I spent a lot of years playing with Legos. And Duplos. And Mega Bloks. Well, not really playing, exactly, but hanging out with preschoolers and kindergartners while they were playing. I found that if I built anything it would quickly turn into kids feeling like they needed to copy me. And it would flatten the play experience.
Nowadays you can buy Lego kits to build a very specific place or thing. Those don’t really appeal to me, since I value building and block play as an open-ended activity. But a lot of people really love them. Adults dive into truly complicated Lego projects like cathedrals or space ships. Here’s a kit posted recently by a Baltimore journalist.
My first thought was, “If they reconfigured that as a treehouse, I just might be tempted.”
If you’re looking for the moment where I meandered off the pathway of good sense, it was here:
This is a photo of the Paper Moon diner in Baltimore. And my brain said, “Ooh! That would definitely make a good Lego kit!”
Then I got to thinking…are there any good places in Columbia/HoCo that are worthy of Lego recreation?
Well, of course. The Chrysalis in Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods has a fascinating and distinctive shape plus vivid color for eye appeal. That’s too easy. What else?
Umm…
So many well-known local buildings are pretty bland, especially early Columbia buildings. While I can imagine constructing, say, a portion of Main Street in Old Ellicott City, sustaining the attention to complete the Mall or Whole Foods seems less likely. At least for me.
What makes a structure Lego-worthy? We’re obviously using our imaginations here. It would have to be locally well-known and interesting visually, both in color and design. I’m not interested in Lego kits of former plantations. Let’s rule them out.
The Howard County Fair in all its glory? Maybe.
Photo credit Doug Kapustin, Baltimore Sun Media Group
The Enchanted Forest at Clark’s Elioak Farm?
It’s only Tuesday. We have a bit of time to be whimsical. What HoCoLocal location would you like to see Lego-field?
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