The Riverfront

The other evening my wife and I, with kid in tow, rode our bikes around downtown. It was one of those amazing evenings where it seems to get quiet, and the sunset seems to hang in the air for several hours, until finally fading into purple twilight.

It was a magical evening, where the colors seem more saturated, and it feels like you can pedal all night, because you are on an adventure. No one is worried about bedtimes, or getting up for work. (Although, I admit to a little concern when after running through a puddle I skunk striped my daughter riding in the bike trailer behind me.)

The river front is an odd place in Grand Rapids. The focus of a considerable effort at redevelopment, it is a sparkling (unfinished) gem, that is becoming a highlight to our downtown redevelopment. Part of the odd, is that it is discontinuous. My wife and I started at Riverside park (toward the north end of the city), and we rode the bike trail south only to find that the well-paved trail out of the park ended within one block. Suddenly we were dodging traffic for about half a mile trying to find where the river edge paths began again.

We found that the path next to the river only exists once you get downtown, and once you rejoin the path, you can look north and see clearly where the path peters out into brush, and where the future of the growth will occur. Much of future path may occupy some unused train tracks upon which the Grand Rapids Press used to receive train cars of paper for production of the daily editions.

Once we rejoined the path we made our way to the Sixth Street Park, where we took out sandwiches for dinner, and let our daughter play on the playground equipment. Our daughter is becoming a real daredevil, and I was impressed by how excited she became while riding on the big slide in the park. she absolutely had to go again and again. If Daddy stopped for a moment to take a bite of dinner, she would stand at the bottom of the steps and point up waiting for a boost. Climbing would just slow down the arrival of the slide, so Daddy had to keep lifting her up to the top of the slide.

After our daughter had her fill of the slide, we continued south to the fishladder area. Another odd thing that I noticed, is that while the many were off eating dinner at this time, there is a whole different part of society, that may be trying to catch a dinner that could not be afforded any other way. Each evening there is a gathering of people that fish from the rapids south of the fish ladder. In my youth I remember grizzled older fisherman types with specialized equipment and boxes full of magical lures. In my youth almost all of thees fishermen were white. In contrast to our almost all white downtown partiers and bar-goers, most of the folks at the side of the river, are either African American, or Latino. I wonder why this is?

Is fishing in the modern age experiencing growth in the African American and Latino communities? I don't read the fishing magazines, but it could be that there is a massive ad campaign on in these communities... Is it because, the Latin and African communities experience the worst of the economic woes that seem to grip all of Michigan? Are fish caught, saving money over fish bought? Is it because grizzled old white fishermen are uncomfortable with the community of fishers at the edge to the river these days?

I will admit some trepidation, when I got to the post office and found that I could not maneuver my bike through the path without asking some people to move fishing poles to accommodate our wide bike trailer. I expected some grumbling, but was surprised when several people asked about the trailer, one gentleman being quite surprised at both the small price I paid for it, and that I got the trailer at Wal-Mart. As we pedaled away I heard the man saying that now he and his wife might be able to bring his daughter with them to the river for bike rides.

We also crossed the pedestrian bridge and decide to see the Gerald Ford burial site. We were surprised again to find a brand new fence and gate in front of the burial site, and that with the guards standing near the front doors, we felt like perhaps we were not supposed to be on the grounds at that time of the day. The guard did not say anything, rather just conspicuously being present to keep us from suddenly taking out spray cans and spraying graffiti on the museum... I look so dangerous in my golf shirt ya know!

We saw the union monument that we did not know was placed by the Ford museum this spring. It is a nice monument, and I am glad it is there. I have had some dealings with union folks through my work f late, and they tend to be more philanthropic than many of the large rich givers in Grand Rapids (if taken as a percentage of income). So it was nice to see the workers of America represented in the memorial. I didn't look closely, but I hope that the unions remembered the one near and ear to me: IATSE (the invisible folks in black clothes that make all of the theatre and concert events in Grand Rapids happen).

We saw the south end of the path down by Kinkos, and found that the construction of the new hotel has closed the east side path, forcing us into traffic once again. We made the turn heading north again, where the fisher-folk needed to once again move equipment to let us pass. The ride back was quicker, as the light was fading, and we as parents don't ride in the dark. I hope that everyone caught their limit that evening, and that if they were fishing for need, that their needs are met soon by a better economy in Michigan. I think that this is not our last ride to downtown, though it is easier to stay in the park. Don't let the difficulties to the logistics of the ride stop you from experiencing the best that downtown has to offer. And the Dan Gaydou at the Press: I hope that you will help turn the path of your success into a path for all of Grand Rapids to enjoy. A path all the way to Riverside park is needed, and would be enjoyed by may of our citizens!