October 19, 2016
by David Ryan
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A Stairway Walk in Milwaukee

Last week while on a whirlwind trip to the Midwest, my dog Petey and I ran into a string of stairways in Milwaukee that we were not expecting to find. We had stopped in Milwaukee to take pictures of buildings made out of Milwaukee “cream style” brick. In the late 19th century Milwaukee was known as the “Cream City” because of the prevalence of the brick.

After taking some photos, We wandered into a one-time industrial area a little northwest of downtown Milwaukee that is rapidly being converted into housing. Ironically, We parked our car across the street from an old cream style brick tavern undergoing renovation and started walking.

Right across the street from the tavern was a relatively new stairway at the intersection of Vine and Hubbard.

This is a nice example of a cream style brick tavern. At one time, there was always a tavern within walking distance in the Midwest. neighborhood taverns in the Midwest.

This is a nice example of a cream style brick tavern. At one time, there was always a tavern within walking distance in the Midwest.

This stairway is right across the street from the tavern and an extension of Vine Street.

This stairway is right across the street from the tavern and an extension of Vine Street.

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July 23, 2016
by David Ryan
7 Comments

Wandering to the World Famous “Hollywood” Sign

Earlier this week my daughter Amy, grandson Jake, and I had the opportunity to link up in Los Angeles and walk to the world famous Hollywood sign. When we started planning our get-together, I contacted Bob Inman, the author of “Finding Los Angeles by Foot”, for a good walking route to the sign. The route he mapped out for us and the walk itself were both fantastic. And if you plan on doing some exploring in Los Angeles, Bob’s book is an amazing resource for finding hidden stairways and paths throughout the area.

Our route started at the granite gate on Beachwood at the entrance of Hollywoodland. As most of you probably know, the Hollywood sign used to say Hollywoodland. The sign was built in the 1920s to promote a housing development of the same name in the Hollywood Hills. Sometime in the late 1940s the sign lost its last four letters and was shortened to Hollywood. The sign was completely refurbished in the late 1970s.

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As you can see by the plaque on the gate, the neighborhood was developed around 1923. You will see the gray granite many times along the way!

As you can see by the plaque on the gate, the neighborhood was developed around 1923. You will see the gray granite many times along the way!

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June 8, 2016
by David Ryan
7 Comments

Wandering on an Amazing Mesa in New Mexico

As mentioned many times in this blog, a basic tenet of the Gentle Art of Wandering is that you’ll find something special every time you wander even in the most unsuspecting of places. A good example of this is a mesa in the backcountry about forty miles or so southwest of Albuquerque.

The mesa itself is generally 300 feet tall and approximately ten miles in length. Its width varies from one to three miles. From a geologic point of view, the mesa has a volcanic lava cap (basalt) with an underlying base of sedimentary rock (typically limestone). There is an extinct volcano at the south end of the mesa and much of the limestone has been transformed into travertine.

The ownership of the mesa is a checkerboard of public (Bureau of Land Management) and private ranch land. The portion of the mesa on public land is open for you to explore.

As you can see, there is nothing particularly special to notice about the mesa.

As you can see, there is nothing that immediately grabs you as particularly special when you approach the mesa from the east. You’ll have to do some exploring to discover its specialness.

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