The annual Freedom Festival Balloon Glow was tonight at Brucemore. Five hot air balloons adorned the expansive lawn along First Avenue, along with a live band stand and several food and beverage vendor stands. There was a great crowd out tonight on a very comfortable summer evening. Events like these are fun for all ages and make Cedar Rapids an attractive place to live.
See my other photos of the Balloon Glow here.
The time capsule at the now former Cedar Rapids Public Library was uncovered and opened this morning (Tuesday, June 29) after being buried since 1985, when the library building was built. Evidently it took several years of trying to pass a super-majority vote by citizens to fund the new library, which replaced the original Carnegie Library location at 3rd Avenue and 5th Street SE, now a part of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.
The capsule was buried about five feet down, under a triangular planter near the main entrance. The contents, which were all paper materials (brochures, books, newspapers, etc.), were put in a cardboard box, wrapped in a plastic garbage bag, and placed in a baby casket. The casket had begun deteriorating and clearly had filled with water during the flood. All the contents were damp with several areas of mold growth, but in surprisingly good shape for sitting wet for the past two years.
The materials were laid out to look through and view by those attending before being taken to be frozen to halt anymore mold growth until they can be sorted and restored. Contents included a White & Yellow Pages phone book (obviously much more used back in ’85), brochures and literature about most of the local non-profit organizations and cultural venues, some local post cards, and the most interesting documents – reports and plans for major civic projects underway at the time. There was a report on the new airport terminal – which opened up a year later in 1986 – with some fantastic concept renderings of the inside and the front. Unfortunately I could not open to see the inside due to its current condition.
About ten to fifteen people showed up for the time capsule opening, about half from the local news media. Ted [unsure of last name] who was the architect for the 1985 library building was there at the beginning. I was able to talk with him for a few minutes, which was very interesting. He told me about his former firm, Brown Healy Stone & Sauer, which later merged with Howard R Green Co in 2001, after he had already retired.
The opening of the time capsule was the last remnant of the library at this building and site. It functioned as a library for only 23 years from 1985 to 2008, and will now be transformed into an office facility for TrueNorth. While the development of a new central library across from Green Square Park is exciting and ultimately, probably the best decision for the Library’s future, the existing building will always be appreciated for its role as our central library for the past quarter-century. The reinvention of the building into something new, serving a different role, is similar to the story of the old Carnegie Library, which now houses the gift shop, activity rooms, and offices for the art museum. By keeping the building and reusing it, even with additions and aesthetic alterations, its contextual, cultural, and new historical value is preserved for future generations.
The photo above is from the Cedar Rapids Public Library’ Facebook album. See more time capsule photos here.
Today coming home from work I had a different bus driver than normal on Route 3. Driving eastbound on 3rd Avenue, a few blocks out of downtown, an SUV from out-of-state pulled out in front of the bus, only to immediately turn into the next driveway. The bus driver, of course, had to slow down, but instead of simple braking a little until the path was clear, she laid on the horn. It was completely uncalled-for, overaggressive and unprofessional.
I have experienced other incidents while riding CR Transit where drivers overreact and honk their horn if a car pulls in front of them or cuts them off. This can be frustrating – just as it can be for any other driver – or cyclist or pedestrian. But driving a 35-40 foot long, multi-ton bus safely and responsibly demands some restraint and a simple assumption that other drivers on the road aren’t paying as much attention as they should be. Honking the horn out of frustration, rather than an actual imminent hazard can be dangerous and make buses look like “bullies” and can give people a negative connotation about transit and bus drivers in particular – especially those who are being honked at.
The vast majority of drivers at CR Transit are safe, courteous and professional, however, as a bus driver myself with CyRide, l do notice a different driver culture and a higher tolerance of aggressive behavior. As a passenger these incidents degrade the quality of service and my impression of the system.
