Metro Cut Backs-A Positive Spin???

I am trying to find a silver lining in the recent Metro cutbacks.

On one hand I'm bitter that the county voted down the funding bill for Metro. I am aggravated that city people have to suffer as a result of the county not wanting public transit. The city traditionally votes yes for Metro funding/expansion. I feel sorry for those affected. It just got harder to get to/from work for many.

However, there might be a positive out of all the cutbacks in service. The trains were full yesterday, not a seat to be found on my Clayton to Shrewsbury ride. Same way this morning, I had to share a seat for the first time in my 2 months riding the train. Maybe the buses will become full too. This could help with the perception of Metro. It could appear full, safer, running at capacity.

This could be a good thing. It could change the perceptions (arguably misconceptions) that many have about Metro:
  • only bums and people who can't afford cars ride public transit.
  • the buses are never full
  • it's scary to ride the metro because there's no one on it
  • metrolink platforms are scary/dangerous because you can be the only one getting on/off

If the trains and buses are full to capacity at rush hour and big events, and the off times are more populated, maybe we'll get an increase in ridership. Maybe when the county suburbanites do ride metro or observe the buses in passing, they will seem full and worthy of voting for funding in the future. Maybe passers by will see the bus stops and train stops teeming with people and decide to give public transit a try.

I know, I'm stretching here. I'm trying to be positive. Overall I'm still miffed and sad over the cut backs.

I'm With Wayne

If you are familiar with the Flaming Lips and/or Arcade Fire, read on:

Wayne Coyne recently spoke candidly to Rolling Stone about Win Butler of Arcade Fire. To boil it down, he basically said Win's an a$$hole and treats people like $hit.

Win Butler responded on his website.

Why am I even concerned with this minor non-news item? Because I am a huge Flaming Lips fan. I think Christmas on Mars is one of the top 10 sci-fi films of all time. I think Steven Drozd is one of the top 10 rock drummers of all time. I think this band has taken psychedelia and prog rock to a new dimension with their 1-2-3 album punch of Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots and At War With The Mystics.

So I trust Wayne's opinions. And if you've ever listened to Arcade Fire, you know they have huge elitist/poseur/pretentious potentials. I like a few songs of their songs, I'm just saying. On the other hand, watch the Fearless Freaks documentary, or listen to the Spider Bite Song or Evil Will Prevail or Yeah Yeah Yeah Song and tell me Wayne Coyne and Steven Drozd are pretentious....I dare you.

Nice weather is upon us....a day at the Holly Hills community garden

Brussel sprouts, mustard greens, collared greens, red leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, broccoli, garlic, early girl tomatoes, basil, cilantro and parsley are all in the ground. Thanks to Gateway Greening for the affordable, healthy starters. Nothing makes me happier than digging in the dirt, sewing seeds and watching plants grow. Let's hope this simple gift is passed on to the next generation.

Condos on the Hill

There are some new condos on Macklind just south of Southwest on the Hill. This is one of my favorite neighborhoods; and I think this development adds some nice diversity to the housing stock on the Hill. As I recall, this was merely a vacant lot before the condos were constructed. I really like this development. Here are some photos we took yesterday.

I like how they fit in with the awesome building on the corner.

Here's a view from the alleyway, nicely landscaped with some large conifers.

Nice backporches

. There is also a really cool side porch between the farthest north unit and the older building on the corner.

And finally a picture of the spacious, detached garages. I assume the foundations in the background are a couple more units; or more garages, not sure.

Great location, great project. Nice to see.

Annexing St. Louis County Municipalities

I want St. Louis to be a major city. I want us to have a larger population. I want us to become one as a region. Louisville, Indianapolis, Kansas City are all examples of cities that have annexed suburbs to become more efficient and larger in area, population and tax base.

I am sick of the us vs. them mentality when it comes to St. Louis (STL) vs. the 91 cities in St. Louis County (SLC). 91 cities! Ever heard of Champ, Missouri? I certainly have not, however, I would welcome them if they wanted to be part of STL. St. Louis has a population of ~355,663, and St. Louis county has a popluation of 1,016,315. The county has largely taken the many, many expatriates from St. Louis over the years. The many cities in SLC have seen HUGE population increases over the years. Looking at the population in the 20th century, 1930 saw a huge increase of 110%. These big gains continued (1960-73.1% and 1970-35.2%). However the 80's through the 00's have seen minimal gains, all below 3%.

