Today I ran from my house in Reservoir Hill through Druid Hill Park, Hampden, Woodberry, and Mondawmin. I took some photos to document what I saw.
I could not run North on Linden above Whitelock. The street had not been plowed so I ran on Eutaw. It was in bad shape but one lane was passable. I decided to check out Madison Avenue in the park. It was totally plowed down to the asphalt! At the entrance there was a stopped snow plow truck. A guy got out of his car and started to scream at the driver and told him to visit his neighborhood. The entire winding road from the Madison entrance to the other side of the lake over I-83 was plowed. Below are links to photos:
- Looking south on Swann/Madison in the park.
- On Red road in the park.
- Distance from Reservoir Hill. Why plow this?
It was truly a shocking sight. While Reservoir Hill, Bolton Hill, Hampden, and Mondawmin residents dealt with numerous never plowed residential blocks, the empty park had miles of plowed to the asphalt roads! Although I cannot explain the logic behind plowing these park roads before residential streets, I am happy I documented it.
My run through the park was pleasant because of the easy to run on terrain. When I arrived at Keswick in Hampden, things got messy again. The street was white, and cars were driving very slow on it. 36th street (The Avenue) was in better shape, but for a major street it was a disgrace. It was covered in dirty slush and snow. Here is a photo of 36th street near Fraziers on the Avenue.
I ran up Hickory next and stopped at the Superfresh. Hickory was completely white and some cars could not drive on parts of it. A BGE truck was struggling. Superfresh was packed. I was going to buy something, but I decided against it because there were lines stretching across the store. It was clearly understaffed. Here are some photos from inside the store:
- This line stretched from the entrance to a checkout stand.
- Another view of the long line.
- Discounted Super Bowl cakes and cookies.
I then ran across the 41st Street bridge past TV Hill. Druid Park Drive was in good shape. It is a major road. I arrived at the intersection of Druid Park Drive and Greenspring and I noticed that Greenspring going into the park was plowed! I decided to follow it and sure enough inside of Druid Hill Park, Greenspring was plowed to the asphalt! Here is a photo of the Druid Park Drive-Greenspring intersection looking into the park.
Greenspring takes you through the park all the way to the corner of Liberty Heights and Swann. There is an old synagogue on this corner . In this photo you can see the synagogue in the background as I stand in the park in the middle of plowed Greenspring. In this photo you can see the snow-filled residential side street (Holmes Avenue) right next to the synagogue.
I ran down Liberty Heights and found myself in the Mondawmin Mall parking lot. I still needed to buy tangerines and onions so I checked out the Shoppers Food Warehouse. There were many people standing outside of the store waiting for rides as you can see in this photo. The store was very crowded (it was almost 5PM). The store had a lot more people working at it than the Superfresh so instead of a few massive lines, there were about 10 medium lines. I found an inexpensive bag of onions and a $1.99 bag of tangerines. When I was standing in the checkout line a man came up to me and told me he recognized me from Square Off. I talked with him for a minute or two. Here is a photo I took when I was in line.
With food bags in my hands I ran back to Reservoir Hill. Here is a photo of a house on Madison Avenue. Look at the roof, it just caved in because of the snow and the force blew out the window. Here is a photo of the terrible road conditions on the 2500 block of Madison Avenue.
The length of my jog was about six miles.
Adam is the most recognizable face of the recent resurgence in Reservoir Hill. He has appeared on many national and local radio shows, in several news publications, and at numerous events discussing his innovative urban redevelopment ideas and his unique lifestyle. Adam is a successful entrepreneur, community activist, and a local political guru who ran for city council in 2007. He is the founder and director of the TechBalt.com Buy a Block Project and BaltimoreHourly.com. His fearless local political commentary has rocked the local blog scene for most of this decade and he plans to take it to the next level in the next decade here on Charm City Current.
I believe, Druid Hill Park is home to the ZOO, a sub-Police Station, the Green House, and other city services. So, what’s the problem? My street was never plowed. I have two snow storms blocking my vehicle…its life..
I am surprised you ran six miles hahah!
They are plowing roads in parks so residents can leave their cars there, clearing the streets of more cars so they can plow more easily and efficiently. Patterson Park was plowed yesterday. City garages are also open.
How come my street is to much of a necessity for emergency response teams to get speed bumps but it’s not important enough to plow?
I heard the west side of Baltimore was plowed very well, even some dead end streets. I wonder if Stephanie is from West Baltimore? You know, I have a feeling that despite the corruption and arrogance, Mayor Dixon would have handled this snowstorm better. It seems that only now does Stephanie realize how serious this is.
Adam:
Druid Hill is plowed because the maintenance yard there — which is accessed via Red Road — is an operations base for snowplows. The park roads need to be cleared so the drivers and other ops personnel, most of whom drive ordinary 2WD vehicles, can get to the plows and other machinery.