Back to the Onondaga Creekwalk: Part II

So in continuing with my creekwalk discovery, I took some pictures along the section that I hadn't traversed yet; the portion between Franklin Square and Carousel Mall.

Overall, I really enjoyed it. It's nice that this is actually here. As a Downtown resident, getting a bit of the urban / city feel mixed with water and nature is rare and a great combination that I really can't wait to take more advantage of come summertime.

Plenty of pictures after the jump...




Aaaaand some of the paint has already faded. That's good though, right? That means it's being walked on and utilized, yes? Or is it cheap paint?



I thought this was very interesting. I must've missed it before (it's a really small detail, as you can see). It's a "1934" marking underneath the 690 overpass. I'm guessing that's one of the rail bridge sections from when the city elevated the trains in the 1930's. Just look at how well it's held up compared to the sections in the forefront that were built decades later.

New waypoint signs. Very nice.



Franklin Square...




I love the brick. It blends in so well with the old warehouse buildings.



Further north along the trail...



There's some interesting lamp posts here too.



Probably one of the smartest things they did when they redesigned Franklin Square was keeping some of the old bridges. It creates a really nice walking experience.




Some old stonework heading off of the trail. The things we don't do anymore...




The next several pictures were pretty cool. I wasn't expecting to see an old railroad bridge or a dam along the trail.





Some expected and unexpected buildings...





I thought it was a little awkward at this point. You basically walk by a storage lot for the city and an unused parking lot.




The (hopefully) soon to be redeveloped Inner Harbor.



Some pics further north of the harbor...







I stopped here...



I see you, Density Destiny USA.



To take the trail further north, you walk along Hiawatha Boulevard and head down underneath and then walk north under the overpass. I didn't really feel like continuing. I was short on time, but there's also something a little awkward about this spot. I actually hung out here for a bit to take it all in. Cars are whizzing by at about 35-45 mph... You're right next to a mall that doesn't encourage pedestrians... There's a sewage treatment plant to the left of you.... It's just not very encouraging for walkers or bicyclists. That isn't saying it can't be improved.

I kind of wandered around on my walk back to Downtown (I mean, how often do you get to walk around the isolated area directly north of 690?).

Burns Bros Building. I've always loved this one. Not a flattering picture though. You can see First Presbyterian Church popping up in the background.



Walking next to 690, it's hard not to see the trash. And my God, the trash!!!




I'm getting to the point in my life where I'm discovering that things like this don't fix themselves. I may actually make a day of it in the summer and pick all this sh*t up. Granted, nobody really walks over here, so it goes unseen, but that amount of trash is so incredibly ugly and demoralizing.

OK you can inhale how. Fresh air...



No, this is not Endor. I thought this was a quaint little access road leading into the center of Franklin Square.



What's nice about the Creekwalk in this area is that you can venture off and still feel comfortable. I hate saying "nooks and crannies", but there's a lot of them here.



As you discover if you've walked it before, each portion of the creekwalk has its own personality going on. Different trails, different feels, different architecture. There's water, there's nature, you interact with Downtown a little bit and yet you're close to some intimate surroundings. It's very nice. The more I use it, the more I like it.

We'll see how it holds up and what kind of developments can be make over the next several years. So far, so good, I'd say. My one issue is that the sections all seem to work for a little bit, and then they feel very disconnected from one another at certain points (the Genesee St area is a good example - so is Hiawatha Blvd). It's a tricky balance and right now I'd say it leans a bit on the not-so-good side in making pedestrians feel comfortable and safe around street traffic. Other than that though, it's great how the city has pumped new life into areas along the creek. What were once dead spots of the city are now active and exposed to new people. And in the process nothing was demolished. Bonus.

This was on a weekday evening and I counted maybe 30 to 40 people along the way. Suffice it to say, I think everything is working nicely so far.