European Flare
This is my 39th street and Lakewood continues to surprise me with unique locations around every corner. As I looked up the 4th out of 5 Clifton streets this morning, I noticed it was called “Clifton Prado”.
If I was playing Jeopardy and the Category was “European Museums” the question “What is Prado?” might be answered with “The National Museum of Art in Madrid, Spain named for the Spanish and Portuguese word for meadow”. Can you tell I have been watching the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions this week?
So as I was biking to Clifton Prado I was hoping for a European vibe. I was not disappointed. The street is a one-way “C” shaped street that loops from Beach back to Beach just north of the railroad tracks. As soon as I started down the street I noticed the 5 MPH speed limit sign – The slowest I have seen yet. I haven’t noticed speed limits signs on most of Lakewood’s side streets, but this one encourages drivers to SLOW WAY DOWN and seemed to fit with the quaint European feel of the street. The tree lawns had streetlamps and there was a curved sidewalk with street parking by the railroad tracks. Several of the two-family homes even looked like they were finished with stucco.
The best part was a cool pocket park that emerged near the north end of the street. It looked brand new and was totally unexpected. I propped my vintage bike up for a quick picture and it seemed to fit right in with the surroundings. I’m glad I had a chance to explore this Prado today.
