A chore brought me to the Northgate area today so I decided to walk some streets I had missed in the Maple Leaf neighborhood. I tend to think of this area more as Northgate than Maple Leaf but my neighborhood map reference tells me that Maple Leaf, Pinehurst, Haller Lake, and North College Park are all part of the larger Northgate area.

Starting on Roosevelt near 100th Street, I noted "Do Not Enter" signs on some of the narrow streets. Walking west, I observed that some of the streets had sidewalks on one side and that 8th Avenue had no sidewalks at all. It is a narrow street and, when cars are parked along it, walking can be dangerous.

Near 4th Avenue and 100th Street, I saw this staircase down into the Thornton Place Apartments. I had already walked through this nicely landscaped area so I continued west ...

... and noted a double decker Sound Transit bus at ...

... the Northgate Light Rail and Transit Center. I don't know why Metro buses are articulated and Sound Transit are double decker and I don't know which are more comfortable or better maintained. I wonder if Sound Transit buses will still run to Northgate when the Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood Light Rail Stations open.

I noticed a Park and Ride under the elevated tracks and a bike lane along 1st Avenue.

Turning east at 97th, I passed The Polyclinic, the Seattle Athletic Club, Salal Financial Center, and Kaiser Permanente, where I saw charging stations in the parking lot.

Working my way to 5th Avenue I walked North and observed that the "school area speed limit" is photo enforced here.

Coming to Olympic View Elementary School and Olympic View Community Church, I looked west and saw the Olympics in the distance.

Winding my way to the dead-end at 104th off 5th, I noted an entrance to the Beaver Pond Natural Area. I did not venture in because I was alone and the area is heavily wooded.

At 105th and 5th, I came to this staircase running on the south side of the Northgate Community Center.

It lead to this footpath, where I spotted ...

... colorful graffiti across 105th and then ...

... passed over Thornton Creek at 8th Avenue.

Continuing up 8th, I saw huge apartment complexes already in and others going in. Some claimed to be "upscale homes."

Near Northgate way, I spotted a Propose Land Use Action sign requesting to have some property rezoned from Lowrise 3 (M) to Midrise (M1). Walking around the corner at Northgate Way and turning down Roosevelt, ...

... I came to the tidy looking complex (complete with outdoor pool) which is on the property which is the subject of the rezoning request.

Continuing south on Roosevelt, I noted a small homeless encampment on the sidewalk just above the Beaver Pond Natural Area which does not appear to be part of the rezoning request.

A few backyards abutting Roosevelt illustrated how this area is changing bit by bit. I had passed a number of tidy brick Tudor homes on this walk. I wonder if they will still be around 20 years from now.

One last dead-end at 9th Avenue off 105th lead to another entry into the Beaver Pond Natural Area.

The one street I walked east of Roosevelt felt more like a single family neighborhood but, even there, densification is in progress. There were six homes on this lot (or maybe it was a double lot).

This six mile walk took me past the colorful Maple Leaf Music Space and two Little Free Libraries. They contained children's books, skill development books, a book on bicycle repair, novels and two pair of sunglasses.

When I returned to my car, the temperature inside was 102 degrees!