First Thoughts
Bloomington’s B-Line trail is not only a fun place to walk, jog, or bike, but also a glimpse into the various walks of life found throughout the city. As a first B-Line walker, I wasn’t sure what to expect going into my walk, but was pleasantly surprised throughout my time spent on it. My girlfriend and I began our walk on Seventh Street right at the intersection between the B-Line and Seventh, and began heading northwest towards Adam’s Street.
My Experience
The first notable area I walked through was the large train station looking buildings/plaza, which I eventually realized is where the Bloomington farmer’s market is hosted. The first 15 minutes in from our general starting place featured contemporary buildings with well-kept landscaping, making the area feel very modern and citylike. As we continued, the atmosphere shifted a bit as steel yards and seemingly abandoned construction facilities flanked the trail. I found these areas particularly interesting because seeing them for the first time caught me off guard, coming from a the plush scenery we saw before. Eventually, we came to a split in the trail, and weren’t sure which way was was a continuation of the B-Line and which was just an offshoot of it. We ended up taking the path that wasn’t a main part of the B-Line and lead us to a park that, after looking up, is Rev. Ernest D. Butler Park and the Butler community garden. While it wasn’t a part of the B-Line, I found this park to be a really enjoyable space to walk through, as it was almost entirely empty when we visited, and all the open greenspace was very well kept. After spending a good half hour roaming around the park, we came decided to get back to the B-Line, continuing northwest where the path’s identity continued to evolve. We came across everything from modern suburbs to homeless camps made from tarps, and I found this variability to be a feature of the B-Line that will make me want to go back and experience it again in the future.
People
My B-Line experience from the perspective of peoplewatching may have been a bit irregular because I walked it on Easter Sunday, but I still was able to interact with and observe different people walking on the path for various different reasons. The most common B-Line goers I ran into during my walk was people out exercising or simply enjoying the weather. We came across runners, lots of walkers and a few people riding bikes. Most of these people were very friendly and out walking with their families and friends. We also ran into a few people that seemed like they were commuting. Work attire for people going to/from work and students with backpacks were spotted mostly while we were near Seventh Street. There were also a few homeless people walking the B-Line, one of which was very kind and wished us a happy Easter. Generalizing, I’d say that the least common demographic found on the B-Line were younger people. On the entire walk, we only saw 3 or 4 people that looked to be in their late teens/early twenties.
Connectivity & Land Use
Because it goes through multiple neighborhoods and areas of Bloomington, the B-Line seems like a great way to get around the city through means other than car or bus. Accessibility is a pivotal consideration for public spaces like this, and there are entries and exits scattered throughout most strips on the B-Line. Being relatively close to IU’s campus, this route would be feasible for students who lived on the west side of the city, but also for those who use multiple means of transportation from farther areas to get to the Fountain Square and other restaurant and business locations. Looking back, I felt like accessibility from multiple parts of the city also tied in with the land use along the B-Line. Some locations along the path felt very city-like, with banners and monuments detailing the city’s locational history and it’s achievement, while other areas felt open and serene. As mentioned earlier, Butler park was very light on flashy scenery, but that’s what made it one of my favorite parts of the walk, it was open and quiet, feeling like the sprawl of Kirkwood was much farther away than it actually was. As previously alluded to, I also just found the general span of residencies to be very interesting. Within 10 minutes you can go from looking at hyper-modern, luxury apartments to a patch of woods that has multiple homeless tents set up. I found this open accessibility and huge variation in the walks of life found on the B-Line so interesting and huge contributors to the character of the trail.
Wrap-Up
My time spent on the B-Line was great. I was able to exercise, mingle with various Bloomington residents, and experience a part of the city that was completely new to me. Being my first experience walking the trail, I wasn’t able to cover all of it, but looking forward I will definitely return to experience the trail in its entirety. The general mood I had while walking the trail was very positive and I would attribute that to the beautiful and changing scenery. Having a path that changes and develops as you walk it is a unique experience, especially in a downtown city area, and I didn’t take that luxury for granted. Another thing that this walk did for me was highlight a few other interesting public spaces in Bloomington. While walking through the more woodsy parts of the trail I noticed a bunch of signs that gave information and history about other similar public spaces near Bloomington, including Griffey Lake and the Monroe County Lake. The B-Line took me out of my comfort zone and provided an informative and peaceful experience that I am excited to experience again in the future.
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