tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388888920467357272024-03-13T15:38:34.376-07:00Spenard Roada site dedicated to all things Spenard; the good, bad, and ugly.Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-40485027591150626372010-06-16T01:12:00.000-07:002010-06-16T01:12:17.256-07:00Welcome Tap RootTap Root has moved to Spenard! They're in the old fly-by-night or former house of rock, Spenard and 33rd.<br />
Welcome to the neighborhood.Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-34417049946292249572010-06-16T00:46:00.000-07:002010-06-19T00:55:14.439-07:00the road discussion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvzahmsRki_BhK4ok7QJFoS5_XKDQP1opd1yZHGXbxMq8Gut2ukWGddISSdF7DcoFvjZEm8HnhoA2HBuVTRscU1lopYDVINsCt8Nx6Iic1eGmvPsCQPDqvbHY1_3SzUUCNLt3zAUT-PM/s1600/IMG_0850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvzahmsRki_BhK4ok7QJFoS5_XKDQP1opd1yZHGXbxMq8Gut2ukWGddISSdF7DcoFvjZEm8HnhoA2HBuVTRscU1lopYDVINsCt8Nx6Iic1eGmvPsCQPDqvbHY1_3SzUUCNLt3zAUT-PM/s200/IMG_0850.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
there was a meeting recently to discuss the Spenard Road project. it was held at the city hall and included Hollis French, Mike Doogan, Harriet Drummond, Ernie Hall, and various members from the mayor's office and engineering department. diverse crowd.<br />
<br />
can't believe the fear mongering and ignorance of those that are opposed to the project. such cliches were uttered in order to incite fear and panic. fortunately the supporters of a safe spenard made thoughtful comments backed up by the engineering department as well as the director of Alaska Transportation Priorities Project.<br />
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next step is to continue discussions and keep engaging the business community; not sure what the politicians are going to do. elections are coming up after all.<br />
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p.s. - (changed) Mike Doogan is...Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-67994581659177406602010-05-19T20:17:00.000-07:002010-05-19T20:17:38.071-07:00Spenard Farmers Market<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj42ASWIr4yaDYal23SqXztyNt2bTTwUnp9VEDn6msw9ruzm6KYDzHLT6aODSrmg7UDpNGNdLabQsVri0c57LQ2j2u0LgiZgqS7Ui0OcwGr3-oa0gVR4KKQayK2QuuFu6hgoQDXOm3sijk/s1600/LogoTomato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj42ASWIr4yaDYal23SqXztyNt2bTTwUnp9VEDn6msw9ruzm6KYDzHLT6aODSrmg7UDpNGNdLabQsVri0c57LQ2j2u0LgiZgqS7Ui0OcwGr3-oa0gVR4KKQayK2QuuFu6hgoQDXOm3sijk/s200/LogoTomato.jpg" width="197" wt="true" /></a></div><br />
Yay! A farmers market in downtown spenard! This is a great idea and long over due. Thanks to the vision of a couple of fellow Spenardians, this event will come to fruition this weekend for the first time. Check out their web site:<br />
<a href="http://www.spenardfarmersmarket.org/">http://www.spenardfarmersmarket.org/</a><br />
<br />
Only $10 for a 12'x12' patch of pavement. To be located under the windmill next to Koot's. They're looking for local/alaskan made or produced products with an emphasis on produce and other foods. Check it out!Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-82980950831765961242010-04-07T01:18:00.000-07:002010-04-07T01:28:24.391-07:00spring snow and other observationsuh, i thought winter was over. quite a little flurry we had today. for god sakes just stop already. i'm ready to see people in shorts and harley's roaring through traffic. <br />
<br />
ever notice the interesting arrangement of the the anchorage house of hobbies and rei? the little building that houses a dense collection of model boats, planes,etc. is being pushed towards benson. somehow it seems that the house of hobbies used to be larger, more expansive, and it got squeezed by the adjacent building. certainly no fault of rei just an interesting architectural juxtaposition (yes, i used that $5 word common in art schools)<br />
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there are some unusual adjacencies on spenard. stamp and coin collection across from army surplus/ used goods, tibetan food across from biker bar, vietnamese food across from alaskana bar, porn shop across from janitorial supplies, etc. eclectic place this spenard. i hope it becomes more pedestrian and bicycle friendly and safer for drivers, but is able to retain its character; i'd hate to see it become gentrified. is that even possible?<br />
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if spenard had a flavor i think it would be a mu shu taco pizza with french fries. wait, i think all the corporate fast food chains are working on it.<br />
