Eastlake, Seattle, Washington

Eastlake is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, so named because of its location on the eastern shore of Lake Union. Its main thoroughfare is Eastlake Avenue E., which runs from Howell Street at the northeast corner of Downtown north over the University Bridge to the University District, where it connects to Roosevelt Way N.E. and 11th Avenue N.E. A second thoroughfare is Boylston Avenue E.; as an arterial, it parallels Interstate 5 for the four blocks between E. Newton Street to the south and E. Roanoke Street to the north, acting as an extension of Capitol Hill's Lakeview Boulevard E.

Eastlake is bounded on the west by Lake Union; on the north by Portage Bay, beyond which is the University District; on the east by Interstate 5, beyond which is Capitol Hill; and on the south by E. Garfield Street, beyond which is the Cascade neighborhood.

Victor Steinbrueck wrote of the neighborhood in 1962 that it was "progressing from a generally mediocre residential community to one of apartments and small business and offices." [Victor Steinbrueck, "Seattle Cityscape", University of Washington Press, Seattle, 1962, p. 13.]

The neighborhood contains a mixture of residential buildings, both houses and apartments, and small businesses, especially on Eastlake Avenue. Though populated by all manner of Seattleites, Eastlake is a particularly attractive location for people with ties to the University of Washington, which can be reached quickly by a number of bus routes. The neighborhood is also home to, among other things, 14 Carrot Cafe (formerly Julia's 14 Carrot Cafe), The Lake Union Dry Dock Company, Zoo Tavern, Louisa's Bakery and Cafe, The Pomodoro, Pazzo's Pizza, Serafina, Pete's (a small grocery store with a wide selection of wines), the original Red Robin gourmet burger restaurant, numerous houseboats, and the annual Eastlake Shake fair (renamed Lake Fest in 2006), held in a closed-off section of Franklin Avenue E. between E. Roanoke and E. Louisa Streets on the playground of the TOPS@Seward public school. The fair features live music, local vendors, and—a neighborhood favorite—the Eastlake Shake Pet Parade.

In 2006 a group of Eastlake residents and friends transformed the E. Louisa street end on Lake Union into a park whose focus is a petanque court called the Eastlake Boulledrome. Built from granite curbs recycled from Pioneer Square and pitching mound material from Safeco Field, it is now the "home field" for the Independent Petanque Club of Eastlake. The project cost $15,000, which was awarded from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods' Neighborhood Matching Fund.

Current notable Eastlake residents include wealthy insurance magnates-turned philanthropists Matthew and Julie Hancock, retired four-star General Andrew J. Kelly, and 2002 America's Cup runner-up Elleson Schurtz

References

External links

* [http://www.eastlakeseattle.org/ Eastlake Community Council (ECC)]
* [http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/~public/nmaps/html/NN-1237S.htm Seattle City Clerk's Neighborhood Map Atlas - Detail of Eastlake]
* [http://www.lake-fest.com/ Lake Fest website]
* [http://flickr.com/groups/403702@N23/ Eastlake photo pool]
* [http://www.equinoxcondos.com/ Equinox Condominiums]