Читать книгу Walking Albuquerque. 30 Tours of the Duke City's Historic Neighborhoods, Ditch Trails, Urban Nature, and Public Art онлайн

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 Start anywhere in the Harry E. Kinney Civic Plaza. A statue of the former two-term mayor (striking a Captain Morgan pose) stands on the far northeast corner near Marquette Ave. and 3rd St. The plaza is big enough to accommodate 20,000 revelers during special events, typically on weekend evenings throughout summer. Prior to 1938 the original alignment of Route 66 ran through this space on its course between Santa Fe and Los Lunas. A later east–west alignment followed what is now Central Ave., two blocks south of the plaza. The intersection of 4th and Central (two blocks south) is the only place in America where historical alignments of Route 66 cross.On the south side of the plaza, a wrought iron column lit from within depicts 78 silhouettes ascending a smokestack. Five stone pillars surrounding it provide Holocaust memorial information. South of the sculpture, the Albuquerque Plaza building (aka the Bank of Albuquerque Tower) and its mini-me counterpart, the Hyatt Regency (aka Albuquerque Plaza II) are the two tallest buildings in town. Both were completed in 1990 on the site of what was a century earlier the heart of the red-light district. Built in the postmodern style, the pyramid-topped pair are the most recognizable features in the otherwise clunky skyline. Many of the larger structures nearby can be attributed to a decades-long infatuation with International-style architecture. Both Civic Plaza and the monstrous Convention Center on its east side were conceived in the height of the affliction and completed in 1972—more than 260 years after the plaza at the other end of this walk. At the time of this writing, the Civic Center was in the midst of an extensive and long-overdue makeover, 4th St. was reestablished between Marquette and Central, and plans were announced for additional renovations to the plaza.Opposite the Civic Center, the mismatched trio of buildings is the City/County Complex, which includes the mayor’s office and nearly 100 works from the Public Art Program collection. The old city hall building fronting Marquette Ave. appears to be the dullest on the block, but take a closer look at the polished limestone slabs facing the walkway and you’ll find a variety of fossils, including clams and snails. Sea lilies (crinoids) are the easiest to spot. The limestone came from travertine quarries located approximately 40 miles southwest of Albuquerque.