Chicago’s Millennium Park Making A Splash

I spent some time this evening in Chicago’s much heralded new Millennium Park. Pretty impressive but not perfect.

Above is probably my favorite spot in the park, the Crown Fountain, which features the faces of 1,000 Chicago residents on a 50ft tall LED glass block screen/fountain. Kids were having a blast as were many adults. I took off my sandals and walked through.

In the morning I’ll get a chance to see it in the daytime. Not sure if it can live up to its hype and price tag.

– Steve

Watchin’ the asphalt grow…

Tonight TV Land is having a ‘Good Times’ mini marathon. I enjoyed watching the show as a kid even though they were not well off. I would have gladly traded our life in suburban Oklahoma City for life in urban Chicago.

We all probably know the opening theme lyrics:

But it is the closing lyrics that lend some insight into living in the projects in the 1970s.

The projects were supposed to be this great place for the masses but they were design failures. I often hear people say the residents didn’t appreciate what they were “given” and simply destroyed their own places. But in reality the poorest people in our society had their homes in real neighborhoods taken away from them and like pawns they were placed in these artificial towers. What’s to appreciate?

“Just lookin’ out of the window. Watchin’ the asphalt grow. Thinkin’ how it all looks sanitized”

– Steve

Rally for Peace April 13, 2007

I think we need to organize a rally for peace on Friday April 13, 2007. Why you ask? Simple, that is the opening date for the 2007 NRA Convention in St. Louis, according to today’s Post-Dispatch.

On second thought, maybe I’ll go out of town that weekend. I can just picture a car backfiring and thousands of NRA members pulling out their concealed weapons like a scene from the old West.

– Steve

Money Magazine Thinks Ballwin MO Is Habitable

Last month the St. Louis Business Journal reported that sprawl centric Ballwin, MO was ranked #64 on Money’s list of top 100 places to live. Really? Yes, they are talking about the same Ballwin located in West St. Louis County. The one with Manchester Road lined with strip centers and big boxes.

Ballwin’s website notes they are in the process of adding sidewalks along the North side of Manchester Road – where they did not exist before. Chicago’s suburb of Naperville was near the top of the list but at least it actually has a real walkable downtown that is connected to adjoining neighborhoods. Ballwin is not pedestrian or bicycle friendly. Kids must be driven from place to place.

Manchester road is a nightmare with all roads leading to it – no grid in sight to allow someone to take the next block over. If I lived out there I’d want a monster SUV too just to feel safe in the mess of traffic they’ve designed. It is so bad it is recommended that you drive from strip mall to strip mall to keep traffic off Manchester Road.

How can this possibly be rated as a top place to live? You could not pay me to live in Ballwin. Note to self, never purchase a copy of Money magazine.

– Steve

St. Louis’ City Museum: One of the World’s Great Spaces

St. Louis’ City Museum was named one of the World’s “great spaces” in the Project for Public Space’s August 2005 newsletter:

The City Museum is like an amusement park in the middle of downtown St. Louis. It occupies an old shoe factory–a Depression-era relic that sculptor Bob Cassilly and his partners have brought back to life with a fantastically imaginative collection of play spaces, exhibits, and sculptures. Many attractions, like the multi-story slides (which visitors use as downward escalators), awe-inspiring underground cave system, and the interactive sculpture called MonstroCity (above), take advantage of the building’s unique spaces and industrial character. The museum invites its visitors to create and interact with exhibits. A tavern on the first floor called the Cabin Inn occupies a transplanted 19th century log cabin and is a popular venue for local musicians.

City Museum is just one of many great emerging spaces in downtown St. Louis. Kudos to Bob Cassilly for his vision and determination. The introduction to the piece read:

Nine additional places were added to the growing list. Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC; Jardin Juarez and Market Hall, Juchitan, Mexico; Museum of Modern Art Interior and Sculpture Garden, New York, NY; Kungsportsavenyn, Göteborg, Sweden; Devon Street, Chicago, IL; Largo Glênio Peres, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Wisconsin State Capitol, Madison, WI; Dapper Market, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; and Trg Bana Jelacica, Zagreb, Croatia
For more information on PPS see their website.

Not bad company we are keeping these days.

– Steve