The folks at Seattle Neighborhood Greenways have posted a great set of photos of last Saturday’s Beacon B.I.K.E.S./Spokespeople neighborhood bicycle ride. The ride began and ended at The Station on 16th Ave. S., and took a 5 mile route around Jefferson Park, down Beacon Avenue, on the Chief Sealth trail, and back up through Jefferson Park to The Station. See the photos of the happy cyclists touring North Beacon Hill.
Tag Archives: bicycles
Tour the neighborhood on your bike Saturday
Beacon B.I.K.E.S. is hosting a neighborhood bicycle ride this Saturday along portions of the future Beacon Hill Greenway. The ride will be a safe, slow-paced 5-mile loop (see the route in the map below) with few hills, suitable for riders of all ages, and will feature destinations such as Jefferson Park, local businesses, and two community farms (Alley Cat Acres and the future site of the Beacon Food Forest).
The ride will start at 2 p.m. at The Station coffee house, 2533 16th Ave. S. and finish at 4 p.m. at the Beacon Hill Library, 2821 Beacon Ave. S.
Questions? Email Dylan at dylan@beaconwalksbikes.org.
(Thanks to Christine Cole for the news!)
View spokespeople beacon ride in a larger map
People-Powered Park Parade a success
A neighbor going by “Observer” posted this recap in the comments to last week’s post:
It was a two-fold community celebration. The Friends of Lewis Park and Beacon Bikes joined forces with the City of Seattle, Department of Neighborhoods, North Beacon Hill Council and Green Seattle Partnership in sponsoring the People Powered Park Parade and celebration of four years of restoration of Lewis Park Natural Area.
The colorful bike parade was in celebration of the vision of a kid-friendly bicycle and pedestrian path connecting our Seattle Parks with safe and enjoyable neighborhood greenways. An estimated (I didn’t count) 50 or more bicyclists of all ages departed the Jefferson Park playground and rode the proposed path to Lewis Park to the north.
Upon arrival the riders and walkers (who seemed to double in numbers) were greeted by the Friends of Lewis Park and several dignitaries from the City of Seattle. Two of the more popular neighbors were Jay Hollingsworth and J.J. Lund. People lined up and down the block to meet them as they flipped the burgers and dogs and stirred the chili.
Director Dee Dunbar introduced several dignitaries that included Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn. Each of them shared a similar message of congratulations to the citizen volunteers who are providing the many hours of hands on labor to achieve the goal of restoring the Lewis Park Natural Area to a beautiful, family-friendly environment. They expressed great appreciation to citizens of the neighborhood who are making it happen. They also recognized the grants awarded to the project were really quite small when compared to the investment of time and work of the citizens of north Beacon Hill.
This is certainly not an official report but rather an observation from a long time citizen of north Beacon Hill.
Kat Marriner posted her take on the day’s events, with photos, on the Yellow Tent Adventures website. City Council member Sally Bagshaw also blogged about the event.
Dan Bennett posted a wonderful bunch of parade photos to the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr, and Observer emailed us some great photos as well. (Thank you to both of you!) Here are a few of our favorites:
People-Powered Park Parade and Lewis Park Celebration this Saturday
As mentioned previously, the People-Powered Park Parade and Lewis Park Celebration is this Saturday, May 21. The PPPP is a bike and walk parade that will tour the proposed bike boulevard on 17th and 18th Avenues S., and celebrate the 100th birthday of Lewis Park. You can see the parade route here.
Here is the event timeline; come for the entire event, or just part of it, if you prefer.
