DaninDC

I always love unjustified arrogance from the OSU folk. Good luck with that. Michigan's undergrad population is 2/3 in-state and 1/3 out-of-state. The University would love to have more out-of-state students, but the Legislature mandates they have at least 2/3 in-state. For grad programs, the out-of-staters are likely in a majority.

Annihilate Ohio State And humble Woody Hayes They raise a lot of cattle in Columbus Send 'em out to graze Knock them off their ivory towers Send them running into the showers Down with Ohio State It's a know-nothing party school

Yeah, a song about hailing to Ohio State *would* be overrated. Not unlike the football team. I'm sure glad we could agree on that!

"I-G"

I'm sure glad that OSU students learn how to spell O-H-I-O in only four years. My biggest beef with OSU fans--they can't distinguish between the University and the State (either OSU/Ohio or UM/Michigan). Since I live in DC now, does that mean I should be a hardcore Georgetown fan??? Asinine. And for the record, I loved Michigan enough that I lived there for five years, got the diploma and the t-shirt. ;-)

Part of that increase could be due to the loss of the WTC observation deck, and not necessarily a renewed love affair with observation decks.

Even if Museum Plaza does become heavily visited--it still doesn't excuse crappy design.

MayDay, you just don't get it. MILLIONS of people the world over are going to spend their vacations in Louisville to visit this observation deck. Do not attempt to deter them!

What does Detroit have to do with U of M?

A different perspective:

In a privately owned building, no less. I'm sure it will also have all the charm and uniqueness of your typical suburban Target store.

I will say that Tressel has done a good job cleaning up the program and instilling some sense of respect among his players--something sorely lacking under the Cooper and Bruce regimes.

It ain't hard to figure out. UM students have siblings and high school friends who go to State, and vice-versa. There IS something to be said about girls with no teeth.

Not true at all. There are many skyscrapers that don't impose their will on a barren landscape devoid of life. Have you ever been to the Empire State Building? Terminal Tower? Heck, even the John Hancock Building in Chicago, as tall as it is, is more humanizing than this POS.

The building is completely out of human scale. How good of an experience is it going to be? I've been to the Renaissance Center in Detroit. This isn't any different, right down to the last dehumanizing detail. In my professional (and personal) opinion, most of the buildings designed by rockstarchitects are utter crap--they're meant to be stand-alone works of artistic expression, not real buildings that people use.

Jim Tressel is probably the only person in Columbus who is rightfully concerned about this game. Michigan IS that good this year. Better defensive front 7, better running game, and Super Mario is looking to pull a Biakabutuka and make everyone forget about Ted Ginn. The Bucks are going to have to play worlds better than they did against Illinois if they want to actually earn their #1 ranking. ;-)

^Good attempt at analogy, but this particular drum sucks ass. You don't even have to play it to know how bad it sounds. What a horrific looking building. It kinda seems like the architect was going for "Ford Rouge Meets Robocop". In any event, the scale is so out of whack, that alone makes it a terrible building. This is a structure meant for postcards, and not a building to be enjoyed by people on the street. Professionally, I dislike the use of the term "facadectomy", as it implies a transplant of the facade, which is the element that actually remains. I prefer to use the word "facadeomy", since what you're doing is going in behind the facade and gutting the building.

Baltimore's Metro Subway and Miami's Metrorail use the same equipment, and have ordered railcars together in the past (Budd). This equipment is not the same as WMATA's equipment, though, which consists of cars from Rohr, Breda, and CAF. WMATA typically orders rail cars at 150-200 or so at a time, and does not need to have compatibility with other systems to meet minimum order numbers. I think Boston's varying vehicles among each rail line are due to the way the system developed over time. For example, the Green Line has always been a streetcar line, the Red Line was built by Cambridge, and so on. It would be worth investigating this, though.

It wouldn't make sense for RTA to replace its current equipment. The current fleet is only about 25 years old--the perfect age for mid-life overhaul. Why buy all new cars when they'll be good for at least another 25 years?

Gee, $1 million a mile. Ever look at the cost of building Interstate highways? I think the following line is required in any WSJ article on Amtrak:

Real-time Metrorail and Metrobus information available at riders' fingertips Metrorail riders can find out when the next train arrives at their station even before they get there. Riders will only have to look as far as their fingertips as Metro has made it possible for riders to access this information on their computers and web-enabled PDAs and wireless devices. By following a few easy steps, riders find real-time train arrival information on their computers and Blackberrys identical to what they see on the Passenger Information Displays on the train station platforms. “With this information readily accessible, our customers can now plan their time more efficiently with real-time information before they get to a Metrorail station,” said Dan Tangherlini, Metro’s Interim General Manager. “Having this information available over the internet and through wireless devices makes everyday life easier and more convenient for Metrorail riders. You can’t minimize the importance of that,” Tangherlini said. “This kind of customer-friendly service is another sign of Metro’s commitment to reach out to customers through new technological advances.” To access train arrival information through a Blackberry or other web-enabled device, visit http://wmata.com/mobile, and select “Next Train Information.” Customers can select a train station by clicking on the appropriate station by its first letter, then clicking to the appropriate station to get arrival times for the next three trains. Metrorail customers can also access the next train information via computer by visiting Metro’s Web site at http://www.metroopensdoors.com. Go to the “Maps and Stations” section then click on “Find a Stop/Station.” Customers choose their station, and click to “Next Train Arrival,” to get the arrival times of the next three trains headed in each direction. The page refreshes every 30 seconds. Metro officials are also testing a system to provide bus arrival times called NextBus, that determines when the next Metrobus arrives at a stop. The test involves Metrobus routes 9A and 9E in Northern Virginia, F4 and F6 in Suburban Maryland and the 90, 92, and 93 in the District of Columbia and is accessible through http://www.metroopensdoors.com, then clicking on the NextBus link.

I don't think it's the location or the neighborhood that are the problem. I think the fundamental flaw is that the "front" of the building (a public building, no less) is designed to face the Interstate instead of the sidewalk. It gives the message the building is more highly regarded as eye candy for high-speed automobile commuters than remaining accessible for its users. This is the same beef I have with Steelyard Commons.

I think simply lowering the speed limit to 40 mph is dead on arrival. Drivers don't necessarily drive based on the speed limit, but according to the geometry of the roadway and their own comfort level. People are still going to drive at the same speeds unless 1) cops are running radar out the wazoo or 2) altering the roadway geometry. Or you could go with my plan, scrap the Innerbelt altogether, and everyone wins.

We probably agree on a lot more than you think.

What kind of public official doesn't date his correspondence??? Then ODOT has the audacity to blame Burgess and Niple? Isn't ODOT supposed to accept responsibility for their project? Just bulldoze the damn Innerbelt already and be done with it.