The new US Courthouse under construction in downtown Cedar Rapids was designed by OPN Architects and William Rawn Associates of Boston, Massachusetts. William Rawn is a very distinguished architect, considered one of the top architects in the country with countless awards and honors to reference. Despite his wide scope of work including several well-known and prominent buildings, he seems to be more modest and understated than other prominent architects who have attained fame outside of the industry for their signature design pedigrees.
William Rawn Associates is a surprisingly small firm with just over 30 professionals, with an impressive portfolio. Since discovering the firm I have always had an appreciation for their work. Clarity of design and attention to materiality and details sets the firm apart. I really enjoy the way wood is used in so many of their proejcts, especially in the form of horizontal slats for sun shading or screening. These will be incorporated into Cedar Rapids’ new courthouse for sun screening and aesthetics purposes in the courtrooms.
Below is a link to an article from last year in the Boston Globe profiling William Rawn and his impressive career. He designs beautiful buildings that also function well and serve the client’s needs. Cedar Rapids is fortunate to have Rawn collaborating on such an important new building.
> Boston Globe: The Architecture of William Rawn
> William Rawn Associates
As Cedar Rapids hopes to become a more bike friendly community there are several issues that must be addressed. Biking is increasingly being looked at as a legitimate means of transportation for commuting and other trips within a few miles. While there are some city neighborhoods extremely condusive to biking and a few longer distance trails, connectivity gaps still remain for cyclists – sometimes only perceived, but usually a matter of access and safety as well.
Urban Connectivity
Most of the neighborhoods surrounding downtown, especially on the east side (which I am admittedly more familiar with) are excellent for cycling. A cohesive urban street grid diffuses traffic and makes it easy to go from point A to point B more directly. Just like driving, it also provides more options in case a street is closed for roadwork or there is heavier traffic, more obstacles, etc. 2nd and 3rd avenues on the the southeast side provide excellent access in and out of downtown. With only a few traffic lights they each make for a quick and easy “express” ride. Both streets are fairly wide and would have plenty of room for a designated bike lane, but in my opinion, they are not necessary. With three to four travel lanes in each direction and generally low traffic levels, it is safe enough for cyclists to occupy an entire lane and drivers are usually respectful. Unfortunately these avenues terminate at 19th Street. A shifted grid of streets provides several safe and direct connections to the southeast neighborhoods east of Wellington Heights, around Bever Park and Mt. Vernon Road.
However access from this area further north “east” to the mid Northeast quadrant (approximately between 19th Street and 40th Street) is full of gaps. Beyond 19th Street there aren’t really any continuous streets running parallel to 1st Avenue. It is possible to weave through some minor streets north of First Avenue beginning around Coe, past Franklin Middle School, and up to the Kenwood Park neighborhood, but this can be very out of the way, depending on your destination, and passes over a number hills.
The Cedar River Trail that runs from southwest Cedar Rapids, through downtown, and further north along I-380 is the more recommended and suitable bike route from downtown. It is a a quick and safe link from down to the far north end of Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, and beyond, all the way to Waterloo along the Cedar Valley Nature Trail. Unfortunately the trail has very poor access to most of the neighborhoods it passes by – much of the mid Northeast side – which also suffers from a severe lack of sidewalks. It is not uncommon for people living less than a mile away to drive to the trail instead of just bike or walk there.
In my own experience biking from home near Lindale Ave and 30th Street, to downtown I usually take B Avenue NE for a number of blocks before crossing First Ave, or I cross First Ave sooner and take Forest Drive through the winding streets of southeast to meet up with 2nd / 3rd avenue corridors. Sometimes I just ride along First Avenue on the sidewalk and then typically shift over the 2nd Ave to avoid some stop lights and cross traffic. Except for having to ride on the sidewalk (especially beyond 19th Street where there are no parking lanes) I generally prefer this route because it is quick, feels most direct, and is actually a fairly interesting corridor with a wide range of urbanism in a relatively short distance.
