Wide Open Spaces
When I turned off Clifton and onto Manor Park, the first thing I noticed were the enormous tree lawns. I’ve heard that the city owns our tree lawns, and if that is the case then half of most of these front yards are part of our municipality. I snapped a picture looking north a few houses from Clifton showing the divide.
What it does give Manor Park is the feeling of a wide-open boulevard. I found myself whistling the chorus to the Dixie Chicks song “Wide Open Spaces” as I strolled down the street. The entire street was filled with amazing homes, many with cool landscaping and front porches turned into unique living spaces. Grace is still my favorite street so far, but Manor Park would definitely be in the Top 10.
When I approached the railroad tracks, I noticed that the sidewalks curved in towards the street, making the tree lawns south of the railroad tracks “normal” sized. The topography of Manor Park also revealed itself. The street is flat from Clifton to just before the railroad tracks. Then there is a large hump on both sides of the tracks, before finishing with a steep incline up to Detroit. I took a picture of my tandem to try to give you a sense of the ramp. I pictured the Dukes of Hazard General Lee car speeding down Manor Park and then launching into the air at the tracks to jump over Rosco P. Coltrane’s police car.
I had to try this stunt myself. After finishing my walk to Detroit, I got on the tandem and sped back down the incline and over the tracks. I pulled up on my handlebars and got about a 2-inch vertical on my front tire. Not exactly what I imagined, but this 50-year-old popping a wheelie had me feeling young at heart.
