The Lincoln IL Amtrak station, as seen from a Lincoln Service train in May 2012
So which is it: Presidents’ Day or Washington’s Birthday? What about Abraham Lincoln? The best answer I found online is from Snopes.com (recommended):
Claim: The federal holiday observed in the United States on the third Monday of February is officially designated as “Presidents’ Day.”
FALSE
Their post is long and detailed, but the following is a good summary:
President Nixon is frequently identified as the party responsible for changing Washington’s Birthday into President’s Day and fostering the notion that it is a day for commemorating all U.S. Presidents, a feat he supposedly achieved by issuing a proclamation on 21 February 1971 which declared the third Monday in February to be a “holiday set aside to honor all presidents, even myself.” This claim stems not from fact, however, but from a newspaper spoof. Actually, presidential records indicate that Nixon merely issued an Executive Order (11582) on 11 February 1971 defining the third Monday of February as a holiday, and the announcement of that Executive Order identified the day as “Washington’s Birthday.”
(a) Holiday means the first day of January, the third Monday of February, the last Monday of May, the fourth day of July, the first Monday of September, the second Monday of October, the fourth Monday of October, the fourth Thursday of November, the twenty-fifth day of December, or any other calendar day designated as a holiday by Federal statute or Executive order.
Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is the 12th — my husband and I were on a Lincoln Service Amtrak train to Chicago on his birthday. Washington’s birthday s the 22nd — this coming Sunday.
Please vote in the poll, located in the right sidebar
The latest controversy in St. Louis is over a proposed QuikTrip on the SW corner of Jefferson & Chouteau, you can view the site plan on Scribd.
For the poll today I’d like to see what readers think. Answers provided range for let them build it to deny it, with two levels of compromise in between. The poll is at the top of the right sidebar, it closes in 12 hours (8pm).
I’ll detail my thoughts on Wednesday when I share the results.
Today I’ll be posting to Twitter & Facebook from the 2015 Chicago Auto Show, which opens to the general public tomorrow morning and runs through Sunday February 22nd. Yesterday and today are media preview days.
The St. Louis Auto Show is organized by local auto dealerships, whereas the Chicago Auto Show has exhibits from manufacturers — all makes are represented. Several new vehicles will make their debut at this show, including:
We visited this show last year — on a busy final weekend. It’ll be nice attending some manufacture press conferences and seeing vehicles on the floor without massive crowds. The only press allowed into the recent St. Louis Auto Show were those being paid to promote the show.
After more than two decades as a vacant site, work on a Jefferson Westward Memorial was finally started 52 years ago today.
The Gateway Arch.
At the beginning of the 20th century our leaders wanted to raze the historic riverfront and pay tribute to the Louisiana Purchase. In October comes the 50th anniversary of the final piece of the Arch being lowered into place. It’ll be a few more years before we can celebrate the half century mark of being able to visit the top of the Arch.
Since I started this blog more than a decade ago pedestrian access & walkability have been a regular theme — especially since I became disabled 7 years ago. Friday I encountered a car parked blocking a ramp. Being a car guy I tend to mention the make of car — it was a Pontiac that blocked a ramp on one of my first outings to the store in a wheelchair in 2008. The car on Friday happened to be a Mercedes.
I said “Mercedes owner blocked a crosswalk I needed at Richmond Hts MetroLink station” on Facebook & Twitter. Click to view on Facebook.I posted this picture of the rear vanity license plate “SCHMUK” on Twitter and in the comments on Facebook, click to view on Twitter.No license plate displayed on the front — as required by Missouri law. No snow or ice — just salt residue
I’m posting this to start a civil discussion about the physical design of the area and how pedestrian amenities are easily ignored.
These three images, above, were taken at 12:11-12:12pm on Friday afternoon, it was 43 °F just before noon. Like everyone, I make mistakes. When I do I admit as much.
Here’s what I got wrong:
The ramp isn’t for a crosswalk, it’s for a passenger loading zone.
It’s near the Brentwood MetroLink Station, not the Richmond Heights MetroLink Station — that’s located one station Eastbound on the Blue Line, which opened in 2006.
Very little discussion on Twitter, but Facebook erupted. Here’s some comments that remained as of yesterday (users deleted others):
Comments from a 23 year-old saying he’s the owner:
Thanks facebookers. This is actually my vehicle. I assure you that it was a clearly marked parking space and a car was actually parked behind me as you can see. The curbs are not marked yellow or anything. I apologize but it says nothing about not parking in that space. My plates are hilarious I know. Thanks dan for telling me about the post! Lets find something new to complain about now!
[After I said I contacted the police] “Omg. Like they don’t have more important stuff to worry about. Sorry you had an inconvenience. Again. The writing on the pavement was still covered in snow and ice.. Also why isn’t the other car being put on a blast? Because it was not a Mercedes!”
