Howe Street Stairs, Public staircase in Capitol Hill, United States.
The Howe Street Stairs are a public staircase in Seattle that links Eastlake Avenue to Howe Street across a steep hillside through many flights of concrete steps. The route passes through the I-5 Colonnade park area, offering a direct pedestrian connection between the Eastlake and Capitol Hill neighborhoods.
The stairs were built in 1911 to connect two streetcar lines as Seattle was expanding its early transit network. Their construction shows how the city dealt with moving people on foot across its steep hills during a period of rapid growth.
The stairs are a regular training spot for locals who run them up and down as part of their fitness routine, turning a simple passageway into an open-air gym. On most mornings, you will find small groups working out side by side on the steps.
The stairs are accessible at any time of day and in any season, though the concrete steps can get slippery in wet weather. Shoes with good grip are worth wearing, especially during Seattle's rainy months.
Seattle has more than 650 public staircases spread across the city, making it one of the most staircase-rich cities in the country. These stairs are among the longest in that network, yet they were built purely for practical reasons, with no intention of becoming a landmark.
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