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sound some great photos of spenard on the alaska digital archives, seems like it's always been a place of hope. <a href="http://vilda.alaska.edu/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=all&CISOBOX1=spenard&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=all">old spenard photos</a>Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-79524301653882746162010-04-06T01:03:00.000-07:002010-04-06T01:03:28.196-07:00Detrituswhat's the tarnish that white, white snow becomes when spring arrives? the urban crust of our winter city caked on fenders and edges of sidewalks. cigarette butts and beer cans sprouting like spring flowers. every year i think to myself that the trees have met their match, they are never going to make it. they are done being green, but instead they impress me. somehow despite ice and cold and haphazard plows they persevere and unravel into green breathing living things. they have the ability to make us forget about the snow, cold, and darkness and put us into a summer trance.Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-82332579099636720062010-04-04T01:07:00.000-07:002010-04-04T02:08:23.743-07:00my hoodSo it's been like an entire winter season since I wrote something. I bumped into an aquaintance this afternoon at one of my favorite wine shops in Spenard. He reminded me that I should keep writing about spenard and all its potential in spite of the naysayers about the Spenard Road project. (thanks!) I love living in Spenard. It's hip, bohemian, diverse, funky, and unique. I just want it to be safe and easy to get around. i would also like to see it blosom into a thriving vibrant community that's uniquely Alaskan. Meaning that it would be great to see future changes address our wintry climate as well as our eclectic diversity into a sustainable community. Seem too idealistic?<br /><br />Recently I was so happy to see an invite to the Spenard Farmers Market. Check it out on facebook. what a great plan, i guess it was just a matter of time. there are many aspects of spenard that seem to be reaching critical mass which historically has led to a renaissance in other communities. using the adjective of renaissance in reference to Spenard is nothing new, but it seems that it's much more palpable these days. we need the road project to happen sooner than later. in many ways it's cramping our style and stifling our creativity.<br /><br />Spenard, the coolest place in Anchorage!Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-24351341964129246352009-02-25T00:24:00.000-08:002009-02-25T00:33:12.095-08:00Wisdom<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html">http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html</a>Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-67619976608339719392009-02-13T23:50:00.000-08:002009-02-19T00:05:17.429-08:00Assembly Meeting - 2/3/09Been to busy to post much but have two questions regarding the testimonies against <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Spenard</span></span> Road improvements during the last assembly meeting:<br /><br /><ul><li>How will the businesses suffer after the proposed improvements?</li><li>What part of 241 accidents since 2004 just between <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Fireweed</span></span> and Northern Lights appears to be unbroken?</li></ul><p>...and thanks Matt and Maureen for your great testimony, keep up the great work!</p>Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-48834588219925472322009-01-15T20:28:00.000-08:002009-02-24T20:53:49.935-08:00slicker than snotwow! this is got to be the slipperiest conditions I've ever ridden in. i feel like I'm riding with clenched fear; somehow trying to grip the ice with any part of my body that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">possesses</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">crevice</span>.Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-74128996534219941172008-12-24T22:18:00.000-08:002010-04-04T02:11:57.801-07:00Last Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukkah, Festivus, etc.I hope everyone enjoys this holiday season because it could be our last for a while. As the economy does a swan dive into uncharted waters, it's time to take a deep look at ourselves and see ourselves for the very first time. Our insatiable appetite got us into this mess; what we need is an economic and social equivalent of a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">gastrectomy</span>.<br /><br />Merry recession to all and to all a good fright.Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-89777088650396389992008-12-21T12:13:00.000-08:002008-12-21T12:31:24.770-08:00More PoliceHere's a link to an ADN article which summarizes the beginnings of a workshop session which strives to address crime and policing in Spenard.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/crime/story/630233.html">http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/crime/story/630233.html</a><br /><br />Though most of the comments were fairly good and informative, there were some who's complaints were less than constructive. Crime is a complicated mulit-faceted phenomenon. I think it's like health care; we can spend a majority of our resources on critical care or we can spend less overall by investing in preventative measures.