Walking off the Michigan-MSU Overtime...

There's nothing like a late afternoon walk to brighten an otherwise lazy and overcast afternoon. With the aid of the South Area Park Map from the city's web site we charted our course: we'd visit at least five (and possibly as many as eight) of the parks occupying that map's northwest corner. It was only about a two mile drive or so to our fist stop, and after that we could have easily walked to all of the others -- though we didn't; not this time. But it made us think: what's the farthest anyone ever is, no matter where they are within the city limits, from one of Ann Arbor's ubiquitous parks -- and how many more parks would be within easy walking distance from there? We continue to be impressed and amazed. But we digress:

1. Churchill Downs is hidden along Steeplechase Drive, which backs up to I-94. This neighborhood park is surprisingly large and hilly -- and LOUD. The freeway is right there; you can even see the occasional truck beyond the trees as they rumble past. In the winter, when the leaves are off the trees, you probably feel as if the vehicles are right on top of you. Yet on this afternoon the park still managed to have an amazingly cozy feel to it.

2. Eisenhower is not so much a park as it is a wooded buffer along the north side of I-94, running all the way from just east of Churchill to just west of Maple. While we walked along a portion of this stretch, searching for just a little something interesting to latch onto, we decided that this is likely the most boring park we've visited so far. But it was borne of necessity, if you will, to dampen the freeway noise for the benefit of the neighborhood. And it performs that job very well.

3. We accessed Greenview Park from Greenview, just north of Scio Church. This park is not listed on the official Ann Arbor Parks list, but the city is evidently currently leasing the site from the Ann Arbor school district and is maintaining it artfully. This beautiful pasture runs between 7th Street and Greenview south from Scio Church until it bumps into Pioneer Woods Park (adjacent to Pioneer High School and presumably the property of the school district). With wide, meandering paths and wildflowers galore, we loved our leisurely walk through this field.

4. Meadowbrook Park serves both the Landsdowne community and the newer subdivision just south of it. There's a nice large patch of grass for football, a brand new basketball court and hoop, and the coolest and most challenging and what seems to be just the most fun play area to spend time in -- for kids of all ages -- we have visited so far.

5. Lawton Park, located for the most part on the west side of Lawton Elementary, was host to a hotly-contested football game the afternoon we visited. There's also a tremendously large and well-maintained expanse of green for all manner of team sports and a more traditional-looking playground closer to the school for use at recess.

6. Landsdowne (on Lans Way at Ascot) is a cute little neighborhood park in the shape of a large slice of pie. The couple of teenagers hanging out and talking on their cell phones (presumably to others and not to each other) eyed us curiously as we jumped out of our car to take a short walk around the semi-circular perimeter before stopping to take a picture of the park sign and diving back into our vehicle and heading home.