Walking Home... Again

Bicycling: 5.2 miles in :80:00 min @ 3:45 p.m.
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 70°F, 43% Humidity, Wind: From N @ 8 mph; feels like 70°F.
Course: Home from my wife's office in downtown Rochester, NY.

This morning my wife told me that she was thinking about walking the 2.5 miles home from her work today. She has been walking during lunch regularly with a friend, who happens to be out of town for the next few days. Anne works in the city, and being a little concerned (needlessly), I told her I would walk to work so that I could accompany her home, which is what I did.

I run over the same area probably every other week (at least), but just as things look a little different when you you bicycle or run past them (or drive), the streets and building took on a slightly different affect during my walks out and back. While some of the community "landmarks", such as those pictured in this post, remain, the spirit and energy of the workday environment of our downtown has changed significantly.

As a high-schooler, I spent quite a bit of time in the city; taking buses to and from after school activities, playing hooky, hanging out... and now the city is much different, almost a pale shadow of its former self. Gone are the store fronts, crowds waiting for the bus, or people just milling about the metropolis. Even the preachers who used to yell for us to "Repent!" are gone, too, replaced by the occasional teenager swearing coarsely on their cell phone.

Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!W