Seven Wonders of Menlo Park, and more....

Very interesting. We live in a world beset by celebrity, tourism, voyeurism, and commercial exploitation. Yet, there must be many of us who would resist this drift, surely in the places where we reside. For myself, I would prefer a Menlo Park that is not notable for it’s scenic “seven wonders.” My wife and I moved here because it is a small, village-like, charming, “bedroom community” not clamoring for visibility and attention. We are most comfortable with anonymity. That is a part of the “quality of life” that we chose and feel we have to protect. I don’t want to be lectured about the inevitability of change since that is largely in our hands if only we choose to take control. Otherwise, commercial exploitation – the Disneyfication of “seven wonders” -- becomes a persistent threat. And, I should add, my greatest fear is the inexorable onslaught of the high speed train which will surely be the most prominent of our “seven wonders” as it flies through our town, fifteen or more feet over our heads.

I think it is a terrific idea to give people a tour of the top sites suitable for high density, low quality housing development. Is that what this would be? I understand that Sunset and Allied Arts are high on the list of infill candidates.

A fascinating idea! I'd like to hear more. Could this tour somehow be done "green'? Maybe include Bayfront Park on the tour? And how about the cemetery on Santa Cruz?

Thanks for having such an interesting outlook on our city!

As Elizabeth continues her quest for City Council, let me suggest to her list that she add visiting all the BMR sites in the city as well. ... [SENTENCE DELETED by Almanac because it's a personal or sarcastic comment about another poster, rather than on topic.] ...

Oh! Tour Guide, you forgot to add the Park Theater to your list.



moreinput

Elizabeth, I hadn't even thought of the cemetery as an infill housing possibility. That's brilliant! I have a feeling that the old dump, er, Bayfront, might not work for housing though.

[Post removed by Almanac staff]

not, i guess I sort of assume that the posters here are familiar with the tightly knit nature of politics in this town, and would know that making derogatory comments about a good friend of a former mayor who is also buddies with a certain local publisher might lead to action on behalf of aforementioned good friend.

It is wonderful that there has been such a terrific response to this event scheduled for next year. Bus tours can be fun, especially when they are available in your very own back yard.

For those members of our community that are new, it may be an opportunity for Menlo Park to say WELCOME. Like the Welcome Basket program offered in so many cities, the bus tour can roll out the red carpet and graciously show off various gems, treasures and unique parts of town.

For those members of the community that have lived or worked here for awhile, it may be an excellent opportunity to share special spots that out of town relatives and friends can later be taken too. We are blessed with some wonderful destinations, such as Allied Arts, the Civic Center, Nativity Church, SRI International Sun Microsystems and so on, that it shouldn't be hard to fill up the day.

I'd welcome your comments on "favorite" places in town. Together, we may be able to generate a list that is second to none. As the novel sweat shirt says "Paris, London, New York and MENLO PARK."

In response to Phil's statement that "derogatory comments about a good friend of a former mayor who is also buddies with a certain local publisher" might lead to deletion of the comments: Gratuitous derogatory comments about anyone will be removed from Town Square. Vigorous debate about issues or the performance of public officials is welcome. Cheap shots aimed at people participating in this forum are not.

Dear Dick Poe and Jim Lewis,

After railing against people who post anonymously in this forum, I can't figure out why you are now billing yourselves as "Tour Guide" in order to sell this latest venture of your "welcome committee."

What's with all the cloak-and-dagger?

Well, my dear Tour Guide, I see you pay attention to conversations when ideas are offered that give plausibility to your initial suggestion. As I indicated to you the other evening, rather than running “sight seeing” buses all over town, a kind of “Welcome Wagon” that identifies essential services to city new comers would be quite welcome.

To be concrete about this concept, as newcomers are identified by the city, an appointment can be made with our newest residents to fill a (City or Chamber provided)shuttle bus, joined by a “greeter” representing the city, say a volunteer from the Chamber of Commerce. Documents and brochures can be shared at that time, questions can be answered and the point of the tour would not be “sight-seeing,” but far more practical information sharing about the existence and location of the many public and private services offered by our city. Practical. Useful. Helpful.

This event is turning out to be a lot more popular than expected. The big questions now are as follows:

1) How many buses should be scheduled? Each bus holds 55 persons. My hunch is that there will be 200 or so guests that day equating to about four buses.

2) What special places in Menlo Park should be visited, as it turns out that there are a lot more special, unique treasurers around town than first expected? We now have a list of over 50 properties, some old, some new, but all unique in their own way, and all of them are located in City of Menlo Park.

Some citizens feel that Menlo Park is one of the BEST CITIES IN AMERICA. In helping to organize this event tentatively scheduled for MAY 2008, when the weather is warm and the skies are blue. I plan to attend, in fact, I think I'll be the first one on the bus. The question is, who else might sign up?