Park Hill

Most people living in Park Hill know that at one time there was a train stop here and some kind of wacky elevator to take folks up and down the hill to the train station. This site has some more info and a few drawings of this most convenient and missed part of our past.

I wonder where the old tracks are….

Just in case, like me, you almost forgot, the rescheduled Racquet Club Ball is tomorrow night at the club at 7:30.

Tux or no tux. Hmmm. I suppose that question boils down to whether or not I want to eat.

Members check your newsletter for some far-reaching proposals. Could be an interesting meeting.

Story from the NYTimes here (requires soul-sucking registration, which one bypasses by using this very fine website or their Firefox extension. You are using Firefox, aren’t you?)

Although the Cross County Mall would be, strictly speaking, outside the self-imposed purview of this blog, since I’m the editor and sole contributor, I’ve decided to plug the story. Mainly because I need content.

Anyway, the point is that our closest mall is getting a makeover, and let’s face it: it sure as heck needs it. From the article -

The physical problems besieging Cross County are readily apparent to any visitor: The entire place sags. The parking lot, which was built on a marsh, now has the rolling contours of a golf course fairway. Fissures snake through the walkways. Many of the stores’ facades are remnants of the mid-20th century. And where newer shopping centers have integrated enhancements from the natural world, like landscaping and foliage, much of Cross County remains a giant slab of unadulterated concrete. It is aggressively un-hip.

However, help may be on the way. Read on -

The Cross County renovation plans call for adding 200,000 square feet of retail space to the existing 900,000 square feet and for refurbishing existing buildings. The owners also intend to rebuild intersections to make access easier and unsnarl traffic, construct a parking tower and redesign and beautify the streetscapes.

If the governmental review process goes smoothly, Mr. Sanzari said, the investors hope to break ground in the spring of 2006 and complete construction by the end of 2008

Until then, the Stop and Shop there has the best selection of organic produce within a 10 minute driving radius.