Book Review: Seattle Walk Report: An Illustrated Walking Tour through 23 Seattle Neighborhoods by Susanna Ryan

Posted on October 1, 2019 at 9:56 am by Gene Ambaum

Seattle Walk Report: An Illustrated Walking Tour through 23 Seattle Neighborhoods by Susanna Ryan. Sasquatch Books, 2019. 9781632172617. 166pp with some amazing drawings of dogs on the endpapers.

The Seattle Walk Report is a charming guide to the character of a bunch of different Seattle neighborhoods, including maps. Each walk includes fun features that are permanent and others that are totally random. They all encourage you to wander, keep your eyes open, and document what you see, in Seattle or wherever you are

But since I’m from and live in Seattle, here are the bits I loved: Locks of the Ballard Locks, the two page spread of Parks Named After Seattle Women!, the drawing of The Central Library, and in particular the Lake City and Wedgewood Highlights. (I live mere blocks from one of the things on that page.) My wife seems to attract crows at certain times of year, so I’m sure she’ll love the So You’ve Been Attacked By A Crow In Montlake! page, which includes three possible defenses recommended by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. (I think they forgot to recommend safety glasses, though.)

Ryan is the best kind of tour guide — this is the end of her introduction: “Ok, if you don’t feel like going outside ever again, that’s OK, too. I’m not the boss of you.”