New Bikeway
A designated bikeway along the First Avenue corridor through Cedar Rapids could begin to link these existing gaps and could create new connections to Marion and several periphery neighborhoods. There is currently no safe or efficient route to bike from Marion into Cedar Rapids. A bikeway running between downtown or 19th Street all the way to central Marion would provide a direct link between the two cities and many residential areas in between, especially the mid Northeast neighborhoods such as Kenwood Park. After all the distance is really not that great – only 4.5 – 5 miles downtown CR to downtown Marion – but the current road design does not accommodate bicycles and hardly pedestrians. The shear amount and speed of traffic and narrow outside lanes prohibit riding in the street. A First Avenue bikeway could also be a first step toward making the Lindale Mall and Collins Road area more accessible to modes other than driving.
A bikeway could take many different forms, ranging from a simple bike lane designated by special lane markings, a physically-separate bike lane with some kind of median between it and vehicular traffic lanes, or a completely off-road bike path adjacent to the the street. I do not believe a basic bike lane would provide adequate safety for cyclists and would likely only be used by the most experienced riders. This does no good to encourage more ordinary people to bike as an alternative to driving for commuting to work or running short trips or errands, considering the large residential are so close to Lindale Mall and other retail and dinning destinations.
A physically-separated bike lane would be the “coolest” and treat cyclists as equally legitimate modes of transportation. A physical barrier between bike and car traffic would provide a safe and efficient route for cyclists with the same prestige and importance as cars. This may seem like a trivial quality, but making our bicycle infrastructure more substantial and visible would increase awareness of drivers and improve safety for cyclists. It could also go a long way for the improving the perception of cycling, especially as legitimate transportation mode. Similar to the way rail transit attracts more riders than buses, visible, permanent bicycle infrastructure would most likely attract more riders.
One significant issue with physically-separated bike lanes along First Avenue are the numerous driveways that exit on to the street. Driveways would either need to be consolidated (which isn’t very feasible for most of the stretch) or they would constantly be cutting through the separating median, not to mention the bike lane itself. The third option would be to build an off-road bike path on either side of the street separated by a typical grass median – essentially a wide sidewalk that could accommodate both pedestrians and cyclists. These have been implemented elsewhere in town and make it safer for pedestrians, but does little to encourage cycling or making it more visible.
Some kind of hybrid of these types may work better to provide a safe, accessible, and visible bikeway between downtown Cedar Rapids and Marion. One solution may combine traffic lane adjacency of a standard bike lane with the increased safety of a raised sidewalk. Along several urban roadways in Germany, bikeways share a grade with sidewalks but are strictly demarcated with a painted surface, alternative pavement, and sometimes even physical separation. Unlike a wide sidewalk/bike path combination common in Iowa, these bikeways run right along the street edge and are not separated by a grass median. This maintains the bikeway as a legitimate and visible component of the city’s transportation infrastructure, while providing cyclists their own lane safely separate from vehicles.
Unfortunately this fourth option still does not adequately address the issue of cars entering and exiting driveways along First Avenue either. One definitive benefit of a standard on-street bike lane is that cars exiting drives would be much less likely to block the bikeway when waiting to turn out. Perhaps a more permeable car-bike lane barrier could work – providing cyclists with some comfort of separation and visibility for motorists. Washington DC debuted new bike lanes this week in the median of Pennsylvania Avenue. Reflective metal pylons separate cyclists from motorists where the bike lanes narrow. This could be an appropriate safety net for cyclists while allowing reasonable access in and out of existing driveways.
Thoughts? The bottom line is Cedar Rapids needs to accommodate more transportation alternatives. With a bare bones transit system and poor pedestrian connectivity between different areas of the city and metro, we must invest in specific new infrastructure that will encourage alternatives and improve safety and accessibility for everyone.
It’s been a busy news week in Cedar Rapids regarded the city’s future and upcoming redevelopment.
