The western peninsula of Seattle proper is like that best friend who is impossible to make plans with, but you keep trying anyway – because it’s worth the effort once you get together.
It was late afternoon on a sunny Wednesday in early May. I had just finished showing a few condominiums in Capitol Hill and set sail westward, as I do most days from where ever work had taken me that day. I plugged in my GPS to see what traffic was like on I-5 and through the dreaded Michigan St crossover. I assume you can guess what colors popped up on my map – a bunch of red and yellow. 38 minutes from Capitol Hill to West Seattle. To avoid the worst of the traffic, I headed west on James Street and then south on 1st Avenue. Traffic through there wasn’t too bad – I even missed exiting fan traffic from T-Mobile park as the Mariners were having one of their Wednesday matinee games. “Awesome,” I thought while cruising with the windows down and my music up to a decent level. But then I hit the 1st Ave bridge and what do you know, it’s up. Add another 10 min! I usually take the Meyers Way exit off of 509 and into White Center and today was no different. As a roll into the heart of White Center, there was a two-car accident clogging up the left-hand lane for 3 or 4 blocks. Add another 10!
By this time I wasn’t enjoying the sun or the music quite as much – I just wanted to go home. Crawling toward the Roxbury/35th intersection, I finally took my belated right-hand turn and headed north into West Seattle. Getting home was an adventure – and a frustrating one at that. I know all of you have experienced something like my story as you head into West Seattle. Whether you call this place home or you were just coming for an appointment or a date. The bridge outage has been hard on everyone. But boy I’ll tell you what, every time I arrive home it’s worth all the trouble I had to go through to get back.
As I headed north on 35th Ave, I passed Tony’s Market where I got my first job in high school. Then to my left I saw my friend Tyler who was outside his apartment building just across the street. I honked, waved, and kept going. The trees were glowing in every shade of green you could imagine. My pace slowed as my shoulders and brows relaxed. West Seattle has a charm that you have to feel to truly understand and man, was I feeling the charm as I drove. As I continued north I passed Camp Long where we often held field trips in elementary school. There were two younger children and their mother waiting to cross the street as I reminisced on those fun trips outside of the classroom.
I was feeling good so I continued my drive past my house and headed to North Admiral where I stopped in at another one of my old employers for a coffee. I looped around onto Beach Drive and embraced the fresh saltwater smell and pretty beachfront homes. By the time I made it back home, it was much later than the arrival time my iPhone had predicted an hour earlier, but I was feeling rejuvenated, calm, and full. This place has a special way of allowing its residents to live next to friendly neighbors, down the street from a childhood friend, and a short drive from the beach or a park. West Seattle was showing off everything it has to offer that day – something I hope you all get to continue experiencing. So even though it can be a pain to get back, we should all smile knowing the destination makes it all worth it.
Cheers from West Seattle,
Your friend and Realtor® Bryce Morgan