<br /><br />Increase in crime has been a problem; I'm nervous of the effects of the coming economy possibly creating even more desperation. It may skew the efficacy of the new approach which may result in it being rejected.Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-31206337645265660792008-12-21T12:10:00.000-08:002008-12-21T12:11:21.301-08:00Spenard Road ImprovementsPlans for Spenard Road should be applauded. Spenard has evolved into a dangerous thoroughfare due to our planning based only on the almighty automobile. Like many arterials, sidewalks and trails have been reduced in favor of greater traffic flow.<br /><br />The three lane solution will be a vast improvement to the current high speed four lane scenario which has people weaving and dodging vehicles waiting to turn. The proposed middle lane will consolidate the two inner lanes and allow for queuing space for vehicles crossing Spenard into the opposite lane. Wider sidewalks will improve the safety of pedestrians and provide room for temporary snow storage and help city maintenance crews. I only wish that the new plan included intermittent pedestrian crossings at key locations. Currently pedestrians and cyclists are compelled to jaywalk due to the great distances between traffic signals.<br /><br />It seems that the character of Spenard Road wants to be different that that of Northern Lights or Benson. Rather than a high speed arterial it should be a focus and amenity for the neighborhoods that define it. I have experienced a lot of changes to Spenard during the last 30 years, both good and bad. The current plan will make it safer for residents and businesses of Spenard; it’s time to heal the wound which slices through the heart of our neighborhood.Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-9239547336418017252008-11-16T21:59:00.000-08:002008-11-16T22:45:03.994-08:00SpurnagainSpurnagain. That part of Spenard and Turnagain where both meet like interlaced fingers, well not quite in the sense that there’s camaraderie and block parties, but rather the interlaced juxtaposition of mobile homes, log cabins, custom homes, and spec homes. I would define it as the area which is south of Northern Lights, west of the railroad tracks, and north of Spenard.<br /><br />In a world where we seem to have to know whether a thing is either good or bad, this part of Spenard is good and bad, loud and quiet, mean and kind, beautiful and ugly, smart and dumb, moral and amoral, young and old, poor and rich. It epitomizes dichotomy.Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-14320789157844823642008-10-25T21:34:00.000-07:002009-02-24T20:52:23.492-08:00Pho, Skis, Booze, and AmmoSo the other day I noticed a new business pop up at the corner of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Spenard</span> and 30<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> in the old French Oven Bakery, an ammo store. I'm not sure if it's just ammo they sell or whether they also deal in guns. In typical <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Spenard</span> fashion, within a 100 foot radius from the new ammo shop, there's a flower shop, a liquor store, The Burger Stop, a pawn shop, a Vietnamese restaurant, Cafe Croissant, a ski shop, a motel, a bar, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">DMV</span>, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Enstar</span>.<br /><br />There's some obvious relationships to the ammo shop which seems ripe for trouble. I think the name of the new addition to this area of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Spenard</span> is 'The Ammo Can', no messing around with nuance or a clever reference to the last frontier. It's like the gigantic 'Liquor' sign on the relatively new Brown Jug store. I think 'The Ammo Can' should have been even more honest with names like 'Kill' or 'Die' or 'Shoot 'Em'. The obnoxious yellow 'Liquor' sign at Brown Jug might as well be 'Drunk' or 'Wasted' or 'Inebriated'. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Spenard</span> doesn't seem to mess around when it comes to names of it's businesses.<br /><br />The fact that the new ammunition shop is in such proximity to a house of ill repute, a bar, the In-Out Liquor store, and a depressed group of multi-family housing seems to be a dangerous concoction set to explode. Not that i think it's related, but a couple of weeks ago they found a body literally frozen between the walls of the building just to the north of The Ammo Can and the pawn shop.<br /><br />I'm curious if there's any public hearing process for co-locating a gun store, liquor store, pawn shop, and low income housing. In some circles of business, they would call it 'synergies'; oh mustn't forget the flower shop, to apologize after the crime spree of course.Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-77952602768433159702008-09-19T13:28:00.000-07:002009-02-25T01:14:09.369-08:00Ugly Child<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0m-kO4uMOty05tR2OHhPYb68aqWCJUMwqC8f7VYGV9WzxJ4an85FDTDGc5jd47usGdcygvD7WjmfI14x5HeNWDoHmbGD6_5f_nDPCPeXMRQ4yTu3I_EjoNm18GSuDL8JlfHcCTeEFfFg/s1600-h/IMG_0120.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306660767350890338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0m-kO4uMOty05tR2OHhPYb68aqWCJUMwqC8f7VYGV9WzxJ4an85FDTDGc5jd47usGdcygvD7WjmfI14x5HeNWDoHmbGD6_5f_nDPCPeXMRQ4yTu3I_EjoNm18GSuDL8JlfHcCTeEFfFg/s320/IMG_0120.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Spenard is about neglected neighborhoods, seedy pasts, but it is also a deeply American experiment that actually seems to be working without being fashionable. An unpopular ugly child who has grown to be a local folk hero.</div>lazyihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05650131319604503856noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-37955458832407191452008-09-14T13:19:00.000-07:002008-09-14T20:28:06.978-07:00Goodbye Fran<a href="http://www.adn.com/life/story/523672.html">http://www.adn.com/life/story/523672.html</a><br /><br />We'll miss you Fran...rest in peace.Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-84137125901742070752008-09-14T01:03:00.000-07:002008-09-14T03:02:09.711-07:00Fish Creek Fall<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8KtdAzGV00AKPQ34Xx97nKZLmoUqp8v0jYtU82TjcDz5RzsIsycTodazqAoepVjG_apSJ2wMU52u9uzLyVVBlu5spRX0nCtY5sFCCwFCnk8RDzCgDXuvoWY95bGCirh0XsFCE9APqx8/s1600-h/IMG_3834.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245802527796733250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8KtdAzGV00AKPQ34Xx97nKZLmoUqp8v0jYtU82TjcDz5RzsIsycTodazqAoepVjG_apSJ2wMU52u9uzLyVVBlu5spRX0nCtY5sFCCwFCnk8RDzCgDXuvoWY95bGCirh0XsFCE9APqx8/s320/IMG_3834.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>In the air lately, the pungent aroma of fall which seems unique to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Spenard</span> fills my nostrils. I'm not exactly sure which plants compose the distinctive scent that is the harbinger of winter. I think it's the high-bush cranberries or perhaps the frightening <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">mutant</span> fungi, then again it could be the decomposing cigarette butts. During the last couple of weeks, honks of geese overhead remind me that I need to inventory winter gear for our kids. I haven't heard our feathered tourists in a few days and am left wondering if they've all gone.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Spenard</span> is the second oldest neighborhood in Anchorage, it was actually a separate town from Anchorage. It's one of the few neighborhoods within mid-town which maintained its arboreal character. Fish Creek, an important wildlife corridor, runs through <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Spenard</span>, it enters near Arctic and 36<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span>, runs west through trailer parks, body shops, and behind Center Bowl before disappearing under Minnesota and reappearing on the other side. It meanders by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">SBS</span> and heads west towards <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Northwood</span> and finally crosses <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Spenard</span> near <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Gwennies</span> and the Harley-Davidson Shop. After crossing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Spenard</span> it finally gains recognition at Fish Creek Park which is the start of a short green belt that ends at Barbara Street Park.<br /><br />The creek, which at times seems to be begging to be put out of its misery continues to flow north across some beautiful properties along <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Brookside</span> Drive until it <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">parallels</span> the railroad tracks which it follows as it crosses under Northern Lights Boulevard at Forest Park Drive. There it seems to capture the momentum of a more <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">affluent</span> neighborhood. It ducks under the tracks and through a short section of forest until it finally becomes <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">idyllic</span> habitat to birds, moose, and foxes. Lush green grasses and a series of serpentine paths seem to create a story book ending to a dirty <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">struggling</span> trickle which had no head waters. If you took a look at Fish Creek at a point Just south of McCain Loop and then again at the Coastal Trail, it'd be pretty hard to believe they were the one and same.