Bond Hill: Route #2

Bond Hill:

It didn’t take long for me to figure out that this course planning job is tough.  What is it exactly that I should try to accomplish when I design a course? I was an English major who took to American Romanticism, so it’s hard to resist the urge to labor tirelessly over each turn with hopes of arriving at an undiscovered truth about the neighborhood.

But let’s get real, that’s not going to happen. Each of our runs is a one hour snapshot.  The question becomes: what should we accomplish during each jaunt? After Avondale, the answer is to just take in the experience and see what comes along the way.

Below are a few of the landmarks that are throughout the Bond Hill course.

1. Jordan Crossing and the Community Action Agency
Once again we are starting from a place that one of us knows well: The Community Action Agency (CAA).  It was in the CAA parking lot that I left my beloved 1993 LeBaron (say it with a French accent) during out-of-town retreats with Public Allies. I always returned to find her unscathed and unmoved (despite leaving  the keys in the ignition with a Free sign in the window).

Inside the CAA, I have attended and facilitated trainings. One of the most memorable was a summit on youth violence. It was during that training that I learned about initiatives like CIRV and learned about local leaders who have been committed to community-based work for decades.

Adjacent to the CAA is Jordan Crossing.

2. Maketewah Country Club
From the CAA we will head South on Reading Road. The Maketewah Country Club will be to the West. 

A little research taught me that Maketewah enjoys “diverse membership” and is known as the “friendliest club in town.” However, no matter how friendly this club, we won’t be running down the fairways. Instead we will look to our right and take in what we can as we pass by. 

3. Summit Behavioral Healthcare

From Reading Road we will cut through Bond Hill Park into Bond Hill proper.

As we make our way East on Seymour, we will take a brief detour to the North as we turn onto Lewis. Here, we will make a circuit around the Summit Behavioral Healthcare facility, an entity that I had no idea existed. My preliminary research suggests that this facility is notable for its architecture.