I pass underneath this highway overpass every weekday on my way to and from the subway station near my apartment. It's a much more pleasant walk now that they've installed the mosaics and painted sections of the sidewalk. It used to be pretty grey, drab, and institutional/industrial looking. And then there were the pigeons.
There were hordes of pigeons roosting in the girders that make up the underside of the overpass. Walking through there was a bit like darting past a firing squad. I was pretty lucky and only got hit once, although of course I happened to be wearing my favorite jacket that day. Getting pooped on by a bird is supposed to be lucky, but frankly that's luck I think I could do without.
Before they installed the mosaics they pigeon-proofed the underside of the overpass with these little spiky things that keep the birds from roosting up there and then then they hydroblasted the accumulated guano away. So instead of pigeons, poop, and prison grey concrete we now have a clean, colorful, really cool walkway.
Not all tax expenditures are bad. To quote Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes: "I like to pay taxes. With them I buy civilization."
Okay, maybe 'liking' paying taxes is a bit strong, but sometimes I don't mind paying them so much.
(Taken with my Nikon Coolpix S200)
P.S. - Click here to hear the song from which I stole the title for today's post.
UPDATE: This installation is called "Radiance" and the artist is Valerie Theberge.
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