Seattle Walk Report

An Illustrated Walking Tour through 23 Seattle Neighborhoods

Susanna Ryan

There’s no better way to explore a city than a walk with a local. Join Seattle author and illustrator Susann Ryan as she shows you the little things that make the city special.

In 2017, Ryan was a ‘lifelong indoor enthusiast’ working at the Seattle Public Library. One morning, she decided to take herself on a directionless walk. She immediately started to notice the city’s tiny stories unfolding all around her — and realized she could walk down the same street twice and have entirely different experiences. Streets she thought she knew turned into opportunities for surprising discoveries: ‘There was an entire world hiding in plain sight in my own hometown.’

After that, all she wanted to do was walk. And she did! She walked 10,000 miles all over Seattle.

But — walking is not her only love. She also loves to draw, and at one point — during a walk — it occurred to her she should put these two things together. She began to document her walks in slice-of-life comics, adorable black-and-white, pen-and-ink drawings. The Seattle Walk Report started as an anonymous Instagram account, and the comics are now collected in this charming book.

You can join in a ‘A Short Walk down Walker Street,’ illustrated with the curiosities Ryan found there: a squirrel, a paper clip, a kid practicing recorder, a husky, a very smooth rock. Or explore ‘Hidden Gems’ to see some of Ryan’s favorite Seattle spots like The Republican Street Stairs, a beloved garden, or a lookout on 15th Avenue.

The images’ randomness contributes to the delight. Flip the pages, and you’ll find things like ‘A Timeline of Seattle’s Tallest Buildings’ or a comic called ‘Bridges Worth Walking.’ Every page turn is a new way to see Seattle.

There’s even suspense! On one of her walks, Ryan finds a Safeway grocery basket with a single clog inside. Then, seven blocks away, she discovers the matching clog. Unresolved mysteries in Seattle!

This book celebrates the city — and is a fun reminder that there are joys and surprises all around us if we take the time to see them.

I haven’t always been a walker… One day, all that changed. On a whim, I left my apartment in the early morning and started walking without a destination in mind. Almost like magic, Seattle began revealing itself to me in ways I had neer taken the time to see before. Streets I thought I knew well turned into opportunities for delightful new discoveries… I realized that I didn’t need money, a car, or a week off from work to see new and fabulous things. There was an entire world hiding in plain sight in my hometown. — Susanna Ryan

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