Walking on Summit

I did a Volksmarch Walk on Saturday that centered on Summit Avenue in Saint Paul. Summit Avenue is noted as being a well-preserved example of a Victorian residential boulevard. It was named as one the ten "great streets" in the United States by the American Planning Association. The houses in Summit were built primarily between 1890 - 1920. The oldest houses are the east end of the street and they become more modern as one moves west culminating at the Mississippi River.

Running parallel to Summit is Grand Avenue. Grand is now mixed, both residential houses and shops. Traditionally, Grand was shops. This is where the servants in the large houses on Summit would go to do the grocery shopping and shopping for all other necessities. There were and are no shops on Summit Avenue.

I drive these two streets many times a year, but seldom walk more than a block or two, so this walk provided a chance to see what one doesn't see while driving.

I had a chance to stop and study how the Nice Bike program works. One pays $6.00 and then has access to bikes for 24 hours. If a ride is less than 30 minutes then there is no further payment. Longer rides require a bit more payment. In other words, had I chosen a bike at this station, I could have riden it down the street to another bike street station, checked it in there, had lunch, checked out a bike and rode to movie theatre and checked in the bike there. As long as the rides are less than 30 minutes, no more payment.

I also saw things in yards I would not have noticed while driving.

And this frog -- way cute!

Saint Paul has a program for sidewalk poetry. Every once in awhile there is a call for submission of poems. Then the poems are cut into a piece of sidewalk. And of course, the only way one can read this poetry is to be walking and then "stumble" upon one. This one about Love is quite powerful. It was not signed so I don't know the author.










Of course, I saw many beautiful flowers. The early spring plus all the rain in May has left the city in a riot of flowers.

The home below shows all the flowers put together to make a lovely scene.

And here's another one -- a home I've never before noticed because it is set back from the street.

I came upon this home with a different view point and noticed how lovely is the entrance that's on the side of the home -- certainly probably once the main entry to the home for it would have been the place a horse carriage would arrive.

And the detail on this home can only truly be seen while walking.

No secret about the allegiance of this pick-up truck owner.

This church sign is also a sign of the times. Now an Armenian Church, but with a cornerstone announcing it was built in the early 20th century as the Merriam Park Presbyterian Church.

Came upon the bench below. From the distance I thought the oblong object might be a forgotten cell phone. However, it proved only to be a strap perhaps from a back pack. But I wondered how someone didn't notice walking away wearing only one shoe.

By this time, the temperature was getting well over 80 degrees (26+). I was glad the 10K route was coming to a close.

Hope you enjoyed this view of Summit Avenue by not even having to walk!