West Seattle’s Alki Beach
On Sunday, a friend was passing through Seattle en route to the East Coast. All did not go according to plan, and combined with the weather problems in the east, we found ourselves with a time together to enjoy a great Seattle summer day.
Why is it that I have lots of ideas about what I’d like to see in cities across the country, but in my own town everything just seems boring and routine? People enjoy visiting Seattle; especially in the summer when it doesn’t rain every day, so why is it so hard to think of something to do?
Since the weather was cooperating, I decided that we should head out to Alki Beach in West Seattle.
Alki Beach was the site of the landing of Seattle’s first white settlers in November 1851. Chief Seattle greeted the settlers, and his tribe helped them build shelters to guard from what would become the notoriously cold and wet Seattle winter.
In earlier times, Alki sported an amusement park, called Luna Park after its Coney Island namesake. The park included several heated saltwater pools, a large carousel, Ferris wheel, rollercoaster and restaurant. A fire destroyed Luna Park in 1931.
Alki is now a two and a half mile strip of beach that runs from Alki Point to Duwamish Head on Elliott Bay, with a wide path to accommodate bikes and pedestrians. It’s a popular spot to walk or run any time of the year, and during the summer it also attracts rollerbladers, volleyball players, bicyclists, beachcombers, and sun enthusiasts.
The beach enjoy minus tides, allowing it to show off its sandy beach. There are benches, picnic tables and public restrooms.
The views of the city are spectacular from the beach (see photo above), and I was also able to point out Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains and the Cascade Mountain Range. As we walked and talked, we watched ferryboats shuttle back and forth between Seattle and Bremerton, and Seattle and Bainbridge Island.
Also out on the water were sailboats and sailboarders. But don’t let the sun fool you! The waters of Puget Sound are only in the 45-55 degree range.
One of the nice things about Alki is that, although it is a popular tourist spot, it is even more popular as a place for locals to hang out. So whether you’re visiting, or live here, it has something for everyone, and is a place you’ll want to check out.
Our time on Alki was spent having breakfast at Alki Bakery (2726 Alki Avenue SW), walking along the path, people watching, and appreciating the beauty of a sunny Seattle day.
All that, and time spent with a special friend, enjoying MY city for a change. It was a very good day.
Photo credit: flickr.com
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POSTED IN: Things to See & Do
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