1) I’m starting by hitting the Four Corners of Seattle. This box, at NE 140th and Lake City Way NE is the northeastern mailbox within the city limits. If I look sad in the image, it’s a reflection of the hard, disrespected life this box has lived.
Rainier Beach, S Roxbury and 54th Ave S
2) The journey to the Four Corners of Seattle continues to the most southeast box within the city, at S Roxbury and 54th Ave S.
West Seattle, SW Trenton at 26th Ave SW
3) The journey to the Four Corners of Seattle now goes to the most southwestern box in the city, at a post office in West Seattle off of SW Trenton at 26th Ave SW. It was raining, so I thought I’d stay dry by snapping this lovely snorkel box from the dry confines of the car.
Aurora, on NW 145th
4) The Journey to the Four Corners of Seattle concludes with this visit to the most northeastern box in the city, at a post office right off of Aurora, on NW 145th. Such a beautiful double-wide snorkel box.
Wallingford, N. 46th at Sunnyside Ave N
5) Today’s mailbox is nestled in the middle of Wallingford, residing on N. 46th at Sunnyside Ave N. It’s a fine box, a cool box. The weather was lovely so it became the first of hopefully many bike-mailbox excursions.
Magnolia, W. McGraw between 32nd and 33rd Ave W
6) I ventured to the upper reaches of Magnolia to meet this proud box, loyally standing guard in front of the post office. There’s a lot of pedestrian traffic around here, so I’m sure the box spends much of its time kicking back and enjoying the people-watching. On W. McGraw between 32nd and 33rd Ave W.
Georgetown, S. Bailey St near 12th Ave S
7) It was a cold and rainy morning when I found myself in Georgetown, crouched next to this battle-scarred box. I didn’t even notice the foul language scrawled on the side, but now that I see it I have a touch of the vapors. You can visit this box yourself at S. Bailey Street near 12th Ave S.
Laurelhurst, 42nd St NE at NE 38th Ave
8) It’s not often that you find a blue mailbox and a green relay box side-by-side, but when you do you know it’s because the two have formed a lasting bond that stands the test of time. You can find this happy couple in Laurelhurst, on 42nd St NE at NE 38th Ave.
SLU, old Seattle Times building
Sometimes things just don’t go as planned. I had been looking forward to meeting this double-wide, as it was a true relic of days gone by. Back in its day, it proudly stood outside the bustling Seattle Times building and undoubtedly saw plenty of use. But ever since the Times moved and shuttered this building, the box has stood guard over a barren strip, a full block of boarded windows on one side and a parking lot on the other.
Alas, I was too late. When I visited the box this morning I found that the demolition of the old Times building was well under way and the box was long gone. The moral of this tale is to not wait too long to say your goodbyes, people.
(The “before” picture is from the current Google Street View.)
Loyal Heights, 24th Ave NW at NW 80th St
9) Today I took a quick trip over to visit the Loyal Heights neighborhood, where I found a mailbox that had been kind enough to set out a bench for weary travelers like myself. I enjoyed a very nice sit while speculating what that sloppy paint job was covering up. If you find mailing letters to be a tiring effort, you might want to head over to 24th Ave NW at NW 80th Street and rest up.