Hit Fremont for a Cinematic and Creative Workout Neighborhood
Let’s drop in to another great Seattle neighborhood and scope out its amenities for fitness, recreation and active living. Hang on tight, friends… we’re going to Fremont!
A Duwamish community called the Xacho-absh or Lake People first populated the area. They had villages along the shores of Salmon bay even after other native groups relocated to reservations across the Sound. As settlers came in, they developed the enclave as a suburb, naming it after the investors’ home town of Fremont, Nebraska. It thrived as a rail and streetcar hub connecting Seattle to Ballard, then fell into a slump when cars replaced trains. The decline of rents brought in artists and immigrants. And from there the area took on distinctive color and a reputation for creative celebration. It’s a destination for public art (bad and controversial), and expresses itself annually in the rite of the summer solstice parade and market.
This sliver of the city has a lot of sweet places to move outside. Center plate is the Burke Gilman trail bringing walkers, runners, cyclists along a section of the Fremont cut connecting Lake Union to Salmon Bay. You feel downright cinematic as you follow it under the Aurora and Fremont Bridges. On the North-South dimension, Fremont Ave gives you a solid almost-mile of climbing for building your fitness.
North from the heart of Fremont, BF Day School playfield is a great spot to throw a frisbee, and a playground for creative bodyweight strength workouts. Add in a scramble of the world famous troll under the Aurora Bridge and you’ve got a unique workout only Fremont can offer. Farther north still, you come to Woodland Park, which boasts a few miles of trails for hilly runs, and every November brings us the highly entertaining and exuberant muddy cyclocross races.
Our walk/runs in the neighborhood always include a tour through the Woodland Park Rose Garden, beautiful in any season, but blooming happens May-September. And tucked into the back pocket of that garden is another little gem–the Seattle Sensory Garden. Take it all in and play– sound tubes and chimes, herbs and fragrances, undulating textural surfaces.
One of the things that makes Unstill Life different from all those other running groups: we are constantly mixing it up with walks and runs in different neighborhoods each week. Shake up your routine, get motivated and build your fitness … meet up with Coach Rachel and your walking/running community this weekend. Browse our workout events in Heylo to see where we’ll be.
While in Fremont, check out these favorite spots and services:
- Joseph Hunton Bodyworks – among my most cherished bodyworkers
- Paseo for Caribbean food that will put you in a warm relaxed mood.
- Les Amis – boutique for splendid (and expensive) clothes and jewelry
- Lighthouse Roasters – neighborhood café with a great vibe, and cool outdoor terrace. Meet us there this Saturday for our walk/run jaunt to explore the neighborhood.
