City of Stairs

View of Lake Washington, Seattle
from the top of a public stairway
(photo: Seattle Times)

My two recent visits to Seattle wisened me to one of the Emerald City's enduring truths: it's hilly. If you're not in Seattle-game shape, an unprepared tourist can quickly get tired and sore. It's best to be prepared for a fair amount of climbing.

If you're going to indulge in this form of soft, urban exercise, a guidebook can be your best friend. In that case, consider obtaining Seattle Stairway Walks: An Up-and-Down Guide to City Neighborhoods. The writers, refugees from LA, provide interesting perspectives on one of America's loveliest cities. What I like best in the book's approach is its use of stairways as a metaphor for the soul of a city.

If you're curious, the Seattle Times ran a feature piece on the authors and their valentine to Seattle's stairways.