New City Manager
On Tuesday night the City Council unanimously voted in favor of hiring current West Des Moines City Manager Jeff Pomeranz for the position here in Cedar Rapids. He’s been lauded by the Council and others for the prosperity and growth West Des Moines has experienced for the past several years. Others have raised the important point that, unlike Cedar Rapids, West Des Moines is a suburb that benefits from the larger city and metro of Des Moines, but does not share the same burden of problems associated with the dominant center city.
There have also been grumbles about the method of choosing Pomeranz, which was done mostly out of public sight. I have have no real objections, but think he would’ve been better received by the public if the process had been more transparent. That said, I’m happy the city was able to fill the position with a qualified individual so quickly and look forward to see what he can do. A balance between good public relations, working well with the Council, and professional leadership and management skills will be critical for the success of any city manager.
Fate of the Smokestack
The historic 171 foot tall Sinclair smokestack will no longer be saved. An analysis of the structure concluded over half of if would need to be taken down by hand, brick by brick, to stabilize it before reconstructing and restoring it. This not only increased cost estimates for the restoration work, but also would risk losing FEMA funding for demolition of the Sinclair industrial site because work would need to be halted at this point until the stack is stabilized. The City Council voted to let the smokestack go and will likely be taken down sometime next week as demolition work continues. It is inevitably time for this piece of Cedar Rapids history to come down. While disappointing, I’m glad an effort was at least made to see if it could be reasonably preserved.
TrueNorth + Library
The biggest news this week in downtown redevelopment was the city’s decision to sell the flood-damaged library to TrueNorth to redevelop for their own use. TrueNorth is vacating its current building at 4th Avenue and 5th Street SE, for construction of a new central library. This stirs suspicion among many citizen skeptics that this was a back-room deal between city leaders and TrueNorth. TrueNorth is selling their property to the city for $7.5 million and offered to pay $250,000 for the old library, in addition to a $10,000 per month lease fee to the city for up to 15 months to stay in its current building while the library is being renovated for the company.
Two other offers were submitted to the city. Intermec (by way of a separate buyer) offered $350,000 for the library, with plans to relocate from their current building across the street. A third offer from Jody Keener of J.K. Properties LLC proposed turning the old library into a toy museum and retail outlet. (I don’t think anyone saw that one coming)
The city calculated the financial tax impact each proposal would have on the city over ten years and determined TrueNorth would provide the most at $1.26 million, Intermec $924,000, and the toy museum, unsurprisingly, only $84,000 (assuming it lasted that long). Additionally TrueNorth said it will invest a minimum of $7.5 million in the building and retain 120 jobs and create 50 new jobs in the future. The Dummermuth family, which intended to purchased and lease the library to Intermec, planned to reinvest $3.8 million in the building and an additional $2.2 million in furniture and equipment. Intermec would retain 252 high-paying jobs downtown.
Now that the decision is made, design and construction work can commence to renovate the former library into an office building to fit the needs of TrueNorth. We will likely see much of the ground floor converted to parking and the second level expanded across the entire building footprint. TrueNorth evidently has suggested they might also have room in the old library for Intermec. To accommodate both companies, considering the current spaces they each occupy, I imagine the library would need to be expanded even more – perhaps even a third story. This is of course all speculation on my part, but if they work together this could turn out to be a very interesting transformation.
Mexican in NewBo
The owner of Papa Juan’s/Stefano’s in northeast Cedar Rapids wants to open another Mexican restaurant at the former Brosh Funeral Home and Chapel at 10th Ave and 3rd Street SE in New Bohemia, but technicalities about part of the building’s historical status will determine if they can. Without a “contributing” historical status they can not benefit from historic tax credits and would be required to raise the building above the flood level. If it goes their way plans are to invest $900,000 in renovations and be open for business within four months of obtaining permits. The effort seem like a far stretch, but having another restaurant – and occupied building – in that area would be great. Read more here
Army Corps’ Flood Protection Feasibility Study
The results emerging from the Army Corps of Engineers’ feasibility study for a flood protection system along the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids are not looking good. The City and the Corps had a public open house today at the Crowne Plaza to present the current status and process of the study and preliminary alternatives they are coming up with. A flood protection system considered economically feasible by the Army Corps of Engineers would only protect the east bank and involve a permanent flood wall in front of downtown.
