I’ve lived in Seattle for almost twenty years. I have been to Laurelhurst twice. Once for dinner, about seven years ago, and once in a canoe.
Seattle Stairway Walk Six is fairly short, which is good, as after five days of them, my out-of-shape legs are pretty tired. Not sore, but I definitely was questioning my one switch-up to this route, when I decided to go up the Laurelcrest Stairs instead of down them.
This is a walk I can’t imagine doing again. It’s pleasant enough though a very affluent neighborhood, but it’s also like flipping through the pages of Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware at the same time with both hands and there weren’t that many stairs.
In a switch-up, here I will annotate some pictures:
This is a view of Laurelhurst toward the east as I left the very charming Community Center. There are so many incredible Tudors in this neighborhood. If you are into Tudors or Colonial Revival architecture, this is a great place to see wonderfully maintained homes. Actually, the whole neighborhood was incredibly tidy, in a way that my CD neighborhood is definitely not.
Um, has Pam been over cutting out offerings to the Mayan gods? These are not snowflakes! These are dollies from a Mexican restaurant. Definitely, a sign that all is not well in Laurelhurst.
So this Westy is so butch. And that house, totally the type of house I would think I want next. Whoever these people are, it is aspirational from where we are. If there is a reason to redo this walk, it is a chance to get a better look at this house and its garden later in the summer. Of course, the house a block up makes this one look like a little shamble of not much. But, dang.
The book went on about some “Hidden Stairs”, which weren’t that hidden nor as impressive as I was hopping. They are cool, ok? But not that hard to find.
There were two spots on this walk with lake access. Both of them narrow, muddy affairs wedged between very expensive homes with private docks, tennis courts, and the like. I took pictures of the lake, but they were kind of boring. It’s a gray day, nearing sunset and so it’s hard to get a crisp shot. And really, it was just a big lake with the lights of Kirkland in the distance. So I looked up and thought this birch was really just as interesting as the view.
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I’m getting my exercise this winter following the walks in “Seattle Stairway Walks”. You can get your copy here.
On Saturday, February 8th, Feet First hosts its second annual Stairway Walks Day, with guided tours across Seattle neighborhoods, featuring stairs, stairs, and more stairs!
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