An international festival of walking and community is an ideal way to welcome spring, and a selection of Jane’s Walk events will take place the first weekend of May across the Puget Sound region.
In the 1960s, Jane Jacobs organized grassroots efforts to protect her Greenwich Village neighborhood from the planned Lower Manhattan Expressway. Jacobs was not a trained city planner, but she intuitively knew that walkable cities and towns help people live safer, healthier, more engaged lives. Each May, the Jane’s Walk festival commemorates Jacobs’ legacy with a weekend of community-led walking conversations.
“These walks are an opportunity for people to get to know their neighbors and discover both new and little-seen aspects of their surroundings,” said John Stewart, board president of Feet First, an advocacy organization that works to make walking safe, accessible, and enjoyable for all Washingtonians.
Walks are free and will be held rain or shine. Space is limited and registration is required for some of them; see the links in the listings below.
- Join Jake and Cathy Jaramillo, authors of Seattle Stairway Walks, for a three-hour trek culminating at downtown Seattle’s new Overlook Walk. Starting at Freeway Park, the 2.9-mile walk (with plenty of up-and-down steps) will highlight how the removal of the Alaska Way viaduct opened the way for spectacular new pedestrian connections to the waterfront. The walk will start promptly at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 2, at the corner of 6th Avenue and University Street. Register here.
- Explore Jewish history in Seattle’s Central Area starting at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 3, from the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute (itself a former synagogue) at 104 17th S. Feet First board president John Stewart, a neighborhood resident, will lead the walk, which will be just under 1.5 miles with some elevation gain. Register here.
- Join a 2-mile loop walk set for 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, May 3, in Port Orchard. Explore local points of interest with an emphasis on housing and walkability with Kitsap County officials and neighbors. Meet at Discovery Alternative School, 2150 Fircrest Dr. S.E. Sponsored by Kitsap County Community Development. Register here.
- A proposed Park to Park walking route between First Hill’s Freeway Park and Yesler Terrace Park will be the focus of a 1.5-mile walk set for 10 a.m. Sunday, May 4, starting at Hotel Sorrento, 900 Madison St. Ellen Greene of the First Hill Improvement Association will show how the route showcases the green spaces and urban amenities of this dense neighborhood near downtown Seattle. The walk will also end at the hotel, where participants are welcome to gather afterward for a no-host brunch. Note: This walk is at full capacity.
The following walks are open to participants without registration.
- Explore Seattle’s Crown Hill neighborhood on an all-ages guided tour inspired by Jane Jacobs starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 3. The moderate walk led by Jane’s Walk organizer Maisha Barnett will last about 90 minutes. Meet at Crown Hill Park, 9089 Holman Road N.W.
- A Jane’s Walk sponsored by Birds Connect Seattle is set for 8:30 a.m. Sunday, May 4, in the Washington Park Arboretum. Search for birds and find out more about their habitats. Meet at the Birch Parking lot on the east side of Lake Washington Boulevard. Plan to walk about 1.5 miles along and near Arboretum Creek, ending around 10:30 a.m. near Duck Bay (plus about a half-hour to return to your vehicle).