next to the road. At just before 4pm in the afternoon it isn’t a big deal — assuming it isn’t raining. But in a couple of weeks we’ll be leaving just after midnight for a trip to Chicago. It’s the middle of the night when a building makes a difference — especially in a strange city.

But when your conference stipend covers your hotel for four nights sometimes sacrifices must be made. My roundtrip was $32.50 — purchased about a month in advance. Airfare & Amtrak were both in the hundreds, renting a car would’ve been just as costly. Flying or driving wouldn’t have allowed me to have my power wheelchair, not a good option in this case.

— Steve Patterson

75th Anniversary of Aloe Plaza, Carl Milles’ ‘Meeting of the Waters’

I’d hoped there would be a big celebration over the weekend, continuing into today, to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Aloe Plaza and ‘Meeting of the Waters’ by Swedish sculpture Carl Milles. A year ago I contacted 6th-ward Ald Christine Ingrassia, IKEA, and others about collaborating on an event. Nothing.

The Carl Milles wanted the title to be “Wedding of the Waters” but prudish attitudes didn’t think nude figures should be associated with weddings, so he agreed to change the name to “Meeting of the Waters.” Through Aloe Plaza has suffered from decades of neglect, the sculpture is still magnificent. Others agree, it was the top vote getter in yesterday’s poll:

Q: What are your two favorite public fountain/water features in the City of St. Louis? Pick two — one can be added

1. Meeting of the Waters — Aloe Plaza 13 [25.01%]
2. Grand Basin — Forest Park 11 [21.16%]
3. Splash fountain — Citygarden 8 [15.38%]
4. Lily pond — Tower Grove Park 7 [13.46%]
5. World’s Fair Pavilion Fountain — Government Hill in Forest Park 4 [7.69%]
6. TIE 3 [5.77%]
   1. Kiener Memorial/Runner Statue — Kiener Plaza
   2. Waterfall — Citygarden
7. TIE  1 [1.92%]
   1. May Amphitheater Waterfall — Kiener Plaza
   2. Fountain Park fountain — Fountain Park
   3. Unsure/no answer
8. TIE 0 [0%]
   1. Clock Tower fountain — Saint Louis University
   2. Grand & Lindell — Saint Louis University
   3. Waterfall — Old Post Office Plaza
   4. Wading pool — Tower Grove Park
   5. Circular Fountain — Benton Park
   6. Wading pool & spray — St. Louis Place Park

Two answers were added for fountains listed in the poll (Aloe Plaza & Grand Basin), they were added to the totals above. The Grand Basin nearly beat out “Meeting of the Waters”, which is understandable.

The size & proportions of the basin are very pleasing. From various angles, close up or far away it is captivating.

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: Favorite Public Fountain in St. Louis?

Unlike Kansas City, St. Louis isn’t known for fountains. Still we have a nice collection of them and other water features (waterfalls, wading pools, etc). Today’s poll is about celebrating these!

The exact poll question today is: “What are your two (2) favorite public fountain/water features in the City of St. Louis? Pick two — one can be added”

Let me clarify a few things:

• Public fountain means you don’t need to pass through an entrance gate or pay an admission. For example, this excludes fountains in the Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis Zoo, etc.
• By fountain/water feature I mean something manmade — the Mississippi River doesn’t count.
• 15 answers are provided, but you can add one additional that’s not listed when you vote.
• Please vote for TWO in the right sidebar.

Tomorrow I’ll present the results, focusing on the top 1-3 fountains. The poll closes at 8pm tonight.

— Steve Patterson

New Switchback Ramp Between Civic Center MetroLink & Gateway Transportation Center Should Reduce Accidents

To reduce pedestrians being hit by light rail trains they’ve been making changes to conflict points, this is about the access to the Civic Center MetroLink Station from the Gateway Transportation Center, which opened in late 2008.

This change may also be related to the coming smart card technology, a reader is shown above. The question I have is will I have a problem passing through the Civic Center MetroLink to reach the Gateway Transportation Center?

— Steve Patterson

Second Downtown Dog Park: Wedge Between Busch Stadium & MetroLink Line

In March I posted how some want to turn a large developable site into a 2nd downtown dog park, see Temporary Dog Park On Former Cupples 7 Site Would Be Too Costly.  Then last month I offered an alternative location in existing park space, see Second Downtown Dog Park: Serra’s ‘Twain’. Today I’m suggesting another alternative location for a 2nd downtown dog park:

The grassy area and adjacent parking is divided into many separate parcels of land, some owned by the State of Missouri. Most would agree, because of the small size, this isn’t a desirable site for a new building. The location is convenient to those living in the nearby Cupples warehouses. The Cardinals might be able to help out with finding a permanent dog park at this location.

— Steve Patterson