At Jefferson Park Playground, 3801 Beacon Ave. S.:
- 11:30 a.m. Gather and decorate bikes
- 11:40 a.m. Lion dancers
- 11:45 a.m. Introduction, CM Rasmussen speaks, parade instructions
- 12:00 p.m. Leave Jefferson Park and travel the proposed Beacon Hill Bike Boulevard/Greenway
At Sturgus Park, 904 Sturgus Ave. S.:
- 1:00 p.m. Event begins (BBQ, music, arrival of bike parade)*
- 1:25 p.m. Mayor arrives, mix and mingle
- 1:30 p.m. Welcome by Friends of Lewis Park
- 1:35 p.m. Duwamish blessing
- 1:45 p.m. CM Sally Bagshaw (3-5 min)
- 1:50 p.m. Mayor’s remarks (3-5 minutes)
- 1:55 p.m. Christopher Williams (3-5 minutes)
- 2:00 p.m. Bernie Matsuno (3-5 minutes)
- 2:15 p.m. Tours of Lewis Park Natural Area begin, music resumes
- 5:00 p.m. Event concludes
*Due to limited seating, it is advised that you bring a blanket/something to sit on to Sturgus Park.
This event is organized by Beacon Walks and Bikes and Friends of Lewis Park, and funded in part by a Neighborhood Matching Fund award from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. For more information, contact Dee Dunbar at dd1377@gmail.com or Dylan Ahearn at dsahearn@gmail.com.
People-Powered Park Parade and Lewis Park Celebration coming 5/21
The PPPP is a bike and walk parade that will tour the proposed bike boulevard on 17th and 18th Avenues S. The parade will include a bike decoration contest with prizes, and a pedal-powered float! Paraders should meet at Jefferson Park Playground at 11:30 a.m. The parade will leave the park at noon, and arrive at Lewis Park at 1 p.m. You can see the parade route at this PDF link.
When the parade arrives at Lewis Park (904 Sturgus Ave. S.), the event turns into a celebration of the park’s restoration from 1-5 p.m., featuring free food and BBQ, entertainment, park tours, and urban forest restoration information.
This event is organized by Beacon Walks and Bikes and Friends of Lewis Park, and funded in part by a Neighborhood Matching Fund award from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. For more information, contact Dee Dunbar at dd1377@gmail.com or Dylan Ahearn at dsahearn@gmail.com.
Emergency prep workshop at NBHC meeting
This month’s North Beacon Hill Council meeting on Thursday evening at the library includes a workshop about emergency preparation, information about bicycle/pedestrian activities, and more. Here’s the agenda, as forwarded from the Council:
- 7:00 Hellos and introductions
- 7:05 SNAP presentation – this is a one hour workshop that will enable all of us to better prepare our homes for emergencies.
- 8:05 Questions and answers
- 8:15 Dee Dunbar – Lewis Park Pedestrian and Bike Parade and Celebration
- 8:20 Announcements
- board elections in May (four positions open)
- neighborhood coordinator
- community information center
- 8:30 Regular meeting adjourns; Board meets in Community Service Center
The meeting is this Thursday, April 7 at the Beacon Hill Library, 2821 Beacon Avenue South. All are welcome.
Biking on Beacon: Pizza in the air
I have never been the long-distance bike riding type. The spandex thing is silly, the leg shaving too high maintenance. Instead I have taken a utilitarian approach to two-wheeled self propulsion. In many instances it is just the easiest way to get around. But I have begun to notice that the more I ride the more I enjoy it just for the sake of riding a bike.  Turns out it is pretty fun.
On Sunday I rode around Mercer Island for my first time. Though the ride was about 16 miles, I was having so much fun, that it felt like 5. Big water and mountain views, few cars (except for noisy I-90), tall trees, cool air, good company. I will map it next time for those who have yet to try it. But today’s post is about something else altogether great: Pizza!
Things are abuzz on Beacon Hill about the new bar at the old ROCKiT space and the Bar del Corso Pizza spot. Pizza bar and beer bar, yum! Both these spots will be along Beacon Avenue and easily accessible by foot and bike, especially if you use the newly proposed bike boulevard along 17th/18th ave. But alas, we must wait months for this fun to start. So until then, here is a safe route to the very near and very delicious Mio Posto in Mt Baker. This spot is great for its Irwin’s Pastries and brick oven pizza! If you are looking for something a little different try this safe route to All Purpose Pizza in Leschi. They serve a Pagliacci-esque pie with a smile. After all this pizza you will need that ride to Mercer Island to clear the arteries, but don’t worry, it goes by in a flash.
