By Henry Rosenfeld
All of our wonderful, large (and oft-full) many-storied parking structures along Fourth Street in Downtown Santa Monica let us know, via light-emitting-diode, the number of spaces that remain available — “264...67...3...” — depending upon the time of day.
All except one, that is. Structure Nine just past Wilshire Boulevard and Fourth Street.
Let’s face it, the only appeal of dragging our toxic machines through this clogged corridor is the thrill of seeing how many spaces are still empty. Why? Because, according to puzzlemaster Will Shortz’s piece about Sudoku, “A rush of excitement, from filling in empty spaces to completing a large loop” that ran March 21 in the New York Times. He added, “As humans beings, we like to fill empty spaces.”
Thus, I take up virtual pen to say: Come on, Structure Nine, get with the program!
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 26, 2007. Read the original PDF.