It may be a slum, but it's a slum with an escalator! Officials in Medellin, Colombia, have inaugurated a giant outdoor escalator in one of its poorest slums:
The only thing missing now is a giant slide to go down! Link (Photo: Luis Benavides/AP)For generations, the 12,000 residents of Medellin's tough Comuna 13, which clings to the side of a steep hillside, have had to climb hundreds of large steps authorities say is the same as going up a 28-story building.
Now they can ride an escalator, in what the mayor of Medellin said is the first massive, outdoor public escalator for use by residents of a poor area. [...]Comuna 13 residents came out to celebrate and study the $6.7 million escalator which officials say will shorten the 35-minute hike on foot up the hillside to six minutes. Use of the escalator is free.
Hmm. I'm down with that. And, like you said, slide wouldn't hurt.