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Day 124-Back to the ‘burbs

This was an impromptu walk through a neighborhood close to home. I’ve walked through this area several times with my daughter; today she was home “sick” and it turned out to be a nice day for a walk, so I set off with the plan of picking a route based on how things went.

I’ve been intentionally biasing my route selection toward neighborhoods inside New Circle Road since I almost certainly won’t be able to finish all routes before we relocate to a new city, probably in the spring. So today’s was a rare recent trek through a relatively new neighborhood. I was pleasantly surprised that this area has some of the features that make older neighborhoods interesting to walk through but which new neighborhoods tend to lack–unique houses and unique landscaping. The first is funny–really the vast majority of houses here are very similar to one another. A two story ranch is repeated up and down these streets with minor variations. But there are occasional houses that are perhaps even more striking for breaking what is otherwise a fairly strict mold. The landscaping, again, was largely typical of suburban neighborhoods with expanses of grass interrupted only by driveways. But there was enough variation–a picket fence here, tall hedge there, to make a difference.

Day 123-Meadowthorpe

This walk took me to the Meadowthorpe neighborhood, the first planned neighborhood in Lexington. This area is historic and it appears well cared for even though homes in the area I walked through this time are modest. I feel that most 1950’s neighborhoods reflect the optimism of the period in which they were built, but it’s underneath a veneer of despair. This neighborhood is different. It still reflects that older 1950’s optimism, but it has retained or modified its optimism. It doesn’t feel dated, as its cohorts do, but instead feels as if it’s adapted its optimism to changing times.

Day 122-A winning formula?

This route took me to an area south of Lansdowne-Merrick park, around and along Tates Creek Road. In contrast to the area north of the park, homes here are multifamily, duplexes and condos. This area is also home to some businesses including the Lansdowne Shoppes. This seems like a good formula to me, similar to the Alexandria drive area. I need to remember to pass through here on a pleasant weekend day to see if it has a similar vibe.

Day 121-Behind the Arboretum

This route went through the Shadeland neighborhood, next to the Arboretum on the Tate’s Creek side. This area was dominated by sprawling ranch homes with large lots. Only the portion of this route along Bellefonte has sidewalks, providing a nice contrast between the two areas. Sidewalks don’t necessarily create a sense of safety here as they might along busier streets, but they do alter the relationship of houses and yards to the street. This neighborhood connects directly to the Arboretum and I’ve been anxious to walk through these areas. What must it be like to have the Arboretum in your backyard? Some green thumbs are in evidence. One of my favorite yards included the orange shrub pictured here.

Day 120-Parkways and Driveways

This route ran around the Ashland Park neighborhood and Woodland Park area, mostly covering Main and Central. The streets here were surprisingly wide for an area that predates car dominance. In some instances, streets had wide parkway areas, a common theme here and in nearby areas (see Mentelle Park, for example). It’s hard to tell whether these areas are generally significant from a public space perspective though the area enclosed by Desha and Fincastle streets has a tire swing and a bench.