A Walking Enthusiast: An Exploration of Chestnut Park
Podcast Audio:
Podcast script:
Hi, fellow Davis residents! I am Yao, a second-year UC Davis student who enjoys walking just as you might enjoy it. I like going for a walk after dinner because it is always a pleasure to breathe some fresh air and stretch my stiff body after a tiring day of studying. I am living on J street, so I usually take a walk along J street. But, it is kind boring to repeat the same route every walk, so I am thinking about changing it up. Since my neighbors mentioned Chestnut Park and told me that it is pretty nice, I have been longing to go there. So, if you are curious about this park or want to work out the best walking route in Davis like I do, keep listening to this podcast! I will talk about this park and figure out if it is worth a visit.
Before I visited, I did some research about Chestnut Park. Built in 1962, it was designed by a San Francisco firm called Baronian and Danielson Associates. The design of this company always meets people’s needs for a neighborhood park: safety, nice environment, and great facilities (Rifkin, 2012). Keep these three aspects in mind, because I will evaluate this park based on them.
Safety is always one of the most important aspects I value. I went to Chestnut Park at 7 pm on my observation day. I walked around. It is bordered by single-family homes, so not many random strangers are going to hang around. Also, it is on 1020 Chestnut Lane which is ideally separated from Davis primary roadway. Even though it was during commuting hours, not many cars passed by this park. So, parents don’t need to worry too much when their kids running around the park. By checking its surroundings, I thought Chestnut Park is a safe place.
Now, let’s look at this park’s environment! Around 7:30 pm, I started to walk in the park. It is a huge park at 6.1 acres large (DavisWiki). In the center of this park, there is a big lawn which was bathed in brilliant sunshine. I stepped onto the soft lawn. As I wore a pair of sandals, long grass poked my feet and made me a little bit itchy, but I liked the feeling. I think it is enjoyable to walk, sit or play sports on the lawn. Then, I took a walk on the paved loop around the grassy area. I was amazed that the side walk was so clean that I could hardly find a piece of garbage on it. I bet runners and walkers like you would be happy to exercise in such a clean place. After that, I sat on a bench which was under the shade of a tall tree and near an old man. Many trees were planted around the lawn providing people with comforting shade which is particularly important in summer. The old man stayed in the shade for about fifteen minutes and biked away. Looking at his relaxed face, I was sure that he had a pretty nice break in Chestnut Park just like I did. At this point, I have already fallen in love with this park not only because of its safety but also its pleasant environment.
Around 8 pm, more people came to the park. I looked around and found that people had fun with the facilities in Chestnut Park. Three kids chased one another and climbed like monkeys on the playground. Their parents stood nearby and chatted together. Two men finished their tennis game and left. They walked side by side and were having a nice conversation. A man was playing basketball. He dribbled down the court, rushed to the basket and shot. A nice shot! As you can see, Chestnut Park is a pretty well-equipped park which meets different people’s needs. If you have kids, I believe that the playground would be a wonderful place for your kids to burn off their excess energy and for you to take a break; if you are a sport lover, don’t miss this park, I bet you would enjoy playing tennis and basketball here.
The park became even busier around 8:30 pm. More kids ran around the playground. More young men headed toward the basketball and tennis courts. Runners and walkers came to the park, and people walked their dogs. Thanks to these facilities, people had a great time in the park.
Around 9 pm, the sky was turning to deep blue. The lights went on in the courts and streets. Many people left, and I headed back home in a good mood.
As you can see, Chestnut Park is an ideal place for people to enjoy their afternoons and evenings. Based on my observations, it is a safe, friendly and well-equipped park, which I would like to go to again. If you have time, maybe go for a walk in Chestnut Park. Trust me, it is worth a visit. I also highly recommend you take a walk in your nearby parks, which might become part of your favorite walking routes as well. Moreover, I would like to hear your thoughts about Chestnut Park and favorite walking routes in Davis. You can reach out to me simply by leaving a comment below. Thank you for listening, and I hope to talk to you guys again soon. Bye!
