"It Is Easier To Stay Out Than To Get Out"

Downtown St. Louis is in trouble. Buildings are empty, some under repair- some in a state of disrepair. Busch stadium is currently being torn down as a new Baseball stadium is being built up right next to it.

The Arch, built 40 years ago, was a response to "re-vitalize" the water front. St. Louis apparently has been struggling for some time with "fixing" it's city and re-capturing a glory from days long gone.

The buildings are there. One can easily see how there is a great city lurking beneath the current city. One senses the wishes of the people that live here to rebuild the city. They want to make it great once more. I have little doubt that they will do so.

I say this because other cities have done it as well. Once a city has established itself sometime in history- desire and effort can resurrect it.

Why do we let them run down? Why not just keep them up?

Are our cities much different than ourselves? Why do we as human beings notice what we don't have only when we no longer have it? Why do we let little problems become big problems, requiring wholesale make-overs?

Appreciate the things around you for what they are now. Take care of the little things that are eroding away your glory days, before they become major "re-vitalization" projects. In the case of problems it was Mark Twain that said, "It is easier to stay out than to get out."

I look forward to coming back to St Louis in the future. I feel that the next time, I will have only glowing reviews of how nice they fixed it up!