Monday, January 20, 2014

Saint Paul Walks

In our ongoing attempts to make Summit more walkable, we're happy to support: St. Paul Walks: Citywide Pedestrian Safety Campaign Saint Paul Walks is the new citywide pedestrian safety campaign! We work to make St. Paul safer for people of all ages to get around by foot, stroller, or wheelchair through awareness, education, and outreach. Everyone is a pedestrian at some point during their day - once they leave their car, bike, or bus. Every intersection is a crosswalk, whether it's marked or unmarked - it’s the law. Our goal is to make the streets safer for everyone and provide a voice for pedestrians. A coalition of volunteers from across Saint Paul have joined together to focus on getting drivers to slow down for pedestrians. Do you care about pedestrian safety? Do you want to ensure that the roads of Saint Paul are safe for everyone? Join us in building a citywide pedestrian safety campaign! · Sign the pledge to Stop for Pedestrians at www.stpaulwalks.org and receive a free bumper magnet! · Follow us on facebook: www.facebook.com/stpaulwalks · Contact Callie Recknagel at callie@macgrove.org or 651-695-4000 to learn more and get involved.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Skating on Summit

Saint Paul has its fair share of skating rinks at its rec centers. They usually have warming houses; some, like Groveland, even have their own zambonis; and of course, there's the skating rink set up off of Rice Park, by Landmark Center, for our own sense of Rockefeller Plaza. But, for the true old-fashioned neighborhood rink sense, nothing beats the small rink at Nathan Hale park.

We hit it today with a kindergartener with a new sense of skates, after feeling housebound with the recent spate of cold. Even on a beautiful winter day, it was quiet and peaceful. It had been shoveled somewhat, and not long after we arrived, a woman arrived who proceeded to skate about gracefully while clearing snow with the shovel she brought from home (a move that greatly impressed our daughter).

It's not a fancy rink. But there's a bench to tie on your skates, and a homey sense, and lots of neighbors walking by with their dogs, and great views. 

Highly recommended.