Walking Seattle Again

  An appointment on Meridian Avenue N took me to the Northgate area this morning so I decided to walk in this area surrounding I-5. Walking north on Meridian, I came to Evergreen Washelli  Cemetery at 113th and noted that a new fire station will be built across the street. Continuing north to 117th, I turned east and passed the new James Baldwin Elementary School which had been Northgate Elementary. Crossing I-5 via the 117th Street overpass, ... ... I walked south on 1st NE noting how close I was to both the light rail tracks and I-5. At the light rail station, I navigated to the John Lewis Memorial Bridge and crossed back to the west side of I-5. I didn't remember this sculpture being in place the last time I crossed this bridge onto the North Seattle College campus.  The North Precinct Police Department headquarters is across from the college. This area is also home to many medical buildings and apartment houses. The dead-end at 113th Place leads to a footpath to Sunny...

  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...

  A visit to the Maple Leaf Macrina with my bakery-loving friend was the incentive for today's walk. She had a few chores in the neighborhood so we walked north to 90th Street. I had missed some streets in the Green Lake neighborhood so we walked south passing through the Roosevelt neighborhood. We were close enough for a visit to the Freeway Estates Community Orchard  so we continued south to 60th Street. We passed houses decorated for Halloween, ... ... the Green Lake Fire Station No. 16, the Fairview Church (whose grounds looked to be an old Seattle Public School), ... ... and the old John Marshall School building which is the temporary home of both Montlake and John Rogers Elementary Schools. A work party was busy at Freeway Estates Community Orchard. My friend knew one of the workers so we stopped to chat. Everyone was friendly and they invited us to return tomorrow for their annual Cider Fest. It is amazing what grows so close to I-5. Working our way back north to Macrin...

  It was good to be back walking today even if the streets abutting I-5 were not the most enjoyable in the city. Walking from 123rd to 145th on the streets near I-5, I was very aware of the noise from the traffic and the changes due to the construction of the light rail extension. In spite of that, there were some tree-lined streets in the Haller Lake neighborhood west of I-5. Northacres Park had some heavily wooded spaces and Lakeside School had lovely grounds. The Haller Lake P-Patch was serene and a large parking lot for the Haller Lake United Methodist Church was behind it. I hope both are preserved but wonder about the rest of the area after seeing ... ... this sign across the street. There is already a lot of housing going in north of 145th Street near the light rail station which will open before the 130th Street station. There is even a big parking garage going up on the east side of I-5. I noted that it is just outside the city limits. I'm not sure that any parking has eve...

  In a quest to walk dead-end streets I had missed, I returned to the Matthews Beach and Wedgwood neighborhoods. Many of the dead-ends were due to Thornton Creek running through the area. There were foot paths connecting a few of the dead-end streets. This one on 36th Avenue NE north of 103rd Street was visible.  I had missed the entry from the other end because I thought the street had ended. I didn't know I would have needed to walk on what looked like a private driveway. There were more or less visible footpaths at 40th and 97th, 38th and 93rd, and 43rd Place and 103rd. Recent rains have restored most of the greenery I had missed during our summer drought. I even spotted mushrooms today. On this walk, I passed Luma , the Wedgwood tree saved from developers by environmental activists and the Snoqualmie Tribe. Wouldn't it be ironic if the tribes who have been displaced are the ones who save us from ourselves? I passed a few other lots where single homes had been replaced by t...