Over the years, I've had the… um… opportunity to interact with police in a variety of situations. Traffic violations, calls for support when kids were trespassing in our condo's pool, city functions, and just out on the beat. And while a few have sported "tough guy" attitudes (lamentable for any civil servant), they've all been professional. A few, even, have even been spectacular. So when I hear stories of police brutality I am immediately of two minds: "the story's being blown out of proportion" and "authority breeds unrighteous dominion".
But some times — on rare occasions — I'm of only one mind. Take a look at this footage:
Now read the follow-up story in the New York Post (not known for an even-handed approach). Here's more about the Pogan assault at the Smoking Gun. If you're not familiar with Critical Mass, they're an amazing grassroots cyclist empowerment organization. There's even a small Salt Lake City chapter.
Showing posts with label urban living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label urban living. Show all posts
Friday, August 01, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Of Good Report, 4 | Downtown Living
I love living downtown. I love that my grocer, my baker, my florist, the fish monger, and the guys at the deli all know my name. That they notice when I've been away. I've said it before: living downtown in more like living in a small town than living in the wastelands of suburbia ever could be. And it's not just my neighbors that I love … I love my home (photos). All 576 square feet of it. It's mine — every inch. Sure, it would easily fit in many of y'alls living rooms. But it's all the space I need. I won't lie: I've thought about buying the unit next door, and combining the two (1100 square feet! woot!) … but the thought seldom lasts. What would I do with all that space? No… I think I'll keep it right where it is.
Living small is where it's at. It forces you to edit … to focus on what delivers, on what's worth the effort — the room! It fosters creativity. Necessity being the mother of invention, and all.
Anyway, that's today's good report: living small is where it's at!
This post is part of a week-long series focusing on the good and praiseworthy in my life… please consider reading all seven: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Charing Cross Road & The History Boys | Part V of Driving to London
So after a trying and equally delightful first day back in England, I was ready for a solid night's sleep… which is exactly what I got. So I got up bright and early, and lazed about the flat for an hour or so — eating breakfast, catching some of the odder moments of English television programming, and showering — before hitting the streets of London.
The plan for the day?
A cruise up and down Charing Cross Road and where ever else my feet my take me. The road divides the Covent Garden area to the east and SoHo to the West neatly, and snakes through the theater district and Chinatown… and it's famous for it's myriad bookshops. The last being my main attraction to the road, and the thing which first brought me here many years ago during my first visit to London.
So with a little breakfast in my gut, I headed-out. The day was cool and bright — perfect for a walk — and the stones were damp and clean from an evening's rain. I wandered back up to where Mihaela and I had walked the evening before and snapped some photos, then followed a number of small alleys over to Leicester Station. It was early, and everything was shuttered, and only a few shop keeps were out getting their displays ready for the day's business. So I did a lot of window shopping (my favorite kind!), and walked and re-walked most of the paths that criss-cross the neighborhood.
I noticed, early-on, that The History Boys was showing in the neighborhood, and decided to grab a ticket when the box office opened at eleven. In the mean time, I wandered… going into book and curio shops as they opened one-by-one, finally returning to the theater at 11 and snagging a ticket for the night's show.
From the theater, I walked a few steps down to St Martin's Spice and had a delightful lunch of curries and papadams… and then my walk up Charing Cross began in earnest, and I visited every book seller that caught my interest. Somewhere along the way, I called Mihaela, and we met-up at her school office, and spent a little while together before I headed to the theater.
The show was heart-breaking, thought-provoking, and amazing… and I purchased a theater edition of the book and headed out around the back of the theater to take one of the alleys back to the flat. It was a fortuitous choice, and I saw the cast exiting the backstage door. But I was too shy to ask for any autographs, as I didn't have a pen. I vowed to return.
The evening ended with dinner in the flat, and a little television while I wound-down from the day's excitement.
Next Stop: A Dinner Party!
