Hill Yes!

My god, today I did a total of 12 hills, up and down and up and down I went! Since this journey has begun there are certain places around the hill that I have been dreading. I conquered one of those areas last week, the stinky streets of 15th W, Nickerson, Mercer and Aurora. The other area I have been dreading is the huge steep hills coming down from 5th W including Barrett, Fulton, Smith, Raye....Well, they are all done now.

You know its steep when your feet are at a 45 degree angle to your legs, ok, perhaps I am exaggerating! I only wish I had one of those fancy altimeter watches. I felt like I climbed thousand feet. It was tougher than some of the hikes I have taken. Good thing it wasn't too hot today, nice breeze helped to both keep me cool and feel like I was hiking in the mountains!

Started out by SPU and spent my first street walking down 7th W toward Fremont. Passed this very appropriate SPU building on 6th, it was all very foreboding for what was to come! Hooked a right and then started climbing up to staircase 341. Up 5th, down Armour, Up Newell, Down Raye, up Raye, down Smith, down 5th, down Barrett, then back up Barrett. Phew!

I am starting to get nervous about finishing this entire quest. It is the last day of August, where has this summer gone? I want to finish before the first day of fall, which is Friday, September 23rd, that is 23 days away! Ack! I better start getting a move on. I would say I am 65% done but there are still huge swaths I haven't even attacked yet. I hope I make it!

Streets Complted: W Raye, Irondale (which was really just an alley), Humes Pl
Staircases: 341
Total time walked: 1 hour 23 minutes

Cemetery Walk

Not only did I learn today what I want for a grave site when I die, but I learned how I want to be when I grow up, before needing that grave site!

Today a friend and I did a walk through Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. I never knew how big it actually was. It was gorgeous. Not a soul around (no pun intended) and we had the place to ourselves.

It was interesting to see all of the graves, and little did I know there is a whole Jewish area within the cemetery (I am Jewish, which is why it is of particular interest to me) and saw some familiar names.

What perhaps was most intriguing was the mix of really old graves with newer ones right next door. Who must have planned that? We discussed in earnest what kind of grave markings we wanted and did a critique of all the headstones we saw. We both determined that bigger is better!

We looped around the entire cemetery and noticed that the office of the cemetery looked a little too much like a motel near a national park, with an office sign dangling outside. Strange indeed.

Later in the walk, something caught my eye, a sparkle in the sun. I looked up just in time to see a mirrored jacket slip into a car. Was I imagining things? Was it too hot? Had I not had enough water? No, just then the woman wearing the jacket got back out of the car and in fact someone else in a brightly colored outfit was coming down the stairs! They looked so festive, we wanted to go where they were going, which turned out to be a Bingo night at the senior center! I asked if I could take their picture, they laughed and posed and as we walked away we heard them claim that they were having twice as much fun even though we were half their age! I want to be like that when I grow up.



Streets Completed: Pleasant Pl, W Bothwell
Staircase: 227
Total time walked: 58 minutes

Pacman

Today I felt like Pacman, going street by street, doubling back and winning a prize when I got to the end of a street. If only I was really eating treats as I went! It would have been frustrating had it been an ugly part of the neighborhood, or not such a great evening. But, the fact of the matter was it was a lovely warm summer evening, just before sunset in Lower Queen Anne. And, this walk got me oh so close to finishing all of Lower Queen Anne. I am within two tiny little streets of finishing! Perhaps I just need to go bust those little streets out next time I walk. Did feel a little silly walking past Laredo's about 3 different times! Oh well, I got a lot of streets done!

Streets Completed: Ward St, Ward Pl, Aloha, 5th Ave N, 6th Ave N
Staircases: none
Total time walked: 54 minutes

Over Easy

Today I had no energy. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I spent my morning in the dentist chair, followed by a follow up trip to the car repair shop, followed by a blood test! You think? And it was hot and unusually muggy for these parts.

I wasn't going to do any walk today but my boyfriend really wanted Menchie's frozen yogurt, and, well, I had to be accommodating. We decided to drive up and over the hill, go for a walk and end at Menchies.

We walked over to 7th W on Crockett, then up and back on 7th W, looked at the mountains, walked to McGraw, did a piece of McGraw, then up 2nd and to Menchies. We took it really really easy and did not complete any streets, and no staircases and it took us 45 minutes to do just those few blocks.

We did however see some fun stuff. Like, the backside of the wall that runs along 7th W. Its a gorgeous wall! And a nice imbedded into the sidewalk street sign for W Howe.



And now I feel even more like an over easy egg! Fried! I am going to take a nap!

Flavors of FroYo consumed: Tart and pomegranate. I love that Menchie's moved into the neighborhood!

Streets Completed: none
Staircases: none
Total Time Walked: A lazy 45 minutes.

You know you are obsessed when.....

A little evening stroll to Kerry Park with your boyfriend to catch the sunset and stretch out your sore legs from your 10 mile walk the day before turns into a quest to find streets you haven't done yet, sweetly suggesting that its such a nice night, we could just walk up here a little bit!?

