The stretch of Wealthy Street between Lakeside Drive and Bagley has always been the reason people call East Grand Rapids a walkable neighborhood. This summer it is finally acting like one. Two storefronts that sat empty through most of last year are open, the Monday-night calendar at John Collins Park doubled, and the short walk from a sandwich counter to a lawn chair over Reeds Lake now takes about eleven minutes without hurrying.
If you already live here, the practical effect is simple: the reasons to drive into downtown Grand Rapids on a summer weeknight are thinner than they were a year ago.
