New Rush Hour
Most of the time I do my streets at either 7:30 a.m. before I head off to work, or around 5:30 p.m. right after I get home from work. I do notice that streets are always busy around 5:30 p.m. as I think most people finish up work around 5:00 p.m., but I have been surprised how many people are leaving their homes at 7:30 a.m.
Estill is a “T” shaped “No Outlet” street heading north off Edgewater just east of Lakewood Park. As I explored the street, I looked down the northeast section and the two divided driveways reminded me of a highway. Despite there only being 9-10 houses on Estill, there was plenty of traffic this morning. Five different cars were pulling out of their driveways during the five minutes I was on the street around 7:30 a.m. There was also a dog walker to add to the activity.
As I passed Lakewood Catholic Academy by Lakewood Park on the way home it was about 7:45 a.m. and it was also jam-packed. This must be the prime drop-off time for school and day care, further supporting my hypothesis that the real Rush Hour in Lakewood might be earlier than 8-9 a.m.
Another cool thing I noticed was a playhouse in one of the backyards. I had a treehouse that I built with my Dad at my first house growing up, and I have fond memories of climbing the ladder and hanging out with NO ADULTS. We used to play kickball in the backyard with the added challenge of trying to kick the ball through the treehouse open window. This playhouse looks snazzier than mine was, and I’m sure it has provided hours of fun as well.