Riding the Inner Loop (Comments: 0)

In the late 1960s, the city of Rochester made the disastrous decision to construct a highway that circles downtown. In addition to being another highway, the Inner Loop cut off neighborhoods from the center city and destroyed the continuity of Rochester’s urban landscape. And yes, boys and girls, that’s our Vacation Destination for today!

On three successive Sundays this summer (wasn’t that a Nat Cole tune?), the city is closing the Loop to cars so that cyclists and skaters and, as it turned out, hockey players can enjoy all the delightful scenery and urban excitement that drivers get to experience when they ride on the loop. Scenes such as:

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Stunning, isn’t it?

My eldest son, Bernie, and I headed over to the loop to see what all the fuss was about. There was a little registration tent in front of the NYSUT building with free bottled water. They asked us to sign in, presumably so they’d be able to tell rescuers how many people to look for if the loop flooded or collapsed into the center of the Earth.

I shot a little video of our excursion:

Years ago, I was driving along the loop and caught sight of a sign marking the place where Abraham Lincoln had once given a speech. I’ve never been able to find it again, until today…

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Bernie and my bike in front of the Lincoln plaque on the Inner Loop (near State St.)

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I must admit, this is a pretty hip

On a side note, I shot this picture of the sky while riding home from a meeting tonight:

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• All the other pics I shot today are here.