{"id":454500,"date":"2010-03-19T17:31:36","date_gmt":"2010-03-19T21:31:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seattletimes.nwsource.com\/html\/northwestvoices\/2011391406_chihulysglasshouseshattering.html?syndication=rss"},"modified":"2010-03-19T17:31:36","modified_gmt":"2010-03-19T21:31:36","slug":"chihulys-glass-house-shattering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/454500","title":{"rendered":"Chihuly’s glass house shattering"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amounts to \u2018copy-catism\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Editor, The Times:<\/p>\n

Tacoma already has a Dale Chihuly \u201cglass house\u201d [\u201cGrand plan to remake Seattle Center fizzling,\u201d page one, March 19]. Trying to out-Chihuly Tacoma is copy-catism, redundant and unimaginative.<\/p>\n

Seattle and Tacoma have competed since their foundings, but we should take a regional view instead of merely competing and build something new \u2014 not another version of what our region already has.<\/p>\n

As to open space, Seattle Center now has magnificent open spaces \u2014 the fountain, the skatepark, the peace and sculpture gardens bordering Denny and Broad streets, the covered walkways, the splendid new theater commons and the many quaint and lovely walkways into the Center.<\/p>\n

We use Seattle Center often. [Taking] the grandchildren on the monorail, watching Seattle U. basketball at KeyArena, eating at surrounding restaurants, going to fundraisers at Fisher Pavilion and watching \u201cBook-it\u201d Theater with our book club. At every event \u2014 all after dark \u2014 the center has sparkling lights, is filled with people and we feel festive and safe.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Gail Brilling, Woodinville and Merrily Applewhite, Seattle<\/em><\/p>\n

It is fun, it is free and it is what a park should be<\/strong><\/p>\n

Perhaps the biggest drawing card Seattle Center has is the fountain. On a warm \u2014 sometimes on a not-so-warm day \u2014 people congregate and watch as children and family members try to dodge the fountain and often fail. Almost all the players get soaked to the spectators enjoyment.<\/p>\n

It is fun, it is free and this is what a park should be! A park where the public participates and watches is the ideal entertainment for a great many people. This is the kind of thing that makes a park interesting and beloved.<\/p>\n

The Chihuly exhibit is of interest, of course, but it is not necessarily for everyone. The museum would be built at great cost. The light will shine brightly through the bent, twisted and multicolored glass, but how many times a year would a family pay to look at it?<\/p>\n

The museum would be a bad investment and we should find something that interests children. Whatever interests children invariably interest parents and usually the general public. It should be free \u2014 or almost free!<\/p>\n

\u2014 Florence Evans, Normandy Park<\/em><\/p>\n

Can\u2019t promote private business on public land<\/strong><\/p>\n

Regarding the proposal to build a museum to, by and for Dale Chihuly at Seattle Center: Seattle residents can agree to disagree about how schlocky, kitsch and banal Chihuly\u2019s work is and whether the Northwest isn\u2019t saturated with his industrial \u201cart\u201d that comes off his assembly line like so many Toyotas.<\/p>\n

However, the compelling issue is whether our public parks are going to be used to promote a private enterprise. Regardless of the rent the city might receive from Chihuly, the biggest benefits will accrue to Chihuly himself in the form of publicity and sales.<\/p>\n

If we\u2019re going to lease public park land to a private business, we might as well auction it off to all comers and see if we can make some real money.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Don Glickstein, Seattle<\/em><\/p>\n

Keep the Fun Forest fun<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seattle doesn\u2019t need a Chihuly building at Seattle Center. There are already so many glass museums throughout the country that it has gotten to be an \u201cold hat\u201d \u2014 and the one we have in Tacoma has next to no appeal at all. Really, does any glass museum attract a broad group of visitors?<\/p>\n

I was born and raised in Seattle since 1956. The best use by far of Seattle Center\u2019s Fun Forest area is for rides. The only reason people stopped going is because the prices got so expensive \u2014 $5 for a three-minute ride and not many families can afford that.<\/p>\n

Just look at the lines of people that have driven an hour to the Puyallup Fair for rides \u2014 all income groups and a large age-span, 5- to 50-year-olds at least, are there.<\/p>\n

Kids need a place to experience the thrill of a ride. So, at least for now, why not put new rides back in place and spend a little money subsidizing them to keep it affordable. It\u2019ll also help much-needed vendor sales in the food court. Promote the idea through media and schools and sell books of tickets at area stores like they do for the Puyallup Fair.<\/p>\n

At least give it a try for a year until the economy picks up. The space is ready to go and who knows, maybe even the permits [for the rides] are still current?<\/p>\n

\u2014 Cathy Schmidt, Issaquah<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amounts to \u2018copy-catism\u2019 Editor, The Times: Tacoma already has a Dale Chihuly \u201cglass house\u201d [\u201cGrand plan to remake Seattle Center fizzling,\u201d page one, March 19]. Trying to out-Chihuly Tacoma is copy-catism, redundant and unimaginative. Seattle and Tacoma have competed since their foundings, but we should take a regional view instead of merely competing and build […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2861,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-454500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2861"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=454500"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454500\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=454500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=454500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=454500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}