__________________
Photos from this leg of the trip can be found at my flickr account... starting with this photo I took of a mail truck.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Gotta Get Me Some Vittles
So today was the first day of the Spring Dine O' Round, here in Salt Lake City — and the first time for the Spring installment of what has been an Autumn-only ritual until now.
Here's the scoop: for about two weeks (from Friday, May 4th through Saturday, May 19th), select downtown restaurants have a special event menu featuring $10 lunches and $15 or $25 dinners (per person). Now, that may not sound all that special… but these are 30 of the best restaurants downtown, in a city that is becoming known for its dining.
So come on down, and splurge a little — $25 dinner at The Melting Pot or the Metropolitan? Unheard of!
Here's the scoop: for about two weeks (from Friday, May 4th through Saturday, May 19th), select downtown restaurants have a special event menu featuring $10 lunches and $15 or $25 dinners (per person). Now, that may not sound all that special… but these are 30 of the best restaurants downtown, in a city that is becoming known for its dining.
So come on down, and splurge a little — $25 dinner at The Melting Pot or the Metropolitan? Unheard of!
Sunday, February 11, 2007
This Is the Life
So I read in this morning's Tribune how a condo boom is hitting downtown Salt Lake City, and it was a great little write-up... it's especially fun to read good news about your neighborhood and the people you know (Luann Lakis serves on the Downtown Community Council, Ken Milo is an up-stairs neighbor and a fixture in the area).
I'll let you read the article yourself, but I've got this much to add: there's more to living downtown than return on investment and the nightlife. I have never been more plugged-into a neighborhood than this one. I know and see more people and care more about the people I know and see than ever before.
How is this possible?
Living downtown means I don't have to drive... and walking means I see more of my neighbors, and it means I frequent my neighborhood businesses more regularly. So in an odd twist of fate, living in the big city is much more like living in a small village than living in the wastelands of suburbia ever could be.
So to Troy, Andrew, Matt, Nick, John, and the rest of the crew at Tony Caputo's... to Jace, Bobby, Liz, Teresa, Brandon, and everyone at Carlucci's... to Rachael and the ladies at Roots... to Mary and her friendly helpers at Jade Market... to SLC Urbanite and her husband... to Tom and his wife... to J Simon (and his broken foot)... to Devin and his little family... and to everyone in my corner of heaven: howdy neighbor!
I'll let you read the article yourself, but I've got this much to add: there's more to living downtown than return on investment and the nightlife. I have never been more plugged-into a neighborhood than this one. I know and see more people and care more about the people I know and see than ever before.
How is this possible?
Living downtown means I don't have to drive... and walking means I see more of my neighbors, and it means I frequent my neighborhood businesses more regularly. So in an odd twist of fate, living in the big city is much more like living in a small village than living in the wastelands of suburbia ever could be.
So to Troy, Andrew, Matt, Nick, John, and the rest of the crew at Tony Caputo's... to Jace, Bobby, Liz, Teresa, Brandon, and everyone at Carlucci's... to Rachael and the ladies at Roots... to Mary and her friendly helpers at Jade Market... to SLC Urbanite and her husband... to Tom and his wife... to J Simon (and his broken foot)... to Devin and his little family... and to everyone in my corner of heaven: howdy neighbor!
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Urban Wishlist: Traffic Lights
This is a new category... reserved for stuff I'd like to see with regards to urban planning and design.
Traffic lights seem to be handled in many municipalities in a haphazard way: rarely is there consistency visually or systemically. I imagine it's because traffic lights are expensive and difficult to install... meaning that an entire retrofit of a city is not likely to happen. Instead, traffic lights are installed/updated when road repairs make such particularly easy or outright necessary — or when an accident happens, and politicos want to mollify a public uninterested in proper traffic calming programs.
But here's my wishlist, all the same:
LEDs — The new, LED traffic lights are superior in every way to all the other implementations I've seen. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you'd recognize the lights because their comprised of a couple hundred smaller bulbs — and look, for all the world, like bugs eyes. They're bright and easy to discern, regardless of environmental conditions. All traffic lights should be of the LED sort.
