1/23/2010 Downtown Burlington

Today I decided to make a Saturday morning Starbucks run and then go for a walk from there.  I envisioned strolling down the street, sipping my cup of coffee. Then reality hit and I realized how hard it would be to be holding a cup of coffee while I was trying to take pictures or check my walking pace on my phone, so the coffee stayed in the car while I walked.  The town I live in, Burlington, is probably like a lot of small towns. The downtown area is old, only a few blocks long, and while a bit busy, not too vibrant.  A few blocks a away from downtown is a small mall, and lots of big box stores: Costco, Best Buy, Home Depot and the like.  I don't go downtown very often; mostly if I do, it's either to the Post Office or the bank, so today I decided I my walk would be through downtown.  I was actually impressed at the amount of traffic. Lots of people at the banks and local restaurants for breakfast and the hardware store seemed busy--must be that Saturday rush to get things done around the house.  I only passed 2 people on the streets walking, and for a bit I trailed a man in his scooter.  I let him go ahead of me because I thought he'd be faster, but I'll be darned if I didn't have to slow my pace to keep from running him over.  The fact that he was also smoking, and ran off the sidewalk and into the grass a couple of times, made me relieved when he abruptly exited the sidewalk, crossed the street and headed back from where he had come.  What I did notice was that our little town is getting old and needs some sort of pick-me-up.  This sign is an example of what I am talking about.

Now this doesn't make it too inviting to drop in on that restaurant. Actually, I don't even know if it's still open, but it has been there for as long as I have been in the area, over 30 years.  It only took me about 10 minutes to walk through the actual downtown area and then I was into the neighborhoods.  Lots of old small homes line the streets, with very little action this morning.  I did wonder if the people in this house were expecting a flood...

If a flood comes, I guess they will be ready. I hope it's not in their yard as lawn decoration.  The day was fairly pleasant. Still no rain, mid 40s outside, and a good day for a walk!  You can see my route here:  http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/606100