Today was rainy but that could not dim the brightness of the colorful temples I saw as I walked 8.9 miles in the Brighton and Dunlap neighborhoods. Attempting to fill in all the streets I had missed to the east of Martin Luther King Jr Way S,
I was impressed by the
Wat Lao Dhammacetiyaram,
the Cao Dai Temple Duong Nhon Seattle
and the
Chua Duoc Su Temple with its distinctive roofline (currently under construction but with a garden filled with statuary).
Christian churches were also represented in this area; I passed the
Unity Church of God in Christ (which houses the
Tiny Tots Development Center),
the
ACMI Church,
the Paradise Baptist Church,
the
Rosehill Baptist Church and
Iglesia ni Cristo (pictured in a prior post).
MLK Jr Way, Renton Avenue, Othello and Cloverdale are busy streets. Comparing this area to the tidy
New Holly planned community across, MLK JR Way, I noted:
a mix of older and newer homes to the east. I observed a large, new apartment building (named
The Station), with dancing sculptures out front, near the
Othello Light Rail Station (pictured in a prior post),
Lilac Meadows where it appeared that homes were probably built around existing homes 10-20 years ago,
other streets where it appeared that town homes had recently been constructed around existing homes and a land use action sign proposing to build 8 single family homes with attached garages.
Along the way, I spotted the Victory corner grocery store,
the M.L.K. Mini Market,
Genius Academy,
a taco truck,
an old shed begging to have its picture taken,
the
Oromo Cultural Center, the lovely looking
Othello playground (pictured in a prior post),
the
Rainier Beach Light Rail Station with its public art and 20 bike lockers,
a hilly section of the
Chief Sealth Trail,
some nice gardens
and thoughtful verses at the base of the Othello stations artwork.
"Pressed beneath his sole
I drink old rain through my feet
Yellow tassel sprouts" (Kathleen Alcala)
"who we are
is not what we wear or eat
It's deeper but just as transparent" (Alan Chong Lau)
"come set the table
grits rice collards pens and books
shoes under each chair" (Colleen J. McElroy)
"Strict Miss Gallagher
Who taught us about justice
Stung us with her love." (Suzanne Bottelli)
This walk was another learning experience.
New Holly is so large that there were still many streets to walk, today, on my third visit. Once again, I was impressed with the attention to details like, underground utilities, sidewalks and curbs, saving trees,
and including a Neighborhood Campus with a plaza, a family center and a branch of the Seattle Public Library and classrooms for South Seattle Community College.
New Holly borders on the greenspace of Van Asselt Playground surrounding Van Asselt Community Center.
Across S Myrtle Street, I spotted the old Van Asselt Elementary School (I'm not sure if the building is currently in use) and the Seattle Police Department's South Precinct building.
