Why did the chicken cross the bridge?

I'm back from last week's trip to DC and from Friday night's adventure at the New Kids On The Block concert. (I've written a column for Wednesday's paper about the show.)

My column in Saturday's paper was about how Pembroke Mall has ended up on the wrong side of the tracks.

Unfortunately, there is no cheap or easy solution. The improvements are appreciated (who doesn’t love a faux-brick crosswalk?). But they’re not good enough. A bridge is still needed – or an underground crossing if that feels more elegant – not only for practical purposes, but for what it represents: access to another side of the city.

Of course, the easy solution is spending more money. But I think a bridge is inevitable.

One reader wrote in over the weekend with another suggestion: Be more like Minneapolis.

In their downtown areas, they had something called "Skyways" - Overhead "tunnels" glassed in (much like the pedestrial overpass at the 31st street complex) that were heated in winter - cooled in the summer. No traffic issues there. Yes, it might take a little more walking to get between buildings, but it was protected from both traffic AND the elements.... and I might add, they were downright pleasing to look at EVEN BACK IN THE 70'S!!! Why doesn't this area consider those more in these heavy-trafficed areas??? They could even use stairways up and down across the roads and eliminate those ugly fences - In this climate, heating and cooling isn't even a big deal????? (Look at the bridge from the Norfolk parking garage to Waterside!!)

Good point. I would add that there's a similar bridge from the Dick's Sporting Goods area in Virginia Beach.

Moving on.

I've been playing around with the site www.wordnik.com. It's an etymology site combined with Twitter, Flickr and a bunch of other fun stuff, like the fact that the word "bunch" seemed to be very popular around 1900. Worth checking out.

Today's big technology news is  a $99 iPhone. I read a piece awhile back, I don't remember where, about how instant access to the Internet has ruined conversation by making society full of a bunch (there it is again) of know-it-alls. Need to know who was the bassist for Alice in Chains? Who was the Orioles' second baseman in 1987? Where is James K. Polk's tomb? Now, it's instantly accessible at the bar, on the porch, or on the couch. No more debate. Overall, I love that kind of conversation and I love the access to technology.. But this will put even more of a damper on those types of questions and that audible curiosity..

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