Tag Archive for 'Wallingford'

Walking news roundup

There’s a lot of news out there to cover – here are a few stories:

And a couple SDOT news releases that I don’t have links for:

  • “Seattle Department of Transportation’s Roadway Structures crew will construct a new staircase near the southeastern city limits at 72nd Avenue South between Rainier Avenue South and South Taft Street.” The stairway will be closed starting next Monday through early May. “The new staircase will be wider with hand rails on both sides, and will sport a new bike runnel making it easy to roll a bike up and down the stairs.”
  • “Repairs are underway on the Duwamish Trail in West Seattle. The asphalt trail has been heavily damaged in places by tree roots and needs to be repaired for bicyclist and pedestrian safety.”
  • NE Ravenna Blvd between Green Lake and 15th Ave NE will be repaved. “Work includes grinding and removing the existing asphalt roadway, repairing areas of the concrete roadway base, repaving, upgrading pedestrian curb ramps and building a curb bulb at E. Green Lake Drive N. and N.E. 71st Street. Work is expected to be completed by the end of summer, dependant on weather conditions.”
  • Also, the pedestrian paradise known as the Ballard bridge will have a closed west sidewalk starting next Monday and continuing into April due to a painting project.

One final thing – the nomination period for the worst intersection in Seattle ends this Sunday.

Share

Wallingford Architecture Walk

Via Feet First – there’s a walk this coming Saturday the 11th at 10 am:

Join the Wallingford Community Senior Center and Sustainable Wallingford on the annual Wallingford Neighborhood walk series. Participants of this walk will explore the architecture of homes around the neighborhood.

Join Wallingford Walks on the second Saturday of each month from May through September. The walks vary in distance, duration and theme and will be led by knowledgeable guides who are familiar with the topic and the neighborhood. For more information about upcoming walks, contact Nora Erwin-Stewart by emailing norah@wallingfordseniors.org or Katheen Cromp by emailing kcromp@wallingfordseniors.org or by calling 206.-461.7825

Share

Walking Wallingford

Stroll by the eclectic retail and historic buildings in one of Seattle’s most walkable family-friendly neighborhoods.


View Walking Wallingford in a larger map

Start at Wallingford Ave N & NE 45th St, accessible by the 16 and 44 buses. The 26 also connects you with our route.

What is now Wallingford Center at this intersection was built in 1904 as the Interlake School. In the 1970s the school was closed and became vacant until it was renovated into Wallingford Center. The top floor has studio apartments and the other floors have retail and restaurants. The sculpture pole near the intersection, Wallingford Animal Storm, was commissioned in 1985 and depicts wildlife in the area.

Wallingford Center

Wallingford Center

Head east along the south side of N 45th St, passing various shops, restaurants, and bars. You’ll also pass the Guild 45th Theatre, which was built in 1919 as a live stage venue named the Paramount Theatre. The name was changed when the Paramount opened downtown in 1928, and The Guild added a second screen in 1983. The Guild Theatre has been chosen by Francis Ford Coppola for test audience screenings.

Looking east along N 45th St

Looking east along N 45th St

Continue on this side of 45th St for several more blocks. At the intersection with Thackeray Ave N, cross to the north side of 45th St and go west.

At Sunnyside Ave N, turn right. After just a couple blocks, you’ll come to the Home of the Good Shepard, built in 1906 to be a Catholic Girls School. In the 70s, the land was proposed as the site of a shopping center, but that was rejected by local residents and the building was transferred to Historic Seattle. The building is currently used by schools and other non-profit organizations.

Home of the Good Shepherd

Home of the Good Shepherd

Walk around the left side of the building. Look for a path that will take you to through the Good Shepherd P-Patch and through the Meridian Playground. Turn left and go south along Meridian Ave N.

You’ll pass by a few more nice, historic homes in the neighborhood before turning right on N 45th St. Continue back through the heart of Wallingford. Toward the edge of the neighborhood near Stone Way is Archie McPhee. Archie McPhee was in Ballard from 1983-2009 and is a popular place for bacon-flavored toothpicks, Mr. T voice-boxes, and other novelties.

Cross 45th St and go south along the east side of Stone Way. After two blocks, turn left on N 44th St to walk towards Seattle’s old Lincoln High School, which was closed as a high school in 1981 and is now a temporary home to other Seattle schools while their own buildings are being restored.

Turn right on Interlake Ave N and then turn left on N 43rd St. You’ll pass the Wallingford Playfield on your right.

Turn left on Wallingford Ave N to head back toward N 45th St. You’ll soon see Wallingford Center on your right and pass by some more retail on your left. At 45th St, you’ll see the large WALLINGFORD sign of the QFC. When QFC took over this supermarket from Food Giant in the late 90s, the neighborhood protested the grocer’s plan to ditch the “FOOD GIANT” sign and so QFC re-used many of the letters to identify the neighborhood. This brings you back to our starting point and the end of the walk.

Wallingford QFC

Wallingford QFC

highlights: retail and restaurants, parks, historic schools, nice homes with greenery, many benches available
lowlights: heavy motor vehicle traffic on 45th can be loud, some interactions with motor vehicles entering surface parking lots or driving on cross-streets.

Share

Walking Burke-Gilman from Fremont to Gas Works Park

The Burke-Gilman trail is 27 miles of a former rail line that has been converted to a pedestrian and bike path. We’ll be taking the relatively short walk from Fremont to Gas Works Park.


View Walking Burke-Gilman from Fremont to Gas Works Park in a larger map

You can get here easily via the 26, 28, 30, or 31 bus. You can also drive and park, but free parking can be hard to find.

Start in downtown Fremont at Fremont Ave N and N 34th St. Feel free to grab something to eat here before beginning, or something to drink along the way.

Head east on the south side of N 34th St, past Waiting for the Interurban, where aluminum statues are often decorated with clothes or other decorations.

We’ll cut through the plaza on the right to get to the trail. You’ll go down a few sets of stairs toward N Northlake Way. Cross the road and turn left. As you pass under the Aurora Bridge, to your right you may see some boats going toward Lake Union or toward Puget Sound.

After passing the bridge, you’ll cross N Northlake Way again and head north along the Aurora Bridge for a hundred feet or so. As you walk behind a couple buildings, there’s not a whole lot to look at, which is good because you may need to concentrate on staying out of the way of any bicyclists.

You’ll cross Stone Way N and continue east. The trail is marked for bicyclists and pedestrians, so be sure to stay on the correct side. The trail is insulated from the street with a row of trees and lined with other greenery.

As you cross N Northlake Pl, you’ll see a gravel parking lot for Gas Works Park on your right. You can walk through the parking lot to get to Gas Works Park, or continue walking and just after crossing Densmore Ave N, cross N Northlake Way to your right to enter the park between a gap in the wall.

Our specific walking route ends here, so feel free to explore Gas Works Park on your own. Be sure to enjoy the view of Seattle and the skyline across Lake Union. There are also picnic tables, a kite flying hill, and of course the historic gasification plant.

Highlights: Great views from Gas Works Park, art and landscaping under Aurora Bridge, places to eat and drink in Fremont, sculptures in Fremont

Lowlights: Trail can be crowded, not much to look at between Aurora Bridge and Gas Works Park

Share