Ride On.
Beacon Hill to Mio Posto/ Mt. Baker Playground (SAFE ROUTE) at EveryTrail
Love your BIKE! for Valentine’s Day
Beacon BIKES is hosting Love Your BIKE!, a Valentine’s Day open house at the Beacon Hill Library, with special guest speaker, KUOW commentator, Adventure Cyclist columnist, and Beacon Hill neighbor Willie Weir. Weir will tell “Tales of Bicycle Love,” including stories of his many cycling adventures and destinations.
The evening will also include an open house discussion of the current plans and ideas to improve pedestrian and bicycle circulation on the Hill, and sweet and savory Valentine treats for all.
The event is from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Monday, February 14, and is open to all, including children. The Beacon Hill Library is located at 2821 Beacon Avenue South.
For more information, contact Frederica Merrell, frmerrel@seattleschools.org.
Biking on Beacon: Family biking to Columbia City
I was at The Station the other night having a drink with some friends (Thanks Luis!), and we got to discussing Columbia City and how much it has changed over the past 10 years. Â Today, there are a number of great destinations there including Empire Espresso on Edmunds (best latte in Seattle, though they can’t touch The Station’s Mexican mochas); Columbia City Cinema (now playing: Black Swan and a couple movies about hornets); Tutta Bella (a stopgap until we get our own brick oven pizza place); Full Tilt (old school video games and small batch ice cream… ’nuff said); a bakery, bar, toy store, etc.; and—of course—Bike Works!
Bike Works was established in the mid ’90s with the goal of promoting cycling in the underserved communities of Southeast Seattle.  When the bike shop went in, it was the only one between Capitol Hill and Renton!  They currently run the earn a bike program for kids and are generally bicycle angels in our midst. I biked there with my kids a few months ago to get some hand grips for Kai’s bike.  It was Malia’s longest ride and she did great (we took the light rail to get back).  The key to getting to Columbia City safely on a bike is Renton Ave. S. which runs between MLK and Rainier.  You can see our mapped route with videos here.
There are many reasons why Columbia City has changed so much while Beacon Hill has not (topography, demographics, arterial access) and I am sure the next 10 years will bring similar change to our community. This will, of course, have complex ramifications: some good, some bad.  One good one, that my kids will appreciate, is that our bike rides will get a little easier.
Biking on Beacon: Back to work by bike!
After a long holiday vacation, which, due to the blizzard in the Northeast, stretched into an even longer holiday vacation, I finally made it back to the Hill to find that indeed I am required to return to work in the new year. 🙁
An upside to this situation is that I get to hop on my bike and get back into my commuting routine. I have to admit that when I was first considering bike commuting from Beacon Hill to Downtown and back I was hesitant. Though it is only a three mile ride to Belltown from my house, there are a number of daunting hills and even scarier rivers of traffic. But after testing out numerous routes, I found one that is not too hilly and avoids a good bit of the traffic.Â
If you look on a map the most logical route to get from North Beacon Hill to Downtown is along 15th Avenue South via the Jose Rizal bridge. The problem with this is that even after last years restriping on 15th (addition of a bike lane going southbound from Jose Rizal to Beacon, and sharrows northbound), the road is still a little scary to bike along. An alternate route is to take 18th Avenue South to the Mountains to Sound Trail to Jose Rizal; this avoids the traffic and, as 18th is a gradual climb, provides one of the easiest ways to get up the north side of Beacon Hill. Once over Jose Rizal, King Street (non-arterial) and 3rd Avenue (bus and bike only during commuter hours) provide the best routes for avoiding heavy traffic. Another great way to avoid heavy traffic is to go into work early and come home early, this makes biking much safer!
I have mapped this route with accompanying video here.
According to SDOT counts, bike commuting in Seattle has doubled over the past 15 years. And with the implementation of the bicycle master plan in full gear, this ridership rate will only increase in the coming years. Hop on your bike and try this route someday to see if bike commuting is for you.