Friday the 5th was a cooler sort of day, the type that often comes between the warm ones in spring, and it inspired me to revisit the east side of the park by the Steinberg Rink. Just a few steps from the parking lot, up the hill towards Kingshighway was were I found the tiny mushrooms.
It is a remarkable difference, that between the east side of Kingshighway and the west, there in that one mile stretch between US40 and Lindell Boulevard. All along the east side are the monoliths of the modern city. First, as you head north from the Interstate, are the towers of Washington University Medical Center and the Barnes-Jewish hospitals, a real warren of passageways and bridges connecting the various buildings, and complete with helipad on the roof. At Forest Park Parkway, the medical buildings give way to private ones, a new tower rising between 2 blocks block of high rise apartment buildings and the Chase Park Plaza complex.
Across the street from all of this urban activity is 2 square miles of rolling hills, verdant meadows and lakes and streams. And it starts at the sidewalk, where, once you step off the concrete, your steps are cushioned by thick grass and all around you spread the pink and white blossoms of spring beauty. And it get better from there!
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