8/18/08

There ain't no bugs on me

This is a story about a cracked tooth root and acrophobia.

No longer willing to ignore the pain in my mouth, I called Graydon Ballard of Downtown Dental and Clayton Dental. He's the best, go see him.

Dr Ballard graciously agreed to see me the next day when I paged him at home. This meant a trip to his downtown office on Olive in the Laclede gas building. I parked in the Famous garage out of a respect for nostalgia (I'll never call it Macy's)

I can't tell you what floor Dr Ballard is on other than twenty-something because my acrophobia extends to prolonged elevator rides. I usually distract myself by humming There ain't no bugs on me.

Once in the office I squirmed in the chair and was treated to yet another dose of radiation. See that mushroom looking tooth on the right? See the space in the root where there's nada? That's the cracked root.

Jen calls me a chomper. Some people grind their teeth while sleeping, I clamp them tight, no talking in my sleep for me, no. Chris told me I hum in my sleep, I may have been dreaming about an elevator.

While waiting to see Graydon I did some photo's of the Union Trust Building (thanks, Chris).

Massive and perfect arches:

Union Trust building clad with white terra cotta. DREAMY.

Back on the street:


Famous garage roof top.
I took a boyfriend here on a date. Neither of us owned a car and were living paycheck to same so we rode the bus downtown. I refused to tell him where we were headed and he was awed when we arrived here:

He's out there somewhere still recalling the Best Date of his life (and probably still living paycheck to same).

I actually had to brace myself against the wall behind me to take the photo, my acrophobia went into high idle once on the roof.

Sneaking up on the exit ramp:

This 'crack' near the spiral exit ramp about ended my life. OK, I knew it wasn't a crack but my brain screamed Run, NOW!

I took this interior photo of the exit ramp without looking.
I extended my arm over the top of the wall, aimed down, clicked, then ran!

Driving down the spiral ramp or homage to Gen Obata:

My acrophobia so is severe that the first time I saw this print in a show in Manhattan I had to sit down...on the floor.
Margaret Bourke-White on the Chrysler building:


3 comments:

Chris said...

These are wonderful pictures, but the historic building in question is actually the Union Trust Building by Louis Sullivan. The Famous Barr building is across the street.

Christian Herman said...

Egads, you're right.
Ddid you know that the round windows in the alley are the same shape as the original 2nd floor windows facing the street, and that they were originally framed with gargoyles?

Hmmmm, gargoyles.

Chris said...

Yeah, I've seen pictures of the original front of the building; the rounded windows greatly accentuated the arches at the top of the building. An early and interesting example of altering an historic skyscraper.