Fauntleroy and Morgan Junction

Here's a wide-ranging stairway walk in the northern part of the Fauntleroy neighborhood. On this walk you'll step down the second-longest Seattle stairs, at Thistle Street. You'll also see wonderful examples of neighborhood art; take winding timber stairs down the Lincoln Park bluff to the cobblestone beach below; and "discover" a well-hidden stairway as you near Morgan Junction. There's also a stop at Solstice Park, where you'll visit a giant earthen astrolabe - an instrument that predicts where on the horizon the sun will set with each solstice. Where your stair walk nears the end, you'll find ample opportunities for food or drink - such as the excellent pub in Morgan Junction that specializes in craft beer and cider.

The slideshow marked by the "www" icon below contains the extra pictorial content referred to in the book. 

Looking back up the Thistle stairs, midway down

Here are a few more pictures: 

Detail of the Thistle Street stairs: note the recycled electric streetcar railing
After walking to Solstice Park, with its astronomical earthworks, you'll make your way over to Lincoln Park. To get down from the top of the bluff in Lincoln Park to the beach, you'll have two choices. The main route takes a bluffside path right. Or, you can turn left to walk along the top of the bluff south, until you arrive at the alternate bluffside pathway down to the beach, pictured below:

Midway down the alternate south bluff stairs

At the base of Lincoln Park bluff: looking across the Sound to Blake Island

Solstice Park

This Seattle stairs route, like the Fauntleroy and Morgan Junction stairway walk in the book, takes place in the Fauntleroy neighborhood of West Seattle. It's considerably shorter though, at just over a mile long. The loop turns back toward the starting place at Solstice Park, which features a massive astronomical construction of stone and earth - West Seattle's Stonehenge. For some interesting information and history about this very cool little park, check out the Seattle Parks link here.

A pause before turning down the Ida Street stairs; a neighbor has placed a small bench alongside the stairway

Graceful Solstice Park stairway

A solstice sunset predictor: line up the trench with the stone tablet beyond