Circumambulating Seattle 4: West Seattle to Downtown
July 3, 2014
“But most of these far walks have been taken just for the joy of walking in the free air.”
— John Finley, “Traveling Afoot,” from The Joys of Walking, ed. Edwin Valentine
“Increasingly, walking itself became a source of happiness, something to be enjoyed in its own right, bringing an intensity of experience and a sensual awareness of surroundings that grew more addictive by the miles.”
— Nick Hunt, Walking the Woods and the Water
At this point in my multi-day project of encircling the periphery of Seattle, I no longer questioned why I was walking these segments. I simply enjoyed the journey. I was especially looking forward to this day’s walk because I knew I would have Puget Sound in sight almost the entire day. I was reminded of how beautiful Seattle’s location is, with distant mountains to the west (the Olympics) and to the east (the Cascades) and the gentle waves of Puget Sound lapping its shores.
I started my walk from the Barton Street Pea Patch at the intersection of Barton Street SW and 35th Avenue SW.
I followed Barton Street west and downhill to the sound. The Fauntleroy ferry was disgorging cars and passengers. It would have been a lovely day for a ferry ride to Vashon Island, but I stuck with my plan to walk.
I followed Fauntleroy Avenue SW to Lincoln Park, a heavily wooded space with playground, picnic tables, and below the bluff, a beach with paved walking and biking path. Families, joggers, and dog-watchers enjoyed the beach.
From Lincoln Park I headed north on Beach Drive where I was separated from the beach by a row of waterfront residences. As I approached Alki Beach, I discovered a set of 27 constellations embedded the sidewalk, West Seattle’s own “Avenue of the Stars.”
Beach Drive turned into Alki Avenue. The point here was the original landing spot of the Denny Party, Seattle’s first white settlers, in 1851. Later they relocated across the Sound to establish Seattle on the shores of Elliott Bay. Today the beach is one of the city’s favorite recreation spots, especially on summer days.

Alki has its own miniature replica of the Statue of Liberty, which commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Boy Scouts.
Alki Avenue turned into Harbor Avenue SW and now the views over the water took in the Seattle skyline.
The next stretch of my walk took me away from the relaxing beachfront and back into the city’s industrial area. Pedestrians are prohibited on the West Seattle Bridge, but I had access to a nice bike trail across Harbor Island on an older, lower bridge. I passed over the Duwamish River, and Mount Rainier gleamed hugely and whitely on the horizon.
My final trek was along East Marginal Way South past the shipping docks. The Starbucks headquarters punctuated the skyline in the SODO (south of Downtown) neighborhood. I passed an historical marker near 2225 E marginal Way S on the spot of the world’s very first gasoline service station (1907). Who knew that Seattle played a role in this part of our country’s driving history!
I ended my walk at the downtown ferry terminal.
Total walking distance: about 12 miles
Seattle Day Trip: To the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art
September 4, 2013
One shouldn’t need an excuse to enjoy a ferry ride from time to time — being out on the water is its own reward — but now I will be looking forward to more frequent trips to Bainbridge Island just to visit its new Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. Opened in mid-June of this year, the light-filled museum is a showcase for artists and craftspeople from the Puget Sound Region. I loved the focus on local art, and because the museum promises to change its displays seasonally, I am looking forward to returning again and again.
The museum couldn’t be more welcoming — admission is free, and it’s conveniently located a short walk from the ferry terminal.
One of my favorite things about the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art is its rooftop garden. It is set up something like the art inside the museum in that it is meant to be viewed from behind a fence — it’s not a garden you can touch and walk through. It’s a rock garden and very Zen-like. The sculptural shapes of the rocks and succulents also make it feel like a continuation of the art exhibits inside.
Ferry rides and museums — both vehicles for transport. A satisfying combination on this day trip from urban Seattle.
Walking the Color Wheel: Seattle’s Summer Greens
July 25, 2012
“Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises.”
— Pedro Calderon de la Barca, Spanish poet
Art in the Park: Seattle’s Olympic Sculpture Park
June 29, 2011
The Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park is one of Seattle’s best bargain destinations. Admission is free! It’s located right on the waterfront overlooking Elliott Bay, so you can enjoy superb views while you view the art.

Typewriter Eraser, Scale X by Claes Oldenberg and Coosje van Bruggen with Alexander Calder's red Eagle in the background
Seattle Day Trip: Hoh Rain Forest
November 13, 2010
On my day-off work this week, my husband and I took a road trip to the Olympic Peninsula to visit the Hoh Rain Forest, a temperate rain forest in our state that averages over 12 feet of rain per year! We caught the Edmonds-Kingston ferry across Puget Sound to the Olympic Peninsula. It hadn’t started raining yet.
As we drove Hwy 101 north and west, we left any sun breaks and saw low-lying clouds caught in the trees on the mountain slopes. By the time we reached Lake Crescent, it was raining. From then on, our windshield wipers got a real workout.
It was still raining when we arrived at the Hoh Rainforest. We hiked the Hall of Mosses trail, a 3/4 mile easy loop, where we were surrounded by immense trees, ferns, mosses and lichens.
Some of the prettiest scenery on our drive was the section of Hwy 101 along Lake Crescent. This was a trip where the journey was as satisfying as the destination.
Seattle Day Trip: Ferry to Bainbridge Island
September 3, 2010
I’ve always enjoyed riding the ferries in Seattle. They are an integral part of the transportation system here, not just a tourist attraction. But I took a ride, simply for pleasure, to Bainbridge Island. It’s a wonderful way to get out on the waters of Puget Sound if you don’t have a boat of your own. On Bainbridge, I walked along the Waterfront Trail to the Winslow business district. I’m not much of a shopper, but I did browse for a while at the Eagle Harbor Bookstore, a gem of an independent bookstore. Then I returned to Seattle on the ferry. It made an easy half-day outing.