Urban Adventure
Five of our favorite places within a mile of SPU
WRITTEN BY Julia Siemens | PHOTOS BY Luke Rutan
Whether you’re the walking, driving, busing, or biking type, Seattle has several fun locations that are just minutes away from Seattle Pacific University. We picked a few of our favorites to help get you started on your own adventure.
Left to right: SPU students Lexi Krueger, Darius Williams, Sarai Soto, and Shawn Miguel spend downtime at Storyville Coffee Company on Queen Anne Avenue.
Queen Anne Avenue
Distance: 0.5 miles
Car: 2 minutes
Bus: Just a tad longer than a car ride;
Bus 13 comes every 20 minutes
On foot: 12 minutes
Some might consider this hill a mountain (we’re looking at you, Nebraska!). But to Seattleites, a walk up Queen Anne Hill is no big deal. You might hear a cluck or two from neighborhood chickens, or even score a new piece of artwork in a box marked “FREE.”
Once you make it to Queen Anne Avenue, you’ll find no shortage of coffee shops or puppies on leash. Blue Highway Games is a perfect place to go with your hallmates on a Friday or Saturday (they’re open until 11 p.m.). Once there, settle in and choose from more than 100 games to learn and play for free.
On weeknights, SPU students are often found at Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt or Cupcake Royale. You can also grab snacks to stash in your room at Trader Joe’s or Safeway. And you’ll likely run into another Falcon or two during your trek back down the hill.
At Kerry Park, nobody will judge you for taking a stunning selfie!
Kerry Park
Distance: 1 mile
Car: 5 minutes
Bus: Just a tad longer than a car ride;
Bus 13 comes every 20 minutes
On foot: 23 minutes
If you’ve seen photos of the Seattle skyline, they were probably taken from Kerry Park. This Space-Needle-up-front view is present in almost every TV show or movie set in Seattle, from “Grey’s Anatomy” to “10 Things I Hate About You.” Go to Kerry Park and you’ll see why.
On a clear day, buildings on the Seattle skyline stand straight and proud. Mount Rainier rests peacefully in the background, and ferries shuttle back and forth across Puget Sound. Cameras click as photographers snap bridal parties, high school seniors, and prom dates. You’ll find the spot filled with tourists and longtime locals alike, because a view this good doesn’t get old.
A round of golf or an afternoon spent at the driving range is only a few short minutes away from campus.
Interbay Golf Center
Distance: 1 miles
Car: 3 minutes
Bus: Just a tad longer than a car ride;
Bus 32 comes every 30 minutes
On foot: 23 minutes
If miniature golf makes you think of windmills or giant clown heads, try this more subtle and sophisticated land of green. It’s a 9-hole, par-3 miniature golf course with natural obstacles (hills, trees, and sand). Our favorite part of the golf center is the heated, covered driving range — perfect for a cold, rainy night. Check their website for weekly discounts, including deals on burgers and fries. (Yes, they have food too.)
Never swung a golf club before? Regardless of your skill, Interbay Golf Center is a fun way to spend the day with other Falcons.
If you can eat it, buy it, or sell it, you can probably find it at one of Seattle's many community markets.
Fremont Sunday Market
Distance: 0.7 miles
Car: 4 minutes
Bus: Just a tad longer than a car ride;
Bus 31 comes every 15 minutes
On foot: 14 minutes
Of course you’ve heard of Pike Place Market, but did you know that Seattle has more than a dozen outdoor markets? Only a few are year-round, and our favorite is located directly across the Lake Washington Ship Canal from SPU.
Aside from interesting neighborhood features, such as dinosaur topiaries and the smell of molten chocolate from the Theo Chocolate factory, the Fremont Sunday Market offers many curiosities. You’ll find people peddling everything from custom oil paintings of your pooch (a nice Mother’s Day gift?) to typewriter keys you could recycle for an art project.
You might want to come to the market on an empty stomach, as the smell of wood-fired pizza and piping hot naan will wake up your taste buds. One of the newest food vendors is called Bean Fish, and while that may sound like Baja tacos, Bean Fish actually sells Taiyaki, a popular Japanese, fish-shaped waffle filled with sweetened azuki beans or custard. Try yours with bacon and cheese, spam and pineapple, spiced apple, or s’more fixings. They even welcome your filling suggestions on their website.
The market is open almost every Sunday from 10 a.m. until late in the afternoon, leaving you plenty of time to make your way across the canal.
The Fremont Troll is the largest of many quirky sights present in Fremont and Ballard.
Fremont Troll
Distance: .8 miles
Car: 4 minutes
Bus: Just a tad longer than a car ride;
Bus 31 comes every 15 minutes
On foot: 16 minutes
SPU’s Arnett Hall boasts a view of the Aurora Bridge from its rooftop garden. From that vantage point, you’d never guess that underneath lurks an 18-foot-tall, car-swiping concrete troll. The troll’s likeness can also be found on murals, as well as in Chia form (a green-bearded troll could grace your windowsill for only $24.95).
Since it was sculpted more than 25 years ago by four Seattle-area artists, the troll has become a significant part of Fremont neighborhood culture, inspiring events such as “Trolloween” and “Shakespeare at the Troll.”
Seriously, if you want a window into Seattle culture, just take a minute to mediate on the words, “Shakespeare at the Troll.”