Delivery trucks are admittedly big, dirty, and noisy Cities such as New York and Paris, where congestion has forced creative thinking into action, have developed the alternative to the delivery truck: the cargocycle. These human powered delivery bikes have increased delivery time efficiency and allowed for ease of delivery in congested or pedestrian environments.
Louisville has been raking in the awards this summer for everything from drinking water to healthcare to historic homes to sustainable architecture to hotel excellence. We brought you many of the stories, but a few slipped through the cracks. Here’s the list of even more honors and rankings making the River City feel that much more special.
The Plaza at the Muhammad Ali Center has been open for months now and if you haven’t been downtown to visit yet… well… you’re missing out. You’re also missing the Jarfi’s Cafe which recently opened just off the lobby with outdoor seating serving sandwiches and sushi to the lunch crowd from 10:30 til 2:00 p.m. However, you won’t be missing the centerpiece of the lush plaza, a glass fountain with 48 irregular glass columns, as it has yet to be permanently turned on.
In fact, the fountain has seen only 2 days of actual use in early May around the time of the Kentucky Derby before it was grounded for technical reasons. Apparently, they cannot find the right sealant to keep the water from bursting at the seams, a small nuisance for such an elaborate display. And pricing in at over $480,000, the fountain sits empty as simply an interesting piece of sculpture. Luckily for you, the Broken Sidewalk was there on those early glory days to snap a few photos of the fountain running and gleaming with water.
The Ali Center Plaza is actually a series of fountains running through its multiple levels. A waterfall at the highest level collects in a pool and then cascades through a limestone amphitheater before pouring into the main glass spiral fountain at the base. The upper waterfall and amphitheater cascade were turned on last week, so there is now some water to be seen on the plaza. The whole effect is meant to evoke the poetry of Muhammad Ali’s life.
Here’s how the Ali Center describes their plaza:
The Plaza’s design is both thought-provoking and purposeful. The water that flows from the upper level through the amphitheater to the lower level—gaining speed and energy as it goes—symbolizes the cumulative force of Muhammad Ali’s influence, from the individuals he has touched to the world at large.
The main fountain was designed by Washington D.C. artist Athena Tacha and fabricated by local Ken von Roenn, Jr. of Architectural Glass Art. All elements of the plaza respond to an overall spiral reflected in the paving which culminates at the main fountain and its 12 foot tall center. Each glass column was custom made with a cast texture of random indentations. Filled with water and aerated with tiny bubbles, the water cascades over the tops and ripples along the columns’ irregular surface. We’re not talking about a trickle here, either; with a good wind you can feel the spray of water associated with more traditional fountains.
At night, colored lights built into the fountain base change colors and bring a dynamic presence to the plaza. The peaceful sounds of cascading water coming from all directions on the plaza combined with the gentle pulsing colors make for a pleasant evening sitting back on the limestone amphitheater steps and watching the sunset’s shadows fall over the Beyer Blinder Belle–designed main building. For those briefs few days in early summer, the Ali Center shined like never before. We hope the technical difficulties of the fountain can be soon remedied so the glory days can return once more.
A recent article in the New York Times provided less-than-flattering images of our fair River City. The story related the difficulties of auto-culture vs. bike-culture and ends up painting a picture of a backward anti-bike community from Kentucky. The pummeling of an innocent biker leaving him “prostrate on the sidewalk, bloodied, with a concussion and a torn ligament” certainly isn’t what Mayor Jerry invokes when describing Possibility City.
Describing the increasing popularity of biking as new bike lanes come online and environmental consciousness grows, the Times continued, “With more bikes on the road, the driver-cyclist, Hatfield-McCoy hostility seems to be ratcheting up.” The article goes on to detail the potentially dangerous reality of an emergent way of transportation in other cities and offers hope for civility in the future. Louisville’s glaring bad behaviour is placed front and center for the entire world to see.
What’s your reaction to the article and what are your experiences with auto-bike culture in Louisville? Don’t be shy in the comments (but do be civil).
The Irish Hill neighborhood hosts its First Annual Irish Hill Improv Festival on September 5 & 6 at the Walden Theater on Payne Street at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $20 and tickets are available at the door. The festival stars The Groundlings and the Louisville Improvisors.
A blue and white bus has been calling Nulu home. Located near the corner of East Market Street and Hancock Street, the busted glass and boarded up bus appears only marginally able to actually run. Is this bus dying a slow death or is it a beloved member of the community? What shall we name the pitiful bus? And if it is homeless, should we kick it out of the neighborhood?
The Colonnade Cafeteria has joined the Louisville Antique Mall at the corner of East Broadway and Campbell Street. Located on the top floor of the five-story art-deco building dating to the 1920’s, the Colonnade offers full service lunches, weekend brunches, and is available for special events. The Antique Mall fills all five floors with over 200 vendors. Getting through them all is sure to build up an appetite and the view of downtown from the top floor cafe is sure to please.
