Today’s walk was through the Gleneagles neighborhood, just east of I-75 and Man O’ War.  This is a relatively new area and in fact my wife and I walked through several houses in this area when we first moved to Lexington in 2006.  The street names, Market Garden, Scottish Trace, for me elicit memories of new house smell.

My impression of the area is less favorable now than in 2006, mostly due to my increased interest in utilitarian walking.  Like most of the places we looked at at that time including the one into which we moved, the walking opportunities are nice but almost strictly recreational.  Polo Club is nice and does connect into a larger network of trails and parks, though at a scale more appropriate for bicycling.  This section of Polo Club crosses a wetland preserve and some of the Market Garden houses back to the same greenspace.  At the time of this visit, the greenspace was occupied by heavy equipment.

Something of a consistent theme, I’ve noticed that glimpses into the hearts of houses are rare, usually confined to backyards on corner lots.  But often, especially in newer tract home neighborhoods, people have moved their lives outside to the fronts of their houses.  There are rarely porches, but garages and occasionally front yards may be occupied.  Whatever builders think people want, people are making their houses outward facing on their own.

What works: the wide trail on Polo Club

What doesn’t: trash accumulating in certain areas inside the neighborhood.