News of Madison Valley

Stairway Walks Day

JANUARY 21, 2014 | EDITOR

Feet First's second annual Stairway Walks Day will be held on Saturday, February 8, 2014 (coinciding with Seattle Neighborhood Appreciation Day). About 450 participants are expected to take part in 18 different neighborhood walks across Bellevue, Burien and Seattle, including one in the Washington Park Arboretum. 

Stairway Walk

The stairway routes featured on Stairway Walks Day are from Cathy and Jake Jaramillo’s book Seattle Stairway Walks: An Up-and-Down Guide to City Neighborhoods. According to Neighborhood Walking Ambassador and author Cathy Jaramillo, “Seattle has a world-class network of more than 650 publicly accessible stairways, many well over 100 years old. Stairways make important walking connections to parks and transit, and they create scenic urban byways that are very fun to explore. Stairways are a valuable built legacy for us to enjoy and preserve!

From a description of the Arboretum walk:

The Olmstead Vision: The Arboretum, Interlaken Park, and Volunteer Park. In the early 20th century, Seattle commissioned the Olmstead Brothers firm to design a park system for the city. This trio of splendid parks: Washington Park Arboretum, Interlaken Park, and Volunteer Park are a formative part of the legacy they left behind. We’ll also see vibrant residential architecture that was built for a newly prospering middle class of this era. Distance: 4.2 miles: 243 steps down, 359 steps up. Walking Leader: Feet First Neighborhood Walking Ambassador, Shawn Alirez

Hardy hikers can sign up for the event at Brown Paper Tickets.

 

Topics: Social Events, Nature