Whose view? From where? January 2010
We had four correct answers to this months question. But before we get to the answers, we should tell you that this months picture wasnt taken from a single image it was taken from a set of 20 pictures electronically stitched together and viewable with QuickTime VR software. Instead of reading this months answer, you might want to see it for yourself:
Note that this file requires Quicktime software and the Quicktime Plugin for your browser both free standard downloads for Mac and PC available from Apples website. Once you've installed the software use your cursor to view the 360 degree panorama. Additionally, holding down the shift key zooms in and the control key zooms out. This picture is a reduced-resolution version created specifically for viewing on the web.
The photos used to create this panorama and others like it were taken at dozens of key public viewpoints up and down the river corridor this past fall. The six volunteers (five from a University of Minnesota class, plus FMR intern Lindsay Hefferan) helped FMR and the National Park Service document the key river corridor scenery. The photos will be important in helping inform the unfolding state Critical Area rulemaking process, which will help shape the next generation of river-related land use controls.
Key questions will come out of that process. Which views deserve special protection? How tall can a building be while still protecting a vista? What sort of vegetation standards are needed to preserve the scenic quality of an area? We are hoping to assemble all the river corridor photos taken for this project into a publicly accessible website. In the meantime, however, here are this months correct guesses.
Brian Nerbonne:
You had me stumped for awhile by this clever photo. I believe this is a reflection off of the mirrored walls of the Guthrie Theatre, showing the grain silos and buildings on the east side of the river downstream of St. Anthony Falls.
Doug Mensing:
Looks like the downtown Minneapolis Mississippi riverfront reflected in the colored glass of the new Guthrie.
Jennifer Schad:
I think this is from the endless bridge buildings reflected in the Guthrie exterior from across the river.
Gary Fifield:
[I think it is] the reflection off panels outside the Guthrie Theater.
Bob Spaulding, River Planner
About Whose view? From where?
Each month in this section, we feature a photo somewhere along the river corridor in the Twin Cities that is in some way significant or important or just plain scenic. Individuals may then e-mail us and identify the view and explain why they believe it is significant to the community or important to them personally. Well publish some of your responses in the next issue of Mississippi Messages, where we will also reveal the correct answer.
To submit your guess and response, e-mail Bob Spaulding, River Advocate, through our contact form. The respondent to provide the first correct identification of the view and hopefully some interesting thoughts about its significance will receive a valuable prize for their effort. All entries must be received by the first day of the following month for consideration.