I have struggled for years to adequately explain to people why I couldn't handle working on the east side and switched jobs almost solely to get to downtown Seattle. Thanks mostly to Mudede, but echoed in this post, I finally am able to explain car-orientated neighborhoods to people-orientated neighborhoods. That is an easy to understand and effective way of explaining the difference, and I find myself applying the dichotomy to a lot of local civics themed thoughts.

I take more breaks when I walk. After waking up, I walk to the bathroom, take a dump while slurping a few bong hits, daydream about some cute guy. Then I walk to the kitchen and read the Ten Commandments from Slog - Read this Book, See this movie, Vote for her/him, think like me, etc. Then, a little tired from the previous walks, I stumble over to the couch and revel in the art of persuasion coming from Infomercial salesmen on tv.

I seem to remember someone walking around Lake Washington and writing about it, I think for The Weekly, back in the 80's. You should compare and contrast.

You should have walked with Charles. I'd love to read his descriptions of Eastside walking.

What a great idea, i once planned a goodly number of eastside 'hikes' but never did any because i have no followthrough.

Ps. Starting a sentence with the word 'Too' is spectacular.

Loved this.

That walk sounds like a pretty nifty idea, thanks Paul.

Next time take that other guy with you and save on meals by catching squirrels.

If you make it to the Windy City, give Northerly Island a try. (It's a peninsula, not an island, and it's on the south side of the city, bordering Museum Campus proper.) You'll love the parkland.

The best part of the lake for walking is, of course, the stretch along the west/southwest side, ending at Seward Park, where houses are not built on the lake. It's a shame the entire lake isn't like this. It should be.

It's that way with the lakes in southwest Minneapolis: "The Chain of Lakes was formed as a series of parks in the early twentieth century, when the young city purchased all of the land surrounding the lakes from which Minneapolis takes its name and nickname (the "City of Lakes")"

I walked from Seward Park up to Matthew's Beach once and it was a lovely way to spend the day. I hadn't realized the Broadmoor golf course extends all the way to the water and you have to walk all the way up Madison to get around it. That part sucked. A kayak would have been handy.

If I ever become emperor of Seattle I'm putting a path in on the waterside of the Broadmoor so pedestrians and cyclists can access the Aboretum from the south without climbing a big ass hill.

If you bike the east side trails enough, you start to notice where the homeless live. It's not so different than Seattle

I've been a volunteer at mt. Baker park greenbelt restoration for about a year, http://seattle.cedar.greencitypartnershi…, and now have a greater understanding forests than I ever did hiking into the backcountry with all my stuff. I think the more time we spend walking unencumbered and aware of our surroundings, the better we understand who we are and what we're doing here.

Nice. I had NO sense of the shore on the east side and now I do. And without having to experience the pedestrian cage in person.

try cycling the route next year for a different perspective.

In the 90's I lived on Capital Hill and commuted to the East Side by bus, which meant walking about a mile from the nearest stop in Bellevue to my office. Drivers squinted at me like they were spotting a lost dog— trying to process what sort of animal would be near the road without a car.

Kirkland is my favorite eastside city simply because the downtown is built directly on the water. It's pleasant, especially compared to Bellevue.

I also think St. Edwards SP is the best stretch of lakeshore. Much better than any of the parks on the Seattle side, simply because it's mainly just a big forest. Great for walks and (hilly) bike rides.

A couple years ago I took the bus to Edmonds and walked along the Puget shoreline all the way to Ballard. This was a great walk. There's lots of little coves and woods that are technically private and inaccessible from the top of the bluff (like the Boeing family's old reserve along Boeing Creek). Nice views and you'd be amazed at the stuff that washes up on the breakwater. Highly recommended, just watch out for BNSF crews. This walk was inspired by Harvey Manning's old "Footsore" series. Great books, still useful and fun to read even if they're hopelessly outdated (last edition 1992).