Street Theatre vs. Street AS Theatre

Manhattan's High Line

There is street theater.

And then there's "street as theater."

My favorite part of the eminently satisfying High Line -- Manhattan's answer to the Midtown Greenway (and then some!) -- is an area with five rows of stadium seats, all looking towards a stage with a transparent, plexiglass curtain behind it.

On the other side of the "curtain?"

The (very busy, interesting) street below.

In Praise of . . . The Midtown Greenway

Green Development -- Literally

Once there were parking lots
Now it's a peaceful oasis
you got it, you got it
This was a Pizza Hut
Now it's all covered with daisies
you got it, you got it
I miss the honky tonks, Dairy Queens, and 7-Elevens
you got it, you got it

--The Talking Heads; lyrics, "(Nothing But) Flowers"

I don't know whether the folks responsible for the Midtown Greenway were Talking Heads fans.

But they could have been.

What was once an abandoned railroad track cutting east-west through the middle of Minneapolis is now . . . a vibrant, bicycle and pedestrian-friendly artery.

Due to leadership and foresight like that, Minneapolis was recently named "America's Best Bike City" by Bicycling Magazine.

Maybe the owners of the now-closed Brookdale Mall will catch the fever next:

There was a shopping mall
Now it's all covered with flowers
you've got it, you've got it

One can certainly hope . . .