Oct 10, 2016

See with your feet

A few days ago, I jogged through downtown Akron for the first time. I’m a slow runner; I only head out a few times a week. The scenic route I had planned was detoured down to Main Street. I had hoped to stay right along the canal, but I followed the orange signs.

A few years ago, on a now-deleted blog, I wrote about how running helped me feel connected to a city that otherwise felt very foreign to me. (I lived in Oklahoma City for seven years before returning to Ohio in June 2016.) I experienced a similar sensation in Akron the other day — though I grew up in a suburb of Akron, I’ve never known the city itself very well. As I run, I’m relearning Akron and renewing my connections to this place.

The first surprise on my slow run: bike lanes on Main St.

In the grand scheme, a bike lane is no big deal. But like many American cities, cars have been king here. Akron has been reinventing itself ever since the rust settled in and the rubber hit the road. When you see downtown Akron in the middle of a weekday, it’s not packed with car traffic. Why not take some of the downtown lane space and make it bike-friendly? I am encouraged when I see cities taking steps to make spaces more versatile.

My cousin works in this building — I think. He does something related to getting people to wash their hands. Or at least not drink the Purell.

When I jog or walk through a place, I get more time to see it. I see the company where my cousin — the one who hated cheese when he was little — spends his days. “He’s in there somewhere right now,” I think. “Maybe I’ll see him if he walks somewhere nearby for lunch.” (I didn’t see him.)

While every city has its corporate offices, downtown canals and locks are rare. The greater Akron area has embraced the canal that once connected Lake Erie to the Ohio River and it now features hike-bike paths and mini history lessons.

The white cage to the left of the canal is a mock canal boat — you can stand inside and experience its confines.

When you take your time through a city, you can build a diverse story. Akron is a place where renewal is happening, where corporations still thrive, and where history is preserved alongside recreation.

One other thing about Akron:

The view from the center of Lock 3, a downtown park and entertainment venue.

Do I even need to explain this? Perhaps, to elaborate, I’ll offer the Google Map view of Lock 3 Park:

Take a look at the S Main St diagonal line.

In this part of town, Main St is King James Way.

Enough has been said about LeBron elsewhere; I’ll just say that his philanthropic devotion to the people of Akron is a big part of what inspired me to move home and change careers to nonprofit work. I only hope I can do something a little useful.

In the meantime, I’m going to keep running around town, reconnecting to this gritty place.