Directional Beepers — There's a proper word for these, but I don't know it off-hand. These are the aural cues for the visually impaired. All traffic lights should these to indicate when crossing is permitted.
Crosswalk Count-down — You've seen the crossing signals that feature the 25 second count-down timers? Yup... every intersection should feature these.
Automatic Crossing Signals with the CBD — Central business districts are decidedly places where pedestrian traffic is encouraged/expected. All intersections controlled by traffic lights should feature crossing signals that activate without pushing a button ( though buttons are handy placebos ).
Realistic Crossing Time-frames — When a crossing signal is furnished, lights should be timed such that pedestrians can can actually cross all lanes of traffic in the time allotted. If the intersection is large, pedestrian islands should be furnished at the medians, and time-frames should encourage pausing on the island.
Full-stops — Almost every intersection I've come to switches immediately between RED for one direction of traffic and GREEN for another direction of traffic. I would propose that all traffic should come to a complete stop, with all signals being RED for a beat or two when thru-traffic changes directions.
Extended YELLOW — A recent study ( man! I wish I could find it! ) concluded that an extra 1 second ( it may have been less ) of YELLOW before turning RED would decrease light running by 50%. That's an amazing reduction for such a paltry investment of time.
Controlled Mid-block Pedestrian Crossings — Many CBD blocks feature mid-block pedestrian crossings. Unless required for cross traffic ( say, from a parking garage with a mid-block egress ), these pedestrian crossings should NOT have traditional stop lights. Rather, flashing lights ( YELLOW, or better-yet PURPLE, to differentiate these signals from ones where the power is out ), should be installed. When a pedestrian requests a signal, the light turns from flashing YELLOW/PURPLE to flashing RED. This allow safe crossing of pedestrians as-needed, and protects motorists from malicious button-pushing by passers-by.
Traffic lights seem to be handled in many municipalities in a haphazard way: rarely is there consistency visually or systemically. I imagine it's because traffic lights are expensive and difficult to install... meaning that an entire retrofit of a city is not likely to happen. Instead, traffic lights are installed/updated when road repairs make such particularly easy or outright necessary — or when an accident happens, and politicos want to mollify a public uninterested in proper traffic calming programs.
But here's my wishlist, all the same:
LEDs — The new, LED traffic lights are superior in every way to all the other implementations I've seen. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you'd recognize the lights because their comprised of a couple hundred smaller bulbs — and look, for all the world, like bugs eyes. They're bright and easy to discern, regardless of environmental conditions. All traffic lights should be of the LED sort.
Directional Beepers — There's a proper word for these, but I don't know it off-hand. These are the aural cues for the visually impaired. All traffic lights should these to indicate when crossing is permitted.
Crosswalk Count-down — You've seen the crossing signals that feature the 25 second count-down timers? Yup... every intersection should feature these.
Automatic Crossing Signals with the CBD — Central business districts are decidedly places where pedestrian traffic is encouraged/expected. All intersections controlled by traffic lights should feature crossing signals that activate without pushing a button ( though buttons are handy placebos ).
Realistic Crossing Time-frames — When a crossing signal is furnished, lights should be timed such that pedestrians can can actually cross all lanes of traffic in the time allotted. If the intersection is large, pedestrian islands should be furnished at the medians, and time-frames should encourage pausing on the island.
Full-stops — Almost every intersection I've come to switches immediately between RED for one direction of traffic and GREEN for another direction of traffic. I would propose that all traffic should come to a complete stop, with all signals being RED for a beat or two when thru-traffic changes directions.
Extended YELLOW — A recent study ( man! I wish I could find it! ) concluded that an extra 1 second ( it may have been less ) of YELLOW before turning RED would decrease light running by 50%. That's an amazing reduction for such a paltry investment of time.
