The entire rest of the city operates rather simply on a north-south, east-west grid that's fairly easy to navigate. Whenever I have to bike or walk through this particular neighborhood, I end up always feeling slightly ill at ease ... because I can never remember how to maneuver my way through the diagonals and circles with somewhat identical rose gardens in the center. I bike a ways and end up staring at another rose garden that looks somewhat like the last one, so that I feel like I am making little progress -- while all the time, I am drifting further and further away from my destination I want to find on Division or beyond. I'm usually looking out for zooming bicyclists to notice the nice old houses and trees ... let alone the roses. Usually, I just feel lost. The only exception is that I try to get down there once a year around this time (October or November) to walk in the fallen leaves, which I find oddly relaxing.

Take a walk, rent a bike or a scooter like we did to immerse yourself in the culture of Ladd's Addition. Uniquely layed out neighborhood with huge shade trees, historic homes, and the traffic circles are rose gardens and parks for the community to enjoy. Take a step back in time and bring along a picnic or book to read while you experience the most serene metropolitan neighborhood I've been in.