SLC nor STL are tearing it up when it comes to drawing new residents to the region. Ideally, we should be working together as opposed to competing against each other.

So it got me thinking about annexation of inner ring suburbs. I actually like the idea of keep the exurbs out of the equation. Sorry, but I don't EVER see Chesterfield, Ballwin, Ellisville, Fenton, Eureka, etc. wanting to associate with STL on any level. I'm not sure the inner-rings would either, but it's fun to contemplate.

So, as far as I can tell, there are 16 cities that border STL:



  1. U. City pop./area sq. mi. 37,428/5.9

  2. Spanish Lake pop./area sq. mi. 21,337/7.5

  3. Lemay pop./area sq. mi. 17,215/4.5

  4. Jennings pop./area sq. mi. 15,469/3.7

  5. Bellefontaine Neighbors pop./area sq. mi. 11,271/4.4

  6. Richmond Heights pop./area sq. mi. 9,602/2.3

  7. Maplewood pop./areasq. mi. 9,228/1.5

  8. Shrewsbury pop./area sq. mi. 6,644/1.4

  9. Glasgow Village pop./area sq. mi. 5,234/0.9

  10. Northwoods pop./area sq. mi. 4,643/0.7

  11. Pine Lawn pop./area sq. mi. 4,204/0.6

  12. Riverview pop./area sq. mi. 3,146/0.8

  13. Wellston pop./area sq. mi. 2,460/0.9

  14. Hillsdale pop./area sq. mi. 1,477/0.3

  15. MacKenzie pop./area sq. mi. 137/0.09

  16. Clayton pop./area sq. mi. 16,061/2.5

So, if I had my druthers, I'd choose to annex these in order of population gain. I'd keep Clayton as part of SLC, just so new SLC would not have to reinvent their govt. offices/structure.


So if you tiered this in halves, you could have annexation phase I adding U. City, Spanish Lake and Lemay. This would take STL from 355,663 to 431,643. Phase II would add Jennings, Bellefontaine Neighbors, and the rest to bring the grand total to 505,158. STL would go from 355,663 to 505,158!


Think of the tax base increase! Think of the regional power! Think of the consolidation and efficiency! Think of the area! Think of the cultural and identity shifts! Washington University, the Loop, the Galleria, 5 new Metrolink stops...all in St. Louis!

I can dream can't I? Damn it, if Louisville, Indy and KC can do it, why can't we?

Do you see suburban annexation as a good thing for STL, SLC and/or the region? Or, do you like keeping suburbs distinctly separated from the historic city? Or, would you gladly welcome them?

Excellent Medical Facilities in St. Louis

We are fortunate to live in a city that has 2 fantastic teaching hospitals. Between Barnes/Jewish/Children's and SLU/Cardinal Glennon, we are in good hands when medical care is needed.


If you've ever had to go to Children's or Cardinal Glennon, you know they are very special, top notch children's hospitals.


I was again reminded of how nice it is to live in a city with learning hospitals. My wife is getting braces. Our insurance does not cover adult orthodontia. She got a couple bids with some local orthodontists who quoted her in the neighborhood of $5,500. Bummer, eh? She kind of balked a little, and then found out that St. Louis University has an orthodontics school and they accept adult patients to help train and instruct students on the processes.


The cost was quoted at $3,100. Nearly 44% lower than the cost at the private practices we tried. From the website:


"Fees collected at the time of service go toward the operation of the school’s clinics and make it possible to offer ongoing services at reasonable prices.
CADE fees for endodontic and periodontic services are generally 50-60% less than fees charged in private practices in the St. Louis area."


A good cause indeed. A win:win situation if I've ever seen one. And, she also gets the satisfaction of being part of the learning process & experiences of a new generation of orthodontists.


The facilities are top notch, and quite new. She will be receiving her orthodontic work under the close watch of students. Let's hope they keep their Junior Mints to themselves.

Voting for Slay

Whenever I vote for local politicians, I try to think of who gives me the best chance to address the core issues that are important to me.

