Kid Walk #2 is going to take you down a nice trail. You can leave your car on a side street off of 18th street close to the bridge over the railroad tracks. You'll start your adventure at 18th Street and Graham Avenue.
You will see a concrete path leading parallel to Graham Avenue south of 18th Street. This is your trail. It will take you and the kiddos through a very nice park complete with lots of grass, basketball hoops, a pavilion with tables and a playground. Stop to let the little ones play for a while before continuing down the trail under the railroad bridge.
It is a very nice walk next to the signature Arkansas River trees and grasses. Shortly, you will find yourself at a nice bridge crossing the Arkansas River. Our son likes to run back and forth across the bridge for a few minutes before we keep walking. At this junction, you can choose two directions: upriver towards the nature center or downriver towards the Riverwalk. It's a few miles to the Riverwalk, but it is worth the trip on a nice day. You can also just enjoy walking beside the river, looking for fish or even fishing!
Pueblo, Colorado is home to an uncountable number of world-class graffiti artists. This is not to say that every time some kid picks up a can of spray paint and tags a wall it is fine art. We all know that the truth is far from that. A lot of the best graffiti in town is not actually graffiti: it's contract art work that the owners of the homes and businesses actually pay for.
We will keep updating this article as we find new art around town, so check back from time to time.. There will be no distinctions made between legal and illegal paintings because we're not trying to find the contract work, we're trying to find the great art. That means that you're just as likely to see a train car as you are to see the side of a garage or under a highway bridge.
There will be no attention paid to the formatting on this piece. Instead, just click on the first image that catches your eye, and that will open up the lightbox so you can see the images in better detail.
Enough yappin'! On to the art!
The images above are from before May 21st. More to come.
This is current as of May 24th, 2013 - more to come.
Drop-off: 15th and Santa Fe - Mineral Palace Gardens
Pick-up: 18th and Tuxedo
There are many famous locations in Pueblo, Colorado that are practically iconic when showing turn of the twentieth century Colorado. Grand Avenue, Santa Fe Avenue and Elizabeth Street are perfect examples of classic historical Pueblo. Stately manors and gardens line these streets and one can not help but be struck by the beauty and grandeur of these areas.
It should be noted, however, that the history of this beautiful city is not entirely confined to the spectacular dwellings of the wealthy of yesteryear. 17th Street is a perfect example of this: It allows us to walk through two Pueblos, if you would. There is the Pueblo of marble, concrete, brick and bronze, and there is the Pueblo of wood, stucco and spray paint. Each is equally beautiful, and each is equally significant for both the past and the present.
Pueblo is a city of valor. The call of duty has sounded several times since the foundation of this city, and the young men and women of the region were quick to answer that call. There are more Medal of Honor recipients here than almost anywhere else in the United States. What can I say? The heat and the hard work were the perfect forge for fighting men.
It is with this in mind that we start our walk at the Lake Clara Bridge in Mineral Palace Gardens. This bridge has been dedicated to all veterans of all armed forces. Little did they know when they were building it that another world war was about to break out. At one time, Mineral Palace was the home of the Colorado State Fair. To be honest, though, the history is everywhere, and I'm trying to tell you about the walk.
The Gardens are a day unto themselves. There is enough to check out both there and in the immediate vicinity to keep a person busy for quite some time. That said, cut through the center of the park and make your way toward the mouth of 17th Street. There's a statue of a lady in the middle of the park you can use as a landmark. Pay her a visit on your way through and keep heading toward the west. This is the gilded Pueblo. The one of marble and bronze. As you head west on 17th through the Parkview Hospital Campus, you'll notice beautiful homes and gardens from the late 1800's and early 1900's. It is almost impossible to capture this through photography. I will share a few of my feeble attempts, but the simple fact is, if you want to fully appreciate the beauty of the area, you've gotta take a walk.
Parkview itself is a spectacular blend of several periods of Pueblo history. There is a Swiss chalet-style building that is attached to a brick monster that is attached to a steel bridge that is attached to a parking garage. It's easy to just dismiss the entire area as a typical hospital campus, but closer examination reveals an amalgamation of styles and techniques that you may not find anywhere else.
