35th Street from Powderhorn Park to Lake Calhoun has plenty of running distractions.
Heading West, I passed the old Fire Station 17, which is now home to the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association and the Land Stewardship Project.
At Chicago, I passed the Pillsbury House Theater where King of Shadows is about to start a run.
Richard R. Green Central Park Community School is on the NW corner with 4th Ave S and to the SW is this historic gate to Markley Field:
What the heck is a gate doing here? It’s the old entrance to the football field at the old Minneapolis Central High School.
This sign on the side of B-Squad Vintage pays homage to another lost field, Nicollet Park. The ballpark was actually a few blocks North of the sign.
Don’t bring your dogs to Kitty Klinic.
It looks like Lyndale is going to be pretty awesome once construction finishes.
Aldrich Avenue Presbyterian Church publishes sermons to their website.
I won’t give away the location of this gallery.
CARAG’s neighborhood sign at Hennepin Ave is the most colorful I’ve seen to date.
Especially when compared to East Calhoun, who pairs it with a warning to their CARAG neighbors that they’re being watched.
Remember when Wave Salon was a Play it Again Sports? Maybe it’s just me.
35th St ends at Saint Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church, which was having its Greek Fest on the day I passed by. If you’ve ever walked around Lake Calhoun, you’ve probably caught a glimpse of the church’s gold dome.
Just North of the church on Irving, I stumbled across this curious sign for the Loon Lake Trolley Path. Trolley path? Just down the block on the bluff between the St Mary’s and Lake Calhoun, I found this:
A secret trail! How cool is that?
Haha, I always thought the same thing whenever I passed the Kitty Kat Klinic. And I lived in the East Calhoun neighborhood for years and NEVER found that trail – for shame!
Great running commentary Ed. I think you’re getting in touch with your inner city.
Good to see the shots of my old neighborhood, running routes and cat hospital.
We lived a few blocks from Markley Field starting in the mid-70s when my wife and I were starting distance running. One day, she came home excitedly after running a timed mile on the old cinder track around the football field.
I no longer remember her time, but it was dubiously fast. I went over to check out the track, and it was clearly tighter than the conventional round-the-gridiron oval. Turns out it was closer to a fifth of a mile, and she’d run just four laps. (Still, she became a good runner, one of the first women in the state to break three hours for the marathon.)
Yes, that trail in the last picture is a remnant of the streetcar line as it descended the bluff and followed along Lakewood Cemetery over to Lake Harriet. Other remnants of the old streetcar: 1) North of 34th st and west of Irving, there’s an odd double alley, with one alley at a slightly different level than the other. The west alley was the streetcar right-of-way 2) At the intersection of 31st and Irving, there is a building with a rounded corner that marks where the streetcar made a sharp turn from 31st St down towards the southwest.
I actually grew up a few blocks from that Play It Again Sports – my parents still live near there. And there are plenty of hidden trails amongst the lakes – though I;m guessing the sign is newer. 😀
Dude,
Where’s the Google Map of the route?
Looks like you are doing a lot of running Ed. Maybe We can meet up when I am in the Cities and cover a few streets and catch up.
@Matt, I added the map. There were so many sights, I blogged just the first half of the run.
You photographed my whole childhood! Thanks, great pics.