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Day 21

Day 21This was a quick walk through another quiet neighborhood officially called Twin Oaks, located between Clay’s Mill Road and New Circle Road.  Though connected and officially part of the same neighborhood, I passed through two distinct areas (to make things more confusing, the dividing line is not a particular street but actually happens mid-block).  The first evidence of a change is that the newer subdivision, located on the New Circle Road side, does not have sidewalks while the older one, on the Clay’s Mill side, does.

The older neighborhood is comprised of homes built in the 50’s or 60’s, the newer neighborhood is newer enough to be recognizably newer, but is more typical of late 70’s and early 80’s construction.

The older neighborhood was certainly old enough to be stable, boring but in a good way.  The newer neighborhood, too, was quiet, unremarkable but very comfortable.  My thoughts while walking through this neighborhood were focused on the architecture (internally wishing I understood better or had the vocabulary to describe why a house strikes me as being from a particular time) and on the paving techniques (many driveways have been resurfaced with asphalt).

Good: Quiet, despite major roads on each side.

Bad: Feels more distant and detached (and this could be good or bad, depending on your preferences).

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Day 20

Day 20Today’s walk was in a subdivision called Golfview Estates, a neighborhood of 1940’s era frame houses sandwiched between the Red Mile track and the Gay Brewer Jr. golf course.  As I’ve come to expect from older (that is, pre 1950’s) neighborhoods, there are a lot of interesting things going on here.  There are nice things, flower filled yards, or ones decorated with knicknacks.  Not all of the interesting things are good; one house has a driveway that has for all purposes been converted into a trash heap.  A number of homes loudly proclaimed that they had CCTV systems and that your every move was being recorded (in one case, this may have been to protect materials being used in a remodel rather than personal property, but the number of people who felt the need to post such signs was striking.  I wonder if this is a good indicator of the safety of a neighborhood or whether people notice that their neighbors have done something and decide it’s a good idea.

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“Herbie” trash bin covered in bumper stickers

This area leaves some unsolved mysteries.  For example, how does a Boy Scouts trailhead sign find it’s way to a dead-end street?  And when one covers their trash bin with bumper stickers, it the intent to say what you really think about whatever it advertizes?

What worked: Lots of interesting things

What didn’t: The sidewalk configuration, which basically necessitates that the Herbie, et. al., trash barrels are placed on the sidewalk for collection.

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Day 19

day 19Today was spent in a neighborhood called The Vineyards, and we have the wine reference to thank for many of the street names, e.g., Marsanne, Chardon, Gamay.  Sometimes, I wish I could spend more time thinking about street names (too often, they are attached to impossibly short segments of road).  Here, one could learn something.  This neighborhood is also home to another street name that should please me because of it’s relation to walking: Promenade.  Unfortunately, today, Promenade hardly felt like a street you would walk for pleasure, being, I would suggest, a little too long an uninterrupted (though not as bad as it’s neighbor, Colonnade).

This neighborhood (especially the portion south of Crossen, had some neat features.  First, trees were planted between the house and the sidewalk rather than in what I am used to calling the “tree lawn” between the sidewalk and the street.  This had a nice effect, maintaining an open feel while maintaining shade on the sidewalk. Then, the houses on cul-de-sacs were placed together in an unusual way, so that houses on adjacent cul-de-sacs (or even on the opposite end of the block) were next to each other.  This felt cozy and communal, especially if the houses didn’t have a fence between them, in which case it felt like there was a natural path between cul-de-sacs.

What works: Connected cul-de-sacs have the benefits of seclusion without isolation
What doesn’t: Long, uninterrupted streets were tedious, and I’m glad I don’t have to drive it every day, let alone walk it.

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Day 18

day 18Today’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.

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Day 17

day 17I really wasn’t sure what to expect from

today’s route, through the Kenwick neighborhood, but it turned out to have a little bit of everything.  I still compare things to Denver, and this neighborhood went quickly between warehouse district to streetcar suburb.  I started out on Aurora, headed northwest toward Walton and found a neighborhood that felt like home to a significant creative population.  These things are evidenced by things like the landscaped vegetable garden on Aurora, or the book exchange “birdhouse” on Richmond.  This blended naturally into the commercial districts along Walton, National and Ashland, with it’s high concentration of home design shops and local shops—places like Kentucky Mudworks.  As I walked back down National, the mix became more industrial and eventually turned to utter ruins at White Street.  This is a neighborhood that seems comfortable with the industrial presence.

Dead-end street as plaza
Dead-end street as plaza

One street that dead-ends into the back of an industrial block has turned that end into an outdoor plaza, making it an idyllic setting despite the industrial whine and occasional sawing noise.  And they also seem at home with their neighbors.  I spotted no fewer than three front yard hammocks, and one yard had an entire backyard’s worth of kid toys, complete with sandpit.  One gentleman I passed was working on his crossword puzzle while sitting on a collapsible lawn chair in the front yard.  All of this was refreshing…this neighborhood very much answers my question about what to do about worthless grass front lawns in suburbia, alas generally in ways that aren’t covenant friendly.

A homemade 'book exchange"
A homemade ‘book exchange”

Despite the comfort and overall amiability, there feels like some tension.  Some homes clash, with for example, loud threats of physical violence to trespassers.  These places were amazingly jarring to me, especially among very little other evidence at the time that the neighborhood was dangerous (which is borne out by crime statistics, I might add)

What works:  This is a live/work dream, for those who could pull it off.  Front yards are focal points.
What doesn’t:  There is tension.  Why?