Stallings Gentilly Park + Pool... Istanbul's Gezi Park.

As the New Orleans heat index reaches 110 degrees, it seemed wise to pick back up the old summer tradition of swimming at the Stallings Gentilly Pool , a few blocks away from the posi-vibes breakfasts at Espe's Kitchen at Broad and Aubry.  The park is named after Olive Stallings, "mother of playgrounds in New Orleans."

bleached out at City Park

 
There used to be a pool at City Park as well, but it was closed under segregationist mayor Victor H Schiro in the 1960's to avoid integration (along with public pools at Audubon Park and Ponchartrain Beach).  This caused several generations of New Orleanians to not know how to swim - compounded by pollution in Lake Ponchartrain, which was not considered passable for swimming until 2006.

transport to the next dimension

Project for Public Spaces sees that primary transportation in this country is with individual automobiles.  In working to create better spaces for people to interact and be outside, they concern themselves with providing means for people to get around in ways that are low-impact, healthy, and promote human-to-human direct connections.

So, lets think about transportation: Who makes the policies and projects which play a huge role in our transportation choices? How does their own world of transportation look?  Well, I would like to think that the folks making decisions are at the pinnacle of knowledge-action on their respective topics.  So, what does it mean that the Louisiana DOT is located so that pedestrian approach is all but futile?

"No walking or biking along interstate", 6th most inaccessible-without-car-DOT in the nation