hal9thou

McAlway Rd is a favorite short cut for drivers who want to get to Cotswold mall from Monroe Rd without all the traffic lights of Wendover Rd. The turn is off of Monroe Rd and goes first through some lower income housing. Not a dangerous part of the neighborhood, but run down. A few blocks more and you enter the ritzy part of Cotswold. Lots of expensive homes with families and professionals. Speed bumps were added a few years ago to stop all the drivers speeding, but it is still a great short cut to Cotswold mall. The mall has a nice Harris Teeter, Blockbuster, Rite Aid, Wolfman Pizza, Mama Fu's, and other nice restaurants and shopping.

Penman Street off of S Mint Street is where I park every morning to go to work Uptown. The area is mixed industrial and offices. Parking on the street is currently free! It only takes me about 15 minutes walking to get to my office building. In bad weather, it is 5 minutes to the free Trolley shuttle stop nearby on the corner of Dunbar and S Church that runs every 7 minutes. Only time parking isn't allowed is during Bank of America stadium events, but that is no problem weekdays.

Summey Ave has middle class homes with lots of families. There is a day care center nearby and shopping at Cotswold mall. The mall has a Harris Teeter, Blockbuster, Rite Aid, and other shops and restaurants. My favorite part about Summey Ave is that it is right across from Sharon Memorial Gardens. This is a great place if you are into walking or jogging. There are over a mile of roads that run through the grounds. Some run by a duck pond and a strip of woods. Nice for a quiet walk.

Lanier runs from Monroe Rd to East Independence Blvd. It is a great alternative when Sharon Amity is backed up. It runs through some nice middle class neighborhoods. Nothing special, more of a connector road to the surrounding neighborhoods. No stop signs, straight drive to East Independence. Another bonus is that you can turn onto Unaka Ave to get to Amity Gardens shopping center. The center is pretty dead right now, but there a plans for a super Walmart in the near future.

Red Barn Lane is in the Huntingtowne Farms neighborhood. It is well established with lots of old trees. The homes are nice family homes. Lots of families with children around. It is the kind of street where everybody knows each other. There is always a big fourth of July parade each year that the kids participate in. Neighbors put little flags all along the curb and the kids decorate their bikes. There has also been a neighborhood Halloween party for the last 4 or 5 years. Red Barn Lane is near Southpark and Carolina Place malls for great shopping. Lots of grocery stores nearby (Harris Teeter, Food Lion) and strip malls that include a Lowes. There is a park just down the street with play equipment for kids, community garden, soccer fields, and walking trail.

Chippendale Rd is in the Oakhurst neighborhood. It is the location of the old Woonsocket textile mill . The mill was torn down a few years ago to make room for either a shopping strip or new homes (haven't heard what the developers have in mind, yet). It is in a nice little mill neighborhood where the houses are small and quaint. The connecting streets are great for taking walks as there is very little traffic and they are nicely wooded. Chippendale runs right next to Oakhurst Elementary School and is also on the Monroe Rd bus route with a stop on the corner. What I like best is the mix of people on the street. Families, singles, and old timers of every type can be found there. There are a few affordable apartment complexes for lower income folks, but isn't crime ridden or dangerous. It is very close to Uptown and takes me about 10 minutes to get there with good traffic. For wokers Uptown,rush hour is typical and takes about 20 minutes from Independence or 7th street. Chippendale is also near the Costwold shopping area with a Harris Teeter, ABC, blockbuster, Rite Aid, and various shops. It's also near a Walmart and Food Lion. There is the Oakhurst Grill and a pizza place just up Monroe Rd. Oakhurst Grill used to be Mr. C's, but the food is just the same: Delicious and cheap!