Controlled Mid-block Pedestrian Crossings — Many CBD blocks feature mid-block pedestrian crossings. Unless required for cross traffic ( say, from a parking garage with a mid-block egress ), these pedestrian crossings should NOT have traditional stop lights. Rather, flashing lights ( YELLOW, or better-yet PURPLE, to differentiate these signals from ones where the power is out ), should be installed. When a pedestrian requests a signal, the light turns from flashing YELLOW/PURPLE to flashing RED. This allow safe crossing of pedestrians as-needed, and protects motorists from malicious button-pushing by passers-by.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Beautiful Dreamer: $500
So tonight is this month's gallery stroll. A chance to visit Salt Lake area art galleries ( that are normally closed after 6 )... to schmooze a little... to sample a little gnosh... and to see some beautiful artwork. Now, mind you: it's not always good. I've seen my share of disposable art — but even disposable art inspires.
So why mention it?
Well, tonight, in conjuction with the gallery stroll, there will be a studio sale at the Uffens, featuring works by four area artists: Tom Aaron ( who really needs a web site! ), Mark Elliot, Holly Mae Pendergast, and Dallas Graham. If you're not familiar with the concept of a studio sale, it's less formal than a show, and the artwork featured is often priced significantly less than it would otherwise be... and it's a wonderful opportunity to build your collection.
The studio sale is from 5:30 – 10:00 p, tonight.
If you can't make it tonight, I understand that they will open tomorrow with works not available tonight — a perfect companion to your trip to the farmers market!
Remember: bring cash or a check book. No credit cards accepted.
UPDATE: I spent the evening sitting and chatting with my friends at the studio sale... and then a little while this morning. From all accounts, the sale was a resounding success. You should have been there.
And me? Well, I walked away wishing that I had an extra $3,000... and the happy owner of a lovely and amazing photo by Dallas Graham. So ts'all good.
So why mention it?
Well, tonight, in conjuction with the gallery stroll, there will be a studio sale at the Uffens, featuring works by four area artists: Tom Aaron ( who really needs a web site! ), Mark Elliot, Holly Mae Pendergast, and Dallas Graham. If you're not familiar with the concept of a studio sale, it's less formal than a show, and the artwork featured is often priced significantly less than it would otherwise be... and it's a wonderful opportunity to build your collection.
The studio sale is from 5:30 – 10:00 p, tonight.
If you can't make it tonight, I understand that they will open tomorrow with works not available tonight — a perfect companion to your trip to the farmers market!
Remember: bring cash or a check book. No credit cards accepted.
UPDATE: I spent the evening sitting and chatting with my friends at the studio sale... and then a little while this morning. From all accounts, the sale was a resounding success. You should have been there.
And me? Well, I walked away wishing that I had an extra $3,000... and the happy owner of a lovely and amazing photo by Dallas Graham. So ts'all good.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Lazy Web: Personal Services
I lived in Provo for a little more than 12 years. And over the course of that time, I collected quite a little menagerie of "people"... folks and companies that I relied upon to make my life easier or better or both. But now that I've moved to Salt Lake City, I'm people-less. So I need a little help... your help... who are your people?
Bank
I'm a firm believer in credit unions... I like that credit unions tend to reinvest in my community. So when I was in Provo, I used Utah Community Credit Union (UCCU). They were alright — sometimes even amazing. If there had been no credit union, or a bad one, I would have gone with Central Bank which is a Provo-born-and-bred bank of superlative quality, and a charm all its own. But now I'm in Salt Lake City... and I live right down town ( 300 W 300 S )... and I need a financial institution that has a presence there for deposits and withdrawals. Now, I'm guessing I could make deposits via the ATM network, but I've not tested that one yet. I want a bank that I can be proud of, that has an amazing web services portfolio, and is all-around good. Ideas?
Full-service Gas Station
Oh man I miss Gatenby's — that little green-and-white service station across Provo River from DI and across State Street from Macey's. Tony, Bret, and good old Bob. They washed my windows, filled-up the tank, topped-off the fluids, and saved my life once or twice with unsolicited (and free!) advice. They were so good, they got Boxing Day gifts... and though I've found Craig's service station (900 S 1300 E) — which is full-service — I'm not impressed by the staff, which seem largely apathetic. And they don't always remember to wash my windows. Please tell me there someone else...
