Come walk with me.* A mere 27-minute walk from the heart of Wallingford** resides a quasi-resurrection of the Landmark Guild 45th Theater in all her former, pink glory. Though now aptly named The Lake.
The walk north in the direction of Green Lake is fairly linear, though not for long, as my dog and I make our way through North Wallingford and into Tangletown, so named because of the deviation from the city’s typical grid pattern, creating a “tangle” of streets. This is one of my favorite parts of wandering the neighborhoods south of Green Lake. There are a plethora of ways to arrive at our ultimate destination, all of them delightful.
My doggo is eager to make friends with the Bernese mountain dog on the sidewalk. I pause to allow a sniff-n-greet while I tell the other owner we’re working on leash training. Was my fanny pack full of treats a dead giveaway? She remarks that my dog looks like a muppet. I don’t disagree.
On we go. We pass a stunning tree that looks like it should be a bush, given the shocking number of bright, yellow blooms covering it. I pull out my PictureThis App (yes, I find the annual fee worth it) and learn this is called a flannel bush.
Despite the pandemic being five years (?!?!) in our rearview mirrors, I still see new raised beds popping up like weeds at a lazy gardener convention along the parking strips, brimming with the beginnings of nourishing greens, future unripe tomatoes, and more zucchini than you can shake a zucchini at. My kind of inspiration.
And finally, we arrive. Behold the marquee advertising… The Greatest Showman?!? That came out eight years ago. Something seems off… Let’s peek inside.
Hold up, since when is a movie theater staffed by spiders?? What is this? A movie theater for ants?
Something else has changed—this reincarnation of the Guild 45th is showing films in paperback, and they’re all free! Welcome to a most adorable little free library.
If you’re still mourning when she was shuttered, or recall the sad day of the tear-down, come to the corner of East Green Lake Way N and N 66th Street. And along the walk, take in the blooming gardens, beautiful craftsman homes, doggos working hard to protect their territory, and you may even pass a few additional little free libraries on your way.
*Is this the beginning of a new iteration of the GRWM (Get Ready With Me) trend? One can only hope.
**For the purposes of this article, I deem the crossroads of Wallingford Ave N and N 45th Street to be ‘the heart’ of the neighborhood.
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