Between the scuzz of Skyway and the scuzz of Rainier Beach is one of Seattle's least known and prettiest parks- Lakeridge Park, also known as Dead Horse Canyon.
If you're heading north from Renton, turn left on 68th Avenue South from Rainier Avenue, and you'll see the trailhead and pullout for a few cars a couple of blocks away.
The trail is fairly steep, and runs along Taylor Creek in a rainforest like setting: mossy, ferny, and the continual sound of running creekwater.
You'd never believe that one minute earlier you were on busy Rainier Avenue, it's the kind of place where tensions melt away instantly. You can walk to the end and back in about 25 minutes; not a long walk but uphill enough so that you'll feel it, and on a rare hot and sunny Seattle day Dead Horse canyon stays cool and shaded.
On another note, Skyway's El Agave Mexican restaurant remains open. The owner told me that the place is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, so maybe I tried to go on those days?
In any event, we went on Friday, which was Cinco de Mayo. The place was not packed, but was fairly busy. I still can't decide what to make of the atmosphere: this time it seemed pleasant enough, and I want to like these guys- they are the underdogs, as any business in Skyway is other than Ezell's Chicken or the casinos.
And the food, after several visits, remains consistantly above average, though the salsa is too mild, but it's fresh tasting and good. Service is a little slow, but not insanely slow. Prices are a bit high for neighborhood Mexican, but the menu has some options unavailable elsewhere.
Skyway is a rather pathetic neighborhood, though some folks are active envisioning improvement and celebrating it's 50's-60's futuristic Jetsons kind of thing.
And in front of Skyway's now Asian supermarket is Nevzat's Espresso, which truly makes some of the best coffee around. Nevzat knows his coffee, and has operated his espresso stand there for 11 years .
To survive owning a business in Skyway for 11 years is a mighty accomplishment.
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We went to a couple of the meetings regarding "annexing" Skyway, including where we live and all of the rest of "West Hill." A bare majority supported annexing to Renton, but a whole bunch wishing to remain unincorporated, and one or two who wanted to annex to Seattle. I supported the move to annex to Renton, which is still on the table but might take several years, and would need to be voted on. Because if we became part of Renton, then I could get elected mayor and declare martial law.
Thanks for noticing Bear's new haircut. She hasn't thanked me for it, and continues to look for dead smelly things to roll around in to cover up that clean dog smell.
First order of business as Mayor would be to tear down that blue storage place in Skyway and replace it with a farm, giving the local n'eer do wells jobs as weeders.
Second, you can't just get kickbacks. You have to have a position within the City of Renton or as a contractor in order to reap the rewards. You can be the Minister of Defense, because we're going to need one in order to succeed with our plans of invading Kent.
Apparently, the decline of Skyway is classic big-box competition. Except in this case the big box that sucked Skyway's commercial soul out like an egg yolk was Sears. So Skyway has been struggling for a long time.
Hello from a fellow Skywaynian and blogger.
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