Cobbler
I purchased both pairs of my Allen Edmund shoes from Village Shoemaker (Orem Center Street @ State), and had them shined and conditioned there every other week for almost 8 years... but now I need someone up here.
Tailor
I like to have my clothes tailored, and in Provo, I used Two Tiny Tailors (in University Mall — the only reason I ever went to that horrible place). They were so busy, good grief... but they did great work. Who do you use?
Barber
I know, I know... I have no hair. But that's not entirely true, I just keep it tightly shorn... and every Friday for years I've gone to Reid Francom at the BYU barber shop for a clipping... and when he started working in Draper on Fridays, I convinced him to drop by my home on his way up there. And even now I drive down to Draper each Friday (I'm heading there in an hour) to have a cut at the 9 to 9 barber shop on 123rd South, by the fire station. But I'd rather find someone downtown, as Reid is only there on Fridays, which means if I forget or get delayed, I'm stuck waiting a whole week.
Maid
So, for the last six years, I've had a maid... nothing fancy, just two hours a week to scrub the place down, vacuum, and do the windows... I mostly used friends who were short on cash, but didn't mind putting in a little work (I pay $12.50/hr). I think I'd like to do the same up here, but haven't found anyone yet.
Yeah... I think that's it.
Oh, wait: a mender.
In Provo, there's The Mending Shed — and they're absolutely amazing at fixing any small appliance! Any suggestions for a similar outfit up here?
ADDENDUM
Realized, re-reading this, that I missed a few important "people": dentist, personal physician, chiropractor, message therapist.
Dentist
I've been using Dr Corbin Matthews down in Provo, and he is wonderful — and his assistants are pain-free... but the two-hour commute is really making visits less and less likely. Who do you use? ... laser-assisted exams a must.
Personal Physician
Dr Berry of Cascade Family Medicine is amazing — he listens, he appreciates input, he's personable, and he's fairly priced (office visit is $30 without insurance)... but he's also way down in Orem. I prefer DOs to MDs, but I'm not hard-set against them. Berry's an MD, after all.
Chiropractor
I've had great chiropractors and scary ones... my last one was all herky-jerky, and I was certain he was going to rip my head from my spine one of these days. I don't want that... who pops your back?
Massage Therapist
I had a long-term message therapist about 10 years back... but when she left the industry, I didn't find anyone to replace her. And while it's a luxury, it's one I'm reconsidering — even if it's just a monthly visit. I think it would be nice... and relaxing.
Bank
I'm a firm believer in credit unions... I like that credit unions tend to reinvest in my community. So when I was in Provo, I used Utah Community Credit Union (UCCU). They were alright — sometimes even amazing. If there had been no credit union, or a bad one, I would have gone with Central Bank which is a Provo-born-and-bred bank of superlative quality, and a charm all its own. But now I'm in Salt Lake City... and I live right down town ( 300 W 300 S )... and I need a financial institution that has a presence there for deposits and withdrawals. Now, I'm guessing I could make deposits via the ATM network, but I've not tested that one yet. I want a bank that I can be proud of, that has an amazing web services portfolio, and is all-around good. Ideas?
Full-service Gas Station
Oh man I miss Gatenby's — that little green-and-white service station across Provo River from DI and across State Street from Macey's. Tony, Bret, and good old Bob. They washed my windows, filled-up the tank, topped-off the fluids, and saved my life once or twice with unsolicited (and free!) advice. They were so good, they got Boxing Day gifts... and though I've found Craig's service station (900 S 1300 E) — which is full-service — I'm not impressed by the staff, which seem largely apathetic. And they don't always remember to wash my windows. Please tell me there someone else...
Cobbler
I purchased both pairs of my Allen Edmund shoes from Village Shoemaker (Orem Center Street @ State), and had them shined and conditioned there every other week for almost 8 years... but now I need someone up here.