Here they are:
  1. changing our zoning laws to make it harder to turn the city into a series of suburban strip malls and surface parking lots
  2. annexing suburbs
  3. gaining resident population in the city
  4. getting rid of the 1% earnings tax
  5. developing, gaining diversity in north city; south city is relatively developed and diverse
  6. improving the PERCEPTION of our public schools

So in the current mayoral field of candidates, who will be the best to address these?

Firstly, I don't think Libertarian or Green party stands a chance. That being said, I don't think Smith or Watson-Wesley-Coleman (WWC) stand a chance either. I think Smith will get a part, maybe 25% of the vote, simply because I suspect there are many who vote strictly along racial lines.

So here's who I think has the best chance to meet by top 6:

  1. I think this is a pipe dream-best chance-Slay
  2. Again a pipe dream-best chance-Slay
  3. We've made slight gains in the Slay years.
  4. I wouldn't be surprised is Slay is a conservative at heart. More so than the other candidates, anyhow. Conservatives don't like income taxes. That being said, I think this would be a bold move. I don't consider Slay a bold mayor.
  5. I think only an outsider can bring change to the relative mono-culture that exists on the north side. Slay is probably not enough of an outsider, but he probably gives us the best chance for radical change.
  6. I think he's more of a fan of not getting involved with the public schools, letting the state take over and not having any accountability for the neg. perception. I think he would be more prone to vouchers or charters and parochials to propose viable options from the SLPS. I don't think the school facilities, funding levels, overall teaching stock is our problem anyhow. I think it's the lack of quality families that send their kids to SLPS. If the halls and corridors were filled with kids from loving homes with caring/concerned parents, we wouldn't be talking about this.

So all in all, I'm not that enthused over Slay as our Mayor. He's the best bet this round, though. He's better that Bosley and Harmon, too. Less scandal, more action when compared to those 2. He has run a relatively clean, low profile office during his tenure. However, I think Slay is truly old school politics. For instance, can you ever see this guy standing up against aldermanic courtesy? However, sadly because no one is running on a new urbanism ticket, we are stuck with the old baby boomer machine politicians once again.

I guess I'll vote for Slay. How about you?

Metro Service Cuts

Now that I'm actually using Metro, I am becoming more interested and aware of it's issues. When it comes to voting for tax increases to fund public transportation, I'm a ho. It's kind of like funding for libraries, park service, fire trucks, more police...it just seems like the right thing to do. I can't vote no, even though I consider myself fiscally conservative.

Anyhow, Metro employees were handing out pamphlets at the various Metrolink platforms to inform users of the service cuts in light of Prop M failing. Let me make this clear: St. Louis could not vote on this! St. Louis county voted this down. It's fair to say that the county has no faith or need for it's public transportation system. St. Louis does and that's a major divide for our region.

Rant over. So what info was in the pamphlet? Who loses service? Does the county suburbs/exurbs loose (rightfully so)? Or, does St. Louis suffer as well?

Here are my opinions on 2 key points in the pamphlet they handed out.

From Metro (effective March 30, 2009):

"We sincerely regret the negative impact that these changes will have on you and the entire region. We will continue to seek funding necessary to restore service as soon as possible."--Mark says: thanks a lot sprawlers!

"MetroBus service in Illinois is not affected because St. Clair County Transit purchases service from Metro and pays for the routes and frequency they choose. Currently, St. Clair County Transit plans no bus service reductions."--Mark says: maybe St. Louis county should take this approach....fee for service....then St. Louis could focus on expanding it's services to the people that want and use buses/trains/shuttles. And St. Louis counties 91 cities could pick and choose the service they want on a city by city, route by route fashion.

Metro Epiphany

So I was lucky enough to make a transfer in my company to a place much closer to the city. My progressive employer is generous enough to run shuttle buses from it's west county campus to the Clayton Metrolink stop. I am overjoyed with the service I've experienced in the month I've been using public transport.

Positives:
  • clean as a whistle
  • bounty of parking spaces at Shrewsbury Metrolink stop
  • lots of other riders = safe environment
  • amazingly on-time
  • nice people
  • nice metro employees
Regarding nice metro employees, I witnessed one "ticket checker/station attendant" come onto the train right as it was departing to ask everyone how their morning was going. He proceeded to wish us a good day and let everyone know that he won't be around the next couple of days because he was taking some time off to visit with his Grandma. He smiled and said, "see you good people on Monday". Many on the train had a smile. I know that's kinda hokie, but it was sweet. It was something that separates St. Louis from the short times I've spent in Boston, Chicago and New York riding their public transport. In STL, you get a more personal touch. In STL, you are part of a club if you use public transport.

