Summer recreation- swimming and baseball

The Aquatic Center in Lincoln Park is finished! This is what I saw last night when I was walking the dog, above. It was as if suddenly I was in Florida. Its grand opening is this Saturday, June 6, at 11am. For more information including hours and admission prices, click here.

Lincoln Park also offers an excellent chance of baseball every evening. The Henry Aaron Field is home to the UWM Panthers and also the MSOE baseball teams, and hosts high school baseball games also. Brain loves baseball. Not the best shot; it was hard to get an action shot with the dog in tow. This is just a warmup anyway.

With the game about to start, fans are showing up to cheer. The Henry Aaron Field is just such a cool place to watch a game. It's so intimate, even though it's a regulation-size field, because you can watch from up close.

Unfriendly concessions

I note that there is now a tall wrought-iron fence around the entire David F. Schulz Aquatic Center, with an imposing gate across what used to be my dog-walking path. The sight of this made me want to share an illicit cigarette-- passing it back and forth between the bars, plotting secret plots with a willing accomplice-- although I know that its real purpose is to keep people from drowning during off-hours. I do happily note two things: the design cleverly incorporates the existing Blatz Pavilion building, and also that there is a big Concessions sign, which means one important thing: ice cream is highly likely. Ice cream within an easy, enjoyable walk. Ideally, I will not have to pay an admission fee to get it.

David Schulz Aquatic Center update

See updated post on the Aquatic Center here.


Work continues. Water slides are up; big piles of dirt are down.

Photo taken yesterday, looking east from Green Bay Avenue.

Lincoln Park Public Art

I wondered what had happened to the public art aspect of the Aquatic Center design. DH and I had attended an input session some time ago, held in the Blatz Pavilion- I remember it seemed to be hosted by a ten-year-old boy and that chips and salsa were served; more importantly, I wasn't all that impressed with the designs or the fact that local artists were not more prominently showcased. There were no other citizens in attendance while we perused the proposed designs and commented appropriately. Then I never heard anything more about it- until I found this March 26, 2009 article in the Third Coast Digest. Takashi Soga, a Japanese artist who will work on the piece in New York, has been selected to bring us this, (below) or a very similar, piece of art.

Now, I know that everyone has his or her own opinion about what is beautiful and what constitutes art (and what constitutes giant basketball hoops). But, I think that public art should take into better consideration the situation into which it will be placed, and would have liked to attend the more recent meeting regarding this, but missed the notice. (For the record, I do like a variety of art, including the iconic Milwaukee sunburst; the larger-than-life bronze statue of Baron Frederick von Steuben by Washington Park is another favorite.)

I have a friend from Cartagena, Colombia. This past week she was telling me about her city, and its artist Fernando Botero- that he created public sculpture, and that he is a "beloved Colombian artist." His pieces seem to me reminiscent of the art of the indigenous peoples of that part of the world. I wish this future Lincoln Park art (by the way, the total public art budget for Lincoln Park is about $250,000, but Soga’s proposed art will require an additional $100,000 from the city) was just more rooted in place. Or had something to it at all.

All-natural.

One of the arguments against the Estabrook Dam is that it creates an unnatural impoundment on the river, slowing the flow of water. It is true that it is a human alteration of nature. Many other things- in fact, almost every item people use- fall into that exact same category: buildings, interstates, clothing...of course we all know this. A thoughtful person considers the influence he or she has on nature. How can I cut down on my fossil fuel use? How can I create less garbage and fewer recyclables? I carpool. I keep my heat low in winter- today I had guests, so I cranked the heat to a toasty 64 degrees fahrenheit. These are things I consider every day: how am I affecting global warming? I used a styrofoam cup at the PEE meeting at the Courthouse and felt guilty about it. (To be fair, I knew that the check-in at the Courthouse would be strict and stressed about leaving everything I could at home- even forgetting to eat breakfast, which for me could be disastrous.)
What I wanted to really highlight here, though, is the irony of trying to keep this stretch of the Milwaukee River all-natural, whilst simultaneously carving the David Schulz Aquatic Center into Lincoln Park. I can't find much information about it online, so I had to take a photograph of its herald sign. I hope it conveys to you a sense of the magnitude of this project.

I took these construction photos last week.

All of this is taking place right around the magnificent oak tree at right. I love this tree- I just find its silhouette so striking in shape and size, so attractive; I very much hope that its roots are not harmed between the digging and the heavy machinery driving around it. This tree has survived and thrived for so long. It would be a shame to see it wither and die.