Best Four Miles

One morning every spring, the tranquil, tree-lined streets between Waldo and the Plaza are possessed by a multiheaded, sweaty, thundering beast: a field of 10,000 runners and walkers who show up to support a good cause, test their strides against some friendly competition or just get some exercise. Proceeds from the Trolley Run go to the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired. Perhaps the best feature of this annual rite of spring is the impromptu entertainment that shows up along the course. Our favorite this year: the dude blowing his tuba on Brookside Boulevard. His rendition of Wagner's "Flight of the Valkyries" was a little flatulent, but full of spirit.