I often look for reasons to drive on Hope Street. It's a pretty little road, but not particularly noteworthy. Other South Pas streets have bigger landmarks, and flashier houses and larger trees. But I don't drive on Hope Street for the views ... I drive on Hope Street because it's fun to say to myself, "Hey! I'm on Hope Street!" (It's also fun to drive in the Garvanza Hills area of Highland Park, turn a corner and exclaim, "Yeah, I'm on Easy Street...") There's something cool and magical about feeling like you're literally standing/walking/driving on HOPE.When life throws loopy curveballs at us, it would be really great if we could duck, abandon the field and just head on over to Hope Street to power up for another shot at bat. Maybe that's one reason I love to see these street signs -- like little referees reminding me of a bigger set of rules. Hope is palpable. Hope is motivating and miraculous. Hope is a mighty powerful word. (Just ask Obama.)
And we could all use more of it.
16 comments:
Today I needed HOPE and there it was. Thanks Laurie for the right sign at the right time.
Ditto for what Mom said. :~)
I would drive on Hope street for the same reason!
Beautiful.
Another great post... and another fun pun! If ever there were a community rife with portents, omens and signs, it would be South Pasadena... a vortex of all that is intelligent, decent, artistic and... hopeful!
One thing I would not want to do is live south of Hope St.
Altho "South of Hope" might be the title of my next (first) novel.
Hope, B.C. is about 90 miles east of Vancouver. The "Beyond Hope' gag has been used so often it's worn to a frazzle.
WV: unsigh
Thanks for the new perspective!!! I drive on Hope street periodically and have never thought about it...but now it will be forever embedded in my mind!!!
Always room for more HOPE.
Lovely visual and write-up.
Don't you just love the name "Garvanza" too? Sounds so extravagant.
Anyone notice that if you look at it from a different angle it's a stop sign? Something about an intersection of perspectives...
-K- I do live south of Hope.
Here's what I wrote when Laurie posted about Hope Street last September:
"How many people are living on Hope? I notice that Hope doesn't go all that far in South Pas. Unfortunately, Hope and Mission don't intersect.
I once entered the Pasadena Weekly Mystery Photo Contest. It was the parking lot on Hope behind the pet shop across from Wild Thyme. I entitled my entry, "A Street Called Hope." Unfortunately, the Editor, Jim Laris, was out of town that week. He wrote me a note, now framed on may wall, telling me I would have won if he hadn't been traveling. He said, "Oh the misery. Oh the pain." I live quite a bit south of Hope."
In 1994 I went through a very difficult divorce and with my two children went looking for an affordable place to live in So Pas. I was about to give up and take an apt outside of our fair town when I found a home for sale on Hope Street.
It was directly behind the police station so my kids felt safe and I was assured that all would be well now that I was Hope Street. I painted the sign over the door "1210 Hope Street". It's still there.
The home, built in 1904, was a one bedroom so we shifted the living around. Six years - and many great memories - later, the kids objected when they heard I was thinking of buying something bigger. This 900 square foot house on Hope Street kept us so close that they were willing to stay.
Yes, it is a wonderful thing to live on Hope Street.
Joe
I drive on Hope Street every day. I will always think of it differently now.
Thank you SO much, wonderful people. Til tomorrow...
I love Hope Street! Another funny thing: Fairview is a cross street.
My kid joked that you could drive by and hope for a fair view of things.
Okay, this photo is my new favorite right now. I want to frame it and put it on my wall! Great work.
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