Regarding nice people: I can't help but overhear some conversations. One day, Metro was handing out the revised service routes due to the Prop. M ballot measure that failed in St. Louis County. Many riders were bitching at "the County" in general for voting down the Metro funding. It was interesting to hear many inner suburb residents and riders dissing the outer reaches of St. Louis county as public transit haters. It just goes to show there is very little solidarity amongst municipalities in the burbs. Unfortunately, St. Louis suffers as a result of this.

Anyhow, I am ashamed to say that I have lived in St. Louis for 14 years and have never ridden a Metro bus. Once I-64 reopens, my company will be discontinuing it's shuttle service from the Clayton Metrolink. I will consider my bus options to hook up from the Clayton stop to the place of work. It's a little daunting to try the bus, though. I know it's naive, but how do you pay? How do you stop the bus? These are all rookie questions that I hope to answer in the near future.

Baby Steps Toward A Simpler Life

The goal is to walk more and be less car centric and dependent. To truly enjoy the urban experience is too become independent of the suburban strip mall, parking lot, drive thru ways.

I have been making baby steps one by one that is getting closer and closer to my goal of having 1 car payment, eventually one car and a much lower petrol bill. I believe this goal is possible while living in St. Louis.

I started by purchasing a 49cc scooter. It was my first foray into 2 wheeled motorized vehicles, so it was a good learning experience. I rode this thing all over the city running errands and occasionally, to and from my job in Chesterfield which was a long ride.

Word starting getting out that some suburban municipality's police started hassling 49cc scooters by pulling them over and in some casing issuing tickets. Crestwood and Chesterfield were mentioned as having local laws that overreach the states rules on 49cc scooters. Mainly, if you ride a 49cc scooter, it does not need to be licensed, insured, nor do you need a helmet (by law). Now, I'd never ride without a helmet, but the idea of having a scooter as economical transit was highly appealing. The hassle of registering, inspecting, insuring a scooter just didn't make sense to me at the time. However, when hearing the the police were going to make it their business to pull over scooters, I thought I had better consider my options.
I decided to play by the rules. But if I am going to go the extra mile by registering/insuring a scooter, it will be a bigger one that goes 40 mph up a steep hill. I bought a used 125cc Yamaha Vino from a gentleman in Clayton. So now I'm legal in the suburbs and the city! The Yamaha get ~65 mpg on the gas, so it's very economical, and a blast to ride. It can ride 2 people and it has been very low maintenance.

However, the scooter does not work for year-round transportation for me. I don't enjoy riding in the winter months. It's dangerous and very, very cold. That being said, I now have the perfect, highly efficient, fun transit option for short trips and to/from work from mid spring through mid autumn.

Next step was to consider my career options closer to the city. I really like the company I work for, so a transfer from the exurbs to the suburbs was an option that I closely considered. I was lucky enough to make a job change the got me much closer to the city.

My new commute allowed me to shave off 24.48 miles per day! That is a big step for me. Another peripheral benefit is that Metro options opened up greatly. It's virtually impossible to get from St. Louis to Chesterfield using Metro. However, Olivette/Creve Coeur is much more Metro-friendly.

My progressive company has agreed to run a free shuttle bus service from the Clayton Metrolink stop to the company campus during the I-64 shut down. They also pay for a monthly Metro pass. This was an offer I couldn't refuse.

I was now able to trim my car commute down to 10 miles per day. That's another big decrease! Thanks company, thanks Metro! I now drive from the hacienda to the Shrewsbury stop. An 11 minute ride on the train to the Clayton stop, then a shuttle from the Clayton stop to the front door of my work place. Awesome! Relaxing, safer, more economical, responsible, etc. I am in hog's heaven. It only adds 12 minutes (on average) to my commute time when I was driving.

The next step is reducing petrol is warmer weather when I can ride the Vino to and from the Metro stop.

