Thanks to Google Streetview, I was able to find and document the side street I grew up on. Located in West Park, a suburb of Cleveland, this section of pavement means a lot to me. It’s where I spent most of my summer vacations playing baseball, football, hide and go seek, and generally just getting in trouble.

I sure do miss these days of my youth. I was one of the oldest and most athletic kids in my neighborhood. Moving away was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but if we didn’t, I likely would have dropped out of high school. The Cleveland public school system is terrible, it’s as if the people who attended school didn’t care about education. During my first day at the new school, it was a completely different (better) experience.

In any case, playing on the side street was incredibly annoying. Between normal traffic and the mail trucks, it was hard to play baseball or anything else on the street, but we managed. It’s been about 15-16 years since I’ve visited this street. It’s also been that long since I’ve tried to get in touch with any of my original friends. I’m making a pledge to change that this Summer when I make a return visit.

View of the entire street

The Center of the street where a bunch of cracks converge is home plate

The sewer grate is first base

Second base was the large crack in the middle of the road

The sewer grate is third base