What you see here is just one jewel in the crown of Pueblo. As you work your way west, we find our
way from the crown into the body. There are classic structures and landscapes lining this portion of 17th, and they work their way up the in in increasing grandeur and then find their way in a smooth gradient towards the humble yet beautiful homes of working class Pueblo. This area is a photographer's dream and nightmare all at once. You find compelling images everywhere you look, but there are a dozen obstacles to framing the perfect shot. Everything from respecting the privacy of the neighbors to the scorching sun and fast fall-off shadows will have you planning future trips when the light, vegetation and people are right.
Once you pass this marble wonder, you'll see the gradient from big bucks to
normal people from the top of the hill. In less than ten minutes, you'll go from the heights to the hood. One thing you'll see, though, is the soul of a resilient people doing their best to make their little corner of the world more beautiful. As the houses get tinier and tinier, the attention to detail doesn't change. You can see that the hands that worked the marble and the steel lived right down the way, and they lent the palatial beauty of the large structures to their homes and neighborhoods.
You see the same pride as you see on Grand Ave mixed with the whimsy of people of less pretension. This is the Pueblo of wood and stucco. To me, the tiny house to the right is of almost greater historical significance than all of the big stuff downtown. These are the architectural styles of the people. Here is the art of the majority of the populace, and here is a history that may not all be as well
preserved as some of the more celebrated areas of town. Here is a history that our generations will bear witness to but our great grand children may never get to see.
Keep heading west on 17th Street until you get to Hooper Avenue, and you will be greeted by the fine art of the new world. Academics don't yet have names for the techniques at work here, but that doesn't reduce the artistry one bit. In fact, one could say that Rembrandt and his methods have been so strongly copied and codified that the actual soul of the art has been lost. What you see is the hip-hop of the painting world. Lyricism and rhythm are put to color and held in one place to move the hearts and minds of any who would are to open up to the artistry.
Graffiti lovers from Colorado ought to know about 'creatures'. Graffiti haters
probably do, too. The work of this legendary collective in on bold display on this corner, and it is worth seeing no matter what your aesthetic preferences are. The use of color and shading absolutely boggles the mind, and the mutations that the alphabet can undergo are as refreshing as they are confusing.
If you got dropped off for the walk, this is a good time to call your ride and have them start heading toward the corner of 18th and Tuxedo.
Once you unglue your eyes from the awesomeness that is this area, make your way north on Hooper Avenue until you get to 18th Street. Take 18th Street south until you cross the railroad bridge, and take a minute to reflect on everything you see from up there. To the distance in the south, you can past the rail yard and on to the steel mill. You can see the dense foliage that marks the Arkansas river, and beyond that the Wet Mountains. Pan your eyes to the north, and you can see the Mosquito Range and the Pike's Peak Massif.
This combination of features is what caused people to build the city here, and it is also what almost made this place the capitol of Colorado. It's also what makes Pueblo such a cool place to live right now. The steel mill is not only one of the largest employers in the region, it is now also one of the largest recyclers in the western United States. The railroad is another old world relic that is once again becoming the wave of the future.
By the time you get done soaking up the view, your ride should have arrived at the corner of 18th and Tuxedo, which is a short walk down the west end of the bridge. If you left your car at Mineral Palace and you're up for a few extra miles, try taking Tuxedo north until it ends and zig-zag your way north and east to 29th Street. From there, head east to Elizabeth and south back to Mineral Palace. It's a long walk, but it will bring you through 150 years and a ton of different ways of life.
My son loves playgrounds, but my son is 20 months old, so any one playground will only keep him occupied for so long. Lucky for anyone in this situation, Pueblo, Colorado has no shortage of city parks and playgrounds. I'd go so far as to say that Pueblo has the best city parks system in southern Colorado.
On the other side of the coin, there are times when I just don't want to play on the swings or the slides. I want to check out something that I think is cool. I like history, both architectural and literary. Pueblo is rich in both, and there are relics worth seeing in the form of monuments, plaques and buildings. Lucky for all of us, a lot of that is worked right into the parks system.
