South End Life: Just a Walk in Seward Park

Andrea Estrella lives in Skyway, but she wanted to go for a run in Seward Park. So she packed things on her motorcycle to ride to the park. She said she bought the bike last year after having dreamed of owning a bike since she was a kid. Estrella said motorcycling is very male-dominated, but she's found some BIPOC women to ride with by searching online.

She likes eating My's Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches and going to the Skyway Farmers Market, as well as participating in Plate of Nations and Rainier Beach Action Coalition's events.

Estrella said she lost a couple of cousins to gun violence on Rainier Avenue South. "Growing up in the South End has made me mindful of how the media can portray neighborhoods," she said. "The bigger picture is not portrayed."

A.D. Nelson has lived in the Seward Park neighborhood for decades and is a retired Puget Sound Energy inspector after 47 years of service. Nelson walks through the park regularly, and before he goes, he stuffs peanuts in his pockets to throw to the park's crows. The crows know Nelson and follow him. He directs the peanuts at specific crows so they don't fight.

He described other details along the trail: He knows where the turtles sun themselves on a log, and where the beaver lives on the north side of the peninsula versus the muskrats that live on the south side. "One time I watched an eagle catch a fish from the lake," he said. "Then a Canada goose flew for the fish and knocked it right out from under the eagle."

Agus Sugiantara sits in the shade watching his 4-year-old son, Kai, at the water's edge.

"Parenting takeaways are: One, you see the way your parents saw things, that you didn't understand when you were a kid. And two, you worry." Sugiantara looks toward his son, who stands up and ventures to another area. "Hey, buddy, look out," the elder Sugiantara says.

"Ever since we found out that he's diagnosed with autism, we [have] learned the way to teach him," Sugiantara explains. "He just needs understanding. Some people get really worried and sad when their kid is diagnosed with autism, but I think you have to have faith."

Yuko Kodama is the News editor for the South Seattle Emerald. She is passionate about the critical role community media plays in our information landscape and loves stories that connect us to each other and our humanity. Her weekly "South End Life" column spotlights the stories of neighbors and community members that weave through the South End.