Seattle Walk Report: An Illustrated Walking Tour through 23 Seattle Neighborhoods

by Susanna Ryan, Seattle Walk Report

Instagram sensation Seattle Walk Report uses her distinctive comic style and eagle eye to illustrate the charming and quirky people, places, and things that define Seattle's neighborhoods.

Leveraging the growing popularity of Seattle Walk Report on Instagram, this charming book features comic book-style illustrations that celebrate the distinctive and odd people, places, and things that define Seattle's neighborhoods. The book goes deep into the urban jungle, exploring 24 popular Seattle neighborhoods, pulling out history, notable landmarks, and curiosities that make each area so distinctive. Entirely hand-drawn and lettered, Seattle Walk Report will be peppered with fun, slightly interactive elements throughout which make for an engaging armchair read, in addition to a fun way to explore the city's iconic, diverse, hipster, historic, and grand neighborhoods.

Genres: Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Comics, Travel, Graphic Novels Comics, Reference, Art

166 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Maia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a charming nonfiction book written by a Seattle librarian reporting on the mundane but delightful sights that can be seen in an normal city on any normal day. It outlines specific walks you can take in various Seattle neighborhoods, but the author encourages the reader to wander off the map and make your own routes. I love the things that author highlights: a dog in a scarf, the shape of signposts and gates, a historic building facade, a majestic tree. The world is full of little joys, and it's well worth the time to go outside and find them!

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book!! It finds such amazing joy and wonder in the little details that one finds while out walking and in the little quirks that make Seattle so unique. LOVE LOVE this book, cover to cover.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empecé a seguir a Seattle Walk Report hace poco tiempo porque 1) quería tips de cosas para visitar en la ciudad, y 2) me gustó la manera en que se enfoca en lo micro (las bancas, los perritos) y no en lo macro (los monumentos emblemáticos o las visitas imprescindibles para turistas) para hablar de su amor a Seattle y al oficio de caminar. Este libro, que incluye caminatas inéditas por 23 barrios, fue de lo primero que compré estando allá y sí me resultó útil durante los paseos, sobre todo para entender el espíritu de las diferentes zonas de la ciudad. Creo que algo que me gustaría (aunque, bueno, quizá está fuera del alcance de esta guía) sería tener más recomendaciones puntuales de galerías, museos, restaurantes, cosas de ese tipo.

El libro es muy bonito y ligero. Los dibujos son lo más tierno. Me encantaría hacer algo así sobre la Ciudad de México (o como lo que hace Josefina Jolly sobre Buenos Aires).

[Christopher Matthias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seattle Walk Report is a delightful curio cabinet of ordinary wonders. The pairing of a strong sense of wonder and a nerdy sense of humor had me chuckling joyfully through the pages. While the simple hand-drawn graphic...reference book(?) could easily be handled in a single sitting, I was at odds with myself wanting to read it all immediately and to savor it over the course of a few days. I don’t regret that savoring won out.

[Sumit · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully charming & adorable book that will make you fall in love with Seattle all over again. Whether or not you're familiar with Susanna Ryan's delightful instagram account of the same name, this complements that work in a wonderful way. Part guidebook, part whimsy, part philosophy, it takes tiny phenomena of the everyday and elevates them to the position of wonder and appreciation that they deserve. The book is like a warm cup of tea for the soul; it's hard to stay in a bad mood after reading a few pages of her mundane but heartwarming observations. As a bonus, by the end, even old-timer Seattleites might find themselves having learned a new thing or two about our beloved little city.

[Dayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun illustrations and factoids. It got me hyped to go in some walks. I’m also inspired to go on walks in all the neighborhood now.

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went to the library, grabbed this from the Peak Loans carousel, sat down to read it with a cup of coffee from the library's little espresso cart, and then returned it on my way out. What I'm saying is... Seattle Walk Report is fun and impossible to put down once you begin to read.

I had just happened to read Roz Chast's Going into Town, which shares the same idea: write a guidebook to all kinds of cool things that a resident may (or may not!) experience everyday in the city and tourists might overlook. Seattle Walk Report even has a similarly dedicated section to the wonders of standpipes! Seattle Walk Report's book is slightly more sugar-coated in approach, though: whereas Chast covers also the grimier things people might encounter (such as why you should never think you're in luck when one whole subway car is empty...), Seattle Walks are all magical. I was especially interested in seeing whether this upbeat approach is maintained in the Pioneer Square section... It was.

But then again, it's not meant to be a social commentary book*. Seattle Walk Report delights in the everyday, encouraging people to own their two feet and use them to enjoy immediate surroundings instead of pining for faraway places for experiences that will make us happy. The cartoons are super cute, and, being a Seattleite who loves to walk and journal I'm really inspired to start recording similar findings, per the book's recommendation. A cool alleyway! A tiny library! A carrot with a straw through it...? Count the shoes hanging on a wire! I'll be walking to my local library today (featured in the book, too!), so let's see what I find on my way there.

(*Except that part in the park in Bellevue - a suburb with large malls and tech companies right in the town center - and what sitting out there is good for. I actually said "heh" out loud at the "Spending quality time with your phone" and then laughed out loud at the [paraphrasing] "A good afternoon cry"! Still makes me laugh. Or cry? Maybe both.)

