theryanmoore

In the old section of Ballard, there are wonderful brick roads that harken back to a time when development was a bit more human, a bit less slick. In fact, the rest of Ballard and the surrounding areas still have these brick streets underneath the pavement, only to show themselves when the rain and tires prove too much for the thin black coating. While Ballard has undergone extensive renewal efforts in recent years and decades, some brick still shows through in the buildings, the parks, and perhaps most importantly the people.

Formed by Scandinavian boatbuilders and fishermen, Ballard has always been all about the water. From the annual Seafood Fest to the parades and festivities celebrating Norway's Constitution Day, everything in Ballard points back to the Puget Sound. The Ballard Locks are an impressive feat of engineering surrounded by grassy hills allowing you to watch the boats come and go from the lower, salty Sound into the higher fresh water of the canals and Lake Union. If you walk across the locks you can watch the Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye determinedly swim their way up the salmon ladder in the fall. Of course there is plenty of fish to eat as well, including at the Lock Spot, a bar and eatery which has appeared on TV hosting the cast and crew from the Deadlist Catch.

To get the real feel of Ballard though, I take friends to the Smoke Shop. Half bar, half diner, this relic of old Ballard refuses to alter a single thing despite radically changing demographics and tastes. You can still hear stories and adventures from the wizened regulars who sit at the horseshoe shaped bar, and if you're still relaxing when the kitchen next door closes, you can often end up with a free bowl of chili or clam chowder. The diner itself (the "Ember Room") is a veritable time capsule serving only the classics, and is patronized by long term residents and young families alike. I should note that while it's called the Smoke Shop, there is no smoking. Yet this gem of days gone by still has a character and mood that cannot be denied.

Down the street from the Smoke Shop there are dozens of excellent bars and restaurants, providing all manner of entertainment from cutting-edge live music to ultra-authentic Oaxacan cuisine cooked by grandmothers. Perhaps the beauty of Ballard is its ability to absorb its new arrivals and accept them. Despite there being an extremely eclectic mix of businesses and patrons from every corner of society, the neighborhood still feels like, well, a neighborhood. You can drink a $3 cocktail with a fisherman just back from Alaska, and walk next door and get innovative, expertly crafted high cuisine, and somehow everyone gets along swimmingly.

While Ballard is experiencing a great deal of change from the influx of young families and professionals, it's managing to accommodate everyone better than perhaps anywhere else in the city. Like most Seattle neighborhoods, Ballard is quite self contained and you could theoretically never leave the area, but its proximity to Fremont, Queen Anne, and Magnolia (all quite pleasant neighborhoods in their own right) makes it one of my favorite places to live in the city. You can see on any real estate site that Ballard has good schools, access to shopping and transport, parks, movie theaters and so on. And so do a lot of great Seattle neighborhoods. But what makes Ballard important to me is not the amenities, it's the all-encompassing mood of the place. Optimistic yet nostalgic, foggy and full of sea salt but bright and alive, dock workers and graphic designers sharing stories and a beer. But don't take my word for it, it's something experiential that you'll have to wander across on your own time, at your own pace.