Stairs to Nowhere

 Stairs to Nowhere

In the port of Ponta Delgada Azores, a stadium sits with bleachers at least three stories in height. Below the bleachers, a paved parking lot sits empty most of the time.

One would think perhaps it is a sports field or a concert venue. Sometimes a few young people sit in the mostly empty bleachers to smoke or vape. Some sit and take in the beauty and activity of the harbour.

As a port, cargo ships come and go round the clock delivering goods in containers and reloading ships for further destinations. Whale watching excursions leave from the port, tall ships come and go and it serves as a marina for sail boats. 

On days that cruise ships pull into the port, buses, vans, jeeps and small vehicles fill the stadium early in the morning. Excursions depart for highlights of Sao Miguel Island. Passengers from the ship are ushered through a glass enclosure to the east of the stadium.

Prior to the construction of the stairs, nobody thought to measure the height of cruise ships or understood where tourists unloaded from a cruise ship. The stairs were designed to unload from the upper levels of the cruise ships. 

Surprising enough, the stadium is "stairs to nowhere"...an engineering blunder that nobody discusses.