I walk to and from work every day. It's approximately 10 blocks, or about a 12-15 minute walk depending on traffic lights. This morning I was musing about the street on which I walk to work and the variety of buildings I pass every day.
In addition to the given brick apartment buildings and condos, every morning I see:
Planned Parenthood
a middle school
a not-a-park (a bit of urban land on which there are a few benches and trees but no grass)
a halfway house
an Episcopalian cathedral
HQ for the Salvation Army in this area
a credit union for state employees
a Christian Scientist church (complete with Christian Science Reading Room)
a Scottish Rite Masonic Temple
and this all before reaching the state Capitol building.
My afternoon commute varies depending on if I'm coming home from work or from the gym (if it's the gym, I walk up a different street and pass a variety of state buildings, a Lutheran church, a big crazy old German dance hall called the Denver Turnverein, the youth hostel, a synagogue, and a great big liquor store, among other things). It's amazing how many churches, temples, and synagogues there are all right around our immediate neighborhood - walking east on the same street we pass 6 or so other churches and cathedrals. On Sunday mornings we hear bells from about 8 AM to 11 AM in all different directions. And we eat our breakfasts and announce "time for church!" and continue to be heathens.
I love my crazy mixed-use neighborhood.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Neighborhoods are what makes a town unique, and why I ultimately couldn't live in Las Vegas anymore.
Yesterday I did a site visit for a mixed-use neighbourhood and I thoroughly and utterly take back every point I made in my debate with the Guatamela Holla about mixed-use mixed-financing low & high-end realty a few years back. Do I still believe people have the right to enclave themselves into their gated community wealth? YES. OTOH it's stupid plan, poor use of increasingly limited land in overpopulated states, and everyone would benefit from walkable neighbourhoods with diversity.
I give up! You've turned me into a freaking hippay!
I knew you'd come over to the dark side eventually.
Time for church indeed.
I've noticed that churches often seem to congregate (har!) in the same neighborhood. Don't know why though, just seems like every town somewhere has it's own Church Alley.
I'm partial to my very residential neighborhood with it's nearby commercial district chock a jowl with kosher bakeries, chinese restaurants, dive bars, shopping and le giant Stand Alone Back in the Day movie theater.
*sob* None of you hippies will ever make me eat spelt, never!
Dude. I've never eaten spelt.
There are a lot of other little gems in our neighborhood - that was just a lineup of two major streets that I walk on every day. I'm fond of your neighborhood too, QIR, and I'd live there over a lot of other neighborhoods in the BA. If I could afford it. Which I can't.
Sounds like a fun walk. City neighborhoods can be so interesting. Behind us are the hoity-toity rich old Austin folks. Just around the corner is the Goodwill, 7-11, 24hr diner, Armenian bakery, and my favorite store Half-Price Books. It's such a mix. Love it.
Wish I could walk to work though. The road I have to go down is too highway-ish to chance it.
Post a Comment