A walk into the future

By Marc Calhoun

A strong northerly wind swept down the canyon. Fortunately, I was walking south, so the tail-wind helped speed me along. I had wanted to take my stroll down California Avenue before four o'clock, when the sun can still reach the ground. But, because of the two-hour commute from downtown, I was running late.

I had gotten off the bus in front of the Safeway gas station on Admiral Way, and then grabbed a burger at Safeway In The Box. I ate as I walked, and when I rounded the corner by the Safeway Savings Bank I glanced over to see what was playing at the Safeway Cineplex. It was 'Pirates of the Caribbean 13: Captain Jack joins the AARP.' (How I miss the old Admiral.) As I headed south I then passed the office of the Safeway Herald. They have a great editorial in this month's edition advocating a new city charter amendment. You know the one, where if you pay your taxes using the Club Card you get 3-cents off. I'm all for it.

It was five o'clock, and the sun was starting to set behind the Lafayette Fred Meyer. So I paused for a moment when I reached the PCC parking lot. Turning my face to the sky, I soaked up sun's rays at the only open space for the next three miles.

I was now in the land of shadows as I continued south through the canyon. The three-story BK-MacDonalds was packed with some of the thousands of new residents that live in the area. From there I passed an endless series of fourplex town home pods and four-story condos, built side by side. The ones on the west side of the street are doubled up, one behind the other. Those on the east side doubled stacked, the rear ones rising high on the sloping hillside.

I carried on in shadow, and a chill settled in on my bones as a non-stop line of cars motored by. With California now widened to four lanes, they've narrowed the sidewalks. But that's not really an inconvenience, as hardly anyone walks these days.

I then passed by the Charleston Petco. I think they've rounded up all the Gila Monsters that escaped last week. But there is some fear they've mated with our local lizards, so Schmitz Park may have to be razed to prevent an infestation of a possibly deadly mutant strain. Not a big deal. The park had to go anyway to make room for the Home Depot.

Where California starts its drop to the Junction I passed the Pottery Barn and the ProGolf Superstore, and then the Love Pantry and Blue Video that share the old sub-station. Five minutes later I reached the Walk-No-Ways at the Junction. There are no sidewalks from here on, as they were found to be too much of an impediment to the traffic between Alaska and Morgan. So I hopped on the 128, and it only took a half hour to get down to Morgan.

I got a $15 mocha at TullyBucks tower, then started walking down Fauntleroy. I finally left the shadows behind when I came to the wonderfully wide open space of the Gatewood Costco parking lot. In return for letting them implode the old school they've installed a public viewing platform high atop the store, and I climbed up to savor the expansive view of the Sound. I could see one of the giant quarry ships on its way to Maury Island. And I was delighted to see that the oil-blackened shoreline of Vashon is looking a little cleaner. Who would have thought one of those ships would ever hit the Fauntleroy-Southworth Bridge?

I climbed down from the platform and walked past the Lincoln Park WalMart. They had a special on earplugs, a vital necessity these days. I then reached the goal of my walk; the half-acre of land at the foot of Fauntleroy Place, all that's left of Lincoln Park. After taking a seat on the solitary bench I could just make out the sound of the oily surf below over the roar of the bridge traffic.

With earplugs installed, silence reigned. It is a beautiful spot, and with Beach Drive now submerged by the rising sea, and the condo canyons along California and Fauntleroy, it is one of the few public places in West Seattle with a view of the Olympics.

I sat for a while to watch the real sunset, and then set off for home.

A dreaming Marc Calhoun may be reached via wseditor@robinsonnews.com