Merriment on the Metro...

A man dressed as Father Christmas waves as he waits for an underground train in Berlin. Harrods has sacked a Father Christmas for his offensive remarks, the world-famous London department store has said. Photo:Axel Schmidt/AFP

In "Capital Ideas," subtitled "Two plans to spice up life in the city," today's Post editorializes favorably about WMATA plans to allow musicians to perform on transit sites. Also see this Post piece, "Entertainment To Swipe Your Farecard By," subtitled "Under Proposal, Musicians, Mimes, Dancers Would Get Paid for Gigs Outside Metro Stations," about the proposal.

My only problem with it is the idea of local arts councils not just vetting the musicians (Harborplace does this), but having local arts councils pay the performers.

Plus, I do worry that quality "outsider" artists, such as the percussionist (I've never had my camera with me when I've watched him) who plays downtown in the Gallery Place area, not just with plastic tubs but with a variety of metal pans--he's fabulous, he should be in Stomp--would be excluded. And Monday, when I went to Rosslyn, outside the Metro some Bolivians (probably) were playing pipe-infused Christmas songs. (Haven't uploaded the photos yet.)

I would hope there would be room for creativity here in terms of expanding access.
Kicking out the jams at Union Square, NYC.

I understand the desire to pay performers, but I am learning that a lot of local artists feel that many arts councils are directing their financial support and resources to frivolous activities (such as fiberglass statue tourism projects) rather than developing and supporting the arts.

You should read some of the discussion about this, it is vicious.
Yes but is it art? Flickr photo by Kimberly Faye.

Not that we have much in the way of an indigenous business culture other than developers/real estate, and military contractors, but maybe some could be induced to "sponsor" this activity.

Speaking of telling truth to power, the Post editorial starts out with this:

IN TERMS of bragging rights, it's sad to say that New York has it all over Washington when it comes to street life. There is a vibrancy and verve to the sidewalks of the Big Apple that just don't exist in the District.

Clearly, one of the biggest problem we have in DC is not understanding why this is so. People don't seem to get "urbanism" "urban design" and what makes for vibrant places. If you want to understand it, start with Jane Jacobs... For a quick lesson, read "Pride of Place."

It's about density of population, agglomeration effects. The population of Manhattan, 1/3 the size of DC (22 square miles) is more than 3 times as large, and the number of daytime workers and visitors is probably 3-5 times larger as well.

This by the way is why I favor concentration (agglomeration) rather than adding retail all over the place. Why don't we focus on making the extant retail commercial footprints great rather than keeping building more and more and more retail.

-- Old Convention Center site proposes 260,000 s.f. That's more than two department stores in size!

-- Retail in the new Convention Center, when 9th Street NW continues to languish, although Alex Padro stated the other night that 20 new businesses have opened on 9th Street NW this year in the Shaw Main Streets service area. (Congratulations!)

-- Building retail as part of a mixed use development on the Rhode Island Metro site, which I do support because of my theoretical beliefs, but at the same time the retail on Rhode Island Avenue east of the station, as well as the shopping center at 4th and Rhode Island Avenue is in dire need of some "love".

Index Keywords: urban-design-placemaking