Reference:
Rifkin R. (2012, October 24). Chestnut Park: 50 years old and perfect. The Davis Enterprise. Retrieved from http://www.davisenterprise.com/forum/opinion-columns/chestnut-park-50-years-old-and-perfect/
Chestnut Park. Davis Wiki. Retrieved from https://localwiki.org/davis/Chestnut_Park
Hi, fellow Davis residents! I am Yao, a second-year UC Davis student who enjoys walking just as you might enjoy it. I like going for a walk after dinner because it is always a pleasure to breathe some fresh air and stretch my stiff body after a tiring day of studying. I am living on J street, so I usually take a walk along J street. But, it is kind boring to repeat the same route every walk, so I am thinking about changing it up. Since my neighbors mentioned Chestnut Park and told me that it is pretty nice, I have been longing to go there. So, if you are curious about this park or want to work out the best walking route in Davis like I do, keep listening to this podcast! I will talk about this park and figure out if it is worth a visit.
Before I visited, I did some research about Chestnut Park. Built in 1962, it was designed by a San Francisco firm called Baronian and Danielson Associates. The design of this company always meets people’s needs for a neighborhood park: safety, nice environment, and great facilities (Rifkin, 2012). Keep these three aspects in mind, because I will evaluate this park based on them.
Safety is always one of the most important aspects I value. I went to Chestnut Park at 7 pm on my observation day. I walked around. It is bordered by single-family homes, so not many random strangers are going to hang around. Also, it is on 1020 Chestnut Lane which is ideally separated from Davis primary roadway. Even though it was during commuting hours, not many cars passed by this park. So, parents don’t need to worry too much when their kids running around the park. By checking its surroundings, I thought Chestnut Park is a safe place.
Now, let’s look at this park’s environment! Around 7:30 pm, I started to walk in the park. It is a huge park at 6.1 acres large (DavisWiki). In the center of this park, there is a big lawn which was bathed in brilliant sunshine. I stepped onto the soft lawn. As I wore a pair of sandals, long grass poked my feet and made me a little bit itchy, but I liked the feeling. I think it is enjoyable to walk, sit or play sports on the lawn. Then, I took a walk on the paved loop around the grassy area. I was amazed that the side walk was so clean that I could hardly find a piece of garbage on it. I bet runners and walkers like you would be happy to exercise in such a clean place. After that, I sat on a bench which was under the shade of a tall tree and near an old man. Many trees were planted around the lawn providing people with comforting shade which is particularly important in summer. The old man stayed in the shade for about fifteen minutes and biked away. Looking at his relaxed face, I was sure that he had a pretty nice break in Chestnut Park just like I did. At this point, I have already fallen in love with this park not only because of its safety but also its pleasant environment.
Around 8 pm, more people came to the park. I looked around and found that people had fun with the facilities in Chestnut Park. Three kids chased one another and climbed like monkeys on the playground. Their parents stood nearby and chatted together. Two men finished their tennis game and left. They walked side by side and were having a nice conversation. A man was playing basketball. He dribbled down the court, rushed to the basket and shot. A nice shot! As you can see, Chestnut Park is a pretty well-equipped park which meets different people’s needs. If you have kids, I believe that the playground would be a wonderful place for your kids to burn off their excess energy and for you to take a break; if you are a sport lover, don’t miss this park, I bet you would enjoy playing tennis and basketball here.
The park became even busier around 8:30 pm. More kids ran around the playground. More young men headed toward the basketball and tennis courts. Runners and walkers came to the park, and people walked their dogs. Thanks to these facilities, people had a great time in the park.
Around 9 pm, the sky was turning to deep blue. The lights went on in the courts and streets. Many people left, and I headed back home in a good mood.
As you can see, Chestnut Park is an ideal place for people to enjoy their afternoons and evenings. Based on my observations, it is a safe, friendly and well-equipped park, which I would like to go to again. If you have time, maybe go for a walk in Chestnut Park. Trust me, it is worth a visit. I also highly recommend you take a walk in your nearby parks, which might become part of your favorite walking routes as well. Moreover, I would like to hear your thoughts about Chestnut Park and favorite walking routes in Davis. You can reach out to me simply by leaving a comment below. Thank you for listening, and I hope to talk to you guys again soon. Bye!
Reference:
Rifkin R. (2012, October 24). Chestnut Park: 50 years old and perfect. The Davis Enterprise. Retrieved from http://www.davisenterprise.com/forum/opinion-columns/chestnut-park-50-years-old-and-perfect/
Chestnut Park. Davis Wiki. Retrieved from https://localwiki.org/davis/Chestnut_Park