10.2 miles in Parkside/Sunset

March 30, 2010

10.2 miles in Parkside/Sunset

I got a new phone that streams Pandora radio which made the walk FLY by. Music is definitely the way to go. It set my tempo and my mood. So swell.

Welcome to Parkside. It's a neighborhood tucked in the middle of the Sunset District. It's called Parkside because ~ you guessed it ~ it's beside a park. A nice park, too, I might add.

You can tell you are in Parkside because many of the businesses use the word in their name.

The houses are standard fare.

The black one is my favorite.

Let's talk about the landscaping for a minute. Every house gets one cement path to the garage and one to the front door or stairs. That leaves two segments, to either install flower beds (as seen above) or lawn. Every house puts their own spin on this format.

Some put in fresh grass and hope for the best.

Some install astrolawn for a zero maintenance look.

While others paint the ground green to look like lawn is supposed to be there.

Imperfection need not apply.

Some people fill their beds with stones.

Some people go all out and stuff their beds full of flair.

While others just do the bare minimum.

Some people even put decorative tiles in their driveway.

I think this is a nice touch.

Martha Stewart says the front door makes a home.

I said it before, and I'll say it again: when it comes to Volkswagons, always double down.

This is probably the most attractive elementary school I've ever seen.

And this is probably the creepiest use of a mannequin I have ever seen.

At one point on Wawona Street, the road sort of splits and traffic cannot pass through the park, which requires a little off-road walking to get to the other side. The sun was starting to set about this time and it was really REALLY beautiful in the park.