THE HIGHWAY THAT SPLITS MY TOWN

The railroad tracks I showed three days ago cut across Webster Groves but aren't much of a barrier (unless you are trying to drive across them when a train comes by, but that's not often). Interstate 44 is another matter. It forms a shallow artificial canyon with far fewer places to cross than the railroad. Much of it is depressed below the surrounding ground level so it's not visually in your face but is something of a scar and a barrier between neighborhoods. 

As long as America remains so car dependent I suppose we need it. These roads are much uglier and cause worse social divisions in some other cities.           

Fork In The Road

Getting on and getting off the main highway viaduct over the Mississippi, known locally as the Poplar Street Bridge. The direction is from Illinois to Missouri.

This blog promises the occasional rant, and they are very occasional indeed. But there can be the occasional rave. Our wonderful little summer opera company, Union Avenue Opera, is doing an ambitious Ring Cycle over four years. It's a "reduced" version for small companies and houses (UAO plays in a church with a semicircular auditorium and good acoustics). This summer's offering is Die Walküre, which we attended last night. O M G. This was the most intense, brilliant performance on the musical stage this town has seen since I don't know when. The long, tender final scene with Brünnhilde and Wotan actually brought tears to these cynical old eyes. We're going back again next weekend. If you're around The Lou and you like opera, you gotta catch this one. St. Louis Post-Dispatch review here.