A New Starting Point

Athens, OH dérive - January 27th, 2007 - 45 degrees F - 4:10 p.m.

Start: Athens Library - Home St and Lincoln St
Decided on Second Left and First Right algorithm.

Head down Lincoln St following....

2nd Left - onto Meadow Lane into a small housing complex with identical duplex homes. Two rows of homes. Homes appear very uniform. Built for affordability and utility. Due to the "U" path of the road, our next Right is onto Lincoln. This would take us back to the Library parking lot which we would exit and come back down Lincoln and take a second left onto Meadow Lane. We've entered a loop. Rather than enter the Library parking lot we follow the curve and take second Left onto Elmwood Dr.
1st Right - onto Lorene Ave.
2nd Left - onto E. State St.
1st Right - quick Right onto Ransom St. E. State Street divides the neighborhoods.
Forced Left - onto McGuffey Ln.
2nd Left - onto Tulane St. which is a split street, but both called Tulane St.
1st Right - back onto E. State St.
2nd Left - onto S. Shannon St. back into starting point neighborhood.
1st Right - onto Elmwood, a bricked road with large brick homes.
2nd Left - back onto E. State St. again!
1st Right - onto small, steep Merkle St. We might be off E. State for good now, and back into predominately college housing.
2nd Left and forced - onto Grosvenor St.
1st Right - up small, alley-like Fort St. Turns into a larger street and follows along top of hill and leads back down to....
2nd Left - Congress Street.

We end on Congress Street and Carpenter Street by Mt. Zion church.

Originally I thought starting at by the Library we would explore the adjacent neighborhood much more but with skipping the first left, it takes us a bit further away than I expected. This is a small area. Second turns may often not happen on some of the streets. We need to decide a standard rule for these situations to follow. Or do we decide each separate dérive and let the path take us as it goes?

Different Toss, Same Algorithm

Athens, OH dérive- January 24th, 2007 - 31 degrees F



Start: Ark and Mound
1st Coin Toss: Heads start down Mound - Tails start down Ark. Tossed Heads.
2nd Coin Toss: Heads take a Left - Tails take a Right. Tossed Tails.

1st Left, 1st Right Algorithm

1st Left - onto shortcut alley.
1st Right - onto Carpenter Street shortway back towards Mound.
Next Left - back onto Mound
Next Right - onto main part of Carpenter

I just ended up where I would have if I had walked straight down Mound.

Next Left - what I think is an alley off of Carpenter but it turns into a parking lot. Look around and take some pictures. Walk back out to Carpenter.
Repeat Left - onto 1st Street. I've never been on this street yet it's so close to home. Steep street. No sidewalk. Cemetary on the left.
Next Right - Walker Street. Still no sidewalk. No Outlet sign ahead but....
Next Left - I turn before entering the No Outlet. Interesting road layout. Two lefts onto roads nearly parallel. I take the 1st left according to algorithm. I'm not really sure what road I'm on. West Hills Road above.

The two roads combined again.

Next Right - onto Slaughter Road.
Next Left - onto Rardin Avenue. Quite road with 70's style homes. Seems as if it is a thru street for traffic.
Forced to turn Left onto Schafer. Sidewalk starts.
Next Right - onto Clarke Street.
Next Left - onto Central Avenue. Pass West Elementary. A few kids sledding.
Next Right - onto West State Street which leads directly to the power plant and no outlet. I take a Left instead. I will take Next Right due to forced Left. Pass the infamous Miller's Chicken.
Next Right - back onto Schafer Street. Pass a restaurant (Mistretta's) and see a new store, Beads & Things. The University Commons on the Right.
Next Left - Washington Street. Passed the West End Tavern - whatever happened to West End Tavern? Lots of alleys on the Left but none on the Right. I pass the girl who was running he camera from the lecture las night.
Next Right - onto Maple Street. Cross paths with old man I passed on West Hills Street. Is he on a dérive too?
Next Left - into an alley. I think twice about going down it. Maybe it's another parking lot, or a place I'm not suppose to be.
Next Right - another alley with two loudly whining beagles.
Next Left - onto Byard Street. Quiet but void of office building and storage?
Next Right - Smith Street. Very quick and then a turn onto....
Next Left - Foster Place. A abandoned looking, very large home on the Right.
Forced Right - Interesting homes across from each other. One is very run down and the other is a brand new apartment type building.
Next Right - onto Union Street.
Next Left - onto Factory Street. Now out of neighborhood and into Ohio University facility buildings.
Next Right - Moore Street. Feels more like an alley or thruway than a road.
Next Left - onto S. Schafer Street. Bank on the left and practice fields on the right. Hospital after fields. Following the river and bike path.

End at Richland and Schafer.

dérive in Athens

First dérive in Athens, OH. January 20
32 degrees F
2:50 PM to 4:00 PM

Leave from corner of Ark and Mound. Out Ark (coin toss tails). Take left (coin toss heads).

1st left, first right algorithm. Back alleys down off W. State
shotgun row houses. Public graffiti.
4 benches outside Baker
busyness of campus

VOID at Maya Lin

Border between machines (cars) and speed and
pedestrian non-friendliness AND
campus walking windy roads where cars can't go fast.

Cross the Hocking. Right/Left. Ridges. Circle around.