There is always something happening on Railroad Avenue. It might be good and it might be bad, but something will be going on. Railroad, historically, was a center for street car and train operations in Bellingham. Those industrial uses are gone and today it has a huge assortment of people -- street people to professionals -- and there are a number of shops. Most of them are related to food: coffee, bread, bagels, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then there are the specialty stores, mixed in with the pawn shop, that sell jewelry and boutique clothing. The city has spruced the area up with flags, and it really looks pretty good. Despite the decorations, you will still run into pan handlers or sometimes see street fights and altercations. On one side of the street are a couple old-time (I mean going back to when I was a kid) pet, farm and garden supply stores. I took some photos of their flora vs their fauna.

Thanks for looking.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA home inspector

www.kingofthehouse.com