I agree with Al (and a few others), My biggest objection is that this is a corner that has traffic issues.I look at the set-up and think it is so close to a busy intersection that if is at risk from cars turning onto 43rd, from Baltimore.And that it could suffer collateral damage from the occasional confused driver turning right, (illegally), off of Larchwood into oncoming one-way traffic.I've seen accidents prevented as a driver slipped into the spots that are now the park-let. Second, the industrial look does not appeal to me. I liked Al's picture and ideas. Third, it looks uncomfortable. The floor looks like something that will conduct extremes of heat and cold up the feet and legs of sitters. I nice "boardwalk" would have buffered temperature extremes and looked better. Fourth, It seems silly to have a 'park-let' competing with an actual park. Fifth, it has been placed on a block that needs more, not less parking. Given, 1,4 & 5, it does give the appearance of being a "favorite son" project. I can imagine prettier sites, for park-lets, in areas with easier parking, greater safety, and more need of an economic impetus and /or community accommodation. How about mid-block on Chestnut near the Ethio cafe and Fit-Gym? It would be nice to see some Gym bodies chilling in site of traffic that might otherwise flow through UC to CC.It would be nice to see pedestrians and a mini-oasis rest & refresh space on that block. Also good (but tight parking), might be in front of Tampoco, on 45th or near Local 44 on 45th. Less tight and really useful might be on Baltimore in front of the Laundromat.This would block off an often mis-used spot, and keep open the line of sight for people pulling off of Farragut onto Baltimore.Plus it would give the folks who can't afford their own Laundry machines a pleasant place to wait while their clothes wash and dry. Now you have my 2 Cents and a few other sites to consider. All the best! Elizabeth Campion
---------- Original Message ---------- From: krf...@aol.com To: UnivCity@list.purple.com Subject: [UC] Another reason I dislike the parklet Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:03:49 -0400 (EDT) <!--CTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//E--><p><span id="role_document" style="font-family: Arial; color: #000000; font-size: x-small;"><div>I don't disagree with the maxim "de gustabus non est disputandum."</div><div> </div><div>But I wonder how many neighbors would disagree with me that -- ignoring the other pros and cons of the "parklet" covered on this list -- a big reason for disliking it is its ugliness.</div><div> </div><div>Maybe a robot ambulating through the area would find the industrial design attractive. But for at least some of us humans, a "park" connotes a degree of rustication. When I first heard about it, but hadn't get gone down to see what the brouhaha was all about, I pictured something that had the appearance of a wooden deck, maybe even a pergola, with a floor elevated a few steps off the ground. Something like the illustration below, only longer and narrower, with one or two steps running the whole open length.</div><div> </div><div><img id="rg_hi" class="rg_hi" style="width: 259px; height: 194px;" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQYc4inui-UxzoIv7NjNHqh6bDiE430MezP1Z4sad7Kxf4-IpKB"; alt="" width="259" height="194"></div><div> </div><div>More of a Leggo than an Erector Set construction, but still standardized for easy assembly and disassembly. <div> </div><div>Any thoughts (non-ad-hominem if possible) on this, one way or another? If we're going to have this sort of thing, maybe we can make some suggestions about not creating eyesores in the process.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;" lang="0">You read it here, first, on the ever-popular </span><span style="font-family: Arial; color: #0000a0; font-size: x-small;" lang="0"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: #0000a0; font-size: x-small;" lang="0"><strong><em>Popu-List</em></strong></span></span><em><span style="font-family: Arial; color: #000000; font-size: x-small;" lang="0"><br><br>Courtesy of Al Krigman</span></em></div></div></span></p></html>
