I hope that part of the "Artful strategy" (April 23) to increase attendance at the Carnegie International will be to open the doors on Mondays! Plenty of visitors to Pittsburgh taking a long weekend would appreciate having access to the Carnegie Museum system. The Warhol Museum is closed on Mondays, same as the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the Carnegie Museum of Art.

A long, parochial time ago, all barbers were closed on Mondays and physicians offices were closed on Wednesdays. You bought your sheets at white sales held only in January. Today these seem quaint references to another era.

The Carnegie Science Center and the Children's Museum are savvy enough to know that Monday isn't laundry day any longer. Can't the very contemporary International drag its venue into the 21st century?

Karen Hart
Aspinwall

The Spring Flower Show has come and gone, but Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens can truly be enjoyed year-round. The smells, the colors, the greenery! Ahh, the stress relief! What a great place to escape on wintry Friday evenings.

But, with spring here, it's time to see what's sprouting outside.

Traditionally, Phipps has allowed free admittance to its outdoor garden. Concern for the safety of some Chihuly glass exhibit pieces justified closing off the area. But, with the exhibit ended, the gate remains closed!

The Phipps Web site states, "Free to the public during the daylight hours." However, posted on the outside gate is the unwelcoming truth: "Entrance to the Outdoor Garden permitted only with admission to the Conservatory."

To get to the outside, I dutifully enter the building and show my membership card and picture ID. I get a ticket that I give to another staff member on the next floor. Then, I make my way through some of the inside rooms until I get to the doors leading to the Outdoor Garden.

On a recent sunny afternoon, I felt uncomfortable to be the sole visitor. Walkers on their lunch hour can now only pass by, peering in from outside the fence. The place is just not the same without the retired men sitting on benches chatting and watching passers-by. How sad not to see kids skipping around the fountain and happy couples sitting under the garden arches. Now, every time that I visit, the Garden is deserted.

Let's call on Phipps to reopen the outdoor garden for the community to appreciate.

Donna Beck
Brentwood

I was one of the many unfortunate fans to attend the Van Halen concert on Nov. 1, 1982. Pete Bishop was absolutely right on his assessment: "The overriding aspect of last night's Van Halen concert at the Civic Arena was the obnoxious, disgusting exhibition by singer David Lee Roth -- which Van Halen does not need ("Monsters of Rock: Van Halen has had ups and downs ..." April 29).

I was ripped off for more than 12 bucks that night.

What could have been one of the greatest rock 'n' roll shows I have ever attended was single-handedly turned into a complete and utter disappointment by Roth. He interrupted every song with his drunken patronizing of himself and the audience. The undisputed heavyweight champion of guitar never got to play a complete solo. Oh, the agony.

In the early stage of Van Halen's career, I tolerated Roth simply because of the music.

There are a handful of guitarists who have burst upon the scene and played the guitar with a new language. Eddie Van Halen is one of them. That night at the Arena, Roth dumped on that new language. From that point on, I have considered Roth a complete jerk. He has done much since then to support my opinion.

Many critics have called Roth "The Ultimate Rock and Roll Frontman." I believe that anyone in attendance that night (aside from the groupies who enjoyed Roth's choice of butt attire) would strongly disagree.

I was overjoyed upon the departure of "Cubic-Zirconium" Dave from Van Halen and welcomed the addition of Sammy Hagar.

Hagar is a superior vocalist and a superior musician. I remember a comment being made upon the departure of Roth that went something like, "Van Halen had a rotten tooth extracted and replaced with a shining crown." I could not agree more. I cannot think of one figure in rock 'n' roll that I look upon with greater contempt than Roth. It is unfortunate that the "Van Hagar" association did not last.

For the reasons above, I did not attend the Van Halen show Wednesday night.

I would love to see Eddie and his son play together with Uncle Alex. However, I refuse to give Roth the opportunity to disappoint me again. And he never did give me back my 12 bucks that he owes me.

Richard Hall
Washington

Sadly, a recent trip to the Benedum to see the stage production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" proved disappointing. This powerful rock opera was performed more at the level of a high school production. Ted Neely's voice and character were both "sad and tired."

Corey Glover, who played Judas, was rather colorless, and seemed to have his singing parts dumbed down to adjust to a limited range. The set changes were -- oh, wait, there were none. A few flashing strobe lights and Neely's ability to scream wowed the crowed momentarily.

Mary Magadalene and Pontius Pilate were the only two roles that shined a bit. Overall, quite a dull performance, and a waste of money.

Jo Ann McDougall
Imperial