Mailboxes Of Seattle @mailboxesofseattle - Tumblr Blog

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One-by-one, I posed with every publicly accessible blue mailbox in Seattle. This is easily the most meaningless thing I've ever done.

Because of problems with Tumblr, I had to rebuild my mailbox blog under a new site. Please visit me at https://mailboxesofseattle.com/ as soon as you humanly can.

I”ll leave this Tumblr page in place for now, because a lot of the media that covered my project linked here. But you can be certain I’m frowning about it.

Help! My blog has been marked as “explicit.”

A few weeks ago I discovered that Tumblr has marked my blog -- the one about MAILBOXES! -- as being explicit. Therefore, it is no longer accessible by anyone who is not logged into Tumblr (that is, most of the world).

I have submitted a request for review through their support page, but that was three weeks ago and there has been no action. Anyone have any ideas how I can get this straightened out quickly?

Site Cleanup

Hey folks -- Things were getting a bit messy around here, so I created a sticky page for all the media links. You should see that link at the top, or you can click here.

Mailboxes of... Croatia?

My wife and I recently spent a couple weeks bicycling in Croatia, and well... I couldn’t resist.

Addendum #2: Overlooked Northgate Box

348) Faithful readers know that I often cite the mailbox inside Northgate Mall as the saddest mailbox in all of Seattle. Not only that, but I was sure it was the only box at Northgate Mall.

I was wrong. I was so wrong.

Earlier this evening we were about to pull out of the mall parking lot when I spied -- could it be?!? -- a heretofore unknown mailbox, standing guard outside the doors on the east side of the mall. You can see the absolute shock on my face.

I really don’t know how this one escaped detection. Sure, it wasn’t on my original list of boxes, but in the past year I have probably walked right past this box a half dozen times without ever noticing it. So tell me, does that say more about me... or the box itself?

#98125

Addendum: Hidden Sand Point Box!

Wait! You said you were done with the mailbox project!

Yes, that’s true. The Mailboxes of Seattle project officially ended in February when I photographed the 346th box. I decided that even if the USPS dropped a brand new box right in front of my house tomorrow, I would not add it to the project.

But, that box you see above is different. Let me explain.

The list of mailboxes that I was working from sometimes had not-too-accurate address information. The list would say that a box was at a certain address, but then I’d find it around the corner and halfway down the block. Then there were the times the box would be flat-out gone.

The list not only showed that there was a box near the NOAA complex at Sand Point, but it implied that it was actually tucked back in with the NOAA buildings. When I went poking around there a few months ago, I wasn’t able to get past their locked fence, so I assumed that if there was a box that it was not publicly accessible and was therefore out of bounds. I crossed it off my list and moved on. That was the last I thought of it, until…

This morning I got an email from mail carrier Kenneth, who said he couldn’t find one obscure box on my blog, one located across the street from the NOAA entrance. Hold on… across the street? Had I gone looking in the wrong spot all those months ago?

Yes, I had indeed. For you see, this box is not located among the NOAA buildings at all. It’s on Sand Point Way, but tucked into an overgrown mess of shrubbery and is practically invisible to anyone passing by. But I found it, and I photographed it, and I’m making it a late addition to the project.

Just to add intrigue to this box, there’s something I didn’t even notice until I looked at the photo. It’s a full-on snorkel box, with the snorkel pointing into the bushes. My guess is that this box once did something very, very bad in order for it to be stuck in such a hidden spot with its snorkel rendered utterly useless. What a story it could tell.

#346: LAST BOX, Wallingford, N 46th Street at Wallingford Ave N

346) And just like that, it’s over.

Three hundred and forty six days ago I started posting one mailbox selfie a day and somehow kept it up until I had grabbed every single one in Seattle. For the final box, I put out the call for people to join me, and I had a wonderful turnout... although the dogs seem a bit bored.

The answer to the common question of what’s next is quite simple: nothing. No, I’m not going to do utility poles. Or fire hydrants. Or stop signs. I do, however, encourage other people to tackle those very important projects.

Thank you for following along and please, be nice to your neighborhood mailbox. It leads a difficult life.

#98103

#345: Capitol Hill, Broadway E at E John Street

345) For the penultimate photo is this looooong project, I am featuring a very rare type of box, one that was moved from one location to another. Fellow Seattleites might remember the old post office on Broadway, the one that always looked so run-down that it just didn’t seem like a good idea to drop any mail there. Well, that post office moved a few blocks north to a lovely new location and they brought their box with them. Normally, boxes are not known for embracing change like this, but in this case I think it went over quite well.

