Rich writes, interestingly, about Forest Park: >It's one of those urban parks where they claim it >to be "an integrated ecosystem where humans and >nature interact." Yeah, yeah, that's PR, Rich. No basis on which to judge the park itself. >I see it as one of those places where the landscape >is managed to the point where it doesn't really >feel natural.... It's one of the totally un-natural, >natural places we humans are so fond of creating.... Actually, you don't see it. You've never been there. The point of the park is to use it. The park, of course, is not "natural" and nobody seriously pretends that it is. It is, however, a magnificent public space--a reflection of a democratic vision that we seem to be losing. People--literally tens of thousands of them in any given year--use it in a stunning variety of ways. Forest Park is large enough to provide a quiet place to escape the city, if that's what you want to do. It's a terrific place for a family BBQ, which is something very many St. Louis families want do on a summer's afternoon. In winter, there's ice skating. All year long, there's biking and jogging. It contains a fine art museum, one of the country's most notable zoos, and a spectacular outdoor theater. In all seasons, the architecture--building and landscape architecture--is gorgeous. >I can imagine someone driving their 5 iron through >here. Absolutely. Plenty of people do. That's the point. It ain't supposed to be Big Sur. --John ===== J Mason Charlottesville, Virginia >>Jazz at UVA: The Photographs of John Mason. From 31 January 2005 at Take It Away, 115 Elliewood Ave., Charlottesville, VA: http://www.virginia.edu/music/jazzatuva/ >>Democracy of Speed, a Photo Documentary Project: http://www.people.virginia.edu/~ds8s/john-m/john-m.html __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - now with 250MB free storage. Learn more. http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250
