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This afternoon, I had the privilege of touring the new Four Seasons hotel down on the Landing. It's pretty amazing what $5,000 a night will buy you in the presidential suite. Even the cheap rooms have a gorgeous view of the Arch & downtown...just don't look straight down. The hideous parking garage is just below and it ain't pretty. An expanse of ugly concrete and cars it's hard to think that such a lovely hotel couldn't design around the white monstrosity.
That said, this entry isn't about the hotel. I'd like to focus on the abysmal walk that I took from my office building to the hotel. There are a few hotels on 4th street, so I believe my trip wouldn't have been that much different than that of your average tourist who wants to visit the Landing or casino.
Let's start with 4th street north of Chestnut. Hideous. Sidewalks in disrepair, the streets a patchwork of shoddy repairs, outdated signage, Federal Reserve construction mess and the awful, disgusting Mansion House complex. 4th street is so unfriendly to office workers and tourists alike. I think my least favorite portion of 4th street is the retail area of Mansion House. It's just blech. The storefronts are tired and dirty...and empty.
Once you reach Washington Avenue you've got the nasty ass Hampton Inn. The hotel has to be one of the ugliest buildings downtown. Because of Washington's width, the walk across the Avenue at 4th street can be a little intimidating.
So now we get to the underpass at Highway 70. It's tarted up with some red pavers (in ill repair) and "historic" lights but those small touches don't hide the facts that it's dirty, it smells like pee and you're under a highway. I suddenly "got" why the Landing feels cut off from the rest of downtown...who wants to walk through all this crap? I also understand now why the Casino is building the underground tunnel in front of the dome.
So if I were a tourist, my impressions of St. Louis would be pretty poor if I made the walk from my hotel on 4th to the Casino...even walking to the Arch from 4th is a chore. Have you seen the crumbling sidewalks along Memorial Drive? You'd think these sidewalks would at least be decent considering their location across from the Arch.
I know St. Louis is more than its downtown, and that downtown has come a long way (and believe me, I absolutely love working DT, truly), but like it or not, downtown is the face of the City. The face I saw today is full of acne and nasty ass teeth.
That said, this entry isn't about the hotel. I'd like to focus on the abysmal walk that I took from my office building to the hotel. There are a few hotels on 4th street, so I believe my trip wouldn't have been that much different than that of your average tourist who wants to visit the Landing or casino.
Let's start with 4th street north of Chestnut. Hideous. Sidewalks in disrepair, the streets a patchwork of shoddy repairs, outdated signage, Federal Reserve construction mess and the awful, disgusting Mansion House complex. 4th street is so unfriendly to office workers and tourists alike. I think my least favorite portion of 4th street is the retail area of Mansion House. It's just blech. The storefronts are tired and dirty...and empty.
Once you reach Washington Avenue you've got the nasty ass Hampton Inn. The hotel has to be one of the ugliest buildings downtown. Because of Washington's width, the walk across the Avenue at 4th street can be a little intimidating.
So now we get to the underpass at Highway 70. It's tarted up with some red pavers (in ill repair) and "historic" lights but those small touches don't hide the facts that it's dirty, it smells like pee and you're under a highway. I suddenly "got" why the Landing feels cut off from the rest of downtown...who wants to walk through all this crap? I also understand now why the Casino is building the underground tunnel in front of the dome.
So if I were a tourist, my impressions of St. Louis would be pretty poor if I made the walk from my hotel on 4th to the Casino...even walking to the Arch from 4th is a chore. Have you seen the crumbling sidewalks along Memorial Drive? You'd think these sidewalks would at least be decent considering their location across from the Arch.
I know St. Louis is more than its downtown, and that downtown has come a long way (and believe me, I absolutely love working DT, truly), but like it or not, downtown is the face of the City. The face I saw today is full of acne and nasty ass teeth.
How many idiots does it take to raise a village?
During the 1939 Worlds Fair, there was an exhibit called "Futurama" sponsored by GM. The exhibit shows, through extremely detailed dioramas, a utopian 1960 full of transportation and city planning.
It's really fascinating, and sometimes scary, stuff.
It's really fascinating, and sometimes scary, stuff.
Walking along Macklind this weekend I noticed that the commercial space at Landsdowne & Macklind had a number of its windows busted out. This wasn't the first time this had happened and I wondered who had a beef with the building owner. Now, I may know:
This is so ridiculous. Living in the City, I take for granted the diversity and tolerance that seems to be more prevalent here than in other areas of the metro. It's pretty disheartening to read about hate crimes taking place in your own little Hamlet.
People are such fucking morons.
St. Louis Police Investigating Vandalism At Muslim Prayer Center
This is so ridiculous. Living in the City, I take for granted the diversity and tolerance that seems to be more prevalent here than in other areas of the metro. It's pretty disheartening to read about hate crimes taking place in your own little Hamlet.
People are such fucking morons.
