Summer is a season for journeys.
Gayle Harper, author of an upcoming book entitled, “Surrendering to Serendipity: The Mississippi Great Mother Road,” recently spoke at a Southeast Rotary luncheon about her travels from the headwaters of the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. She planned her trip to mimic the 90 days it takes a raindrop to cover the 2,350 miles.
That colorful expedition reminded me of my quest to visit all 50 states before my 30th birthday, the 22 Major League Baseball parks I’ve visited and the thousands of international travelers who make the pilgrimage to drive Route 66 every year.
Dreaming up new lists of faraway places to conquer is invigorating, but there is no shortage of rewarding experiences right here in Springfield.
Backyard treasuresSummer is the perfect time to venture out into areas not on the daily routine. Here are five things I aspire to do by the end of August:
- Find three new locally owned stores and buy a gift for someone in each.
- Spend a lunch hour reading a book from the Park Central Branch Library on the square.
- Attend the Commercial Street City Market at least once a month. Yes, there is a farmers market north of Sunshine Street, and this one offers the added bonus of great train watching.
- Walk Jordan Valley Park from stem to stern.
- Visit our downtown friends in Farmers Park (Studio 417, Aviary Cafe and Five Pound Apparel) who have bright and shiny second locations.
Center city is filled with intriguing entrepreneurs, authentic places and grassroots events. Make an effort to find the undiscovered treasures in your backyard.
On a different note, a couple of recent conversations struck a chord on the outlook for downtown development.
Empty nestingA Strafford High School classmate stopped by the office last week to share that he and his bride were entering a new season of life as empty nesters. They just moved into a loft on Campbell Avenue as their son was returning home from his honeymoon.
That transition was made far less scary by a recent casual gathering at Mud Lounge with three downtown couples in their 50s and beyond.
Each couple enthusiastically shared stories of how they loved loft living. They all had a summer filled with international travel and appreciated the freedom of just locking the door and heading to the airport.
They had gladly traded yard mowing and the chores of home ownership for sidewalk cafes, cultural events and less time in the car.
With hundreds of housing units coming online downtown in the next 18 months, it was reassuring to observe these couples as the early pioneers for future baby boomers and millenials, who will join them in savoring a simplified lifestyle.
Leaving fingerprintsMatthew Miller the Vecino Group will have many years before he becomes an empty nester. He, his wife Stacey, and their two young daughters were in Park Central Square for the June First Friday Artwalk.
They were enjoying the free Candy Coburn concert and participating in the multiple activities provided by Gig Salad.
It doesn’t seem like that long ago Matthew was a budding entrepreneur. He opened The Bar Next Door on South Avenue with the help of the city of Springfield at a time when few others embraced his vision for the future of downtown.
Two decades later, he, Stacey and his business partners work in a trendy office on C-Street and are midway through their game-changing Big Three projects on Jefferson Avenue: Frisco, The U and Sky Eleven.
Matthew is someone who is actively leaving his fingerprints on downtown. Makes me wonder what it will be like for his girls to share with their children.
Journeys take many forms. They can be ambitious or exotic or to previously forgotten corners. They can represent transitions to different stages in life.
They can be of rebuilding a downtown one storefront at a time.
Whatever journey you undertake this summer, make it one to remember.
Rusty Worley, executive director of Urban Districts Alliance, can be reached at rusty@itsalldowntown.com.
