Free Libraries For All

We recently spent two weeks roaming the U.S. - from Chicago to Philadelphia and all New England states, ending in Boston.  How I regret not photographing every library we encountered in our 2,600 mile, 13 state journey!  The range of library building styles was incredible as we traversed major cities and tiny towns.

By far one of the most impressive library structures we viewed was the Central Library in the Free Library of Philadelphia (FLP) system.  (Also, one of the few we saw that we did actually photograph.)

 

Situated along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the Library’s 7 million item collection now, amazingly, overcrowds the massive building. (In comparison, KCLS has approximately 4 million items in their collection.)

While planning began in the 1890s, construction did not begin until 1910. It took 17 years to complete. Finally opened in 1927, the Free Library was one of the most technologically advanced libraries in the world.  Pneumatic tubing and teletype systems helped librarians gain access to the 2 million volume collection that resided on more than 20 miles of shelves!

For more information about the Central Library, including photographs, original blueprints and plans, visit their 75th anniversary website.

Padilla Bay Shore Trail: A Path to Nature

The Padilla Bay Shore Trail is a spectacular bicycle and pedestrian pathway along the estuary of the Skagit River. Part of the estuary tidal flats are ringed by dikes, which were built to create farmland out of the mud flats. The 2 mile trail, atop a dike, follows one of the many sloughs that enter into Padilla Bay. The surface of this flat trail is hard pack gravel, which makes bicycling easy, even for youngsters.  

Padilla Bay is a tidal bay that is entirely flooded at high tide — at low tide mudflats are exposed. The bay is very shallow. Near Hat Island the bay is only 12 feet (4 m) deep. These mud flats are habitat for many species of birds and animals. You can often see a great blue heron stalking its prey:

All along the trail you can see spectacular views of the San Juan islands and the Chuckanut Mountains to the north:

Trailhead
Drive north on Interstate 5, and take Exit 230 (state Route 20), and turn left (west) and drive six miles to Bayview-Edison Road (turn right). Follow the road for about a mile until you come to the trailhead parking on the left.

  For more info about Padilla Bay, click here.

Art in the National Parks: A Redmond Library Art Class

Art in the National Parks is a KCLS program that introduces you to creating art in a natural setting. Learn how to keep journals and sketch outdoors using simple tools like water soluble pens, pencils, and small watercolor kits. Molly Hashimoto will present Art in the National Parks at the Redmond Library on Saturday, October 24th at 2:30pm. Molly is an illustrator and instructor at the Yellowstone Institute.

In partnership with KCTS 9 Television and PBS, KCLS will offer programs in conjunction with the new Ken Burns series, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.

For more info about KCLS programs related to this series, see the KCLS Web page, The National Parks.

Downtown Redmond Parking: New Time Limits

You may have noticed new downtown Redmond parking signs being installed. To help increase access to downtown, the City of Redmond is implementing time-limits for approximately 300 on-street parking spaces during weekdays. Here’s a map of the area that is affected by the new parking policy:

The majority of downtown on-street parking will be limited to a maximum of 2-hours, with some exceptions including 1-hour or 15-minute load/unload designations. Additionally, a limited number of permits will be available for purchase for a paid all-day parking option. Time-limits will be in effect from 9:00am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

For more info, see the Parking Management Program Brochure.

Redmond Traffic Cameras and Traffic Maps

You can now view all 16 Redmond traffic cameras from the City of Redmond's Traffic Cameras Web page. The traffic camera images are updated every 60 seconds. Here’s the current view from the traffic camera at the intersection of Redmond Way and Avondale Way:

The Redmond traffic cameras are mounted at key entrances to the city, as well as in the core downtown area:

Redmond Traffic Maps
You can also view traffic flow for major arterial roads in Redmond by using Google Maps, which uses a red-yellow-green color scheme to show traffic flow. The traffic flow map below shows the intersection of 520 and Redmond Way:

You can also show a prediction of traffic flow for a particular day of the week and hour of the day. Click the change link in the upper right panel of the Google traffic map:

The panel allows you to display the predicted traffic flow based on day of the week and hour of the day:

Here’s the predicted traffic flow for Mondays at 6:00pm. As you might expect, it’s slow going at the end of 520:

Other Traffic Cameras
You find other traffic cameras in Washington State at:

	Bellevue
	King County
	Seattle Area
	Snoqualmie Pass
	Washington State Ferries

The Interurban Trail: A Ride Along the Rails

The Interurban Trail is a paved 14-mile recreational trail linking Tukwila, Kent, Auburn, Algona, and Pacific. When completed, the trail will extend south through Pacific, across the county line into Sumner and Puyallup where it will connect with the Pierce County Foothills Trail and the planned Edgewood/Milton Interurban Trail.

The following map section shows the portion of the Interurban Trail between Kent and Auburn. You can find trail maps on King County's new interactive Bike Map, or the new Mobile Bike Map (updated May 2012). For info on King County trails, see Regional Trails in King County.

The Interurban Trail passes through a variety of industrial landscapes, such as this old cement plant in Tukwila:

The Interurban Trail is popular with bicycling teams, who use this very straight trail for training rides.

The trail occupies an abandoned Puget Sound Electric Railway corridor. However, the BNSF rail line next to it is very much in use, and you’ll pass hundreds of freight cars.

In fact, along certain sections of the Interurban Trail you’ll have to be careful, as railroad tracks cut across the trail. Fortunately, these sections are well marked with warning signs about remote controlled locomotives!

Green River Trail Intersection
When you cross the Green River bridge at South 260th Street in Kent, you’ll find that the Interurban Trail intersects with the Green River Trail — another great trail to ride.

Other Blog Postings on Trails
Here’s a list of other Redmond Library blog postings on regional trails:

Marymoor Connector Trail Partly Open

The Tolt Pipeline Trail

Snohomish County Bike Trails: Centennial Trail

King County Bike Trails: Sammamish River Trail

King County Bike Trail Maps

Books for Cooks

The King County Library Foundation has recently (well, March) published Literary Feast: The Famous Authors Cookbook.  Along with almost 100 recipes ranging from drinks to desserts, the cookbook offers author profiles and stories to accompany their recipes.

Authors as diverse as Nancy Pearl, Stephanie Kallos, Phil Hellmuth, Rick Steves, and Dale Chihuly offer their favorite food ideas! Many of the featured authors also have Pacific Northwest connections.

The top three recipes I can't wait to try (in no order):

• Sweet Potato Cheesecake (Eileen Goudge)
• Cowboy Cookies (Rick Steves)
• Boccone Dulce (William Dietrich)

Proceeds from the cookbook benefit lifelong learning and literacy programs offered by the Foundation in libraries and communities. For more information, please visit the King County Library Foundation's website.

I found my copy buried in the books at the Kirkland Costco (and I also purchased another as a perfect "Thank You" gift for a fellow avid reader and kitchen adventurer).  The book is also available online at ThriftBooks.com.