Visiting the Old Neighborhood

Yesterday I had the opportunity to drive through the neighborhood that I grew up in so I could see what had changed. My parents moved to a new house when I was a freshman in college and so I’ve only had a the opportunity to drive through the old neighborhood a few times since then. I can’t believe how much has changed!

The Old House
So many things have been changed on our old house. Here are a few of the highlights:

  • There used to be a row of Cottonwood trees along the driveway. They were huge trees — close to 100 feet tall. They have all been cut down.
  • The house was a Spanish style rambler with a white stucco exterior and dark brown trim. The current owners have painted the entire house beige — trim and all!
  • There used to be a deck and a porch off the back of the house. This has now been replaced with a two story addition where the deck used to be.
  • There is now a deck off the master bedroom and a sliding door to get to it.

    • The Old School

  • I graduated from Irondale High School in New Brighton, MN.
  • Irondale has had MAJOR remodeling since I graduated. It looks completely different!! About the only thing that looks the same is the parking lot. Even the front door is in a different place.

    • The Old Neighborhood

  • Many of the houses that belonged to friends and neighbors look totally different than when I lived there. Many have new siding, new roofs, and new additions.
  • There are houses in places that used to be woods and bike trails.
  • The McDonald’s restaurant I used to ride my bike to as a kid was torn down and replaced with a brand new, bigger McDonald’s on the other side of the lot.
  • The smallish grocery store we used to buy our groceries at is now a giant Cub Foods store.
  • The main road in New Brighton — Silver Lake Road — has been completely re-done. It is wider and now has trees running down the middle of it.

    • All of the changes are both cool….and sad. It is hard to watch the memories of my youth slowly get replaced, but at the same time it is exciting to see things be improved and fixed up. One thing is for sure. I need to drive through there more often.

    –Pete

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