17) I think it’s absolutely fantastic that not only are they teaching fish how to do the sciences, but they’re also providing a handy mailbox so the fish can keep in touch with their families. If you happen to be in the Montlake neighborhood, you can mail your plankton care packages from this box at the corner of E Hamlin and 19th Ave E.
16) Here we are at the corner of 32 Ave NW and NW 65 Street in Ballard, and what a lovely corner it is. It’s a bit chilly for anyone to be sitting outside in those nice red chairs, but they look great nonetheless.
15) For obvious reasons, I didn’t have much time to get this photo. If you have some mailing to do and no time to waste, I might suggest using this box located at Fred Meyer on Lake City Way NE at NE 130th Street.
14) If it’s a double-wide snorkel box, there’s a good chance it’s living at a post office! That’s certainly the case with this one, residing at the PO in Georgetown on S Orcas Street. Fun fact: when I first moved to Seattle in the mid-80s, I worked in an office building right next door. I bet I mailed many letters in this very box.
13) Madrona certainly is a lovely neighborhood, though it only contains a few mailboxes. This sturdy fella can be found at the intersection of E Union Street and 34th Avenue, should you want to stop by and say hello.
12) It was a rainy morning and no one — NO ONE — was out protecting this mailbox from the elements. Shameful. I really expected more from the residents of the Sand Point area, but since they cannot be trusted, please head over to NE 75th Street at 48th Ave NE with your umbrella.
11) I was feeling shy this morning so I decided to hide in the photo. You can’t see me. I’m totally hidden. If you think you see me, you’re wrong. If you want to try to find me in person, you can head over to Beacon Hill and visit this box at the corner of Beacon Ave S and S Hanford Street, but I’m long gone. Whooosh.
10) After the bitter disappointment I faced a couple days ago when I found that a mailbox had been lost to a demolition project, I knew I had to head over to Montlake to snap this box as soon as possible. A while back I heard that the grocery store on this spot was in danger of being torn down to create a staging area for the west end of the 520 bridge project. I don’t know if that’s still going to happen, but happily the box was there waiting for me at 22nd Ave E and E Roanoke when I arrived on this rainy Saturday morning.
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.
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.)