Walk 1
Let's see if I can remember...
On Monday night at about 7 pm, I walked from my house to the local school so that I could vote in the municipal election. There used to be two good routes but recently the pedestrian bridge on Ray St. was closed. Now there is only one logical route from my house to the school. The bridge (one of three bridges) that spans a railway track and ravine is the second of the three to close. There is only one bridge left open for walking and it may be only a matter of time before that bridge closes. All three bridges were originally open to cars as well as pedestrians but it's been a long time since they were considered safe to drive over. The Ray St. bridge was closed to traffic around 1984 or 1985. I know this because I used to live in the house right beside the bridge and I remember the clattering sound that the cars made as they drove over the bridge. All three bridges are made of wood. All three bridges are very interesting. As far as I understand it, the bridges are owned by the railway company who does not want to maintain them. I think this is a municipal election issue and I think about it as I walk down a three lane one way street with my back to the traffic. My world is remapped by the closing of this bridge. Some would say that it's no big deal.
On Monday night at about 7 pm, I walked from my house to the local school so that I could vote in the municipal election. There used to be two good routes but recently the pedestrian bridge on Ray St. was closed. Now there is only one logical route from my house to the school. The bridge (one of three bridges) that spans a railway track and ravine is the second of the three to close. There is only one bridge left open for walking and it may be only a matter of time before that bridge closes. All three bridges were originally open to cars as well as pedestrians but it's been a long time since they were considered safe to drive over. The Ray St. bridge was closed to traffic around 1984 or 1985. I know this because I used to live in the house right beside the bridge and I remember the clattering sound that the cars made as they drove over the bridge. All three bridges are made of wood. All three bridges are very interesting. As far as I understand it, the bridges are owned by the railway company who does not want to maintain them. I think this is a municipal election issue and I think about it as I walk down a three lane one way street with my back to the traffic. My world is remapped by the closing of this bridge. Some would say that it's no big deal.
posted by Anne at 9:55 AM
1 Comments:
I think the deal is pretty big. I think the smell of creosote wood and the deterioration of a bridge is worth note, probably because of the history embedded there. I remember the tunnel under the tracks at McNab between Bold St and the YWCA. Going under is a distinct feature of a place. And deteriorating concrete gives off radon daughters. I don't know what this means in terms of biological hazard, but i experience these odors as olfactory patinas as if to say everyone who walked here breathed this.
We (my son "Q" and I) walk everywhere possible. We also have dog walks, which are a separate category. The focal point is grass. There's Italian, Trout, Kentucky, Lewinski, Hastings, Windy 5. And we modify, for example: Lewinski Plus or Lewinski Flush. Lewinski Flush is the basic requisite dog walk. Italian Plus or Kentucky are deluxe dog destinations, but all of the routes involve at least 5 blocks of monotony. Today we did the 18 minute Lewinksi Flush because the weather is like Act One of the Scottish Play. And we must be like the weird sisters because no one else was out today, on foot. We're looking at wellingtons, rain coat, rain pants, hoodie, layers, and gloves to do these walks for the next 4 months.
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