Tailor
I like to have my clothes tailored, and in Provo, I used Two Tiny Tailors (in University Mall — the only reason I ever went to that horrible place). They were so busy, good grief... but they did great work. Who do you use?
Barber
I know, I know... I have no hair. But that's not entirely true, I just keep it tightly shorn... and every Friday for years I've gone to Reid Francom at the BYU barber shop for a clipping... and when he started working in Draper on Fridays, I convinced him to drop by my home on his way up there. And even now I drive down to Draper each Friday (I'm heading there in an hour) to have a cut at the 9 to 9 barber shop on 123rd South, by the fire station. But I'd rather find someone downtown, as Reid is only there on Fridays, which means if I forget or get delayed, I'm stuck waiting a whole week.
Maid
So, for the last six years, I've had a maid... nothing fancy, just two hours a week to scrub the place down, vacuum, and do the windows... I mostly used friends who were short on cash, but didn't mind putting in a little work (I pay $12.50/hr). I think I'd like to do the same up here, but haven't found anyone yet.
Yeah... I think that's it.
Oh, wait: a mender.
In Provo, there's The Mending Shed — and they're absolutely amazing at fixing any small appliance! Any suggestions for a similar outfit up here?
ADDENDUM
Realized, re-reading this, that I missed a few important "people": dentist, personal physician, chiropractor, message therapist.
Dentist
I've been using Dr Corbin Matthews down in Provo, and he is wonderful — and his assistants are pain-free... but the two-hour commute is really making visits less and less likely. Who do you use? ... laser-assisted exams a must.
Personal Physician
Dr Berry of Cascade Family Medicine is amazing — he listens, he appreciates input, he's personable, and he's fairly priced (office visit is $30 without insurance)... but he's also way down in Orem. I prefer DOs to MDs, but I'm not hard-set against them. Berry's an MD, after all.
Chiropractor
I've had great chiropractors and scary ones... my last one was all herky-jerky, and I was certain he was going to rip my head from my spine one of these days. I don't want that... who pops your back?
Massage Therapist
I had a long-term message therapist about 10 years back... but when she left the industry, I didn't find anyone to replace her. And while it's a luxury, it's one I'm reconsidering — even if it's just a monthly visit. I think it would be nice... and relaxing.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Boyer Company Whines about Trax Stations
So the Deseret News reports that the plan for two TRAX stops is a problem for Gateway developers (hat tip: Transit in Utah). My first reaction was to think that maybe they had a point... but then I looked at the sketches I've seen and I've come to the conclusion that the Boyer Company can't see past the end of its nose.
First of all, the proposed stop would block a single entrance to one of the Gateway's two parking garages — and then, only for traffic coming from the South. So let's re-state this a little more clearly: the Gateway features two parking garages (each with two entrances), on-street parking, and (I believe) is working on addition parking on the North end of the development. This TRAX station would block traffic coming from the South from turning into the 400 West entrance of just one of their garages — leaving three easily accessible garage entrances untouched, and area on-street parking largely unscathed — and they're complaining.
* rolls eyes *
If they were so concerned about maximizing traffic to their development, there's plenty else to work on...
For starters: their beloved garages are called "Summer Parking" and "Winter Parking" (for their South garage and North garage, respectively) ... names that must lead at least some of their patrons to believe that the said garages are only available seasonally. They could certainly improve wayfinding (and community loyalty) by renaming their parking structures, or dropping the names altogether: cutesy names aren't worth the trouble in most cases.
But I should expect silly names from the people who named the apartments attached to their development "Northgate"... which would be fine if the apartments were confined to the North end of development — north of the structure crossing over 100 South, which looks vaguely like a gate. But no: there are two towers of "Northgate" — one to the North of the "gate" on 100 South, and one to the South of the "gate" on 100 South (which set-up leads to all sorts of confusion for people trying to find friends living there).
