Today I had a very long ride in the park. It was just so beautiful I couldn't stop riding. Friday through Monday I had walkes in the park because of the rain or threatening rain. Then Tuesday I rode again, but about dusk. I got up early Wednesday morning and rode again. Thursday and now Friday I had morning rides, which included a stop in the Central West End for coffee and an hour or so reading my book.
However, today I saw a MOST ENCOURAGING SIGN: people sitting on benches in the park, just soaking up the sun. That's been something one has seldom seen for many years. There WERE about 5-6 benches along the bike trail along Lindell (they are TEMPORARILY DOWN as they are building a new walking trail parallel to the bike trail and next to the golf course). There were people there a lot since there are always lots of people on the bike trail -- not all biking -- walkers, joggers, roller bladers, bikers, and even babies in carriages.
But in the less populated areas there are virtually NEVER people sitting on benches. This morning in front of the Muny there was one man laying out fully on his back on a bench reading The New York Times. Over farther, sitting all alone facing the morning sun was a woman.
I was really encouraged. As you know I’ve spent a lot of time in Vienna and one of the many things I love about that city is that every cool day and even the coldest of winter days, when the sun does shine (and it doesn't shine much in the winter) the park benches, and there are thousands of them, are just lined with people basking in the sun and using their many parks.
It was just so pleasant to me to see the park attracting people to just come and sit or come to read the newspaper.
On Tuesday evening when I was riding just before dusk, along the new trail that is just past the Muny toward Union, there was a man and woman who had lugged large chaise lounge type lawn chairs over to the new wetlands area, crossed the little river on the rocks, and had stretched out in the sun and were having a picnic with an attractive bottle of wine sitting on the ground near them. I wanted to stop and have a glass with them!!!
I am so hopeful that the park will become such a place for the people of St. Louis to gather, enjoy the outdoors, bask in the sun, enjoy the beauty that is there, and then, who knows, maybe drive on over to Dogtown to eat in one of our fine restaurants.
The traffic of people in the park is really picking up.
EVERYDAY, 7 days a week one finds large numbers of people at:
That's a ton of folks. Thousands each day.
Smaller numbers use other facilities, Triple A, Jewel Box, the ball fields for soccer and softball, picnic grounds (mainly on Saturday and Sunday), the Steinberg skating rink, lots of fishing going on in the Jefferson Lake, lots, boat riding in the lagoon system.
Join the party and get back in touch with our back yard.
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