About

Sole of Seattle is an idea that was born out of a lifetime love of walking, and the long-held belief that walking adds inherent value to my life. I have always preferred walking to just about any other method of getting around. When I was a kid it was roaming the neighborhood; When I got a little older it was exploring in the woods; When I was 16 it was realizing that there is so much that can't be seen from the driver's seat of a car; and now, it's about starting to consciously develop a philosophy around the meaning of walking in my life.

I conceived Sole of Seattle as a way to try to express that philosophy. Walking is such an integrated part of my life that I didn't fully realize just how much I am continually thinking about it in different ways. As I have continued to develop Sole of Seattle, I find myself asking more and more "big" questions. How has walking changed my relationship to my city? Has it improved my connection to my neighborhood? Is there a way for me to connect Seattle's history to present day neighborhoods and communities through walking? Can I push myself to connect with people, in order to understand more about their relationships to their neighborhoods, and Seattle?

My aim for the structure of the blog is to post two small thoughts/discoveries per week (on Wednesday and Friday), a larger thought/complete article every Monday, and then lastly post a travel log once a month. The travel log will consist of an all-day walk through one of the many Seattle neighborhoods, where I'll take pictures, talk to strangers, explore neighborhood businesses, and (obviously) try to find the best hidden coffee shops.

Ultimately, Sole of Seattle is an opportunity for me explore walking on two levels. On the one level I will try to dig deeper into the ways in which I have integrated walking into my daily life; and then on a much larger level, I will try to understand the connections between Seattle, its history, its many communities and neighborhoods, and the people who make up those communities and neighborhoods.

Kevin Swantek
Sole of Seattle