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know why but I wasn't expecting, essentially, a comic but without humor. I thought since I'm local to Seattle that this would provide some interesting walks for my partner, the dogs and I to take. But, it was structured more like, 'look what happened on my Saturday afternoon' with a few points of interest. It was researched and there were some facts that were neat. Still, not really something that was a DIY follow on, which was my hope when I checked it out. Some of it was cute but I was pretty bored by the end and I like lists and I recognize some of the local things. Just wasn't my cup of tea, I suppose.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love following Seattle Walk Report's artwork in her social media posts, and I'm so glad she's published a book! The Seattle Walk Report: An Illustrated Walking Tour through 23 Seattle Neighborhoods is a fantastic overview and introduction to Seattle. I'd recommend this book for people moving here, new residents and long time natives for a unique perspective on the city we call home.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really entertaining little book that focuses on the positives about Seattle's wonderful neighborhoods! Made me want to get out and explore some of the neighborhoods I haven't been to.

[Higgs · Rating 3 out of 5]

all respect to my girl but the instagram is better

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because it matches a lot of my own Seattle walking experiences.

I always tell my friends we should go “urban hiking” because that’s what I feel my travels in Seattle truly are. Hills, hills, hills, getting lost on runs, maybe rolling an ankle, walking dogs, talking to strangers and neighbors.

I know that many people in Seattle think of the “freeze.” (Not like last years snow blizzard) I’ve found that you need to walk around to truly understand the neighborhood you live in in Seattle

I will say, walking dogs with Rover has been one of the best ways for me to explore. There are so many gems residents do not know about here.

I love the Seattle Walk Report Illustrations and am glad the author is encouraging people to go outside and explore their home.

Also, support small business, and go inside places you’ve never been before! I have tried so many coffee places and bought little things because I’ve become enamored with the charm of somewhere.

Walking connects us in this big little city. Keep strolling along.

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryan has illustrated a whimsical tour of overlooked parts of Seattle's neighborhoods. They do an excellent job of highlighting even the mundane. What truly captured my heart was finding an index at the end!

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

adorable and super delightful!

[Kevin Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MUST-HAVE in every Seattleite's bookshelf!

[Jolie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful and informative!! A really neat treat for wanderers.

[Daria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable

[xq · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute book with some fun random seattle knowledge in it (i got this from my local library and it was neat to learn about the Carnegie libraries bc mine is one!)

[JulieK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just delightful.

[Mary Keen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so interesting with well-drawn, clear, and funny illustrations. I read or looked over most of the walks and was familiar with some features of SEattle, but it mainly made me wish i lived there so i could actually walk them and observed what she's admired --or hasn't admired.

Her tallies of objects along the way, such as coffee cups, traffic cones, etc added to its charm.

Liked the historical info of how structures have changed over the decades, like the Georgetown City Hall and also comments on public art, skylines, and much more!

I have a library copy, but would gladly purchase my own if i lived there.

It was pre-publicized very cleverly with the author's identity a mystery.

[The other John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is waiting room material that is worth checking out. It's an "illustrated walking tour through 23 Seattle neighborhoods." Apparently it's a printed sequel to a popular comic on Instagram. In it, our guide, named Seattle Walk Report, presents a walking plan for various neighborhoods and drawings of various things observed on that route--from landmarks to sidewalk trash. The art is cute and amusing. But it also gets repetitive if you try to plow through the whole book in one or two sittings. Instead, I suppose, I should have gone out and taken a walk between chapters.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife and I were thinking about going to Seattle. We have been there once before and loved walking in this city, actually almost any city we have visited. So this book seemed like a perfect fit. Disappointingly, it was not what I was looking for. It was better.

To start with, if you are an out-of-towner looking for a tour guide for Seattle, this is not it. But despite the title, that is not the purpose of this book. It is written more for a person who lives in the area with the need to open their eyes to the hidden charms of their city. The author’s idea is to observe where you are and consequently enjoy the city more.

You will not find much in the ways of the major attractions of Seattle. What you will find is a random dive through the neighborhoods of Seattle. She walks each area of Seattle and reports on what is seen. Some things are expected such as parks, major buildings and museums but then there are things like counting the sneakers on telephone lines in a neighborhood, or _.

What Ryan is trying to teach us is to look and appreciate where we are, that no place is uninteresting, if you see it right, even where you live. And that is where this book is better. You can do the same thing in the place where you live. Look for the common stuff and see the wonder, witness the uncommon which has been there all the time but which you have gotten used to. And then record it for your own amusement, or possibly others.

Since this is an illustrated book, the 166 pages go by pretty fast with not much written. So even if you only have an hour to flip through it, you will get something out of it.

For a little more of my thoughts, please see my book blog.

[Kenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, this book was very cute and I'd love to be friends with the author and go on walks and make zines together. The illustration style is so charming and the author has found so many joys through exploring by foot. This book is a quick read- the author explores 23 different neighborhoods in Seattle (mostly concentrated in mid and upper Seattle) through walking and documents the things she finds on her walks through doodles. This includes both historical information on places in the neighborhoods (including information about Seattle's only "nature treasure" designated by the National Trust for historic preservation, a unique fire station, and the anatomy of utility poles in the area). Most of the book is focused on small treasures she found such as cute dogs and found trash on her walk, that didn't feel like they distinguished the different neighborhoods. It's fun to read- it feels like she is giving us a glance into a personal journal she has of her different walks, but I didn't feel the different distinctiveness, feel, and history of each neighborhood as much as I was hoping for. That being said- she helped inspire me to pay even closer attention to the small joys found on walks! I went out the next day after reading this and walked 7 miles- finding so many treasures, following my curiosity, and even recognized some of the symbols on the utility poles as I walked past. The author also wrote a book called "Secret Seattle" that came out last year that is also illustrated but seems to focus more on the history of places and small treasures of Seattle, which I'm definitely interested in checking out.

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute charmer that left me wanting more. The author is a librarian who has never had a driver’s license and who has walked all over Seattle documenting everything she sees, from the number of dogs to fire hydrants to strollers. She spots the ordinary and makes it special (a Mountain Dew can on a pole beside a recycling bin). Her illustrations are loose and cute rather than detailed but it’s perfectly clear what she’s drawn even in stark black and white with no shading.

The book has given me a bit of inspiration to walk around more. (I turned into a slug during the pandemic, and walking to the grocery store a block away is now a big deal.) I’m especially fascinated by the history of the Panama Hotel in the International District, the eponymous Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (which I’ve always intended to read). Seeing it pictured here as an official National Treasure makes me want to see it.

Highly recommended, especially for Seattlites. My only quibble - why aren’t more cats pictured?

[Ruth Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful, quirky, light hearted book in which the author encourages people to enjoy their neighborhoods. Ms. Ryan highlights walks (ranging in length from 2 miles to 8 miles) through 23 distinctive neighborhoods around Seattle. Her reports are so much a 'walking guide' that points out landmarks and interesting historical features but rather to encourage us all to get to know our neighborhoods. While mentioning various buildings, monuments, parks, etc. she also reports on number of public drinking fountains in a park, points out items for sale at a neighborhood flea market, number of bike riders on a particular bike trail. Her goal is to entice walkers to be aware of their surroundings. Having consumed this kooky little book in several hours times, I'm now eager to take a stroll through my little town and see what unique features catch my eye. If you are up for a chuckle, grab a copy of this book and enjoy Seattle's various neighborhoods.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been over a year since I bought this book, after attending its launch at the public library. It sat on my bedside shelf, tempting me, but for whatever reason I never picked it up. And what a delightful volume it is! The author/artist clearly loves her city (also my city, now) and shows it in her charming cartoons and witty captions. In the conclusion she says she hopes readers will be inspired to take a walk—around the block or across town—and I certainly am. I have always been a walker, and it is a preferred way for my husband and me to get around, but the level of observation she achieves is way out of my league. I hope the next time we explore on foot, we will do it with our heads held a little higher, our eyes open a little wider.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Read for PopSugar's 2021 Reading Challenge: A book by a blogger, vlogger, YouTube video creator, or other online personality*

I love SWR's Instagram, but I'm not sure how well the concept translated into a book. There were a few gems and interesting history, but not enough to justify a whole book. However, I'm happy to support a local creative by buying this book since Instagramming doesn't pay the rent. Looking forward to reading her second book, Secret Seattle, which I hope has more of the interesting history and factoids I enjoyed in this one.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the cutest thing ever. It's a catalog of Seattle's charming oddities like neighborhood boulders and hidden stairways, and it contains a lot of drawings of dogs. The index lists both, "Ducks (baby size)" and "Ducks (normal size)." The author remembers The Bubbleator! Done in comic-strip format, the drawings are surprisingly accurate; if I can look at a drawing of an arrow that contains the words "Lower Floor," and immediately recognize it as a sign from the Pike Place Market, then that's a damn good depiction. There's such an insider feel to the references that this is more for locals than for tourists.

[Zee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll be honest: I wanted to read this book just to see if my neighborhood was included. It wasn't, though my neighboring neighborhoods were. The art is adorable here and I enjoy the creator's upbeat sense of humor and ability to take pleasure in the little details that add so much to our life experiences even when we don't consciously notice them. This makes me want to pay so much more attention to what's around me every time I go outdoors.

This would be fun even for people who aren't from Seattle and wouldn't otherwise have an interest in our city - if you like the idea of looking at a place from different points of view and enjoy quality graphic art, check it out.

[Levi Coffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Leveraging the growing popularity of Seattle Walk Report on Instagram, this charming book features comic book-style illustrations that celebrate the distinctive and odd people, places, and things that define Seattle's neighborhoods. The book goes deep into the urban jungle, exploring 24 popular Seattle neighborhoods, pulling out history, notable landmarks, and curiosities that make each area so distinctive. Entirely hand-drawn and lettered, Seattle Walk Report will be peppered with fun, slightly interactive elements throughout which make for an engaging armchair read, in addition to a fun way to explore the city's iconic, diverse, hipster, historic, and grand neighborhoods.”