Thread by @kettlemoraine

Taking a break from the #CapitolSiege to ask everyone a question I ponder ALL the time: Which urban neighborhoods bordering major waterfronts offer safe *pedestrian* access to the actual WATER—and preferably to long linear parks offering > 1000’/300m of continuous water access?

I've spent MANY hours looking at Google Maps for ways to walk to the river from residential neighborhoods in cities all over the U.S. Access is TERRIBLE. I'm sooo envious of #Vancouver, BC. It's frustrating how cut off we are by seawalls, railroads, industry, private homes... /2

Hood River is an incredible town, and it’s the undisputed windsurfing capital of Earth. But, just like ALL of Oregon’s Columbia River towns, I-84 completely severs all possible pedestrian connections between residential areas and the river itself. /3

I often rip on #Portland’s Waterfront Park AND all the car-centric pathetic land use adjacent to it (empty grass, empty #parking lots, oversized roadways, freeway bridge ramps that force cars onto Naito, NO place to eat ON the river, etc). But at least you can touch the water. /4

Every single waterfront town in Washington is blocked from the Columbia River by either Highway 14 or a railroad—or both. Have ZERO city planners realized by now that people really, really enjoy the idea of walking from where they live to the actual RIVER?!? /5

Again, I’d love to see your ideas! My focus is generally Oregon, Washington & BC. #Spokane has one of the best riverfront parks in the U.S., and you can actually reach the river (and especially lots of pedestrian bridges) from MANY different directions. So, there’s one. :) /6

#Seattle’s Thomas St Overpass revolutionized access to Puget Sound and Myrtle Edwards Park from Lower Queen Anne. It’s an immeasurably valuable urban asset! Alki Beach and the Kirkland waterfront are also wonderful. Again, I’m looking for water that you can WALK to from homes. /7

#Denver has really improved its access to the S. Platte via Confluence and Commons Park. But the Platte is hardly a major waterway, and the few places where you can actually reach the water aren’t very interesting. And Cherry Creek bike path merely follows a drainage ditch. /8

#Bellingham is a world-class waterside nirvana. There are lots of gorgeous parks along countless waterways. And S. Bay Trail is a virtually unparalleled waterside car-free urban asset. But getting to the actual water is still only possible in a few very specific corridors. /9

I’m curious: Which neighborhoods in cities (pop. >50K) are you finding in which it’s possible to WALK from home directly to the water? It’s mostly super expensive beachfront towns that cater more to tourists. What are some *real* cities where walking to the water is possible? /10

There are countless cities & towns with nice greenways alongside rivers, but try to actually put your toes in the river—or to *walk directly alongside* the river for more than a minute. It’s usually blocked by riprap, blackberry thickets, steep riverbanks, and other barriers. /11

Here’s one: Bend, Oregon! It has at least EIGHT riverfront parks in which it’s possible to walk to the Deschutes River itself from a residential neighborhood. Bend is a world-class outdoor launch point, but great river access is an overlooked reason for Bend's attraction. /12

The #Boise River Greenbelt is a wonderful riverfront linear park. But there’s almost nowhere in which it’s possible to walk *along* the river and skip rocks in it, swim & splash around, etc. /13

I’ve been saving this one: Richland, Washington! :) Its riverfront park system is wonderful! You can walk for miles right alongside the Columbia River. You cannot IMAGINE how rare this is. Again: in what other residential areas can you walk directly to the water? /14

#Missoula, #Montana’s pedestrian access to the nice & wide Clark Fork River from residential areas is also quite lovely. Go Missoula! /15

#Milwaukee and #Chicago actually come up roses when it comes to accessing the Lake Michigan itself via HUGE, long waterfront parks. It’s a really special thing; I appreciate my old home town of Milwaukee more than ever now. What others are you finding? /16

Some of my favorite waterfront towns are on #Michigan’s “Art Coast.” And the sight of rivers fighting with mighty Lake Michigan is unlike anything else I’ve seen; it doesn’t exist at ALL on the west coast of Lake Michigan. /17

Founders Park in Old Town Alexandria offers some of the nicest major waterway access in an impossibly beautiful historic area of any major U.S. city I’ve seen. And there are certain *gorgeous* waterfront-accessing pockets of Philly, NY, Baltimore & other big East Coast cities./18

Some ridiculously stunning historic East Coast cities with great waterfront access are Cape May (NJ), Lewes (DE), and Charleston (specifically Joe Riley Waterfront Park and The Battery). It’s a little trickier getting to the actual river from downtown Savannah, Georgia. /19

#SanFrancisco obviously has MANY super gorgeous parks in which it’s possible to reach the water (or view it w/o blackberry thickets in your face). But the very few places in which you can *walk* there from residential areas are only for the ULTRA rich. So, forget San Fran. :) /20

I could list dozens of other candidates. I’m curious: where can you WALK to the actual WATER from a residential area in a decent-sized city that’s not a touristy beach town? There are countless waterways within cities, but it’s shockingly tough to meet this simple criterion. /end

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