Winner: Wagner’s Lanes Shortcut

Recently, we had to say goodbye to a true Eau Claire  legend: The Wagner’s Lanes parking lot shortcut – a lovely little jaunt that would let you easily breeze past a busy Brackett Avenue/Hastings Way intersection (now complete with a Walgreen’s AND a CVS). For decades, it’s been a popular way for locals to zip from Brackett to Fairfax Street in a matter of seconds! But on Aug. 12, 2015, the thing closed down forever, no longer allowing through traffic to enjoy the countless seconds of extra time they were afforded by utilizing the breezy shortcut. Closing it makes sense, I guess, as it was always more of a parking lot than an actual street. But you can’t help but get a little wistful for the days when you could just zoom right through there. Now we live in a new era. It’s not worse. It’s just different. It is with a heavy heart and an air of remembrance, that I give you your remaining options: Just go up to Hastings and take that all the way south to Fairfax, or take Keith Street past Memorial to Clairemont and get on Fairfax that way. I’m sorry. It just has to be this way. Hopefully, the Wagner’s shortcut is up in heaven now, letting the angels drive their angel cars between Brackett and Fairfax with no hassle whatsoever. RIP. You will be missed.