The Lady on Stilts

Third Street Had a Good Idea

I was slightly off my game on December 7, possibly because it was Pearl Harbor day, which is an emotional day for me. Anyway, what you see here is slightly off my usual polish, which nods to chaos but in the end finds a certain equilibrium. Or at least tries.

On the other hand, maybe I was right for the day. Old City closed a block of Third north of Market on that Saturday, and had an Open Street. The star was the lady on stilts.

But there wasn't a whole lot to back her up. I was only there for an hour, roughly from three to four, but there simply wasn't a lot of programming beyond the lady on stilts.

There was a brass band, but for the time I was there the players just stood around. A little music would have been nice. 

And there could have been some additions to the dramatis personae. A juggler or two would have been okay. There were quite a few kids to be amused, not to mention adults in a wide variety of ages.

Really, putting on a street fair can draw on well over a half millennium of practice. Just pick what you want (three-card monte may be a bad idea); then mix and match.

I'll be interested to see whether local merchants saw the desired boost in foot traffic. The windows I looked through showed spaces well populated with people who appeared to be in a good mood. But, as New York mayor Bloomberg used to say, "In God we trust. Everyone else, bring data."

Below: All this painting on the street has nothing to do with the holidays. The City is starting a major rebuild of this stretch of Market, with the intention of making it more pedestrian friendly. Before we dig, we must draw. Third and Market. 

Betsy Ross House (below) was just around the corner on Arch, and definitely on its game.

See also Open Streets: West Walnut.