One of America's most beautiful neighborhoods to run

I've run in so many beautiful places in American cities.  I've run Town Lake in Austin, over the Golden Gate Bridge, on the sands of Manhattan Beach, the West Side Highway in New York, the Hollywood Hills in L.A., the Cleveland Park neighborhood of D.C., Charleston, S.C.'s Rainbow Row, up steep hills in Salt Lake City, along snow-filled yards in St. Paul - Minneapolis and past Army barracks at Fort Knox, Kentucky. These, and too many others, have been runs that I savor not only because they offer good training grounds for road races, but also because of the beautiful and varied scenery they provide. I've been to Memphis half a dozen times, but this week, before my Real Role Models book signing  at Davis-Kidd, I went for a run in the city's Evergreen Historic District alongside Overton Park and fell in love.

Having spent part of my childhood in Greenville, S.C., I've long been a fan of those Southern-styled homes that don brick exteriors, large grassy yards and comfy porches, but I think Memphis takes the cake as far as I'm concerned.

Tree-lined streets

with names like Stonewall and Avalon;

where vinyl does not exist,

and privacy is measured by nature, not acreage.

 

"Getting a trim" is a landscaping reference.

Class is measured not counted.

Trees grown heavenward;

and you call each other neighbors, because you live in a neighborhood.

Comments

[doug moody]

this is my favorite diatribe yet. i love running, and great houses too.

[slieandco@gmail.com]

Im gonna go with echo park la!