Today's walk started cloudy but ended sunny as I walked from the Wedgwood Neighborhood to Matthews Beach. I remember when Wedgwood was a modest neighborhood where a buyer could find a small starter home. Some streets still look almost as they did years ago but many small homes have been replaced by expensive new home. Some one story homes now have three story homes looking down into their backyards.

Sometimes, the older homes are replaced by multiple homes.

35th Avenue NE and NE 95th Street was the northwestern-most point of today's walk. On the southwest corner I spotted a tidy apartment building with a hair salon and a chiropractic practice on the first floor. I don't think the hair salon was there 12 years ago. Northeast Veterinary Hospital is still on the northwest corner and Johnson's Auto Repair is still on the southeast corner but Johnson's now also owns the Spirit Gas Station on the northeast corner. Wong's Restaurant, next to Johnson's has closed.

Fire Station 40 is still on 35th and 94th...


... and the Fiddler's Inn is still there too. In fact, my husband and I returned there for dinner. Like other eateries in Seattle, their workers are very busy but they were still pleasant and we enjoyed the food, beer and our time there.

The Morningside Deli is still there.


There is still a church building on 95th Street just east of 35th. It now houses One Life Community Church. I think it was a Baptist Church 12 years ago. The building is also the location of the Wedgwood Drama Studio, theater for young people.


38th Avenue NE is just a walking path in some spots ...

... but opens into a picnic area at one point.


Sidewalks seemed to appear and disappear. 


Some unique items caught my eye, like this dinosaur head, ...



... this mailbox ...


... and this Little Free Rock Library.

On this 3 mile walk, I spotted two Little Free Libraries which contained mostly children's books, houses decorated for Halloween, a sign welcoming me to the Matthews Beach Neighborhood and few large holes in the ground.


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
I was back in the western part of Laurelhurst today and got so turned around by some of the streets that I wound up walking 5 miles to cover streets that I should have completed in fewer steps. Starting out in an area sandwiched between Sand Point Way to the north, the UW Botanic Gardens and the  Center for Urban Horticulture to the south, Talaris property to the east and UW student housing to the west made me feel separated from the rest of Laurelhurst. There were lots of dead-ends bordering these nine city blocks which include businesses along Sand Point Way and single family homes everywhere else. Many are still the original single story houses but some have been replaced by three story homes. Some of the restaurants along Sand Point Way have changed and the food truck and brew pub may not have been here 12 years ago.  I noticed lots of new curb cuts and this No Parking sign all over this area. The only thing different about the signs are the dates of the Husky home games....
Read more
Image
Twelve and a half years ago I started my original blog ( walkingseattle.blogspot.com ). It took me four years to walk every public street in the City of Seattle. During Covid, I have continued to walk many streets in my neighborhood. Now that it feels safe to ride public transportation again, it's time to revisit many more neighborhoods and see if they have changed. My first walk was in the Cedar Park Neighborhood and, I suspect, its changes will be mirrored around the city. This is quite a mixed neighborhood with the western portion abutting Lake City Way and the eastern portion overlooking Lake Washington. The easternmost streets are entirely residential, probably comprised of single family homes but one small townhouse development appears to have been built, maybe in the last 10 years.  My husband and I did pass walkers, dog walkers and gardeners in this area. We also had some nice views of Lake Washington (when overloaded utility poles didn't get in the way). We spotted lot...
Read more
Image
  Today was too beautiful a day not to take a walk. A chore took me to the Stevens Neighborhood on Capitol Hill. I knew I had started near a low point in Madison Valley as I walked up from E Madison Street along the steep hill on Roy Street. At 22nd Avenue E, I passed the athletic center behind the distinctive dome of Holy Names Academy. Approaching 19th Avenue E, I spotted shops and restaurants. I continued past some beautiful, tree-lined streets until coming to ...  15th Avenue E with its shops, new construction and new 'paid parking' blocks. The area close to 15th is home to Kaiser Permanente and some lovely old apartment buildings. Heading back east, I noted many lovely older homes, Saint Joseph's Church, Meany Middle School, ... ... houses decorated for Halloween, and ... ... at 24th and Mercer, a view of Lake Washington and the Eastside. Back on Madison, I marveled at a big hole where City People's once stood and ... ... read the inscriptions on these stones in me...
Read more