I plan to do a post on my Metro experiences shortly. All things considered, I think it's easy to get caught in the oil rut and routine. Feeling trapped by the convenience of your personal auto can be overwhelming. It took me some risk taking and stepping out of my comfort zone to reach out to job changes, public transportation, and scooters as option to a long ass commute. The end result (wife verifies) is a much more stress free life. Getting to and from work is becoming fun and one of the most relaxing parts of my day.




Another news station moves out of St. Louis

KTVI Fox 2 had a farewell program running on prime time last night. It was titled farewell to Berthold or something like that. Farewell to Berthold? Berthold is the street their studio is on. How about calling a spade a spade and say "farewell to St. Louis". They are moving to Maryland Heights, MO. Channel 11 used to be in St. Louis too, they've moved to more suburban pastures as well.

On one hand I am sad to see them go. I like having the news stations in the city they represent, not some far away tiny town in the burbs.

But on the other hand, I'll never have to see Tim Ezel on Hampton ever again. Silver lining indeed.

Show Me State No-Mow

Over the Holidays we did much driving in the great state of Illinois. We did some hiking in the strikingly gorgeous Shawnee National Forest at the Pomona Natural Bridge and Cedar Lake sites. We also did much driving to and from the Bethalto and Fairview Heights areas.

I couldn't help but notice that Illinois is doing a much better job of prairie restoration and no mow areas along I-255. If you compare it to I-55, 44 or 70 in Missouri, there is no comparison.

In these days of state budget cuts and tight spending, it seems logical that Missouri should adopt more of these no-mow areas. It saves on gas, labor, tractors/equipment and of course lowers carbon emissions. I'd rather have the state pay botanists and naturalists to reseed public land with native, low maintenance perennial plant species that do not require mowing.

In fact, why doesn't St. Louis do this? Take for example the land adjacent to River Des Peres Blvd. in South City. This ground next to the river and between the north and south lanes could be managed back to native prairie grasses and not mowed. Couldn't the city team up with the Missouri Botanical Gardens or Wash. U. plant sciences or Gateway Greening to collaborate on this? Or would that be too much leadership to ask from a Slay administration?

Fascinated with TGS/TGE

St. Louis is indeed a city of neighborhoods. For better or worse, I truly agree. Making the change, the move to another neighborhood, is almost like moving to another city. People love their neighborhoods and blocks and streets and homes in this town. I like that. People are protective and proud. They think you're crazy to move. And that is good. There is a strong sense of place in this city.

We are looking for all our needs within a walkable distance...or at least a reasonable scooter ride.

Our little spot in Boulevard Heights or Holly Hills Addition (depending on who's talking) does not meet our needs.

Here are the things we want within walking distance:

cleaners (where did all these wool sweaters come from?)
library (shan and ben are avid readers)
coffee shop (many lattes required)
deli (is there anything better than a sandwich?)
24-hour breakfast joint (eggs at 2:00 a.m., or after church...need both)
park (gotta have somewhere to run, relax, contemplate)
3 bars (gotta be able to walk home from a good bar now and then)
5 independent restaurants (love the carry out and affordable dining)
post office
bank

I think TGS/TGE and TGP have all these things. I think this could be the place for us.

The Baptist Generals

I was perusing iTunes looking for some fresh entertainment, when I stumbled upon a band called the Baptist Generals. I trust the Sub Pop label, so I clicked on one of their records. Some guy"ptech" to be exact wrote this hilarious review of the album:

"It's like Doug Martsch from Built to Spill is coming down from a three week mescaline binge with a gun in one hand and a PBR in the other. And he wants to talk about art."

That is THE fucking funniest thing I've read in awhile. Read it a couple times. Hilarious.

I had to buy it.

Are suburbanite realtors enemies of the city?

As we are listing our home and searching for a new one, we've been in many discussions with various people about their personal experiences selling/buying a home. We've heard many perspectives, but one really sticks in my craw.

Several people moving to the region indicated that their realtor discouraged them from looking in the city. Schools and crime were the main reasons (actually they could have added that we're tops in gonorrhea and syphilis as well, but I guess they chose to omit that fact). One guy really insisted that he liked the homes in the city; but, the realtor dissuaded them.

The story pissed me off. I offered to give him & his family a personal tour.

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