Hi, I'm Marie.

I've been a West Seattle resident for over 35 years. I've had a lot of adventures in that time. I owned a landscape design and consulting company for 20 years.

I have been a volunteer with the West Seattle Garden Tour, Seattle Chinese Garden Society (before the garden was built), and I was the project manager for the former Triangle Park. I was on one of the committees that helped create Seattle's first Comprehensive Plan.

I've worked at Junction Hardware and West Seattle Nursery.

Along the way, I've been writing. I've collected some of those stories here.

I had the great honor of making a small contribution to this remarkable book.

If you are a PJ fan, you need a copy.

Blog Posts

Here's Why West Seattle Needs a Comprehensive Transit Plan

Outside the well served transit hubs, at the Alaska Junction and Westwood Village, West Seattle residents have hit-or-miss transit options.

Marie McKinsey

Mar 24, 202418 min read

Could Amazon Save Westwood Village?

Let's think outside the box. Instead of a big retail anchor at Westwood Village, why not a big tech company? Amazon has all the resources ne

Marie McKinsey

Nov 26, 20235 min read

The Antidote for the Seattle "Freeze" - Volunteering

The Seattle Times recently ran an article entitled: "Have you melted the Seattle Freeze? We'd like to hear how you did it." I wish I'd known

Marie McKinsey

Aug 19, 20232 min read

The Story of the West Seattle Triangle Park - and a (W)hole Lot More

They say that no good deed goes unpunished. My "good deed,"apparently, was volunteering to participate in the Friends of the Junction's plan

Marie McKinsey

Mar 18, 20234 min read

West Seattle's Citizen Urban Planners

Did you know that Seattle's Comprehensive Plan is being updated? Do you even know what the Comprehensive Plan is? If you answered "no" to on

Marie McKinsey

Mar 11, 202310 min read

Life at Alki Beach: Pirates and Pole Vaulters - Aaaargh!!

It appears that the Seafair Pirate landing at Alki Beach is cancelled this year because of lingering issues from the pandemic. This photo es

Marie McKinsey

Jun 11, 20212 min read

The Alaska Junction in West Seattle: A 15-minute City?

Can West Seattle's Alaska Junction become a 15-minute city?

Marie McKinsey

May 7, 20215 min read

The Wishing Tree

In my car, running errands, I often pass a house with a lovely Japanese maple in the front yard, decorated with little white lights and what

Marie McKinsey

Apr 5, 20152 min read

A Gaelic Blessing

This fun little song was part of my community choir's 30th Anniversary concert. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed sing

Marie McKinsey

Apr 14, 20141 min read

Sleeping With Mozart

How is it possible to share a bed with a man who has been dead for 222 years? It's simple - try learning to perform his music. It stays wit

Marie McKinsey

Feb 23, 20141 min read

The Sustainable Alternative to the Alki 11

I wrote this when I had become tired of pointing out the problems with this project. Our protests fell on deaf ears anyway. It was clear tha

Marie McKinsey

Jul 13, 20134 min read

How Much Sewage Will the Alki 11 Generate?

In an earlier post, I explained how to calculate the amount of stormwater runoff this project will produce. Now let's look at the amount of

Marie McKinsey

Jun 19, 20132 min read

Here's Where Things Get Serious: The Environmental Impacts of the Alki 11 Row Houses

To really measure the environmental impact of a project, you have to look at what it replaces. When you compare the before and after, side b

Marie McKinsey

May 27, 20131 min read

HONK! If You Love Music

Note: This post was from 2010 when HONK! Fest West was held in the West Seattle Junction. If you want to attend the 2021 version, which will

Marie McKinsey

Nov 14, 20102 min read