With gas prices the way they are, cities around the country have been improving their public transportation systems. Although St. Louis has attempted to hop on board with the Metro Link and bus system, the city and county are still largely inaccessible through public transit. But, don’t give up just yet: bicycles to the rescue!
Great Rivers Greenway is an organization who has taken the initiative since 2004 to build bike trails through St. Louis, and its neighboring cities, to facilitate alternative transportation that encourages positive health and promotes local economy. The project is a sect of Americorps and mainly run through volunteer and community efforts. Most of us are familiar with one of their most famous outcomes from the project: Grant’s Trail. Extending 8 miles across southwest St. Louis County, it is an easy trail that houses many St. Louisan’s sunny afternoons. Although the bike trails are great as an afternoon destination, the goal is to extend the trails throughout St. Louis and its surrounding areas as a means of transport.
On the macro level, the project will help to promote health and wellness, community cohesion, and affordable transportation for our progressive city. Over the past 7 years, the organization has developed over 80 miles of on-street bike lanes throughout St. Louis City, Kirkwood, Clayton and Maplewood. Street bicycling can be intimidating, especially to newly procured cyclists. Adequate bike lanes provide a safety zone for your commute as well as cautioning neighborhood traffic in the area to be more aware of cyclists and share the road.
Bike safe and have fun St. Louis!
Written by Ciara Brewer on behalf of Monica Brewer
There are some things that you have to learn about your neighborhood the hard way: your next door neighbor’s affinity for weed eating at 6 am on Sundays, the closest 24-hour pharmacy stocked with ginger ale and saltine crackers, the army of rabbits waging World War III on your vegetable garden; however, there are some nuisances which are avoidable. When you buy a house, it is not just an architectural masterpiece, it is a little plot of land with a position in the world, a functional piece to the global puzzle of Earth. It is pivotal to understand the position, status and functionality of that puzzle piece and if it fits you and your lifestyle. Before scheduling your walk throughs, get an idea of the neighborhoods you are looking to buy in.
Identify the top 3 neighborhood qualities
There is no way to make this part of your home search any easier. Unfortunately it breaks down to the old tried and true way of decision making: a two column list of positive and negative attributes, followed by daunting reflection on the rating of importance for each one. The good news? Once you have identified the top 3 qualities, you can sit back and let the rest fall into place.
Do your homework
A simple google search is a great place to start, but your research shouldn’t end there. After getting an idea of the general location and layout of the neighborhood, start looking at how your top qualities align. Find out what is in walking distance, meander through the crime reports and the public school ratings. All of these factors can tell you a lot right off the bat about a neighborhood. It may be your dream home but there are no close coffee shops, bookstores or gyms, forcing you to far from home all the time.
Get out of your car and into the community
After doing your homework, it is important to get out and get to know your potential new neighborhood. Driving around the area can help you to tangibly assess the distances and get an overall impression, but you can miss a lot from sitting behind glass as opposed to walking around. Is it active? Quiet? Bustling? Are your neighbors engaging or reclusive? Also, take into consideration the time of the day it is. You may find that neighbors are more active in the evening than in the day or vice-versa. Your computer can guide your search, but GPS can’t assess the ambiance, meet neighbors or get a “gut instinct”.
In today’s vast landscape of instant communication and information exchange, it is becoming easier to think global but more difficult to act local. Living in a neighborhood you would like to participate in makes it easier to act locally and support local businesses, as well as saving your time for the more important things like reading the morning paper, making it to spinning class, or getting together with your friends and family. Narrowing your focus in searching for a new home can be overwhelming, but this is a great place to start tackling it.
Written by Ciara Brewer on behalf of Monica Brewer