45 minutes later......it was a gorgeous summer sunset and we did a little part of Blaine.

Streets completed: none
Staircases: 331
Total time walked: 45 minutes

The Nasty Bits of QA Circular Route

Due to some pressing car upkeep issues (anyone want to pay for my $700 car repair!?) I had the opportunity to dump my car at the repair shop, which happens to be on Elliott. I could have walked straight home and gone about my work. But, my obsession kicked in and I plotted a route around the base of Queen Anne.

Since the beginning of this expedition I have been dreading walking a few streets, all the nasty ones, Aurora, 15th W, Mercer.....So I decided to conquer them all in one day. The day was sort of an overcast day anyhow, fitting for this kind of walk.

Took off down 15th W, cars whizzing by, trucks honking, exhaust being pumped out. The one good thing? The first blackberries of this late season. Not, that I would ever eat them so close to a nasty road. Tackled a few staircases along the way, up from 15th W.

As I got to the Ballard Bridge there was a lot to do. There were loops I had to walk, staircases up and over, and underpasses and walkways. If you have ever been over there it can get very confusing. I think I ended up doing about a mile just around that area, very careful to walk every single street. To the left is a picture of the Ballard Bridge underpass, now used a homeless camp.

Onto Nickerson where there were slightly fewer vehicles but still pretty gritty. Lots of industry over there that I have never noticed.

Stopped briefly at the Tully's for some refreshment and a look at the map. I was way down on the water and Aurora was way up there, I had to plot out how I was going to get up there.

Decided to take 3rd up the hill, through Mayfair Park and onto the bridge that way. Decided I had to walk the bridge at least up until the water line, which officially designates Queen Anne from Fremont. I had to hold onto my map as the cars flew by me.

I felt officially like a street walker, in my sexy workout pants and nasty old t-shirt, walking down Aurora! So embarrassing! I did get some nice views from the bridge. And, also a reminder that the bridge is also a sometimes not so pleasant place. See picture to the right.

Just on the Queen Anne side of the bridge I picked up a completely untouched $5 Scratch Lotto ticket! I knew I would win tons of money and wanted to savor the moment in a more quiet setting, tucked it away in my bag.

Just past the Dexter exit there is a path that I tried to do in the dark a few weeks ago but it was too scary. Decided now would be the perfect time. And, it was scary even in the daylight! Steep with lots of garbage strewn about and way too much privacy should someone bad want to do something bad. I got off the trail pretty fast and headed back down Aurora.

Did part of the Galer overpass and stairclimb, which gave me a lovely view of the dirty traffic on Aurora!

Finally got to Mercer, yet more traffic and garbage! But, I was almost done. The phone still hadnt rung to let me know my car had been fixed. So, I did some sidestreets that needed to be done and found myself back at staircase 200, going back down to Elliott.

Rather than walking home (I knew if I did that the second I walked in the door my phone would ring), I went to the car place and proceeded to wait for an hour and a half. Now, with a car that should treat me well for the next 25 years I am back home.

I can still feel the exhaust in my lungs! My next walk is going to be on a quiet street! Oh, and I didn't win a single dollar on the scratch ticket. Boo!

Streets completed: 15th W, Nickerson, Mercer, Aurora, Mercer W
Staircases: 630, 373, 36, 467, 86, 473, 116, 117, 200
Total time walked: 3 hours 53 minutes (the longest mileage since my ACL tear at 9.87 miles!)

Holy Stairs, Batman!

Today was the day of stairs, in the heat! Drove over to the west side of the hill, where there is a whole network of tightly packed streets off of Gilman. There are many streets that are in fact called one street but are split by a grassy area, or a median or something that the map maker felt it necessary to draw them as two separate streets. This section of the hill has always daunted me.

Let me first point out, for those who aren't aware, the west side of this hill has a lot of staircases and it felt like we tackled all of them, all at once.

Started out on Gilman and headed all the way down to 15th and decided to tackle all of the staircases on W. Wheeler, of which there are about 7 or so. The picture to the right is the very bottom staircase.

Then we took a break to play a game and have a snack in Rachel's Park, it was a gorgeous day and we rejuvenated ourselves. Finished off W Wheeler and found ourselves hungry and on McGraw.

Like a beacon in the night, there was Malena's Tacos! Sat outside for some satisfying fish tacos and over to the grocery store for a sweet treat (I cannot go into Macrina, I will buy everything I see).

For some serious calorie burns we walked down to Westview, and the loop around the two sides of 12th W.

Walked back to the car and to dump the backpack and drove down to 14th, where we tackled a new set of staircases and 14th Ave W.

It was hot and we were tired. Got an iced coffee on 10th and called it good!

Streets Completed: Gilman, Westview, W Wheeler
Staircases: Get ready for this list! 357, 309, 310, 311, 360, 307, 368, 308, 367, 361, 564, 370
Total time walked: 2 hours 3 minutes