This plan stands in stark contrast to the City’s preferred plan which includes an extensive combination of earth levys on the west side and away from downtown, permanent walls by industries, and sections of removable flood walls by downtown, Czech Village, and a few access points along the proposed northwest greenway. Cedar Rapids will most certainly need to compromise on the preferred plan if any system is to ever actually get funded and built, but if the Army Corps’ proposed half-protection system is the best we can [maybe] get, it begs the question if it is even worth it. As of now the City is still pushing to get the funding for the comprehensive flood protection system that will maintain a connection between downtown and the river, and provide protection for the west side as well. More information about the system and the city’s preferred plan can be found here. Also check out another post about the flood protection system at Urban Corridor.
My last stop before returning to the US was London, for two days, Sunday, May 9 – Tuesday, 11th. I flew from Berlin to London Stansted and took a bus into the city. I arrived in central London around 2pm and spent Sunday afternoon exploring by foot. Similar to my experience in Rome and Paris, the actual scale of the city was not what I interpreted from a map. I was able to walk a good way across central London.
My first major stop was at the Tate Modern Gallery after crossing the Millennium Bridge over the River Thames. To my surprise much of the gallery was free. Around 5:30, I met up with my friend Jackson who had been visiting London for much of the week already. We met at Westminster Abbey where we planned to attend an organ recital there. Unfortunately it was cancelled, so instead we walked around more, stopping along the river across from Parliament so Jackson could finish a sketch of it. We also walked past Downing Street nearby, amidst Britain’s prime minister debacle. We ate at a restaurant somewhere near Piccadilly Circus, a famous intersection in London now dominated by bright, colorful neon signs – the Times Square of London if you will. After dinner we walked around a bit more – past a number of notable buildings and sites Jackson pointed out to me as well as Buckingham Palace. Jackson flew home the following day so we parted ways and I returned to my hotel.
I stayed at the City Hotel on the eastern edge of central London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, near the Aldgate East Underground station. It seemed to be a very diverse neighborhood.
On Monday, my last full day, I did some more walking and for much of the day it was actually sunny and warm, which was fantastic. After stopping for lunch at a coffee shop down the street from my hotel I went to visit the London Transport Museum. This was a very cool museum about the history of transit and all modes of transportation in London. It was a bright, attractive museum, recently renovated, located in a Victorian iron and glass former market building. The museum covered just about everything related to the transport system from its development to marketing and of course its buses and trains. Several historic vehicles were on display as well as a few more modern buses.
Covent Garden, the district around the museum was very active and attractive. The scale and design of buildings, streets, and public spaces were accommodating and visually pleasing. My next destination was Sir John Soane’s Museum, but unfortunately it was closed that day – as well as Sunday so I wouldn’t have been able to go at all anyway. Across from the museum – actually his former house – is a nice green park where many people were out enjoying the sunny weather.
My exploration took my by St. Paul’s Cathedral, which is opposite of the Tate Modern, north of the Thames, connected with the Millennium Bridge. I was not inclined to pay the stiff fee to go inside, so moved along. I made my way to Hyde Park on the western side of central London. This was a romantic landscaped with axial pathways, formalized spaces, as well as sections of naturalized meadows. A major feature of the park is the Serpentine, a large water body that splits the park into two. A cafe building is located next to the water along with several other stands and boat rentals, etc. The lake and surrounding reminded me a lot of Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis. The park was active with people, squirrels and pigeons.
Later in the day I took the Underground out to see Canery Wharf, an enormous urban office park in east London. The Underground was connected to multiple buildings through a series of underground corridors lined with shops and places to eat. I went back to my hotel neighborhood and ate at one of the countless fried chicken joints that lined Whitechapel Road. I walked down the road a number of blocks and stopped in an interesting public library branch.