Kid walk 1 was devised to go from kid fun to adult interest and back to kid fun.
Ditch the car at the park at 29th St. and Franklin on the west side of Pueblo. There's a school there, so there's actually a total of three playgrounds on the same complex. Since it's half city park, half school, if the school is in session, there is still one playground. If it's a day off, there are awesome options ranging from tot parks to the mega big kid slides. A large field of grass and beautiful trees accompany the toys, as well as a gazebo with a barbecue grill for cookouts.
Let the kid or kids goof off until your adult mind has had enough and you're ready to wander. Then, suggest to the kid(s) that it's time for an adventure and head east on 29th street. Even though the street is pretty busy, it's worth walking on just to pass the dentist's office. Down to Earth Dental is in a cool enough building that it is worth the noise to check it out.
Head east on 29th until you reach Elizabeth, and then cut south into the median park. This is a mixed adult/kid environment. The location of the park is in the middle of a busy commercial area, and the serenity of the island is immediately bordered by the hustle and bustle of Pueblo. There are monuments to veterans of several historical conflicts, basketball courts, and a bathroom stop for the middle of this adventure. Take a minute, especially at the north end of the park, to appreciate the actual age and condition of the monuments that are there. Reflect on the sacrifices and triumphs of the forefathers of this city, and admire the craftsmanship and the kindness of the years at the same time.
If you didn't bring a basketball, the kid(s) won't think that this park is worth really stopping in. They will, however, think that it is super cool to move through. One of the things that I am constantly struck by is the creativity and beauty of Pueblo's parks. These guys did what they could with what they had, and the results are really cool. Whether deliberately or as a consequence of the geography, the median park on Elizabeth is just plain awesome. It stretches over five blocks, and it's worth it to head all the way down.
If you're lucky enough to be there while it's open, you're going to notice a lot of commotion at the south end of the park. That commotion is Burritos Betty. The smell will pull you in, and the prices will blow you away. Even if you don't stop and eat, the smell will tell you why Burritos Betty is so busy.
Head west back across Elizabeth and north up to 27th Street for the final leg of this adventure. Three blocks west will bring you to a small neighborhood park that is perfect for a final play stop. There are some cool gardens around the park, and the berm work around the barbecue area is cool enough unto itself. This is another one of the neighborhood parks in Pueblo, Colorado that will have you impressed with the casual elegance and creativity that went into designing and implementing it all.
Let the kid(s) play until they're beat if you've got someone who is going to pick you up, or let them get just close enough to head back to 29th Street and Franklin Avenue.
Finish this adventure, Kid Walk #1, and you will be a happy parent in a happy entourage!
"Why in God's name would anyone want to know walking routes in Pueblo?!?"
If you said that when you saw this, this blog is NOT for you. Pueblo, Colorado is hot, dry, (and muggy at the same time), sprawling, and there are major service gaps where a person who needs a drink or needs to pee will have to walk at least a mile for a remedy. Pueblo pedestrians are hard core by nature.
If you are looking to buy a house in Pueblo, or if you're looking to vacation here, these routes can be life savers. If your car broke down, they can be even more so. Railroad tracks, drainage ditches, the river, parks and large private properties section the city into a bunch of smaller areas that tack extra miles onto every drive. Walking is actually one of the beast ways to get around the city, but you don't see many people doing it.
The reason is that many of the foot routes are combinations of streets, trails and open spaces. There is a G-route* through every district and into every other, though, and once you get the concept, you'll find that 20 minute drives are actually ten minute walks.
And that is what this blog is all about.
Throughout the summer of 2013, we're going to scour the city for the best sites, sights and ways of passage that Pueblo, Colorado has to offer. Save gas, melt the fat off your ass, and walk Pueblo.
*G in this case is for gangsta. Once you know the G-routes, you know the way.
Kid Walk #2 is going to take you down a nice trail. You can leave your car on a side street off of 18th street close to the bridge over the railroad tracks. You'll start your adventure at 18th Street and Graham Avenue.
