KatieKinne

A long long time ago, in a land far away, okay it was the 1980's. Maple Road was a road that curved nicely through a pleasant forest with lots of maple and evergreen trees. Over the years it has slowly widened to become a main street, winding through the forest, which has since been cut down to accomodate small enclaves of McMansions. I miss the charm of the wooded areas but the new houses are nice and as a child I enjoyed the playgrounds of the McMansion communities. It's a good place to raise a family.

I grew up on 186th Street in Lynnwood, a suburb of Seattle. The street is a quintessential lower-middle class neighborhood. The houses are cookie-cutter ranch houses from the early 1970's. They're kept in moderately shabby condition, and are mostly inhabited by renters. But it's not all bad. The rent is cheap and their is neighborhood cameraderie. The street is a dead end so it's safe for all the neighborhood children to run about, play street hockey, and ride bikes. It might not be a pretty place, but it's a great starting place for young familes.

Growing up I spent a great deal of time at the quaint little white house my grandmother and grandfather built by themselves during the depression with whatever materials they could salvage. That determination, as well as the determination of other families created an adorable, close-knit community. Today, however the street is busy, noisy, there are crimes and homeless people. Most of the houses have gone to shambles and are used as rental investments. My grandmother's once-tidy house is a trashy mess, her beautiful gardens ripped out. Perhaps it's my fond memories that contrast so harshly with the reality of the street, but it is definitely someone I would prefer to avoid.

The main street running from north to south in Lynnwood (a suburb of Seattle) is a busy street that runs the gammut from a business district at the extreme south; to the Lynnwood Rec Center, Fire Station, and other government office midway up the street; to the small and unassuming hosues that line the northern end of the street. The houses near the north end of the street are a bit run down and I imagine will eventually give way to a more commercial area.

46th Place West is the street my parents lived on for about 20 years. The houses were all built during the mid 1980's in traditional ranch and split-level styles. It is in every way a typical suburban street. The street is a cul-de-sac so there is very minimal traffic so it's safe for your cats to go outside, or for your kids to ride bike (with adult supervision), and there is virtually no crime so you feel very safe here.

This small street now serves as the primary driveway and drop off for students of Roosevelt High School and football stadium. The old high school hadn't been renovated for years, and the swankily updated replacement, and adjoining athletic fields have given the neighborhood a much needed boost. Where once the street was treated as a back alley, it's not a shining jewel in the Ravenna neighborhood.

This street is absolutely picture perfect. One side of the street is lined with well-kept (or totally restored) Craftsman-style bungalows from the early 1900's, and what makes the street truly special is that the other side is not lined with other houses. Adding to the sense of intimacy the opposite side of the street is the lovely Ravenna Raveen park. Living on the street are well-to-do families and retirees.

East Pine Street is the section of Pine Street that links downtown Seattle up to Broadway - the hub of action in Seattle's Capital Hill area. Lining the streets are hipper-than-thou coffee shops where Seattle's artistic young hipsters hang out to chew the fat. A sprinkling of super eclectic home, clothing, and decor shops make this a street worth wandering down.

Seneca Street runs from the waterfront, through downtown, all the way up to the hospitals on "Pill Hill." The street doesn't have a lot of character or charm. It cuts through the downtown area in the financial district, which means a lot of towering buildings and people dressed in business casual attire wishing they were elsewhere. Seneca Street is a place you'd only visit for business purposes.

15th Avenue East runs along the easternmost edge of Seattle's hip Capital Hill neighborhood, but has become it's own intimate little area worthy of it's own nickname, right now everyone just calls the area "15th." The Southern end of the street is the business district that includes locally owned shops and restaurants. Heading north you'll find neighborhoods of historic homes and Seattle's famous Volunteer Park, which features the Seattle Asian Art Museum and a historical conservatory filled with tropic flowers.