Tuesday morning I headed to Heathrow for my flight back to the States. My stop in London was short, but sweet. After over a week traveling through Germany and a whole semester in Rome, I was ready to go home. This concludes my post-semester travel posts, albeit a little late. The numerous places I had the good fortune to visit and experience in Europe will undoubtedly influence my perspective on urban issues closer to home. I am more aware of what I appreciate about American cities and society, and enlightened on what European urban qualities may actually be beneficial and applicable in the U.S.
See all my photos from London here.
On Saturday, May 9, my last day in Germany, I traveled from Berlin to Dessau to see the Bauhaus. I did not preplanned this side trip, but had one day left on my DB rail pass and felt I had seen enough of Berlin. The Bauhaus is located in a quiet, mostly residential area a few blocks west of the train station. The more commercial city center of Dessau is located to the east of the station. The approach to the Bauhaus is along Bauhaustraße lined with several sleek, contemporary buildings, for which I found an interesting description from another visitor here. I assume the placement of these buildings were intentional, a preparation of sorts for reaching the Bauhaus itself, while presenting an intriguing first impression of the town.
The Bauhaus itself was of course neat to see and explore its many areas. There were several other Bauhaus buildings in Dessau – a few blocks north were the Masters Houses, built around 1930, to provide dwellings for Walter Gropius and other Bauhaus masters/teachers, including painter Wassily Kandinsky. The Gropius House was singular while the other six were paired into duplexes. The Gropius House and one of the dwellings in the house adjacent were destroyed in air raids in 1945. A more traditional home was built over the remaining Gropius foundation, while the other dwelling was never rebuilt. Those remaining have undergone renovations to restore the houses to their original condition. For a small entrance fee, it was fun looking through the different houses.
I continued my walk further northward, along the edge of town to see the Bahaus-style Kornhaus Restaurant on the banks of the Elbe River. The walk back toward the center of town was through a less dense, mostly residential neighborhood. Before leaving Dessau I took a ride on the minimal tram system. I was surprised to find rail transit in such a small city – even in Germany, but the service headways were quite long (at least for Saturday afternoon). On my ride I saw much of the more commercial area of Dessau east of the train station. Further out it seemed to get more sparse and less attractive. Afterwards I stopped in the Rathaus Center – a shopping mall in the heart of the modernized city center – to grab a few pretzels for a snack. The mall was quite busy with people compared to relatively light foot traffic outside. I’m not sure what to make of the “newer” part of Dessau, but the seeing the Bauhaus was definitely a good way to spend my last day in Germany.
On the way to and from Dessau I had to switch trains in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, the town where Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of the Catholic church in 1517. The station was not near the Marktplatz so did not see the church, but did venture through a few blocks of a different area in the time I had to wait. On the way back to Berlin, I accidentally got off one station too soon, which was actually closer to the old center of town. At first I was a bit concerned, but ended up having plenty of time as my connecting train was running late. Simply by chance, a bicycle race was passing by right as I exited the train. A camera car followed the swarm of cyclists so it was evidently something significant enough to be on TV. To get back to the next station I took a nice walking path that followed the tracks most of the way. Small cottages with plentiful gardens lined the path so it was a nice walk. The small, unintended visits to small towns were some of my most memorable.
See all my photos of Dessau and the Bauhaus here.
I stayed in Berlin from Thursday, May 6 through Sunday the 9th, during my travels through Germany. Berlin was quite a different beast than Munich – much larger, spread out, and modern. The six hour trip on the Intercity Express was relaxing, but when I arrived it was pouring down rain, which made for a less than welcoming arrival.
I stayed at a large corporate hotel a good distance from the center, among the super blocks of eastern Berlin. I took the S-Bahn from the new, multi-level Hauptbahnhof and switched to a tram at Alexanderplatz. From the tram I had to walk in the rain – which I ended up walking up the wrong street at first so was not too pleased. The area was characterized by wide, multi-lane thoroughfares with enormous blocks bearing large, ubiquitous apartment buildings. (photo below left) The scale was oppressive, unlike anything I’ve seen before. Once I got to my hotel room – which was the most familiar (American) type of room I had stayed in, yet the least comfortable (too large for one person) – I retreated to a nap for a few hours as the rain tired itself out.
