Impressions of the Overlook Walk
Picture, if you will, a renovated waterfront. The Overlook Walk between Pike Place Market and the waterfront opened October 4th. The Urbanist has a detailed description. I took a walk on it two days later, on Sunday in the late afternoon. This photo was by Martin Pagel on opening day, but the crowd was similar when I went. Is it like the High Line in New York City? I've never seen the High Line so I can't compare, but I hope it becomes as popular. It might be something to do this holiday weekend.
From Pike Place Market street level west of Stewart Street, there's a new plaza deck at the back of the market overlooking the waterfront. A stairway goes down to the walk, or use the walk's eastern elevator to go down one level. The walk itself is a switchback promenade with a white concrete surface. A lot of people were promenading everywhere. Along the walk are two wider concrete plazas that could be used for small events. The walk ends on the roof of a new Aquarium building, its third building with additional exhibits. A second stairway goes down one level to the waterfront street, or use the walk's western elevator.
The waterfront street is Alaskan Way or Dzidzilalich (didll'i), the name of a former Native American village there, meaning little crossing-over place". (Here's a Lushootseed pronunciation guide if you need it.)
At the bottom of the walk is the Aquarium. The next pier north is Pier 62, which is now a flat plaza with a wood-plank surface. Alongside the pier a gangplank goes down to a floating dock. The dock is the closest I've ever been to the water in the central waterfront; it reminded me of the docks in Kirkland's Marina Park. Both the dock and the gangplank sway with the waves, so that may be too much for some people. I held on to the gangplank railing while I went down and up.
The next pier north of that is the cruise ship terminal, and a ship was in. I didn't realize the terminal was so close to Pike Place Market; I thought it was further north.
South of the Aquarium is where the future Waterfront Park will be, but it's still a closed construction site. You can see a metal sculpture in the middle.
To get back up to the Market, I could go back the way I came. Or I could cross Alaskan Way to the eastern side and go directly to the walk's eastern elevator. Or I could find the old elevator on the east side that goes from inside a parking garage to inside the Market. I didn't see the entrance to it but I assume it's still there somewhere. There's another new elevator at Union Street, but it only goes up to Western Avenue, and it was broken the last time i tried it. A bit further south is the the Harbor Steps elevator. There the one-block walk to Western Avenue is flat, and the elevator is inside a building on the east side of Western, and goes up to the Harbor Steps apartment plaza on 1st Avenue. But I decided to see the new ferry terminal and its skybridge on Marion Street.
The ferry terminal elevator is just south of the skybridge. At the bridge level, the bridge continues west to the terminal and east to 1st Avenue. A pair of overhead signs say Marion Street, 1st Avenue" and Link Light Rail, 3rd Avenue". I walked to 1st, not looking forward to the steep two blocks up to 3rd. On the right I saw the RapidRide C station on the next block and thought about taking it but decided not to.
Then I remembered that RapidRide G exists now. On 1st Avenue I went 1 1/2 blocks north to the station. This was my second trip on the G. The bus was only 2 minutes late, which was better than its initial performance. It sat for two more minutes while a second Metro person in front advised the driver. I'm not sure if it was a driver switch or a consultation. In the downtown segment, people got on at almost every stop, and the bus got stopped every block by a red light. But after walking I was just glad to sit down and have a bus take me up the hill eventually. I got off at Boyleston. The display said the second bus would come in 4 minutes (normally 15), so there's still some bunching.
Musical accompaniment: All the Cats Join In, Catherine Russell version. So rip, everybody swing, yeah swing, till the rafters ring, and all the cats join in." As you swing around the switchbacks along the walk, or sway on the dock with the waves.