Some Fresh Pavement, Please

Being somewhat new to New Haven politics, I don't know much about Mayor John DeStefano, not sure yet whether he's a worthwhile city leader. But I'll say this: If the guy would just fix the dang sidewalks, he'd get my vote.

I'm not even going to bother with New Haven's roads, which are bad enough — awful for bicycling and driving alike. To be sure, the sidewalks in and around Yale and downtown New Haven are in pretty good shape. No surprise there. But everywhere else they're in various stages of disrepair.

One of the worst neighborhoods is along one of my running routes. Run east on Chapel Street past Yale and Downtown and even past the Wooster Street neighborhood and across the Quinnipiac River, and as the sidewalk progressively deteriorates you can practically hear your sneakers shrieking from the increasingly treacherous terrain. In some stretches, there's more dirt and grass than concrete, as if the Earth had reclaimed the land, stolen it back from careless humans. This impression is shattered, however, by the broken glass that is everywhere along this stretch of Chapel.

It's a shame, because the east end of Chapel is a good running route, even with the Ferry Street drawbridge still closed for repair. Often I just hop the curb and run in the street, hoping the cars don't use me for target practice.

Maybe someday the powers that be in the Elm City will wise up and spend a little money outside what is known as "the Yale bubble." Until then, many apologies to my sneakers.