(Caption: My friend and walking buddy, Laurie, at the Roundtop. We both grew up near, and at, The Rez.)
One of my favorite walks in Syracuse is at The Rez – it’s off of South Geddes Street - next to Bellevue Heights Church/Nursery School and between Glenwood and Stolp Aves. I think the official name is Woodland Reservoir, but it’s simply The Rez to most of us who grew up on that side of town.
Through the years, The Rez has meant different things to me. As a little kid, it was an exciting place for sledding. I still remember the walk home each evening dragging my sled by a rope with frozen cheeks and snow-filled boots and my mom waiting with hot cocoa to warm us up.
In my teen years, The Rez became party central on weekends as night settled in and friends flocked to its Roundtop. I know there were kegs, and often police, but I mainly remember having fun with my friends on warm summer nights.
It also was the place where we sat on blankets and watched the 4th of July fireworks – clear as a bell - as they were launched across town at McArthur Stadium (Alliance Bank Stadium now).
The walk at The Rez is 8/10ths of a mile once around and then there is a hill up to the Roundtop to give you that cardio boost. People run and walk there – with and without their pets. And everyone is typically pretty friendly.
Recently, I even chatted with wetsuit-clad folks from the City of Syracuse who were diving into the Reservoir doing a routine check of the bottom. When I was a kid, my mother struck the fear of god into me to prevent me from trying to scale the fence and swim there, by telling horror stories of drowned children who could not get out because of the slippery sloped sides of the reservoir itself. I’m not exactly sure whether there were any drownings or not, but it sure seems likely and the thought still scares me.
It’s hard for me to complete even one lap at the Rez without getting lost in a flash of memory from days gone by. I guess The Rez is my literal walk down Memory Lane. Just sayin'....
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