On the Other Side

 

6/24/21 Green Lake neighborhood

One year ago, I was constantly looking for safe neighborhood spots to sketch, and some of my favorites were a bunch of dead-end streets just on the other side of I-5. Safe from both cars and other pedestrians, I could stand in the middle of the street if I wanted to. (One such view was a row of ornamental plums, which led to my brief obsession with finding the right color to depict them.)

With nearly 90 percent of adults in my zip code now vaccinated, I’m no longer concerned about safety, but I still find myself crossing the freeway to look for sketch opportunities. The architecture on the north side of Green Lake is still mostly older, original homes; I don’t see nearly as many modern behemoths as I do in Maple Leaf. This classic Craftsman is typical of the lovely houses there.

There’s another reason to cross the noisy, unpleasant I-5 overpass: It’s one of few spots I know of where I can see both Rainier to the south and The Brothers to the west just by pivoting on my heels.

I’d like to pause here a moment to gloat: For these two or three months out of the year, Seattle is arguably the best place on earth (our "jaw-dropping," record-breaking heatwave notwithstanding).

Rainier to the south...

...The Brothers to the west.