University of Washington (3 Walks)

The last three days, I have been walking before or after class at the UW. My 11.3 mile walks have taken me through the campus, the hospital and medical center, along Portage Bay and into the neighborhoods surrounding the campus. Near Union Bay, I saw the Benton's clock which had been located on the Ave for many years. It was moved here when the jewelry store moved but now the jewelry store has been replaced by a financial investment office.

Heading south, I came to the Center for Urban Horticulture and the UW Botanic Gardens.

On the first day of school, Red Square was full of students, organizations that wanted to attract them and product advertisers giving out samples.

Walking down 15th Avenue NE, I passed the Architecture building, the Physics Astronomy building and the Institute of Religion (probably an LDS not a UW institute). Where 15th ended at the water, I saw Aqua Verde Cafe with a line outside the door. It is nicely located at the Sakuma Viewpoint near the dock for the new mini ferry to South Lake Union.

I passed the UW Police offices, a bicycle store, a used sports equipment store and the Boat Street Marina as I walked to the University Bridge.

Walking along Portage Bay, I passed the Ocean Teaching Building, the spot where the old Showboat Theatre was once located and some nice picnic spots.

I walked through the Montlake Cut which connects Union Bay and Portage Bay and is part of the waterways which connect Lake Washington, Lake Union, the ship canal, Salmon Bay, the Locks and Puget Sound.

I saw the bridgekeeper's tower of the Montlake Bridge

as I passed in back of the ever-expanding hospital and medical center.

UW buildings around here are too numerous to mention them all but they are a real mix of traditional and modern. Now that school is in session, this whole area is full of people and I will return for more walks.

Broadview

Today, my husband and I returned to Broadview and came close to finishing off the streets of this neighborhood. We took a 5.5 mile walk along streets around and north of Carkeek Park.

Again, views of the sound abounded but our walk also took us into Carkeek Park where a Fruit Festival was in progress at the Environmental Learning Center. We got to taste apples and plums picked from neighborhood trees.

We hiked down into the park on a trail that started at 12th NW and NW 116th Street. This took us to NW Carkeek Park Road which connected up with NW 116th on the east side of the park.

We only have a few Broadview streets left and hope our next neighborhood has as much to offer.

Capitol Hill

After two days (walking 20 miles) in Vancouver, BC, I took a short walk on Capitol Hill yesterday. My 2.2 mile walk found me on the streets just west and north of Seattle Central Community College (SCCC). This is a busy area with lots of restaurants

and pubs (with names like Captain Black's, the Stumbling Monk and Clever Dunne's Irish House) near and along Olive, Twice Sold Tales and Half Price Books bookstores, peek-a-boo views of the Space Needle and a church (whose cornerstone reads Westminster Presbyterian Church 1896-1923 but whose reader-board makes it look as if the building is now Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church). The streets were busy even though school had not yet started at SCCC; the energy in this neighborhood is always invigorating.

Broadview

Monday found me back in Broadview walking some of the streets I had skipped on my prior walks here. My 6.5 mile walk took me from 3rd to 8th Avenue NW between NW 120th and 137th Streets.

These streets were similar to others nearby with sound views abounding.

There were lots of alleys, some ravines (in the north end) and swings in trees, a private street (Eldorado Lane), and some nice garden art carved from the trunks of dead trees.

This was a peaceful neighborhood and there were quite a few homes for sale.

Western Broadview

Today, my husband and I took a 5.1 mile walk through the quiet streets of western Broadview. We walked many of the streets between Puget Sound and 8th Avenue NW from NW 120th to 132nd Street.






The northern streets dead-ended into a sparsely populated green area. Houses here were impressive and lots were fairly large.

Streets east of 10th and west of 12th have fewer trees but spectacular views of the sound. Between 10th and 12th, the land was pretty flat and views were rare.

Streets felt very wide, probably because there were very few cars parked in front of houses. Alleys were common and only the streets along NW Blakely Court had curbs.

The only things detracting from this well-kept neighborhood were the open drainage ditches along the sides of many streets.

Quite a few view homes were for sale and the asking prices reflected the spectacular views.

Broadview and Bitter Lake

I was back in the Broadview and Bitter Lake neighborhoods today for a 7.5 mile walk. I walked most of the streets between 1st NW and Aurora from N 105th to 115th Street.

105th and Greenwood are busy streets and I had to wait quite a while for the traffic light to change at the intersection of Greenwood, 105th and Holman Road. This intersection is commercial and Lenny's Fruit and Vegetable store had nice looking produce at reasonable prices.

Greenwood Avenue has new sidewalks and 1st, Palatine and Phinney between 107th and 110th are curved with Street Edge Alternatives.

The neighborhood is relatively flat and many streets east of Greenwood are much more modest than those west of Greenwood and both sides have lots of alleyways.

Greenwood Avenue has lots of apartments/condos but the other streets have single family homes.

The artistically designed Viewland Hoffman Receiving Substation and the Interurban Trail North are located in this neighborhood.

This neighborhood is home to a few vegetable gardens, a cruelly pruned tree and quite a few churches (Grace Evangelical Lutheran,

Seattle Church Assembly,

Living Way Foursquare Church

and Bethel Presbyterian Church whose signboard indicates that it is now at Trinity Presbyterian).