Snow day!

Neighborhood Saved!

When you are walking so slowly due to injury rehab you tend to notice things you might not otherwise see.

On one of these numerous walks on Kinnear Pl W, I noticed one of those square metal sidewalk cover things that had a jagged hole in it. A hole that went down about a foot or so and that had very sharp metal edges. This hole was downright dangerous.

I called the City of Seattle, and after numerous on holds and transfers I reported the incident and that was that.

Curiosity got the best of me and I repeated the same walk the very next day. Sure enough there was a big huge orange barricade surr

ounding and protecting the neighborhood! Look at that a city government actually springing to action to fix a problem! Amazing!

I feel good about saving the neighborhood from certain death, destruction and injury!

New Photos

Still have been wandering around this great neighborhood and I have to admit, I feel a sense of ownership over it. Like, yeah, I have seen all of you and I live here! Still have been taking photos as I wander around and thought I would share some new ones.

It is sort of nice to walk all these Queen Anne streets and say to myself (or anyone who happens to be with me), Galer - check, 4th Ave N, check, Comstock - check and on and on and on!

Observation Tower on top of the hill, Warren, right next to the fire stationCool tree on 3rd Ave N
West Highland Drive Historical MarkerAs a recent Facebooker I can say I can't agree more! On Warren

Queen Anne - Check!!!!

Today I completed every single street and every single staircase on Queen Anne! I feel like I have just completed a marathon!

I saved the best for last and finished on Queen Anne Avenue, right at the top of the hill. I was met with balloons, treats, water, stickers and some singing and I felt just like I had conquered the universe!

But, first, before we get to that I had to finish up two streets that were left unfinished. My dear friend drove me to Taylor, there was a piece I had not done between Garfield and 5th N. On the tail end of that stretch I realized there was one more sneaky set of staircases I had yet to finish (sorry about that lie from yesterday!). S8! It just so happened that I was with the very same friend the day we did that park and by the time we had gotten to S8 it was dark and scary and we decided to forgo the stairs.

Well, we did them today and what a treat! They lead from Trolley Hill Park to a trail that takes you all the way down to Aurora and has spur trails and illegal camping pads and trails going to nowhere. If you do the full loop you end up at MacLean Park! Who knew!?

Hopped back in the car for a quick downhill of Boston from 13th to 15th W. Nothing too exciting there.

Then, for the last street. Was dropped off at the water side of Nickerson on Queen Anne Ave N and we (boyfriend accompanied me) trekked up that hill, which is no great shakes! That is a huffer! Along the way, each street we passed I yelled out the name of the street, had a little memory about walking that particular street and yelled, CHECK! Galer, check, Armour, Check, Etruria Check.....

I could not believe I was actually finished!

The last half block my boyfriend ran up ahead and recorded that last few steps of Queen Anne Ave! My dear friend greeted me with a balloon, a Payday candy bar, Halloween stickers and a bottle of water. What more could I ask for!?

Oh, yeah, I could ask for Molly Moons! Salted caramel, here was come!

So, you ask, what were my favorite walks? My favorite staircases? Parks? Well, I have to say I really enjoyed each and every one of my walks. Not one was tedious or boring or just ho hum. Each one had its own unique memories. Its like asking which child do you like best!

I really encourage every one of you to take a look around your neighborhood, go walk that street that you always drive by and think, "Hey, I wonder what is down that hill!"

Thank you to Thomas who made this great map! Thank you to all my partners in crime on all my walks. Thank you to all the businesses who sustained me and nourished me.

Next thing you know, I will have run all these streets! Watch out Queen Anne!

Streets Completed: Taylor Ave N, Boston Ave W and Queen Anne Ave N!!!!!
Staircases: S8
Total time walked: 43 minutes
Memories made: Priceless!

Penultimate Walk - Fall has Fallen

Yesterday was my penultimate walk, although I wasn't planning on it. I had two sections left of the hill, the top, near the cemetery I had about 5 or 6 streets that I had not completed tiny little sections of and then I had 13th and 14th W, crossing the hill. I decided while doing the top, near the cemetery that I was feeling good and I wanted to do it all.

