Lisa M. writes: Two notes about Block E. At the time the idea for Block E was pitched the Council was told by Brookfield that Block E was needed to stabilize City Center and help it out. If so why are none of the retail establishments open in City Center in the evening. Even if you went to an early movie, as we have done twice, and wanted to shop, nothing is open.
Me: Amen. Also, as we were leaving the late show on Friday, we learned the fancy skyway from Block E to City Center leads nowhere...you can't even get to the street if you cross to the City Center side. Granted, it's pretty late for a skyway connection that runs right through City Center (not around it; old design)....of course, there's an even greater, long-term skyway disconnect...the good folks at Marshall Field's, who close their skyway connection much earlier than everyone else, and have, frustratingly, for years. Lisa again: Secondly if you want to use the close-captioned theatres you must call ahead to see what movies are being shown. There are only two theatres with close-captioning. It seems that there should be some sort of symbol in the advertising, like an asterisk, with a footnote to let people know.�Also when you do get to the theatre, none of the staff seems to know anything about the close-captioning system.� Me: A little credit here, to Councilmember Lisa Goodman, who browbeat me into doing stories on this when Block E was planning NO state-of-the-art theaters for people with disabilities. Some credit must go to Dan McCaffery, who responded to the pressure. While two theaters seems puny, there are NONE with similar facilities in the rest of the state. The Crown family also paid some of the cost. That said, it's absurd that theater staff doesn't know how to explain the technology to customers - after all, their bosses paid plenty for it. Dan, if you're reading, get your employees some training!!! Also, Lisa has a good suggestion about marketing - and as this thread indicates, Block E's theaters need all the help they can get. More credit: the Mayor's Council on Disabilities, and local disability activists, who also kept the pressure on all of us. David Brauer King Field Editor, Skyway News and Southwest Journal _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
