Northwest Wallingford

My husband and I thought that we had finished our Wallingford walks until we looked at the Seattle City Clerk's Neighborhood Map Atlas to find the name of the area we walked today. We were surprised to discover that Wallingford extends west to Aurora from N 45th to N 50th. We took a 5 mile walk along the streets from N Allen Place to N 50th Street between Aurora and Stone Way (plus a few more blocks of 50th).

Green Lake Way cuts diagonally through this area; most of the homes north of Green Lake Way are single family but south of Green Lake Way appears to be a mix of apartments and single family homes. All of the streets have sidewalks and curbs and we didn't notice any potholes, probably because most of the streets were cement rather than asphalt.

Aurora, Green Lake Way, 45th, 50th and Stone Way are all busy streets but the other streets were quiet and tidy.

Woodland Park and the zoo border on 50th; we passed tennis courts, the zoo parking lots and the entrance to an area of picnic shelters.

50th passes under Aurora Avenue and we walked the underpass as far as Fremont Avenue.

Along Aurora, we saw a mural advertising Seattle Motion Picture Inc

and a Munichevo showroom with what looked like vintage cars in the windows.

Continuing on Aurora, we passed a pedestrian stairway leading down to

a muraled underpass.

North of Green Lake Way, we spotted some large signs which initially made us think we'd stumbled upon a restaurant but then made us think that someone was storing signage for Sustainabilaville.

South of Green Lake Way, we saw a sign for Divine Movement (pole dancing fitness for women), a tree with no leaves but lots of apples (there were even more on the sidewalk underneath it), a novel tree swing, a triangular area with shrubbery and a bench, the Off the Wall School of Music and a tiled bench in a parking strip.

This was an easy walk - the hardest part was trying to cross 50th Street where Stone Way, Green Lake Way and 50th intersect. We waited at the light which is not really timed for pedestrians.

North Central Greenwood

My husband and I returned to Greenwood today for a 4.3 mile walk. We walked streets from N 95th to N 104th between 3rd NW and Evanston Avenue N. This is another of those neighborhoods where North meets Northwest.

Except for businesses along Greenwood, this is a residential neighborhood. A few streets have sidewalks and/or curbs but most do not. The streets without curbs had lots of puddles today but not many potholes.

We saw a few day care centers and one doggie day care. We passed the large Salvation Army facility which we had seen on prior walks.

Along Greenwood, we saw a bakery named 'Wheatless in Seattle', a pub named 'The Ould Triangle' and the lots that once housed Lalani Lanes (where over 200 units of housing are planned).

At 101st and Holman Road, we saw a triangular lot with a Magnolia Lawn and Garden Service sign - it looked as if it might have been used a Christmas tree or pumpkin patch lot.

On the residential streets, we saw an artful mailbox, a tree swing, a great example of what our kids used to call a monkey tail tree and a yard with what looked like a Model T and a parking meter used as yard art. These whimsical touches really added interest to this walk.

Northwest Greenwood

Today, my husband and I returned to Greenwood to fill in some streets we had missed yesterday and to walk streets west of Greenwood Avenue N. Most of the streets we walked were between 8th NW and Greenwood Avenue N from 90th to 95th Street. Adding in some streets south and east of these, we walked about 4.5 miles.











Greenwood appears to have apartment houses but the rest of the neighborhood has single family homes. Most of the streets have curbs but no sidewalks. There area a few alleys and lots of utility wires. Some streets are narrow with small houses and cars parked on both sides of the street; these feel crowded. Other streets are wider with larger homes and feel much more spacious. Most streets are tidy.

Sandel Park is a lovely green area ringed by trees.

This area is home to a Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall.

Our biggest discoveries were two goats

and some geese near 95th and 6th NW.

We passed a few walkers and strollers and everyone smiled.

East Central Greenwood

The sun was shining today as my husband and I returned to Greenwood for a 5.3 mile walk. We visited streets we had not yet walked between Greenwood and Aurora N from N 86th to N 95th Street.

Once again, we were amazed at how quickly the neighborhood changed as soon as we were a few lots from Aurora. With the exception of Greenwood and Aurora, this is primarily a residential area. The southern portion has largely tidy single family homes (some streets reminded me of Wedgwood) and old style sidewalks and curbs.

The northern portion has many more multifamily units; some streets have newer style sidewalks and curbs or no sidewalks or curbs at all. We met a few walkers and a few dog walkers; all smiled and said hello.

We spotted a mural at 89th and Aurora,

some sculpture-like snow remains at 92nd just off Aurora,

a Salvation Army building and a Volunteers of America foodbank on Greenwood

and a Fremont-type direction sign in a front yard.

All in all, this was a pleasant walk on a beautiful sunny day.

Southeast Greenwood

The snow was washing away quickly as my husband and I took a 4.8 mile walk in the Greenwood neighborhood today. We walked streets between Greenwood and Fremont Avenues N from N 74th to N 87th Street. Garden plantings appeared to have survived the snow and we were observed many shades of green and red breaking through the melting snow.

Greenwood Avenue is commercial and I had walked its streets on earlier walks so I won't post pictures of the Woodland Park United Methodist Church or the Greenwood branch of the Seattle Public Library (both located on Greenwood).

80th Street is pretty busy but 85th is very busy with two lanes of traffic in each direction. 85th has quite a few newer multiplexes but the majority of the area has modest single family homes. This is a tidy neighborhood with most of the streets having sidewalks, curbs and trees of moderate height.

We passed Greenwood Park which has nice play structures and an entry arch/gate. The gate is a memorial to the greenhouse that once stood here and a tribute to the Japanese Americans who worked here starting in 1928. The park also has an area commemorating the old Seattle-Everett Interurban Railroad. (It ran through or very close to the area which is now the park.) I guess this is where the Unterurban Trail and the Fremont sculpture 'Waiting for the Interurban' got their names.

We saw the Greenwood Senior Center, the Medicine Man Pharmacy, a Safeway parking lot, the Greenwood Christian Church (pictured in an earlier post), a sign for the Interurban North, the North Seattle Boys and Girls Club (with a mural on its side), a melting igloo, birdhouses, garden and car art,

tree swings

and tree swing signs.

This is a pleasant residential neighborhood with enough shops and a park to make it interesting.