Later that evening I took the tram back to Alexanderplatz (photo above right) to eat and look around. Alexanderplatz is a large, open public square surrounded by large retail centers and a major local rail and transit station. It has a very open (almost too open) feel so is certainly not the intimate public square you’d find in Munich or other towns. Very close by is the distinctive Rathaus (City Hall) and Fernsehturm TV tower. On the square there is a large, five-story Kaufhof department store, rebuilt in 2004, at the same time as a major underground rail project. More buildings have been constructed or redeveloped since, with more to coming.
On Friday I returned to Alexanderplatz to explore more of Berlin’s mitte (city center). The sky was still gloomy, but at least no rain. I spent sometime looking at an outdoor exhibit about the GDR and Alexanderplatz demonstration, until some punk “from Poland” started heckling me for money and wasn’t too happy when I wouldn’t give him any. I then took a bus west a little bit to the Reichstag Building, home of the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament. I waited about an hour to go inside and see the signature dome (large photo at top). It was interesting and provided great views of central Berlin.
I continued walking, past the Brandenburg Gate, which was actually not that large, and then to the recently-built Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a large block composed of concrete slabs varying in height, forming a series of gridded pathways undulating along the terrain. It is intended to create a sense of disorientation and confusing, while representing “a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason.” (Wikipedia) The memorial is very interesting architecturally and symbolically, but is not without criticism regarding its merit (as a memorial or more for tourism), a construction company with distant Nazi ties, and evidently no where inside or around the memorial does it say what it commemorates. From my own observation – the behavior of visitors seemed a bit disrespectful with kids running around and people casually relaxing on the lower slabs. Like I said, interesting space, but not sure if it is the best use of such a large space in the middle of an urban center struggling for connectivity and human scale, nor the best way to remember the millions of Holocaust victims.
I then walked to Postdamer Platz, another significant public “square” in Berlin. It was a circular space enclosed by modern glass towers, somewhat disconnected from the surrounding streets. I believe there was a movie theater in there, as well as a number of restaurants, but mostly office space. It wasn’t too active when I was there.
Next I came upon the Topography of Terror, the former site of the Gestapo and SS headquarters, now an outdoor museum containing a remaining section of the Berlin Wall. A new contemporary building houses an exhibit that’s very informative. I continued a few blocks away to the infamous Checkpoint Charlie. The setting, again, was not really what I expected – I came to it quite suddenly. The area was very touristy, which seems unfortunate for such an important place in Berlin and Germany’s history.
I walked back north a little way to the mitte, which appeared on a map to be more of nice “downtown” area with a cohesive grid of streets. Despite being west of the river (which I originally assumed was the “center” of the city and therefor generally the divide of former East and West Berlin), the mitte is all still in the former East Berlin. The blocks were a bit large – nothing like the block sizes out by my hotel though – and not very attractive or active. With mostly large, boxy office buildings and wide streets it reminded me of parts of downtown Washington DC.
I did come upon Gendarmenmarkt, a large square dating back to the 17th century, defined by the historic Konzerthaus, flanked by German and French cathedrals. There was a guy sitting by the modest central fountain playing a horn to a familiar tune. The sun also began to peak out from the clouds, which it had been hiding behind since I arrived in Germany.
Feeling I had sufficiently seen the mitte, I took bus route 100 to the “downtown” of former West Berlin (photo left), dubbed “City of West” on my complimentary hotel city map. In between the east and western downtowns is an enormous Tiergarten (zoo). I had been a bit discouraged by the condition of Berlin so far, so was curious how different it’d be in the west. It was definitely more active than many areas I saw in the east, and seemed more cohesive with fewer gaps and gouges in the urban fabric. It was generally nice, but seemed pretty new and lacked uniqueness. I explored a few blocks before taking the U-Bahn (urban subway) a few stops, and then switched to the S-Bahn (suburban rail) to check out the nearby city of Potsdam.
