I've mentioned seeing baby Chimpanzees on the street before, but here was one just sort of hanging out on a storefront on Benson Street this morning. Still cute, still sort of sad, and still a mystery exactly what the plan once it is no longer a cuddly infant.
Thanks to my new buddy Paul for showing me around his jobsite, which is the Temple of Justice courthouses on Capitol Hill, home to the Supreme Court and the offices of the chief justices.
Although under construction, the interiors are pretty stunning. I don't know much about the history of the building, nor do I know how I would research it, but my friend Paul was able to confirm that the building was originally built by an Italian firm sometime in the 1960s. Judging by the gorgeous Luigi-Nervi details of the helixed ceiling and lighter-than-air staircase to the upper gallery, I'd say he's got his facts right (I'll move these over the Architecture Tour when I have a chance).
Having a colleague here who is interested in football has definitely made for a fun week. I am not a big sports fan, but I do love attending live sporting events, especially in stadia. Liberia's all-county final match was an excellent opportunity to finally be inside the Samuel K. Doe Sports Complex, which is giant.
Getting in was fairly chaotic, almost scary (I couldn't help but think of stampedes crushing people in Liverpool, etc). And sitting on the concrete for several hours was a literal pain in the ass. It was pretty fun otherwise, and the crowd was friendly. The National Judo Team was also in attendance. Final Score: Nimba County 1, Grand Gedeh, Zero. There was a massive traffic jam afterwards.
I've written before about the great little public space at the end of the Spriggs-Payne runway, which is usually packed with people playing football.
Apparently, no action has taken place on Spriggs Payne's attempts to remove these people, and the place remains one of the few public recreation grounds in the city, albeit in flaunt of the law, to a certain extent.
My friend Paul Jones, who runs the fantastic Keta Sandlanders in Ghana, is in town, and so when we drove by here earlier and he spotted the action, he proposed coming back and being a spectator. We went this afternoon hung out for a while, watching some of the matches. It was pretty dry and dusty, but it was a great afternoon, and the football was pretty exciting.
