It’s amazing the things you can find a block away from home.
I’ve been here for just over six-and-a-half months now, and thought I knew my neighborhood pretty well. I know where all the good restaurants, coffee shops and convenience stores are. I know which video stores to get tapes from, and which ones have the best DVD selection.
Not too far away (barely a block, in fact), there’s a little park. I’d never walked through it before, since it’s not on the way to anywhere I usually go. I’ve walked past it plenty of times, but always on the same side. It’s got high berms around it, so one can’t really see what’s inside without actually entering the park.
Coming back from the store two days ago, I found myself at the opposite corner of the park from my apartment. What the hell, I figured. It’s actually a viable shortcut today.
So in I went.At first, it looked like most any park you’d see anywhere.
Nice paths, and trees propped up on “tree crutches.”
A decent playground…
…complete with its own ship.
A nice little pavilion/pagoda type thing.But then I go around one bend in the path, and come face to face with this:
It may not be to obvious in this photo, but that’s okay. I wasn’t quite sure what it was at first.Here’s a closer look:
Now, keep in mind, this is still in the park. For some reason, there’s a whole miniature street layout here, complete with traffic lights, crosswalks and street road signs.
What the hell?!?
At first I thought maybe it was some mini-sized driver training course. Then I realized there was no way to get into these little streets. They don’t go anywhere, nor do they connect with the regular roads outside the park.
My best guess is that it’s for parents to teach their kids about safety. How to cross the road, what signs mean – stuff like that. A walk around the area seems to bear this idea out.
Don’t use your horn here! (Not too hard, since you can’t even get a car in here.)
WTF?!? Train crossing? If you can’t get a car in here, how the hell are you gonna get a frickin’ train in here?
Oh. I guess you’re not.
Tunnel ahead! Turn those lights on!
To help with teaching the little ones, there’s a handy sign explaining the signs.
And in case you get lost, here’s a map to explain the mind-bogglingly complex layout of “Safety Town.”
There’s also this rock, which I think serves to welcome visitors to the park, and inform them that some public works department made it possible. All hail public works!The whole discovery of this bit of weirdness just a block from home has shown me I should be taking shortcuts more often. I shall endeavor to do so, making sure to always have a camera at the ready, just in case I come across other strange things in strange places. I’ll report any new findings here.
Stay tuned! ^.^