Noke News explores parts of Roanoke by foot, equipped with a camera and a notepad, in hopes of learning something new. Perhaps you will too.

I associate Walnut Avenue and this bridge as basically being the foot of the mountain leading up to the Mill Mountain Star.

Like other bridges in the Roanoke area, this one seemed to be a joint effort by the City and Railroad to allow passage over the tracks. According to the plaque this one was completed in the 1920s.

Here are a few sights of and from the bridge:

Walnut Avenue bridge in Roanoke, Mill Mountain (and off in the distance The Star) seen in the background.

Plaque at the Walnut Avenue bridge in Roanoke (which could use a polishing/cleaning).

The start of Williamson Road seen to the right.

View of the railroad tracks below, and I-581/Route 220 in the background.

Gas prices were up, and so were the temperature and humidty (pictures below) over this past weekend in Roanoke.

I may go so far as to call the former the Gas Price Panic of 2008 in Roanoke. By the time I left work in the early evening on Friday, all gas stations I passed were jam packed with at least 2-3 car deep lines waiting to fill-up. I had never seen anything like it before.

Normally, out of habit, I keep my tank at a minimum of 1/2 full at all times. This is partly for pyschological reasons so when I see the total on the pump I’m not shocked at the huge amount. Also, by just keeping plenty of gas in the car it’s one less thing to worry about in my busy life. I have a smaller car and only about a 12-gallon tank anyways.

But, I was scheduled to go out of town this weekend and had let the gasoline gauge fall to below 1/4 of a tank. Big mistake.

So, I just went home, fixed dinner and went about my normal business.

Later in the evening around midnight I went back out and managed to fill-up at the Sheetz at the corner of Apperson Drive and Electric Road. At that time they only had the 87 grade and for $3.79. I didn’t have to wait in line but most of the pumps were kept busy.

On Saturday, I traveled to Covington and along the way don’t recall any gas station being out of gas completely. As in with blank price signs or grocery bags on the pump handles. And most of them were $3.79-3.99 with no lines or anything.

I wonder why things seemed to go so crazy in the Roanoke area? I certainly hope no one paid anything in the $4 or higher range!

We also had a real hot and hazy day yesterday in Roanoke. I had nearly retired my A/C unit for the year and had to crank it back up. That machine probably ended up getting more work this past weekend then it had the whole previous week.

But, it looks like things will be cooling off now.

I’m ready.

 Here are a couple pictures I took yesterday while driving to Salem.

Clear view to the mountains in the background as seen when traveling on Brandon Avenue towards Salem. (9/14/08)

Apperson Drive in Salem, VA. (9/14/08)

The past couple days around Roanoke have been a bit dreary, and even gloomy. Rain off and on and clouds covering the sky. (I’ve been spoiled by a lot of the sunshine this summer.)

A cloudy day looking over to downtown Roanoke from I-581/Route 220. The new art museum seen in the middle. (9/10/08)

A wide angle view looking towards downtown Roanoke from 1-581/Route 220. (9/10/08)

All in all, over the past couple weeks I think we’ve made up for the several weeks before which led many to worry about potential drought conditions.

Fall is coming, both slowly and surely. However, this weekend is supposed to be really nice with highs in the upper 80s, perhaps the last, warmest days of the year.

Afterwards, the change of the helm from Summer to Autumn is not too far away. I love the summertime, but I’m ready for it to cool off a little bit.

How about you?

A brief history of how I came to call Roanoke home.

Strong Roots

I was born and raised in Roanoke. My father also grew up here, and my mother moved here when she was young.

Both of my parents (now divorced) still live in or in the vicinity of Roanoke. Well, my mom actually still lives in the same house where I grew up.

And those of my grandparents still alive also live in Roanoke, with several other relatives scattered throughout Virginia from here to Richmond.

I went to college at Virginia Western and Radford University and then came back to Roanoke looking for work and my place in the world. Sometime later I purchased my first home in Roanoke City, found a rewarding career, and never had a chance or consideration to look back. I suppose I could be called a “young professional” that Roanoke is looking to attract, or keep.

The big city isn’t for me

I have on occasion visited a big city and within a matter of hours realized that that kind of life just wasn’t for me. Things move too fast there, and just seem to always be moving. When visiting Chicago, I remember looking out of the window from the hotel room and at all hours of the night seeing automobiles pass and even a handful of people scurrying about.

Here in Roanoke, I like that the sidewalks tend to for the most part roll up at a modest hour. I like that various parts of the city basically shut down on Sunday, and on a holiday. I love that except for about an hour or maybe two out of the day (and even that’s a stretch), there is really no traffic to speak of around town.

Making the choice

Each of us live where we do primarily from choices that we make along the road of life. I don’t think it’s accurate to say we just “end up” certain places as much as we may move to a new area to take a job, or we pick up roots in search of a higher quality of life. All of us have our own reasons.

I also don’t think it’s entirely accurate to say that we choose the city where we live. Sometimes the city chooses us.

How did you come about to call Roanoke home?

Noke News explores parts of Roanoke by foot, equipped with a camera and a notepad, in hopes of learning something new. Perhaps you will too.

