2 of 7

Write now Article Tools

Located between Seattle and Bellevue, Mercer Island, a community of just 22,000 people, is repeatedly found on the lists of the best places to live in the United States. Although not part of Seattle proper, it is included under the greater Seattle area and is a participant in Seattle festivities such as the July Seafair festival.

Getting to Mercer Island is an experience in itself. Two of the longest floating bridges in the world carry traffic along I-90 between Seattle and Mercer Island, one carrying eastbound traffic and one westbound. (The longest, the Evergreen Point floating bridge along SR-520, lies just a few miles north of Mercer Island.) The second longest, Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge, is an official City of Seattle landmark. The Homer M. Hadley Memorial bridge is shorter by 800 feet, but carries the distinction of being the widest floating bridge in the world. During the summer Seafair festival, when the Blue Angels perform over Lake Washington, the bridges are closed to all vehicle traffic. Although the designs of the two bridges are distinct from each other, most residents just call the western I-90 pair of bridges "the Mercer Island bridge."

On the other side of the island, the East Channel Bridge carries I-90 traffic between Mercer Island and Bellevue. I-90 itself is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, connecting Seattle in the west with Chicago and Boston in the east through some of the highest mountains in the mainland United States. The section of I-90 which includes Mercer Island is known as the Mountains to Sound Greenway, to acknowledge its cultural and scenic uniqueness. In only 53 miles, the interstate rises from sea level to over three thousand feet elevation where it traverses the Cascades through the Snoqualmie Pass.

Mercer Island's charm has been protected by trenching I-90, the most expensive piece of interstate anywhere in the United States. This allowed the creation of one of Mercer Island's secret attractions, the I-90 trail, which actually begins in Bellevue and ends in east Seattle. Open to hikers, bikers, and skateboarders alike, this steeply hilly asphalt and concrete trail follows the path of I-90 above ground, from residential and light retail areas to the Freeway "Lid" Park.

Mercer Island boasts an array of restaurants, nightclubs, and entertainment options which would be the envy of cities ten times its size. Packed into 13 square miles, almost half of it water, Mercer Island somehow finds space for marinas

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Things to do on Mercer Island?
We want to hear your view. Write now!