When I arrived I couldn’t tell which direction the city (center) was from the station. It was beginning to get dark and the station did not seem to be right in the middle. There was a lower-quality shopping mall within the station, including Kaufland – a Walmart-like discount store, presumably affiliated with Kaufhof. I stopped in to get a cheap duffel bag to alleviate my single overpacked and overweight suitcase for my remaining flights.
On Saturday, my last full day in Germany, I ventured from Berlin to Dessau, home of the Bauhaus. Of course there was much more I could’ve seen in Berlin, but one more day wasn’t going to make a large dent and I had one more day on my rail pass to use. Only deciding on this excursion the night before, another consideration of was Hamburg, which I decided against since it was further away and another very large city that would be difficult to take all in in one day anyway.
Berlin was a very interesting city to see, especially in contrast to Munich and the more romantic towns of southern Germany. Berlin has yet to fully recover from its not very distant woeful past. Redevelopment of significant places like Alexanderplatz and Postdamerplatz lack wholeness and good connectivity. Much of mitte “East Berlin” remains full of spatial gaps and large, mostly homogenous-use buildings and large blocks leave sidewalks barren of activity. The Berlin Wall and associated history dominate tourism, casting an inevitable shadow over the city that will prevent it from ever healing completely – at least from a tourist or visitor’s perspective. Most of all my disappointment in Berlin was the poor urban form and scale I experienced that leaves many places feeling uncomfortable, anonymous and incomplete.
See all photos from Berlin here.
On Tuesday, May 4, the fourth day of my travels, I took a train from Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen in southern Bavaria to connect with the Zugspitzbahn to ascend the highest mountain peak in Germany. The Zugspitzbahn is a cogwheel railway to climb the steep slope of the Zugspitze mountain. The station is adjacent to the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Bahnhof. The scenery was memorable on the way up, passing mountain homes, high pastures, and dramatic mountainsides. The train itself was modern, bright and comfortable.
The ride up takes about an hour, with the last portion through a tunnel, terminating at Zugspitzplatt, still 350m from the peak. From there a suspended cable car takes visitors the rest of the way to the top. I stopped at Zugspitzplatt to take in the view from there – which was the best view I had. It was very cloudy, but I could see some nearby peaks. It was spectacular – everything very bright and white with snow and fog. A minor hike up a hill from the rail/cable car station sits Maria Heimsuchung Church, the highest church in Germany.
I continued to the top, which took a bit of waiting as the cable car did not run very frequently. As we ascended fog quickly consumed everything in sight with nothing but bright whiteness until we reached the top. I immediately went to the top to the observation level and was the first one out there. It was incredible and bizarre. Visibility now was maybe 50-100 feet, so there was no view but whiteness. It was erie to look over the edge and see nothing. The unchanging bright whiteness began messing with my eyes. The temperature was probably below freezing – icicles and frost hanging off railings.
Half of the peak is actually in Austria, however the section was closed off. I knew the border was very near but did not realize it split the peak. So I never went to Austria, but I was very, very close. Nothing at the peak was really open (gift shop, etc.) so I took the cable car back down soon, and then had to wait a while for the next train.
After returning to town I spent an hour or so exploring on foot before the next train to Munich departed. Understandably, it reminded me of resort towns in the mountains of Colorado, but more legitimate. There were businesses, community and infrastructure not dominated by tourism alone. A characteristic of Garmisch-Partenkirchen were the numerous buildings decorated in ornate exterior frescos. Near the train station is the stadium from the 1936 Winter Olympic Games. Hitler had forced the two individual towns of Garmisch and Partenkirchen to merge in anticipation for the games. They remain unified today.
See all my photos from the Zugspitze and G-P here.