Only tacky people use front license plates. Duh.
God my car is beautiful though isn’t it?!
I have apologized multiple times. No clear signs. No curb markers. No lines within the area. Also the other car hasn’t been called out. Just mine. I’m over the whole situation.
From his friends:
I find this city to be wasting more and more time on pointless endeavors that literally amount to nothing more than pessimistic chatter.
Go fight a war, go feed the homeless, save a child refugee…no chance of you becoming something of use to the world because you will all still be on facebook making a fool out of yourselves and the right of freedom of speech. No wonder this city is in turmoil… people being shot over petty crimes and people bitching about where cars are parked on a social media site during their off time. #sillyfirstworldproblems My finger tips were cut off a month ago. THAT is a problem. …get a life.
It’s the principle. I also am annoyed that my friend who is a very kind, successful individual who doesn’t deserve internet slander or harassment was being targeted as som e sort of criminal. It is as I said before petty, a waste of time, and pathetic.
You guys are clearly uneducated morons! Had any of you spent as much time trying to be successful as you do running your mouths and posting stupid stuff on fb, you too could have nice things. Maybe then you wouldn’t have to run your mouth and judge ppl just to fill you free time it looks like a perfectly fine place to park to me!
Wow! Pretty sure anyone who can afford a Mercedes can most definitely read! So you’re a wannabe photographer, I wouldn’t quit your day job just yet. Parking sucks all over stl & I’m sure that loading zone was so clear thru the ice that even you missed it! You even said so. I am truly nowhere near wealthy & even I have more to do in life than to be so dang petty over something so minimal! Josh is a wonderful person, I’ve known him his whole life! But you all see a Mercedes & automatically go to rich jerk….stereotype much! Sorry, I just think it’s ridiculous to waste this much time of your day venting about something when it would’ve taken 5 extra seconds to walk around the car a foot! They’re not going to give you a Jay walking ticket if there’s obviously a vehicle blocking what you THOUGHT was a crosswalk. Get a life…one where you have a legitimate reason to bash someone, for more than having money bcuz your attitude says that’s all your pissed about. Love ya Josh, glad you could handle this with the class you did, sorry, couldn’t shut my mouth when it’s about my adopted brother!
Wow. I know my friend would never intentionally try to hurt anyone or do wrong, as I’ve known him for eight years. Mistakes happen, and whether or not he parked incorrectly, I don’t think it warrants such persecution. He didn’t get a ticket, did he? Leave the law up to the police, not the Internet.
I love that the fact you’re driving a Mercedes is what is really pissing people off, [redacted]. If you were driving a POS (that’s Piece Of Shit, for you flipping idiots out there), no one would have even posted about this as that shit happens all the time! Find something else to be pissed about people. #youarethespoiledone.
How about using your anger to get the city to install signs on poles that would clearly state Loading zone. Not paint a street that would be covered with salt residue. do something useful instead of petty with your time.
His Dad removed his comments, but the one from his mom remains:
My son has apologized, he is a very caring and loving young man and has always obeyed the law, once again, we apologize for all the inconvenience. Loving Mother
One of his so-called apologies was this internet meme:
Some may consider this an apology, I do not.
Another comment from the thread — from a personal friend:
I understand that it does not alway occur to people that parking in front of the sidewalk ramp prevents someone using a wheelchair from crossing the street– it is a concept that most folks have the luxury of not thinking about. The benefit of this thread is that it has had the potential to increase awareness (for those open to having their awareness increased). However, I don’t think “sorry you are poor” and related sorry-not-sorry apologies count as a sincere apology and referring to “inconvenience” is patronizing.
Friday I wanted to verify what another commenter had said — that it was clearly a loading zone on Google Maps. The aerial was too dark but the August 2012 Street View was clear, I shared the following screen shot in the thread.
In the comments I was accused of photoshopping the words LOADING ONLY even though I included a link to see it on Google — click to view. I couldn’t photoshop the above, much less hack Google.
We were out that way Sunday afternoon so I drove through to check it out from a motorists prospective.
Right off Hanley you see a loading only zone with a solid white line and a sign. He was parked further West, let’s see how it looks.Again, a solid white line that curves back to the curb is a good clue this isn’t for driving or parking. The text is faded and no sign is posted like the previous spot. The ramp is very visible,A close up of the fading text, but the solid white line and ramp are pretty clear.
This entire development is poorly designed — it doesn’t work well for both motorists and pedestrians. After the I-64 rebuild Musick Memorial Dr became a public street, it’s how you get to Westbound Eager Rd from Hanley. From the various comments I got the view that everything East of I-270 is “the city”, with what the rest of us know as the city being downtown. St. Louis has no responsibility for Musick Memorial Dr — that falls to either the developer or City of Brentwood.
If only there was a massive parking garage where he could’ve parked.
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