Which brings me to the second point: if the folks at the Boyers Company wanted to maximize traffic at their development, you'd think that they would have made it straight-forward for people living at the Gateway to actually shop at the Gateway. But they didn't. Except for an out-of-the-way and probably unintended access way from the underground apartment parking garage, I know of no way for people living at the Gateway to actually get there — except to walk around the entire development from the rear — which means hoofing it along 500 West, which is an unsavory prospect, at best.
Finally, the Boyers don't seem to understand that encouraging growth in their neighborhood necessarily means encouraging their own growth... despite the problems I have with the place, it's still nice to visit... and I walk there often. With more development in the area supported by more TRAX stations, they're bound to enjoy additional patronage.
First of all, the proposed stop would block a single entrance to one of the Gateway's two parking garages — and then, only for traffic coming from the South. So let's re-state this a little more clearly: the Gateway features two parking garages (each with two entrances), on-street parking, and (I believe) is working on addition parking on the North end of the development. This TRAX station would block traffic coming from the South from turning into the 400 West entrance of just one of their garages — leaving three easily accessible garage entrances untouched, and area on-street parking largely unscathed — and they're complaining.
* rolls eyes *
If they were so concerned about maximizing traffic to their development, there's plenty else to work on...
For starters: their beloved garages are called "Summer Parking" and "Winter Parking" (for their South garage and North garage, respectively) ... names that must lead at least some of their patrons to believe that the said garages are only available seasonally. They could certainly improve wayfinding (and community loyalty) by renaming their parking structures, or dropping the names altogether: cutesy names aren't worth the trouble in most cases.
But I should expect silly names from the people who named the apartments attached to their development "Northgate"... which would be fine if the apartments were confined to the North end of development — north of the structure crossing over 100 South, which looks vaguely like a gate. But no: there are two towers of "Northgate" — one to the North of the "gate" on 100 South, and one to the South of the "gate" on 100 South (which set-up leads to all sorts of confusion for people trying to find friends living there).
Which brings me to the second point: if the folks at the Boyers Company wanted to maximize traffic at their development, you'd think that they would have made it straight-forward for people living at the Gateway to actually shop at the Gateway. But they didn't. Except for an out-of-the-way and probably unintended access way from the underground apartment parking garage, I know of no way for people living at the Gateway to actually get there — except to walk around the entire development from the rear — which means hoofing it along 500 West, which is an unsavory prospect, at best.
Finally, the Boyers don't seem to understand that encouraging growth in their neighborhood necessarily means encouraging their own growth... despite the problems I have with the place, it's still nice to visit... and I walk there often. With more development in the area supported by more TRAX stations, they're bound to enjoy additional patronage.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Recommended Viewing: Eric Grohe's Trompe l'Oeil Murals
The subjects and execution of Eric Grohe's murals are what set him apart.
I especially like his Liberty Remembers mural and the murals he did for the Miller Brewing company.
The poignant irony of all of this, of course, is that murals (Eric's and others') too-often stand-in for quality civic development.
Faux skies in malls do nothing to quench the human spirit's thirst for nature, and the classical architecture rendered in delicious perspective by masters such as Eric are, themselves, only imitations of what our soul really hungers for: civic spaces that celebrate humanity and nurture the naked pedestrian.
I can only imagine what amazing things Eric could do if he were given something more befitting his masterful eye than the back-sides of ill-conceived boxes — because, all-too-often, his mural is the only saving grace the building has to offer.
I especially like his Liberty Remembers mural and the murals he did for the Miller Brewing company.
The poignant irony of all of this, of course, is that murals (Eric's and others') too-often stand-in for quality civic development.
Faux skies in malls do nothing to quench the human spirit's thirst for nature, and the classical architecture rendered in delicious perspective by masters such as Eric are, themselves, only imitations of what our soul really hungers for: civic spaces that celebrate humanity and nurture the naked pedestrian.
I can only imagine what amazing things Eric could do if he were given something more befitting his masterful eye than the back-sides of ill-conceived boxes — because, all-too-often, his mural is the only saving grace the building has to offer.
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