Wallingford and Latona

Attempting to walk off all the Christmas cookies I ate during the past week, I walked 10.2 miles in the Wallingford and Latona neighborhoods today. I walked streets between 1st Avenue NE and I-5 from NE 40th to 65th Street plus 46th as far as Sunnyside Avenue N and Ravenna Blvd between 6th and 8th Avenue.

I started out by walking under I-5 along Ravenna Blvd then walking south along 6th Avenue NE where I saw the Freeway Estates Community Orchard abutting I-5.

The streets slope down towards I-5 which appears to follow the lowest elevation level until it rises to cross the ship canal. Some of the streets were steep enough to warrant sidewalks with ridges to prevent slipping. There is a renovated staircase at 40th Street.

Except for the areas along 65th and 45th plus short stretches of Latona and 50th, this is a residential area. Older homes are being replaced by newer, more dense housing but not to the extent I've seen in some neighborhoods.

This neighborhood includes two schools (John Stanford Elementary - the old Latona Elementary and McDonald Elementary) and one church (the Elim Baptist Church - the Spanish Baptist Church of Wallingford) with a preschool (Bethany Bear's).

I spotted a mailbox at 46th and Sunnyside.

This area is home to Ravenna Cottages, a doggie daycare, restaurants (Mona's, Krittika's) the Latona Pub, cafes (Irwin's, Lulu's, Muddy Cup), Mehndi Madness, a few tattoo parlors, Petosa's musical instrument shop, a colorful mural, some interesting Christmas decorations and more tree swings than I've seen on any other walk.