Sunset Hill

Today's walk took me to Sunset Hill for a 6.9 mile walk along streets I had missed from NW 61st to 85th Street between 30th and 36th Avenues NW.

This is a quiet, tidy, residential area with sidewalks and curbs and great views of the sound.

This area does not have many tall trees but it has some lovely gardens and parking strips.

I met people out jogging, pushing strollers, working in gardens and on houses. One friendly woman thought I was lost and offered to help. She told me that she walks up hills backward to strengthen her muscles and help her sciatica. I tried walking up one of the hills backwards with her and it did feel as if I were using different muscles but I didn't like not being able to see where I was going (I kept turning my head).

I passed Sunset Hill Park (pictured in a prior post), lots of weather vanes, palm trees, sidewalk tiles that read "10. Ave." even though I was on 36th Avenue (I wonder if it were left over from the days when Ballard was a separate city),




a beautiful older house being renovated,

an interesting tree skirt,

a notice of a desire to demolish a building at 64th and 32nd and erect a 14 unit building,

Picolino's (restaurant/bar/pizzeria/cafe/bakery/deli) is at 65th and 32nd and has a nice outdoor eating space. There are other shops across the street (cafe, ice cream, video) and the Sunset Hill Green Market is down the street.

Cafe Fiori and Cocina Esperanza are at Loyal Way and 32nd. with great views, cafes and a park, this neighborhood has a lot to offer.

North Beach/Blue Ridge

The weather was clear today with a slight breeze, perfect conditions for a walk in the North Beach/Blue Ridge neighborhood. My husband and I took a 4.9 mile walk along the streets from NW 85 to 96th Street between View and 27th Avenues NW.

This is a residential area with no sidewalks or curbs but gardens and street edges are well tended and the area has a "neat" look.

Spectacular Sound views, ravines and dead end streets dominate this area east of Golden Gardens.

The neighborhood is quiet but we did see a few people out gardening, two women pushing a stroller and a number of people out playing with their dogs.

We saw a shady bus stop with a rustic bench, 

yard art,










a North Beach sign

and gardens.

A good neighborhood for my 275th walk.

West Woodland and Whittier Heights Neighborhoods of Ballard

After a week in Santa Fe, I have a fresh appreciation for Seattle's flora and water. Santa Fe has its own beauty but Seattle is green!

Today, I walked streets I had not already walked between 11th and 15th Avenues NW from Market to 77th Street.

Market and 15th are busy, commercial streets. 14th and 15th Avenues have a lot of multifamily housing but the further I walked from 15th and Market, the more single family homes I saw. Many are older but more and more they are being replaced by newer, larger homes.

14th has a median strip which has a walkway in some area but parking in most others. I saw a sign proposing to convert the strip into green space and a bike lane, eliminating much of the parking. There is an ongoing debate between those who want green space and those who want parking.

After observing all the building going on near Market Street, I do wonder where all the new residents will park.

This is a good walking neighborhood with sidewalks and curbs. There are many lovely gardens and parking strips but trees are neither as tall nor as plentiful as in some neighborhoods I have walked.

This area is home to Ballard High School,

Whittier Elementary School,

Saint Alphonsus Catholic School



and Church,

Saint Paul's United Church of Christ,

Ballard Church and the Ballard Market.

I spotted a Henry mural on the side of a Dive Shop, a Century Link building, an Ivar's, Zip Car parking, palm trees,

a tattoo gallery in a well kept Craftsman house, a psychic shop in a Bavarian type cottage, a building painted like a lady bug,

an old fashioned barber shop,

a memorial in the 14th Avenue median strip, sculptures outside a nearby glass shop

and one of the largest rhodies I'd ever seen.

It was great to be back walking in Seattle.

Madison Valley (Madrona/Harrison Denny Blaine)

Today, my husband and I took a 4.1 mile walk in an area I would call Madison Valley but the City Clerk's Office calls Harrison Denny Blaine and Madrona. We walked streets from MLK Jr. Way to 32nd Avenue E between E Pine and E Thomas.

MLK Jr. Way is a busy street but the rest of the streets were quiet this morning. This is a residential neighborhood that slopes down from all directions to a low point near 30th between John and Denny where a park-like area has been constructed to handle flood waters. There are even signs warning against entering the area during rain storms.

This is a nice area that varies from street to street. On most streets, all the homes are well kept, on others a few homes are in need of paint jobs and gardens need tending. Many of the streets house duplexes which were probably built in the 40's or 50's.

We passed the Harrison Ridge Greenbelt along 32nd (another future healthy forest site) and noted that its retaining wall was built as part of the WPA in 1939-1940.

We saw William Grose Park, palm trees,

a new utility pole being erected,

a man hole cover made in India,

and vegetable gardens.