Finally, Someone Cares About My Opinion*

I recently wrote a letter to the editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  I was responding to the article linked if you click on the title above.  Of course it was an article about parks and recreation that got my attention.  Stick with what you know.  The letter, which was printed in today's Philly Inquirer, is below:


Park's pursuit of education.

Inga Saffron provides many insights into the design process of Independence Mall ("For tourists and city, not re-created equal," Sunday). I have been a frequent visitor to the historic district and I agree with Saffron's assessment regarding the ambience of the park and use by local residents. I disagree, however with her comparison to Millennium Park in Chicago. It would be more appropriate to compare Millennium Park to the Kelly and MLK Drive area of Fairmount Park. Philadelphians (and citizens from surrounding areas such as myself) adore this park every bit as much as Chicagoans adore their Millennium Park. Their purposes are similar, to provide open park space for outdoor recreating. The main purpose of the Independence Mall area is to educate, albeit in an outdoor park-like setting. Independence Mall, after all, is a national historical park, not a national recreation area. While it is true it should be physically inviting to locals, the site belongs to the citizens of the entire United States and must be treated as such.

Richard Feuer
Sewell     bytegently@verizon.net