Monthly Archive for April, 2010

Page 2 of 2

New pedestrian bridge to Safeco Field

A new bridge has been constructed along Royal Brougham Way to provide access to Safeco Field over the railroad tracks.


View Larger Map

This path along Royal Brougham is designed for pedestrians, especially to make it easy to get to the stadium from the light rail station just to the east. Furthermore, access to the ballpark won’t be interrupted by passing trains.

diagram of new bridge

Share

Walking The Ave

University Way, known as “The Ave” is a busy pedestrian street with many shops and many more restaurants. It’s a good walk if you want to take in an active streetscape and find somewhere new to eat along the way.


View Larger Map

The Ave was originally called Columbus Avenue and then 14th Avenue, before being changed to University Way in 1919. The street doesn’t have a lot of fast-moving traffic, being only two lanes, and the road is separated from the sidewalk by parking and bike racks, which helps the walking experience. The groups of students and panhandlers can slow you down sometimes, so be patient or go early in the day. The blocks are long but there are several mid-block crosswalks.

Start at University Way NE and NE 41st St. There are many buses that will get you there, or you can click here for directions (finding parking is another matter).

Head north, up the slight incline. We’ll start on the left side of the street and then turn around and walk back on the other side of the street.

The first part of the walk is a little quieter than the rest of the street. You’ll walk past a parking lot before passing the first of many places to eat.

As you approach NE 42nd St, you’ll begin to see more restaurants. You can find many different types of food to eat – including Indian, Mediterranean, and all types of Asian. Feel free to stop to eat anywhere that looks appealing and you’ll likely pay less than $10 for your meal. You’ll also pass coffee shops, bookstores, clothing stores, and various other retail establishments. There are also some establishments along some of the cross streets, like 42nd, 43rd, and especially 45th, so feel free to explore before continuing north on University Way.

Between 43rd and 45th Streets, you’ll pass the Varsity Theatre, which has been operating as a movie theater since 1940 and added two upstairs screens in 1985.

As you walk, look up at the streetlamps. There are ornaments provided for some of the local establishments (for example, a tub of popcorn for the Varsity Theatre).

Looking north along University Way NE

Looking north along University Way NE

Continue on to 50th St. If it’s a Saturday, feel free to continue to the University District Farmers Market. Otherwise, cross University Way and head south. Even though we’re backtracking, you’ll see a lot of new things that you didn’t see on the first leg of the walk.

On the way back, you’ll pass a few neat stores, including Gargoyles Statuary and Shiga’s Imports. We’ll end where we started, at NE 41st St and University Way NE.

highlights: many international and inexpensive places to eat, shopping, sidewalks are insulated from the road

lowlights: can be busy with college students and vagrants, sidewalks too narrow for the amount of pedestrian traffic, no open public spaces

Share

Dangerous intersections for pedestrians

Fortunately I’ve never seen or been involved in a car/pedestrian accident, but they aren’t uncommon in the city. The P-I has looked into it and ranked the most dangerous pedestrian intersections in the city.

Worst pedestrian intersections

Seattle is one of the few cities can charge a driver with assault for hitting a pedestrian. A pedestrian master plan has been drafted to address some of these safety issues, but budgetary considerations are slowing down progress.

It’s easy to become complacent as a driver or a walker. Walking on the sidewalk can offer a sense of isolation from the road, but these stats show how critical it is to be aware of vehicles.

The Seattle 911 blog has some more details on this subject.

Share

Walking the Central Waterfront

The Central Waterfront is a fun walk on a clear day, though it can become crowded with tourists. It offers good views of the mountains and the city and shops to browse and places to eat.


View Walking the Waterfront in a larger map

Start at the Ferry Terminal at Alaskan Way and Marion St (Pier 52). There is limited parking in the area, but you can get there via the 16, 66, or 99 buses.

Then, walk north along the west side of Alaskan Way. Shortly after you start, you’ll pass Fire Station Number 5, which you can tour (if scheduled in advance).

Continuing, you’ll pass an ice cream shop, Seattle’s beloved Ivar’s Acres of Clams, and Ye Olde Curiosity Shop on Pier 54. It can get crowded, so you’ll probably need to keep a leisurely pace.

At Pier 55, you can catch the Elliott Bay Water Taxi to West Seattle in the summer. Or, Argosy Cruises operates cruises around Elliott Bay year-round.

As you continue, you’ll pass more touristy shops and seafood restaurants. You’ll then get to Waterfront Park, which has fountains, and benches, and telescopes for appreciating the view.

Next is the Seattle Aquarium. Soon on your right will be a large crosswalk, which you can take toward Pike Place Market and downtown.

As you keep walking, soon you’ll reach a large wood pier to your left. Though it’s often underused, this is a public park that you can walk out onto to get a view of Mount Rainier (if it’s out), or at least Safeco Field and Qwest Field.

Seattle Skyline from Pier 62/63

Looking toward the city from Pier 62/63

We’ve passed the main tourism area, so rest of the walk along Alaskan Way will be a little quieter. You’ll pass The Edgewater hotel, which hosted the Beatles in 1964 and Led Zeppelin (who were banned from the hotel after their 2nd visit). At Pier 69, which is where you can catch the Victoria Clipper which will take you to Victoria, British Columbia.

From here, it’s not much farther until you reach Olympic Sculpture Park.

After exploring the park, feel free to continue walking along the waterfront through Myrtle Edwards Park, or walk a few blocks back and catch free bus #99 back to where we started.

Highlights: Scenic views, touristy shops, seafood, water, Aquarium, parks (Waterfront and Pier 62/63), Olympic Sculpture Park

Lowlights: can have lots of tourists, can be breezy and cooler than elsewhere in the city, may be too touristy for some people

Share