</div>Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-38767522006602693352008-09-13T09:53:00.000-07:002008-09-13T10:07:44.603-07:00Spenard Jazz FestivalThe first annual Jazz Festival; news and links.<br /><br /><a href="http://community.adn.com/node/125433">http://community.adn.com/node/125433</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hjon/sets/72157605653801745/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/hjon/sets/72157605653801745/</a><br /><a href="http://www.adn.com/life/story/429955.html">http://www.adn.com/life/story/429955.html</a><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/spenardjazzfest">http://www.myspace.com/spenardjazzfest</a>Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38888892046735727.post-28905986765215785362008-09-13T01:11:00.000-07:002008-09-14T00:41:08.590-07:00the beginning<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_wDfZFujyHNtDIPcw8BOosjaFo8AzDHvaOlogOhMLR7_IbuMB1K3GjWFtV4x7Ku-CqfMMavx7srEwWFaiVv9F3Ms-pygLuUlzRMGPkNzKLHPhcld3NWMCizVWFNYYs4PiHaSMu2-DLg/s1600-h/spenardCCMapSMEastCone.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245428689004240626" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_wDfZFujyHNtDIPcw8BOosjaFo8AzDHvaOlogOhMLR7_IbuMB1K3GjWFtV4x7Ku-CqfMMavx7srEwWFaiVv9F3Ms-pygLuUlzRMGPkNzKLHPhcld3NWMCizVWFNYYs4PiHaSMu2-DLg/s320/spenardCCMapSMEastCone.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Over the course of the last ten years or so, certain areas of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Spenard</span> have been experiencing some sort of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">renaissance</span>. One of the most <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">notable</span> locales is the area whose epicenter is the Bear Tooth or perhaps <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">REI</span>. It doesn't seem too long ago that the mall in which <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">REI</span> stands was mostly vacant and tenuously toeing the line of collapse. Now a regular Mecca of gore-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">tex</span>, tofu sandwiches, lattes, bagels, and books, the mall has all the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">ingredients</span> to attract yoga enthusiasts from afar (actually not too far, just across Northern Lights).<br /><br />I remember when <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">REI</span> was located in the current Brown Jug liquor store at the corner of Northern Lights and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Spenard</span>, and the Bear Tooth used to be Denali Theater. The Theater's original marquee still stands above Play it Again Sports. Shortly before the theater shut down, they used to offer $1.01 movies, usually movies which have already played at the more popular theaters. It was sponsored or ran by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">KGOT</span> radio who donated the one lonely cent to charity. It was a decent cheap date if you could suffer through sitting on the springs poking through the seats. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">AMH</span> and Quick Tow has been there through all of it, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">bohemianification</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">yuppification</span>, and gen-X-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">ification</span>, and now as i understand it gen-Y and gen-M.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Spenard</span> Road seems to be a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">curvy</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">windy</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">aberration</span> within in a city which demands structured grids. At one end is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Chilkoot</span> Charlie's and at the other a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">relatively</span> new <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">congestion</span> of bad airport hotels and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">crappy</span> chain restaurants. The two seem to be holding the ends of a jump rope which makes up <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Spenard</span>. There's a lot more to say about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Spenard</span>, but this is just the first post and it's late for me. Anybody remember '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Foodland</span>'? How about the relationship between <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Foodland</span>, Annabel the elephant, and the Alaska Zoo?<br /><br />Check out some wiki-info: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spenard">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spenard</a></div>Spenardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16174061932836920522noreply@blogger.com1