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News & ArtsMonday, April 25, 2011
City A Million Dollars Is Not Enough
Posted by Goldy on Mon, Apr 25, 2011 at 11:39 PM
As expected, the Seattle City Council approved a lease today for the new Experience Chihuly Project, a showcase for glass art that might have been exciting and cutting edge, say, twenty years ago, but today, strikes me as only somewhat less retro than the Fun Forest it replaces.
The best part of the deal is the million dollars Cienna and I helped extort out of the Wright family to pay for a new Seattle Center playground, and I'll take some satisfaction in seeing it built. But not much satisfaction if all we get out of it is a million dollar playground, because honestly, a million dollars isn't nearly enough money to buy the Really Kick-Ass Playground Seattle families deserve.
- Imagine the Seattle Center with a really kick-ass playground like the 'rainbow nest dome' at the Takino Hillside Park in Sapporo-shi, Japan.
But a million dollars is a start, so my plea to the mayor, the council and Seattle Center Director Robert Nellams is, don't stop there. Use that million bucks not just to build a climbing toy and a zip slide, but as a magnet for attracting several million dollars more... enough to build a truly world class playground that I promise you will prove more of an amenity to Seattle families than Ye Olde Glass-Art Shoppe ever could. And if done really right—you know, Really Kick-Ass—could prove more of a tourist attraction too.
1
Oh, for goodness sake. Everyone needs to be just too cool for school, Goldy. Jesus Christ. Take the stick out of your ass. Yes, us high-intellectuals know that Chihuly isn't "cool" anymore. That's not who this is for. This is for tourists. What is really wrong with that? You'd have a problem with any artist who makes it so "big-time" that they are getting big bucks from the city. By your definition, no one will ever be real or cool or artistic enough if they ever make any money--certainly not if they have a municipality funding them for a tourist attraction. Get the fuck over it. What are you--fucking Kurt Cobain? NO NO NO!!!!!!!!! NO FAME! NO RECOGNITION! THEN I'M NOT COOL ANYMORE!!!! Boo fucking hoo.
2
And just so you know I didn't miss your point--does anyone really need a "world-class playground?" Have you ever spent any time in playgrounds in major American cities other than Seattle? I'm going to guess not. Seattle is doing fine on playgrounds. Seattle has great playgrounds. In fact, as a mother who just relocated from NYC, I am constantly shocked at the quality of the playgrounds--as are my two very young children.
3
Why not? The City Museum in St Louis brings in a ton of tourists to the city. Why couldn't Seattle do something like that?
4
instead of a another fucking playground why not distribute that money to the current neighborhood parks which are seeing their budgets slashed and use it to stabilize their budgets and even maybe get this *expand* current programs .
See your problem is you have been harping on this for over a year in some sort of attempt to be the true social justice advocate you dream of, and Im sure if it was built you would unconsciously think "I did this, I was the one who made this happen...." just like how most liberals and progressives are its not about what gets done its really about how the activist feels and his shitty self worth (you are worthless btw) but anyway I digress.
But where and how will that money do the most good..... the most bang for our buck, going to make our current NEIGHBORHOOD parks better or to build a park in the Seattle center, where families will have to pay to park, drive (which costs very and increasingly expensive gas thanks to our shitty and worthless BLACK presidents incompetence, this is not even touching on the envriomental concerns), or how fast will that money be blown by just start up and preperation costs leaving a large wish list of things that will be needed completed at your Kick ass park .
I don't know about you but I choose our neighborhood parks. But then again I care about my community.
PS if no one here has been to the new Jefferson park on beacon hill... go check it out
See your problem is you have been harping on this for over a year in some sort of attempt to be the true social justice advocate you dream of, and Im sure if it was built you would unconsciously think "I did this, I was the one who made this happen...." just like how most liberals and progressives are its not about what gets done its really about how the activist feels and his shitty self worth (you are worthless btw) but anyway I digress.
But where and how will that money do the most good..... the most bang for our buck, going to make our current NEIGHBORHOOD parks better or to build a park in the Seattle center, where families will have to pay to park, drive (which costs very and increasingly expensive gas thanks to our shitty and worthless BLACK presidents incompetence, this is not even touching on the envriomental concerns), or how fast will that money be blown by just start up and preperation costs leaving a large wish list of things that will be needed completed at your Kick ass park .
I don't know about you but I choose our neighborhood parks. But then again I care about my community.
PS if no one here has been to the new Jefferson park on beacon hill... go check it out
5
@2 fwiw, ages ago, when my kids were little, our piddling single income didn't allow for holidays, so we took road trips to conferences that my husband attended (Spokane, Portland, Vancouver, alas, never made it to Seattle.) I had two little kids to entertain for a few days in a strange city, and of course always hit up the highlights, I still remember that huge red Flyer wagon slide, beautiful parks, etc. For a lot of people, the road trip is the only holiday they're going to have, and having something really stellar to offer them would be wonderful...especially since, you know, the money's already there...
6
Hey, I got an idea, let's give the pretty glass to Tacoma since they already have very cool glass museum. Then we could use the money to build a park with roller coasters and a big ferris wheel like Chicago and London. Haven't we stolen enough from Tacoma (Law School, NPR station, Russell Investments)? Let's steal from the Big Boys if we can't come up with our own ideas.
7
Hey Goldy, why don't you have your own email yet? I saw something in the NYT I thought you'd like, although it isn't a "slog tip," but sheesh, no personal email...that's tragic.
Boeing/Unions:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/opinio…
School reform:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/opinio…
Boeing/Unions:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/opinio…
School reform:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/opinio…
8
I don't see anyone playing on that "kick-ass playground". Dropping acid, yes... playing, no.
I hope the Seattle Center playground is out-of-doors. Look toward Golden Gate Park, not Sapporo-shi.
I hope the Seattle Center playground is out-of-doors. Look toward Golden Gate Park, not Sapporo-shi.
9
I will never understand why something in Tacoma is relevant to something in Seattle.
If I were to visit Seattle as a tourist I would probably not be interested in a glass museum they have thirty miles south in Tacoma.
Christ, I LIVE in Seattle and probably won't be going to Tacoma any time soon. I'm not saying it is a good or bad place- it just isn't relevant.
If I were to visit Seattle as a tourist I would probably not be interested in a glass museum they have thirty miles south in Tacoma.
Christ, I LIVE in Seattle and probably won't be going to Tacoma any time soon. I'm not saying it is a good or bad place- it just isn't relevant.
12
@1: "This is for tourists. What is really wrong with that?"
And the playground wouldn't also be?
@11: It would be nice to have more money going to the homeless, but if you think a bunch of real estate investors are going to set aside a huge money-losing shelter in the middle of their hot property, you're a fucking moron.
And the playground wouldn't also be?
@11: It would be nice to have more money going to the homeless, but if you think a bunch of real estate investors are going to set aside a huge money-losing shelter in the middle of their hot property, you're a fucking moron.
14
I can't wait to bring my relatives to the Chihuly Museum, and since they all have small children, the playground will be great too!
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