And let me tell you, fall has fallen. The leaves were turning and falling, Halloween decorations were popping up, pumpkins were big and fat in the P Patch and there was a gray chill in the air. I was almost tempted to leave flyers for my upcoming Run Scared 5K that I am planning at all the houses with Halloween decorations, but I thought that might be a little weird.

Started on Etruria, right next to one of my favorite walks, The Cross Hill Extravaganza. Hooked my way up to Barrett, then up 9th W, with a few spur streets to complete, then down Westview to 13th W, all the way to W Howe and then back around 14th W.

This walk contained a lot of completed streets and my very last staircases, 55 and 56. I have now officially done all of the staircases of Queen Anne! I gotta tell you, its definetely bittersweet. I feel great about accomplishing this pretty big goal, with sticking with it but I am sad its over, what am I going to do next? Perhaps next I will be able to run again soon and return to my normal Crown of Queen Anne run, but will I be able to do that knowing how many great streets I could be running on!?




I have patronized a lot of great businesses on Queen Anne during this whole expedition and I would like to thank them by giving them a shout out here.

Queen Anne Books (where I bought the great map)
Menchies (Yum refueling station)
Metropolitan Market (both the top and the bottom of the hill)
Starbucks (for that great oatmeal raisin cookie I was craving and an iced coffee pick me up)
Tullys (for my mid really long walk break)
Stells Burgers (for another iced coffee pick me up and some great art)
Trader Joes ( a frequent stop on the way home from a walk)
Elliott Tire (for my forced walk, they did a great job replacing my belts)
Malenas Tacos (for a great fish taco)
A & J Meats (surprisingly, not for their meats but they have a great new produce stand)
Kens Market (for a scone craving that would not go away)
Icebox Market (for some really great deviled eggs and Gatorade on a hot walk, strange, I know!)
Orrapin (for a great Thai dinner mid-walk)
Le Reve (For heavenly treats, makes my mouth water just thinking about it)
Queen Anne Farmers Market (for some great summer produce)
Four Corners Hardware (for a mid-walk stop to pick up a drain snake, fun)
Bartell's (for so many things, I cant even remember them all)
The Mini Mart on the corner of Roy and Queen Anne Ave N (for lottery tickets that never seem to win)
Pho Tan Brothers (for a cheap warm up on a cold day)
Sushi Land (for a tasty dinner)
Cafe Vita (to meet a friend for coffee)
Tup Tim Thai (our favorite local Thai place)
Toulouse Petit (for a yummy birthday breakfast for the boy)
Queen Anne Medical Associates (you can fill in the blanks there)

Do you see a theme emerging? I think this list is about 90% food related items! I am sure I am forgetting some businesses, if so, you know who you are, well, I guess you wouldn't.

Please support these local businesses!


Streets completed: Etruria, W Barrett, 9th Ave W, W Armour, Newell, W Raye, 13th W, 14th W, W Newton. Phew!
Staircases: My very last staircase to finish: 55 and 56
Total time walked: 1 hour 14 minutes

2 for 1

A couple of days ago I went on two walks in the same day. The first was with my boyfriend, who was having a sore back problem and just wanted to get out and do a few minutes. Finished the top of the hill with him, Smith Street, McGraw, Boston. So, with that short 20 minute walk I completed the top of the hill!

I am getting deliciously close to finishing this entire project.

I still had more walking in me so I dropped him off at home and headed out to complete the northeastern part of the hood.

Parked at 3rd and Fulton I trekked down to SPU, finished off all those lower streets.

I am saving Queen Anne Ave though, that will be my very last street. So, although I am close to finishing that lower Fremont part I cannot completely say I am done.

Streets Completed: Smith, McGraw, Boston, Dravus, Fulton, 2nd Ave N
Staircases: none
Total time walked, between the two walks: 59 minutes

Finally!

Today was a crazy day, just running from one thing to the next. On my way to an appointment in northern Queen Anne I had about 4 minutes. I whizzed past that one little dead end street in lower Queen Anne that was preventing me from calling Lower QA completed! I screeched to a halt and dashed down the street!

Finally! Lower Queen Anne, check!

Lee Street Terminus

Streets completed: Lee
Staircases: None
Total time walked: 1 and a half minutes