South Delridge Neighborhood of West Seattle

Today's 8.6 mile walk filled in streets I had missed in the South Delridge neighborhood and I noticed a difference between the streets east of Delridge / 21st and those west of these streets.

Streets on the east had sidewalks, curbs, cement streets and many single family homes.

Streets on the west mostly lacked sidewalks, had black topped streets and a mix of condos/apartments and single family homes. Not all streets had potholes and not all potholes were this bad but it's not winter yet.

The area is relatively flat but there are a few staircases, especially where streets don't go through. Delridge and Roxbury are commercial streets (where I noted the mural on the Lee's Produce building and the fashions in the windows of Kiki's Corona) but the rest is residential. The area abuts Chief Sealth High School with its ball fields, an adjacent P-Patch and Westwood Village.

This neighborhood houses a large Salvation Army Facility across the street from a New Traditions facility,

the Westwood Christian Assembly (across the street from God's Body Shop Thrift and Gifts),

a Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall that serves a few congregations,

Mount of Transfiguration Church,

and the Community School of West Seattle (preschool and messy day play)

where I saw a goat and quite a few chickens.

Along the way, I spotted a small corner grocery store,

a mural on a fence,

sculptures at the intersection of Delridge and Roxbury

and a Little Free Library (that's one on each of my last three walks).

In spite of the foggy day, this was an enjoyable walk.

Rainier Beach and Rainier View

It was pretty foggy when a friend and I started our 7.1 mile walk in the Rainier Beach and Rainier View neighborhoods today.

I'm really happy that the fog burned off before we finished our walk because this area has some great views. Most of the streets have sidewalks and curbs and houses are well-kept. This hilly neighborhood seemed quiet and desirable. Near the tops of the hills, we noted large older homes which probably have really good views.

I did not notice any shops or services but hope that future walks nearby will reveal what's available. We did pass Emerson Elementary School

and noted what was probably the original facade in front of a newer addition.

Hutchinson Playground is adjacent to the school.

This area is home to Amazing Grace Christian School.




We saw a few houses already decorated for Halloween; one featured a headless scarecrow and another a Monster Express.

We passed the colorful Jack's Library (a Little Free Library),

a poetry box (featuring the Ballad of the Morning Streets by Leroi Jones, a.k.a. Amiri Baraka) near a lovely garden seating area,

an interesting fence,

a tailored garden,






garden art

and loads of spider webs.

This was another pleasant walk through another nice Seattle neighborhood.

Mid Beacon Hill

Today's 3.6 mile walk in Mid Beacon Hill held a few surprises. Maple Wood Playfield was much larger than I had imagined and looked beautiful on this fall afternoon. Young soccer players were arriving for a game as my husband and I passed by. The scene would have been perfect were it not for the noise from the cars on I-5 and the planes overhead.

Large transmission towers cut through the neighborhood but the area underneath them adds to the green space.

Houses in this quiet area are modest and most are well-kept.

We passed Maple Elementary School,

Saint George's  School,

the Pearl Street Little Free Library (a local resident told us that everyone on the block had collaborated on it),

a garden which probably had yielded a decent corn crop,

a few houses decorated for Halloween,

Mr. Stevenson's Coffee Stop,

yard art

and a P-Patch under transmission towers.

This felt like a neighborhood making the most of its resources in spite of noise and transmission towers.

South Delridge and Riverview Neighborhoods of West Seattle

After time off with family, the modest South Delridge and Riverview neighborhoods were an easy re-entry to my walks. 7.8 miles in this relatively flat area was not too tiring on this sunny day.

Walking around the periphery of prior walks resulted in a route that looks like a gerrymandered voting district and the neighborhoods were varied.

Some had tailored streets with sidewalks and curbs

while others had a more country-like feel. Some streets had mostly small, older homes while others had newer, larger homes on smaller lots. Some appeared to be starter homes while others looked more like moving-up homes.

I passed a few staircases (I didn't say flat, just relatively flat),

the Southwest Police Precinct (pictured in a prior post), Fire Station Number 11 (near the small commercial area at 16th and SW Holden),

the Highland Park Improvement Club (where I noted a board advertising Yoga classes, movie nights, the Corner Bar and Bootcamp) and admired a very small rain garden.

This area is home to the Paradise of Praise Ministry (and its Tuesday 10 AM to Noon food bank)

and Potter's House Christian Fellowship.

Along the way, I spotted houses decorated for Halloween and other signs of Autumn,

some lovely gardens,

a cow mailbox

and some more exotic yard art.

This quiet walk was a good way to get back to exploring Seattle.