点评:Visitors to the flood wall ("The Mural Mile" or "St. Louis Graffiti Wall") must navigate a complex intersection of impressive public art and urban hazards.
To ensure an optimal visit, recognize that:
(a) This huge outdoor art display has multiple names ("The Mural Mile" or "St. Louis Graffiti Wall").
(b) While the site remains active year-round, the "Paint Louis" event during Labor Day weekend is a primary catalyst for new work.
(c) The road along the flood wall is plagued by significant potholes and garbage that threaten vehicles. Whoever gets picked to drive your group there should plan on keeping their eyes on the road, not on the art. (But you'll want to get out of the car anyway to effectively appreciate the art.)
(d) For safety, visit this area only in groups and expect to watch your step and surroundings constantly.
To appreciate the fantastic murals, you will need a viewing distance that requires you to stand on neglected industrial ground adjacent to active railroad tracks. The area is often cluttered with refuse and attracts people you may want to keep eyes on. (However, no one paid us any attention at all during our daylight visit on a weekend.)
If you are taking kids or sensitive people, prepare for "R-rated" content, especially in the common urban vandalism that inevitably appears after the murals are up for a while.
Ultimately, the site simultaneously functions as a monument to impressive creative vitality and American urban decay. I would return without hesitation, but would plan on taking all the precautions described above.
翻译:参观防洪墙(“壁画一英里”或“圣路易斯涂鸦墙”)的游客必须小心翼翼地穿梭于令人印象深刻的公共艺术与城市安全隐患交织的复杂环境中。
为了确保您拥有最佳的参观体验,请注意以下事项:
(a) 这片巨大的户外艺术区有多个名称(“壁画一英里”或“圣路易斯涂鸦墙”)。
(b) 虽然该区域全年开放,但劳动节周末的“Paint Louis”活动是新作品的主要创作契机。
(c) 防洪墙旁的道路坑洼不平,垃圾遍地,对车辆安全构成威胁。负责开车前往的司机应将注意力集中在路面上,而不是艺术作品上。(但无论如何,您都应该下车好好欣赏这些艺术作品。)
(d) 为了安全起见,请结伴参观此区域,并时刻注意脚下和周围环境。
为了欣赏这些精美的壁画,您需要站在废弃的工业用地上,紧邻繁忙的铁轨,才能获得独特的观赏体验。这片区域经常堆满垃圾,吸引着一些人,你最好留意一下。(不过,我们周末白天去的时候,没人注意到我们。)
如果你带孩子或比较敏感的人去,请做好心理准备,可能会看到一些“限制级”的内容,尤其是在壁画展出一段时间后,常见的城市破坏行为不可避免地会出现。
总而言之,这片区域既是令人惊叹的创造力活力的见证,也是美国城市衰败的缩影。我会毫不犹豫地再次前往,但会做好充分的防范措施,包括上面提到的那些。