And that’s it, people. Tomorrow’s the big day, the very last mailbox photo!

#344: Meridian, N 56th Street at Keystone Place N

344) Faithful readers know that I love to enjoy the services of a good bench while out photographing mailboxes. On this day, however, I found this otherwise lovely bench to be a bit too rain-drenched for my taste. Meanwhile, it looks like I’m thinking really hard about a phone number.

#98103

#343: Queen Anne, Taylor Ave N at Prospect Street

343) I called this box the night before to remind it to get all cleaned up for its big photo shoot. But when I got there, I found that it done a rather lackluster job, and still had a prominent splash of graffiti on its head. He tried to get to get me to shoot from another angle, but I insisted on having the downtown skyline in the background. Turns out we’re both equally stubborn. I decided to have a sit and wait him out, but he held firm. It was like this for hours.

#98109

#342: First Hill, 9th Ave at Alder Street

342) This photo really makes it look like the box and I are out on a stroll together. This is, of course, an absurd idea, because everyone knows that boxes walk alone.

#98104

#341: University District, NE 45th Street at 17th Ave NE

341) This box used to live such a wonderful existence. Positioned right across the street from the main entrance to UW, it is on a main migration path for all the pupils who funnel down 17th from the dozens of fraternities, sororities, apartment buildings, and dank basements. There was a time when the box received a constant stream of letters, most of them to parents being asked to send more money. “Nowadays, all those damn kids just use their Instagramcrackers and Snapwhatevers,” the box lamented. “I doubt any of them know which corner of an envelope gets the stamp.”

#98105

#340: Downtown, Union Street at 3rd Ave

340) This photo is a lie. A big fat lie.

You’ve probably already spotted the problem. This photo is posted on February 5th, but there I am, supposedly trotting around downtown in shorts. True, there are many Seattleites who wear shorts year ‘round, but I’m not one of them. So what’s up?

Shortly after I took this photo in early September, I decided to save this box to be the final one in this project. After all, it’s at the 98101 post office, so could there be anything more central to the whole mailboxes-of-Seattle theme than this? So, I cast this photo aside and planned to reshoot it at the end of the project.

Well, faithful readers know that a new box as been chosen to conclude the project! And since I no longer have to save this 98101 box for that occasion, I was able to resurrect this photo to present to you today. How’s that for a riveting story?

#98101

#339: First Hill, University Street at Terry Ave

339) If it’s true that a good photograph tells a story, this this must be a GREAT photograph. Just look at what’s going on. See that No Parking sign? Well, guess where I’m parked. That’s right, I’m parked right about where the camera is, which is clearly in no-no land. To escape detection, I decided to hide behind the fancy garbage can, because if the police can’t see me, they can’t ticket me, right? But then, notice how the box is frantically dialing 911 to report me! What a snitch.

You’ll be happy to know I got out of there unscathed and unticketed.

#98101

#338: Queen Anne, Bigelow Ave N at 2nd Ave N

338) You’ll notice I’m very distracted in this shot. First of all, I’m at Bigelow Ave N. I had no idea such a street existed! Bigelow! It is an absolutely lovely street with an awesome name and it has been hiding from me for over 30 years. I’m also distracted by that cool house in the background. This angle doesn’t really do it justice, so take my word for it that it’s really cool. The mailbox is nice, too.

#98109

#337: Green Lake, Aurora Ave N at N 76th Street

337) I had a long discussion with this box about exactly which neighborhood he resides in. According to the official maps, this stretch of Aurora is the dividing line between Phinney Ridge (to the west) and Green Lake (to the east), meaning the box is clearly a Ridge Resident. The box, however, would hear none of that. Despite several hours of explaining that the Ridge is an awesome neighborhood that he should be proud to call home, the box insisted on being considered a part of Green Lake. “It’s the ducks!” he wailed. “I just love the ducks so very much.”

I really can’t stand a blubbering mailbox, so Green Lake it is.

#98103

#336: Downtown, University Street at Western Ave

336) Whereas many are excited about the impending removal of the viaduct, this box is actually quite sad about it. For decades, the viaduct has been his constant companion, always there, always providing a muffled rumble of background noise. Once the viaduct is gone, the box will only have tourists to deal with, and well, that’s why he’s so sad.

#98101

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