Walking Seattle Again

  Today's walk in the Green Lake neighborhood started in the park along the east side of the lake. There is a lovely arch at the end of the tree-lined walkway shown above. Out on East Green Lake Drive N, a commercial area houses restaurants, cafes, running shops, bicycle shops and the Green Lake Library which is currently being renovated. Bike lanes are prominent here. The area west of 1st Avenue and north of E Green Lake Way N, is much more residential than the commercial area closer to 72nd Street. I noted older homes with impressive details and some lovely gardens. I observed a mural, ... ... pumpkins growing in a parking strip, ... ... a reading nook around a Little Free Library, ... ...and a staircase which I climbed. 75th Street is just an alley in this area. Over on Woodlawn Avenue, the Great  Hall at Green Lake has been let out to businesses (I think mostly professional services-oriented). Woodlawn is also home to restaurants, a gym, a chess academy and ... ... in an o...

  Today's walk in the University District was dominated by large new apartment complexes like this one situated between 24th Avenue NE and the Burke Gilman Trail. It is named Trailside and it does abut the trail. Crossing the Burke Gilman Trail Connector just south of this complex, ... ... I was able to view the back side of the buildings. These are advertised as Student Living apartments for UW students. The website shows studios, 1,2,3,4 and 5 bedroom apartments with a private bath for each bedroom. This walk took me to the new Safeway store on 50th and Brooklyn. It is new and shiny and I recognized an employee from the closed store near University Village. There are apartments over the store and just south of it. There is a lovely plaza with tables and murals but, sadly, there is already graffiti on the tables and litter left all over. Over on fraternity row, I spotted Purple and Gold ... ... and more a few blocks away. Some of the houses have already been replaced by apartment ...

  The old giving way to the new was in evidence as I walked in the University District, yesterday. Residential and commercial properties were intermixed with, fraternity houses, churches and services. Everywhere old buildings were giving way to newer, larger ones. Starting near Cowen Park, I noted that in 1906, Charles Cowen gave these 12 acres to the City of Seattle. A quote on the pillars says: "Man shall not live by bread alone". The park is a lovely place. The Cowen Park Grocery is still across the street. Over on University Way, I spotted a shop selling original Henry Art. Across the street, the University Cooperative Preschool sported a colorful Henry mural. Passing eclectic shops and fast food places with dirty looking windows, I came to the old University Heights School. It's too bad that taggers don't respect murals. At least lamppost art seems safe. Ravenna Boulevard was lovely and the area close to the park along 16th and 17th Avenues had some lovely older ...

A chore took me back to the Tangletown area of Wallingford today. I needed a printed map as well as the map on my phone to keep me from getting totally turned around. Streets seemed to intersect and become other streets. Some streets ran north-south, others ran east-west, and yet others ran northwest-southeast or seemed to almost circle around. I did appreciate the shady stretches and noted that this is still mostly a single-family house neighborhood (at least off the main streets). Some older homes have been replaced by new, bigger ones. A Henry mural brightened my day. The notice of a block party was displayed below what appeared to be an Elvis altar. I noted a tiny bench and quite a few tree swings. 56th Street has a few cafes and restaurants. A sign on the door announced that Burgundian had closed. 50th Street is home to the Wallingford Laundromat, a 7-Eleven, the Good Shepherd Center, and (on Wednesdays) the Wallingford Farmers Market. Along this 4.5 mile walk, I passed the Keysto...