Day 130 was a return to the Meadows neighborhood, near Bryan and New Circle Road, that I last visited last July, on Day 18. My impression of the area, having walked through on a cool, wet late fall day and a hot July day, is the same. This area shows some wear, but there are definite bright spots, freshly painted houses or yards that show evidence of life, toys or carefully curated landscaping. I really walked down two blocks, and the block length stood out. As I passed a long line of similar looking houses, I pondered the characteristics of a neighborhood. The neighborhoods in which I grew up consisted of a funky mix of houses, apartments, small stores, and community buildings like schools and churches. These things were all marbled together, so that there were, for example, two small grocery stores within a quarter mile. These neighborhoods had a sense of identity that was based around these local places and years later I could talk to someone about the supermarket with the pet name o a particular laundromat and they would know exactly what I was talking about. Technology–cars–have allowed us to broaden our range. We can work further away and this expands our opportunities. But neighborhood design that followed forced us to rely on cars for things that were typically provided in the neighborhood and has weakened that set of social bonds.
Tag Archives: Loudon
Day 35
Today’s walk was through an odd mix of light industrial, commercial and residential along and behind Winchester Road. The commercial strip stood out; this stretch of Winchester is generally gritty, the kind of place you go to shop for a greasy part in your car, not where you would go to find a trendy boutique. The specific section I walked along featured two nightclubs, two “gentleman’s” clubs and a KFC. The opposite side of the street has some intriguing businesses that look like the kind of nondescript places where people who know something shop for…vintage pinball machines? I have to remember to take a closer look at those shops when I return to walk through the area on the south side of the street.
Another feature of this area is a named alley. (I love these. Who wouldn’t want to have an alley named after them?) But of course, street names have stories and you can learn from this Herald-Leader column that there was a La Flame nightclub along Winchester from the late 1950’s.
This area is surely more interesting at night; I wonder where everyone must park. Transit in this area is evidently a challenge. A bicyclist was using the marked bike lane, but minutes later, two vehicles parked in the bike lane so their owners could grab lunch. Despite the steady number of pedestrians, it’s clear cars own this stretch just out of the sheer number of auto-oriented businesses.
Side note for the geeky: the geographic center of the area I walked today is due south of the center of the area I walked on Day 34; both have the same longitude, to four decimal places!
What works: This short stretch of Winchester has some unique things.
What doesn’t: Parking needs compete with bike lanes.
Day 18
Today’s walk was through a neighborhood officially called “The Meadows”, located between Loudon and New Circle Road, behind the industrial/ commercial area along Winchester Road. Much like yesterday’s walk, there was perhaps a bit more stimuli than normal. Lots of smells (soapy smells, cleansers) and sounds came out of houses, leading me to think this neighborhood has a higher daytime population than most neighborhoods I walk through. Visually, this neighborhood feels a little distressed, especially on non through streets. In places sidewalks and even driveways are completely falling apart. This led me to wonder, who is responsible for sidewalk repairs? It turns out it is the homeowner. This was a bit of a disappointment to me, though I can’t say it doesn’t make sense somewhat; I liked the idea of the sidewalk being the city’s responsibility because that would mean that sidewalks on long cul-del-sacs unevenly benefitted the people living there. The drawback of having it as a homeowner responsibility is that a lightly tread patch of sidewalk is unlikely to be repaired, even if it is providing a benefit to someone down the street.
Sometimes it’s subtle things that make walks interesting. Today, I walked past a house with a fence that had become warped in an unusual way because of a tree growing next to it, and it was oddly pleasing to me.
What works: Limited (if any) neighborhood design enforcement makes this interesting
What doesn’t: Sidewalks, in some places. I love them, but I think there may be places here where they don’t provide enough value.
Day 1
Here we go! Today’s walk starts at Castlewood Park, familiar ground for me and, fittingly, the place where I developed the idea of walking all of Lexington. Crossing the street to walk down Bryan was exhilarating. It did not disappoint. There was a lot to observe on this walk, which consisted of segments of Bryan along the Castlewood Park perimeter and North Limestone as well as Loudon and three neighborhood street (Wittland, Glenn and Burnett) that (for the most part) run between Bryan and Limestone. Castlewood Park has the Lexington Art League and North Limestone consists of a commercial district with a funky mix (including BroCoLoco and a used restaurant equipment store) that appears to be doing fine. I would have expected the artsiness to bleed into the neighborhood but it did not seem to have an overwhelming impact on these blocks, which generally felt accessible. A father and son painting the exterior of their house only added to the homeyness. The neighborhood did feature a community garden. And a classic car logo encased in the sidewalk!