Walking Seattle Again

 This garden was among the sights that greeted my husband and me as we walked in Bryant today. Changes in this neighborhood are about the same as those in nearby areas. Large homes are replacing older modest homes. We did note one street where a row of trees had been planted in the the wide swag between the sidewalk and the street. The area does not have a lot of big trees and feels very open. We encountered wide streets throughout this area we between 55th and 62nd Streets from 40th to 45th Avenues NE. Empress Assisted Living has opened across the street from Metropolitan Market and next to Yummy Cafe and the Fire Station. Along our two mile walk, we passed one Little Free Pantry and five Little Free Libraries. They contained novels, children's books, fitness books and a marketing book.

The air was crisp and clear today as my husband and I returned to Hawthorne Hills. We had great views of the Cascade Mountains from many streets. This neighborhood abuts the Burke Gilman Trail and we noted these benches ... ... and this entry to the trail at the Dead End of NE 60th Street at 53rd Avenue NE. Walking north on 53rd, we passed a development of news homes that were probably not there 12 years ago. We did note a USPS mailbox and cement street surfaces on our almost 3 mile walk.   Along the way, we passed four Little Free Libraries. They contained novels, children's books, books for birders and a book about Seattle ghosts.

  Except for a few snowflakes, this hedge was the most surprising thing my husband and I encountered in Hawthorne Hills this morning. This tidy, hilly neighborhood has sidewalks, curbs and underground utilities but small yards and not too many trees. Its circular streets are named for colleges and universities and are platted around University Circle. Hawthorne Hills appears to be experiencing the same changes as many other neighborhoods with multiple houses replacing a single house or modest houses being remodeled or replaced by much larger homes. We did see palm trees, ... ... colorful stones, ... ... an inviting bench, views of downtown and lots of new corner curb cuts. We passed one Little Free Library on our  two mile walk. It contained a Bible, other spiritual reading, books about and for children, novels, short stories, nonfiction and one book in Swedish.

  My return to Laurelhurst today had me hiking up and down hills, climbing up and down staircases, enjoying views and being rained upon. Having a better map, I didn't get turned around today but did run into a few dead-end streets - many due to Villa Academy property. I have read that the order owning this property is considering selling some of it. I wonder if these streets would still dead-end. On hilly streets where original sidewalks have not been replaced, I noted the ridged pattern which must have been the standard years ago because I have seen them all over Seattle hills. Climbing this staircase at 53rd Ave and 45th Street, ... ... I came to this staircase at 45th and West Laurel Drive. Because I was on the west side of the street and there was a truck parked near these signs, I almost missed this shoreline access ... ... with its stairway down to ... ... access with a pretty steep drop off. There may have been a dock here at one time but not now. I did note a sign warning o...

 A trip to the Post Office took me to Lake City today so I walked some of the nearby streets.  The storefronts across from the Post Office which burned down a few years ago have still not been replaced.  I was surprised to find new, expensive looking development mixed in with ... ... older housing and senior housing. I noted a decorated utility box and later passed the Lake City Collective  (which is located behind the School Bus parking lot just south of 137th). Perhaps they were instrumental in creating this artwork. A Dog Daycare facility was boarded up because it had a fire yesterday. The area still has large auto lots, especially the Toyota facility (which was being patrolled by a security guard). Crossing Lake City Way and walking down Erickson Place, I spotted a number of large camper vans parked along both sides of the street. There were no vans here 12 years ago. Proceeding to 37th Avenue NE, I noticed lots of kids from Cedar Park Elementary enjoying recess...

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....