Central Laurelhurst and NE Laurelcrest Lane

It was starting to drizzle when my husband and I took off for our walk today so we decided to return to Laurelhurst's neat sidewalks and avoid any potential puddles. The rains didn't materialize but we enjoyed our 4.7 mile walk in the neighborhood surrounding the lovely Laurelhurst Park and running down to the Laurelhurst Beach Club.

As in our last visit to Laurelhurst, we saw well tended homes and gardens and not too many tall trees blocking views of Lake Washington and the Cascades. Some of the homes appeared to be of modest size but had lovely gardens, others seemed to be larger but had plain lawns and gardens. Still other homes appeared to have both size and beautiful gardens.

This is also an area where street and avenue numbers overlap and here is a beautiful median strip along 43rd Avenue NE which is bounded by the grounds of Childrens' Hospital on the north.

We walked down to the lake and came to the Laurelhurst Beach Club and a very small stretch of public access. We walked along NE Laurelcrest Lane and found the northern half to have a much more welcoming feeling; the southern half had notices that we were being video monitored (we didn't mug for the cameras).

This is a hilly neighborhood and we had a good workout. The streets to the west of Laurelhurst Park and Community Center dead-ended with foot access to the park.

This neighborhood is home to Laurelhurst Elementary School, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church and Seattle Community Church.

We saw a number of school children out running/walking in their PE clothes, gardeners and home service people but probably only one other walker.

Eastern Laurelhurst

It was bright and clear today as my husband and I returned to Laurelhurst to continue our walk through this pristine neighborhood with sidewalks, curbs and underground utilities.

The views were so impressive, the architecture so pleasing and the gardens so well designed and tended that we stopped frequently to admire them and only walked about 3.2 miles.

We walked the streets between 51st Ave NE and Lake Washington from NE Latimer Place to the grounds of the Villa plus the block bounded by 50th Ave and 45th Street. Lake and mountain views were almost everywhere and we could see the 520 floating bridge from a few streets.

Northern end streets ran into the grounds of the Villa and we came across many dead end streets. We also came across quite a few staircases and a street sign with what we assumed was a staircase designation.

We saw a young woman walking two small children and a woman gardening.

There were more cars parked on the streets than we had expected, probably because the homes are older and the garages smaller than in some other areas.

Some streets were pretty steep and the some of the sidewalks were ridged.

This would probably be a pleasant area to walk no matter what the weather.

North Roxhill Delridge

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow and may trouble avoid you wherever you go!

Today, a friend and I walked along the streets of the Roxhill section of West Seattle. We didn't have a lot of time but we walked 3.1 miles and covered most of the north/south streets from 28th to 35th Avenue SW between SW Holden and Elmgrove Streets.

This is a tidy looking neighborhood with sidewalks and curbs, nicely sized lots and an entire block devoted to EC Hughes playground.

Many of the homes were small and appeared to be affordable.

The neighborhood was quiet on this sunny day and our walk was very enjoyable.

There is a new Fire House along 35th Avenue. Also on 35th, we passed a florist and Kenyon Hall.

We saw a large brick school which turned out to be the private Westside Elementary and Middle School. We also passed Blue Skies Montessori Preschool.

Northeast Laurelhurst

Yesterday, my husband and I took a 4 mile walk along the streets of Laurelhurst.

We walked the streets between 45th Avenue and Ivanhoe Place NE from NE 50th Street to Sand Point Way plus a few bordering streets.

This is a tidy neighborhood with sidewalk and curbs and mostly underground or hidden (in alleys and back yards) utilities. The neighborhood slopes down towards Lake Washington and offers some lovely views.

Along Sand Point Way, we passed a gas station, a bank and a small shopping area. Sand Point Village is home to City People's, a wine shop, coffee shop, biking gym, real estate office, jewelry store, spa, bakery and pharmacy.

South of Sand Point Way, we came across St. Bridget's Catholic Church and Villa Academy, whose grounds were impressive.

This is an area in which the street and avenue numbers overlap and we found ourselves on the corner of 50th and 50th then we were pleasantly surprised to discover Sun Park, a pocket park at 47th and 47th.

Homes and gardens were very well maintained and we saw some gardeners working. We were greeted by a dog walker and saw a few people in the shopping area.

It was an enjoyable walk and, if we had wanted to window shop, have coffee or a bakery item, it would have been a good spot for that.

Lake City - Homewood Park

Back from Hawaii (where it was a lot sunnier), my husband and I returned to the Lake City neighborhood of Homewood Park today and successfully avoided rain during our 4.2 mile walk.

We walked most of the streets between 23rd Avenue NE and Lake City Way from 115th to 125th Street.

This area is hilly, sloping down from 23rd to Lake City Way. From 23rd, we caught views of Lake Washington and the Cascades.

The north fork of Thornton Creek runs through this neighborhood and it was running swiftly today.

This is a mixed neighborhood with many apartments near 125th Street and commerce along Lake City Way. Dick's Drive is located on 30th Avenue NE as is an interesting sculpture, the Coffee Pot Pergola. The rest of the area is mostly single family homes and Thornton Creek.

This area is home to Virgil Flaim Park and the Lake City Baptist Church.

It wasn't Hawaii but it was a nice walk.