Mosaic Marker in Federal Square

After reading last Tuesday's article in the paper about the new "find your way" sign in Federal Square, I got the distinct impression that this first in a series of eye-catching markers would be designed to help tourists find their way around the city. So, I visited it today.

If you're on foot, it's pretty easy to see how it says "DOWNTOWN" sideways above the mosaic. Driving by, though, I hadn't noticed this. And I've driven by it every day since it got planted there. So, how does this help the out-of-towner?

Well, it is colorful. It's eye-catching. And it does say downtown...

From a distance, it looks like there might be some useful information in the colorful stuff at the bottom of it. It has that look to it, like it might be a map, or something. In fact, it just begs to be walked up to in order to look closely and find out what it's all about.

I parked my car in front of the check cashing place this morning, with every intention of simply walking right over to it. My first concern was how I might be able to do this, however.

Y'see, ...there are no sidewalks or crosswalks leading to the sign.

None.

In fact, the way the Federal Square "V-Shaped" plot in front of the Federal Building is set up, pedestrians can't walk along Main or Southbridge streets to the tip of the "V" without being forced into the street.

In the center of this picture is a young lady in red pants walking towards the new sign. She's forced to walk in the street at that point because the sidewalk ends just in back of where she is.

This is so dangerous during heavy traffic, in fact, that traffic in the narrow inbound lane of Main Street has to stop whenever there's a pedestrian traversing this ten or twenty feet along Main.

It'll be the same way on the other side, along Southbridge Street, when it re-opens.

So, my question is, "What numbskull put a tourist attraction that you have to walk up close to in order to appreciate, but didn't bother to give it any safe pedestrian access???"

And some people wonder why Worcester gets dissed... it's that unique blend of grandiose ideas and no connection to reality that does it.

If you're brave, you can make it to this vantage point.

It really is very nice up close, though, and maybe even worth risking your life blundering into the middle of a five-way intersection to spend a few minutes appreciating the artwork.

I'd recommend a Saturday or Sunday morning, when the traffic is light.

It is, however, just artwork. I just don't get how this can be called a "find your way" sign, at all. It doesn't lend any more information to the visitor from out of town after they may have risked their life getting close to it, than it could have from a distance.

As it stands, what this actually turns out to be is bait. It's bait to lure the unwary visitor from out of town into the traffic. If it had actually been intended and specifically designed to lure the innocent into the traffic, it couldn't have been better executed.

Ah, Worcester, Worcester, Worcester!...