Northwest of Green Lake (2 walks)

Yesterday, my husband and I broke in the shillelaghs a friend gave us for Christmas and took a 4.2 mile walk in the neighborhood between Aurora and Ashworth from N 85th Street to Green Lake. This area is considered Green Lake.

We walked up Aurora Avenue which has a lot more than the automotive-related businesses which seem to predominate when I drive this stretch. Surprises included a string of ethnic restaurants and shops, a guitar store, a chocolate factory, a toy store, the Purple Store, a paint store and the "I am" reading room of the Saint Germaine Foundation,

Just east of Aurora, the neighborhood quickly turned residential with lovely homes on streets close to the lake. We spotted many tidy brick tudors, a colorful Victorian and a tree house. This neighborhood is home to Daniel Bagley Elementary School and Bethany Community Church.

Today, my shillelagh and I braved the rain and took a 5 mile walk along the streets just west of where we walked yesterday, the area between Fremont and Aurora from N 86th to 73rd Street. The northern part of this area is considered Greenwood, the southern portion, Phinney Ridge. I was pleasantly surprised by this lovely residential neighborhood. Once I was a few lots off Aurora, the streets were charming with tidy homes. The only negative was the traffic noise from Aurora. I had expected that 80th or 85th Street might be commercial but only Aurora was commercial in this stretch. I had also thought that multiplexes might have replaced single family homes but there were only a few in this area.

The rainy day was brightened by some yard art, flowers in bloom, a camelia bush that had bloomed and dropped lots of pink petals and a house surrounded by palm trees. I spotted another tree swing (and this wasn't Wallingford), a tree house, a front yard planed with veggies, a Peace and Justice sign, a stone chimney, a butchered tree under a plethora of power lines and a notice that the city was selling off excess property on 80th Street.

I noted a building with what looked like a false front. I've seen a few buildings of this type, always on a corner in a residential area and wonder if these were once corner stores.

Aurora (in this area) is home to Beth's Cafe and a Suzuki shop that looked to be trying to recruit its customers at a very early age.

This neighborhood is home to Greenwood Christian Church.

This was a wet walk but the sidewalks and curbs kept the streets from being muddy and gave the neighborhood a tidy look even on this dreary winter day.