When I travel to and through the downtown area I usually approach via Salem Avenue. And over the past several months I have noticed activity going on over near the railroad tracks at an area known in Roanoke as Warehouse Row.

Warehouse Row is basically a string of old buildings from the earlier days of downtown Roanoke.  The old fashioned brick and mortar kind of builings. And, for as long as I can remember some of the buildings have been vacant.

But, that appears to be changing for a few buildings. Let’s check it out in pictures (at least from the outside):

At the western end along Norfolk Avenue there is a sign on one of the buildings that calls a section of the area as Row By The Rail. This is a project by a local realtor to renovate some of the buildings into rather upscale living enviornments.

And the first noticeable aspect is the colorful paint jobs that differentiate each of the buildings.

The colors are what first caught my eye. And on the backside (the side facing the railroad tracks) each building also has the appearance of fresh, clean paint.

Back to the front and approaching the entrance, there is both stairs and ramp access.

The elevated walkway leads to the front doors of each place. The walkway continues the entire length of Warehouse Row.

Windows above feature a windowsill with blooming flowers.

Walking a bit further.

Walking down another set of stairs and away for a better view.

Back to the walkway and continuing walking. I’m not sure to what extent the next couple buildings are occupied. Towards the end is office space, including the white building of the corporate headquarters of HSMM AECOM, an architectural and engineering firm which was founded in Roanoke.

As I leave, stepping aside again for an overall view of the eastern end of Warehouse Row, with the Wachovia Tower and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge in the background.

Another rather beautiful and pleasant week in Roanoke.

I’m not a meteorologist, but I’m also not sure how anyone could consider a scene like the photo below as “Partly Cloudy” outside. I just don’t think those few scattered clouds meet the minimum requirement.

This would surely have to fall into the “Mostly Sunny” category, what do you think?

Looking out onto 1-581/Route 220 from a bridge near the intersection of Brandon and Colonial Avenues. (9/3/08)

Looking for a magazine with insight into local arts and entertainment in the Roanoke Valley area? And for free, too? No problem, and here’s a brief review of some articles in the latest issue.

(The following is in addition to the typically several pages each issue devotes to covering upcoming performing arts, music, and other events. Never even heard of the magazine?  Visit this post first.)

It’s the start of a new month (can you believe it’s already September?) so that means a new issue of City Magazine is at the newsstands around town.

For those of you still unsure where or how to obtain a copy there are multiple bins downtown in the market area. I usually pick up my copy at this spot on the corner of Market Street and Church Avenue.

A newsstand for City Magazine (in the shade beneath the canopy) at the corner of Market Street and Church Avenue.

Here are a couple highlights from the new September 2008 issue:

Going Green

The entire issue has a focus on “going green” with several enviornmentally friendly tips along the bottom of the pages. The issue also has a feature  mentioning some people and businesses in the area who are taking steps to be more concious of the enviornment in our area.

The New Museum

A preview of our new museum focusing on ways the construction and finished product utilized “green” initiatives.

And many other pages of information on events and festivities upcoming in and around the Roanoke Valley. For example, American Idol fans will be happy to hear that Kellie Pickler is coming to Roanoke College for a concert.

Who ever said there’s nothing to do in this area never read City Magazine!

Noke News explores parts of Roanoke by foot, equipped with a camera and a notepad, in hopes of learning something new. Perhaps you will too.

In a previous post I uploaded a photo which was a view from the Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial Bridge in downtown Roanoke.

But, as of yet on this site I have not made mention of the bridge itself or the thoughtfully crafted patio area and statue which stands on the end near Shenandoah Ave.

Let’s check it out:

We’ll start on the side facing Salem Avenue at the intersection with 2nd Street. The entrance to the bridge is marked with a pair of brick columns, one on each side.

A plaque has also been placed on each column designating the bridge in memorial a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

An entrance to the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Bridge, at the intersection of Salem Avenue and 2nd Street SW.

The bridge I believe is entirely for pedestrian (foot traffic) use only, no bicycles or skateboards are permitted. The floor of the bridge is in the form of wooden planks which gives it an antique feel.

Walking on the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Bridge in downtown Roanoke.

Along the way while walking upwards, if we stop for a moment and look over to the right, there’s an elevated view looking down at a section of The Railwalk.

View of The Railwalk from the bridge.

And near the middle and highest part of the bridge there’s an excellent view of the railroad tracks below, as well as the Wachovia Tower in the background.

View of the railroad tracks below and the Wachovia Tower in the background.

After reaching the other end of the bridge (near Shenandoah Avenue) there’s a statue of Dr. King, which is surrounded by a patio area. It’s a quaint little space for gathering or with benches for sitting.

Statue of Martin Luther King Jr in downtown Roanoke.

A closer look at the lower part of the statue reveals a thoughtfully engraved scene with rather amazing detail. I stood for a short while further admiring the memorial itself, which very much exceeds my expectations.

Engraving on the lower section of the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Statue in downtown Roanoke.

Then, I started heading back the same way we originally came up. I snapped one final photo looking directly out from the bridge and onto a part of downtown Roanoke.

View from the bridge looking out onto part of downtown Roanoke.