Waterfront / Beaches, Seattle

I run about 4-5 mornings a week, which means when I am on vacation, I always look for an ideal running route on my first morning in a new location. One key criterion is few traffic lights and intersections. As a frequent visitor to Seattle, I have staked out my favorite running route from downtown Seattle. From my hotel, I will run down the hill to the waterfront, turn north and run to the end of Myrtle Edwards Park, and return back the same way. Total length of the run is about 6 miles.

The area is safe, even when it's dark, pavement is good, the view is very scenic (downtown on one side, water, boats and Olympic mountain range on the other). And there are no intersections or traffic lights once you get to the waterfront.

I've tried going south, but the pavement is not as even, and it is narrower, and the neighborhood is sketchier. OK in the day time, but not my first choice when I am running alone before dawn.

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There are different restaurants and shops below Pikes Market on the waterfront, as well as a ferry dock. There is also an aquarium, although we didn't go in so I can't say what it's like, but the location is very scenic.

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Owned by the Port of Seattle (not the regular city of Seattle park system), the park runs through port owned property right along the Seattle waterfront. Combined with the Olympic Sculpture Park and Myrtle Edwards Park this park helps form a continuous set of pathways, without automotive interruption, from Alaskan Way and Broad Street north all the way to the Magnolia Bridge and Garfield Street.

Along with the views of Puget Sound, downtown Seattle, and the Olympic Mountains on the other side of the sound, there are unique features that you would expect in a port-owned waterfront park. For example, the park passes directly under a conveyor for moving grain from a grain export terminal to ships in the sound.

A monument in the park called the "Shipmate's Light" is dedicated to those who have served the people of the world by going out to sea, improving the lives of all through world trade. A solar panel is located on the top of the light, though it is not clear if this panel provides all or just some of the required power.

Other features of the park include the Elliott Bay Public Fishing Pier, the Elliott Bay Totem Pole, and the Elliott Bay Rose Garden.

Connections at the north end of the park go to the Terminal 91 Bike Path, allowing someone to walk or bike from downtown Seattle all the way to Thorndyke & 20th in Magnolia with only one mildly annoying road crossing.

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Streets stop running along the Seattle waterfront north of Alaskan Way and Broad Street. At that intersection, there is a fountain, and north of there, past the fountain, a mixture of narrow waterfront parks allow people to enjoy the waterfront, ride their bikes without fighting traffic, or otherwise take advantage of the wonderful location.

The park at the south end of this location is called Myrtle Edwards Park, which is also intermixed with features that are actually part of the Olympic Sculpture Park. North of this park, the park is joined by Elliot Bay Park, (owned by the Port of Seattle) creating a continuous linear park between Alaskan Way north all the way to the Magnolia Bridge and Garfield Street.

Myrtle Edwards Park (which is owned by the City of Seattle Parks Department) is has picnic tables, benches, and paved walkways (one for bicyclists and one for pedestrians). There are also artistic features, including items that are part of the Seattle Art Museum's Olympic Sculpture Park, which also joins this chain of parks at the south end. For example, the bicycle pathway and grass strip are part of Myrtle Edwards Park, while the preserved sand bank and beach and bay are part of the Olympic Sculpture Park and owned by the Seattle Art Museum.

Further north, a large stone sculpture is located in the park, but predates the Olympic Sculpture Park by several decades.

The official address is listed below, but the only way to directly access this park is either through the Olympic Sculpture Park or by entering the park from the south (Alaskan Way and Broad Street) or the north (from the Magnolia Bridge and Garfield Street).

More photos and information are located in the Olympic Sculpture Park or Elliot Bay Park sections that I have written.

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It is nice to walk around the Waterfront because there are so many things to see. If you don't like to spend money but get the most of your visit in Seattle, just head down to the Waterfront. You can have a great view of the Puget Sound - you will see the ferry boats come and go to the different islands. Also, there are some stuffs to see there like the Seattle Aquarium, The Argossy Cruises, the Pirates Plunder, the Fisherman's Wharf, the Miner's Landing, the Crab Pot, array of restaurants and souvenir shops. There is also an antique stores.

Vashon Island is famous as the place where Seattle's Best Coffee Company was founded (now it is owned by Starbucks since 2005). The place has other attractions besides that like having small farms and wonderful sceneries but its main draw is the strawberry festival. Like other areas of Metropolitan Seattle, the island is service by the Washington States ferries since it has no bridges connecting to the mainland. Vashon has two ferry terminals. The southern terminus of the Vashon Highway is the Tahlequah Ferry Terminal, connected to the Point Defiance neighborhood of Tacoma. The northern terminus of the Vashon Highway is the Heights Dock at Point Vashon, which services the state ferry docks at Southworth, Fauntleroy in West Seattle, and Downtown Seattle.

Puget Sound is a large salt water system of many estuaries, fed by highly seasonal freshwater from the Olympic and Cascade Mountain watersheds. The northern boundary is Admiralty Inlet, between Point Partridge on Whidbey Island and Point Wilson on the Olympic Peninsula. A second entrance is Deception Pass, between West Point on Whidbey Island and Rosario Head on Fidalgo Island

Seattle, the state's largest city, lies in the center of the Puget Sound region and sits between Elliot Bay and Lake Washington. Across the Sound is Bainbridge Island, the Kitsap Peninsula and Olympic Peninsula. To the east, and across Lake Washington, is Seattle's near neighbor Bellevue. The Puget Sound area offers a rich variety of vacation, recreational and holiday pursuits including big-city life, island retreats, cozy bed and breakfasts, romantic country inns and first class resorts. There is plenty of sightseeing, hiking, kayaking, and boating activities to keep in shape and make one wish for a longer Puget Sound holiday.

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Alki beach is the place to be in the summer but it is nice to be year round too. You can walk, roller skate or bike down the beach and enjoy the beautiful water and mountain views. In the winter the mountains are capped with snow and on a clear day it feels like you can touch them. In the summer the days are long and the sun stays up until 10 or so. So it can get a little crowded on Sunday evenings as the cars line up and down Alki Blvd to catch the sunset. There are some awesome views of downtown Seattle from Alki.