Pontius Ave North, South Lake Union

Pontius Avenue North runs north/south in the Denny Regrade area, near the base of Capitol Hill (which is to its east) and just north of downtown. It's a largely commercial, industrial area, with lots of gray and brown buildings that empty out and shut down after 5pm. It's main saving grace is the incredibly Cascade Playground, which is 1 block square, running between Harrison Street and Thomas Street. Other than that, there isn't a lot to recommend it as a place to live. There is street parking on both sides of the street, which is heavily in use during the day, but fairly free at night. On the north end, it crosses Mercer, which is a huge arterial that has a number of restaurants on it. To the south, it seems to dead end at John Street, but actually it jogs west for half a block, and continues to Denny, which is another huge arterial. Closer to Pontius and Republican, there is a shiny new multi-level condo building, with some retail stores on ground level. However, most of the street is taken up by parking lots and cement parking structures. None of the street is very well lit and isn't a great area to walk alone in at night. There is almost no greenery and no single family homes at all.