Better See it Now

Yesterday, the Great Plotnik took a ride on the Art Train, which was a special run of the brand new T-Third streetcar. Also along were local journalists, a camera crew and all the artists who had participated in creating artworks for the individual streetcar stops. The concept was fabulous.



The delivery was not. Oooh, those microphones that don't work, those commissioners who can't pronounce anyone's name, those artists who should not be attempting to speak in public. But worst of all was the realization that these shore birds carved into the concrete, these African symbols, these names of historic ships, all done with the finest intentions, will, in very short time, be ground underfoot into the invisibility of grime. MUNI is always broke: they're not likely to be able to maintain streetcar stops on a line that travels through a minority neighborhood. Wish it weren't so, and Plotnik does not have a crystal ball. Hope things change.



Meanwhile, along the line one can see some glorious old buildings, like this church, which stands near a corner of a block that has four other churches and a mosque. Four churches and a mosque on one block means religion is the biggest business here. The city's idea, of course, is that development will follow along the streetcar line and improve living conditions for people who live here. So let's enjoy this church before it becomes a Blockbuster.