DIGITAL FLOWERS

 

There is an annual event at the St. Louis Art Museum called Art In Bloom. The most talented floral arrangers in the region are invited to sculpt petals and stems to resonate with one of the works in the galleries. There was a members-only preview Saturday evening. It gets so crowded during general opening hours that, for a photographer, it's not worth the effort. However, one room had an assortment of artificial flowers. a scanner and a projector that blew fractals of the plants' fractals onto the wall.

If the gods of the air permit, we'll be in Miami tonight and on to Costa Rica tomorrow. First stop is Monteverde in the cloud forest of the central highlands. The flowers are more gorgeous, intense and even livid than what we could imagine here. And then there are the birds.            

JUST WHAT SPORTS FANS NEED

As with any American pro sports venue, the new CityPark has plenty of places to get a drink. The local behemoth, Anheuser-Busch (actually Anheuser-Busch Inbev) is a major sponsor. The products of some of our excellent local breweries are on sale. As I walked around the stadium, I saw a wine and cocktail bar. You can get a buzz any way you want.     

Actually, there is another choice directly across the street. One of Missouri's newly licensed cannabis dispensaries is opening. Using that term for the business seems like a euphemism to me. Competitors that call themselves liquor stores are so much more candid and honest.   

HAVE A NICE DAY

After I left the soccer stadium, I went cruising around the area for images. This sign looms over a major highway flanking downtown. I don't know who paid for it or why it was erected, although I have seen some similar billboards in recent years. The juxtaposition reminds us that not everything is roses and lollipops in this town. There are some very serious problems but the reasons are much too complex to discuss here.           

THE LONG VIEW

I took this while standing near the southwest corner of the new soccer stadium, looking east on Market Street, one of the main thoroughfares downtown. The landscaping and bits of architecture are interesting. The red roof structure in the center is Union Station, now a swanky hotel. To the right is the old train shed that today covers a variety of restaurants and entertainment. The tall building in the center with a dome is the home of the local and regional federal courts. Then, moving left, some office buildings, the Arch and a state courts building.  

The area will be packed tonight for the opening game of St. Louis City Soccer Club. Hard to believe, but I read that the team received 60,000 deposits on season tickets for a stadium that holds 22,500.          

PILLARS OF THE VALLEY

The land that the new soccer stadium is built on and much of the surrounding area was once a thriving community known as Mill Creek Valley. It was home to 20,000 Black people with many businesses and churches. The city started demolishing it in the late 1950s in the name of "urban renewal." By the time I arrived at St. Louis University, just to the west, in 1967 it was all gone.

The team and other donors built this monument to the people and community at the southwest corner of the stadium, Designed by sculptor Damon Davis, the pillars suggest black hour glasses with their sands frozen in time.              

THE KICKOFF

We have a brand-new professional soccer team with a brand-new, purpose-built stadium. Citypark is the home of St. Louis City (I know, not real creative), with 22,500 seats and specially built for what the world calls football. The team won its first game on the road with the home opener scheduled for Saturday. This plaza won't be empty then.

I don't know much about soccer. I've watched some Word Cup games on TV and was rooting for Argentina. Buenos Aires is the only place I've been to professional soccer matches and that's pretty exciting, even if you are not a connoisseur.         

CITY DAILY PHOTO MARCH THEME - COMFORT FOOD

This will be meaningful only to people who live in certain American cities. White Castle is the original fast food restaurant, founded in 1921. It is known for its tiny square hamburgers, about 2.5 inches / 6 or 7 cm on a side, often referred to as sliders - you could almost slide it down your throat. They are cooked on a griddle with water and referred to as steam grilled, then served with a bit of chopped onion and dill pickle. Nothing like it.

There are only 377 of them in the US, less than one-tenth the number of McDonald's, concentrated in the Midwest, upper South and the NY-NJ metro area. There was one in the neighborhood in Queens, New York, where I grew up, and I became hooked. There are several in St. Louis. It's where I go when I need some soothing.