I confess to being a "tree-hugger"...
Not the "chain myself to a tree so that loggers can't earn a living" kind; (no one but my wife need suffer that vision) but the "aren't they beautiful and wouldn't it be great if my big, bald head were shielded from the sun's rays" kind. So imagine my dismay when I walked through Logan park in Philadelphia and discovered that all of the trees were removed... twig, trunk, and root.
Logan park and fountain is one of the most photographed and beloved spots in the city. I asked my wife to marry me there and have often sat beside the fountain under hundred-year old trees. It was a beautiful spot.
Now, it is a circle of grass with a few flowers and a fountain in the middle. Come August, it will be too hot to sit on the new benches.
This is part of our illustrious mayor's "beautification project." (May a pox fall on him and his administration.)
So, why do I bring this up?
Because of a delicious irony attached to the experience.
The trees are gone, but the plaque that explains their planting remains...
It reads:
"1914 1918, Tribute Trees, The trees along this parkway have been planted as a tribute of honor and gratitude to the men who served their country in the Great War."
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3 comments:
I'm fairly certain that John Street is already poxed -- chicken or otherwise.
Ah well at least we have our engagement video to remember the trees by.
I've heard that trees will be replaced there but I don't believe it. The new landscaping doesn't seen to allow for it.
Now that we are more than a year on, I think we can safely say that Highstrungloner's interpretation is correct. Oh, there are trees there, but they are NOT "majestics"- trees like Oaks, London Plane trees, and Tulip trees, that grow to great heights and thickness. They look to be cherry trees.
Is Philadelphia's park commission taking its cue from Washington D.C.?
Too many cherry trees.
Oh yeah, what is it with the destruction of the small park with Cherry trees in it adjacent to the Municipal building? Apparently Phila. has granted a lease to an eatery which has taken up about a quarter of the park for a building.
Looks like a sweet deal for some restauranteur... City maintains grass, trees, art, and park benches so that the restaurant's customers have a nice place to eat.
I hope we received a boatload of lease-fees for the arrangement.
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