One of the things that you always hear about Ballard is how Ballard Avenue has quickly been transformed from a street full of industrial, working-class businesses to one full of upscale boutiques and bars. From my observations, I had always thought this was somewhat misleading so I decided to walk the entire length of Ballard Avenue in one go.

I decided to do this when I realized that I had spent plenty of time on certain parts of Ballard Avenue but I had never actually walked the entire length and taken it all in at once. It was a very interesting experience that really reflects the diversity of our neighborhood.

Ballard Avenue has always been identified with Ballard itself, as it was the main drag when it was a separate city from Seattle and the same holds true today.

There are many people who live in other neighborhoods whose only experience of Ballard is walking down a small, several block section of Ballard Avenue from Northwest Market Street to about 20th Avenue Northwest. There is no doubt that this section of Ballard Avenue contains some of the more iconic restaurants, bars, venues, and stores in Ballard and on Sundays, it is the host of one of the best farmer's markets in the city.

As I started my walk down Ballard Avenue at Market Street heading east, I passed through this bustling section. The new businesses are nearly all housed inside historical buildings that date back to the City Of Ballard era.

Once you get past 20th Avenue Northwest, the businesses that cater to entertainment become less densely packed and you start to see a lot more industrial businesses. These businesses make up the vast majority as you continue down until you hit 17th and the street gets renamed Northwest Ballard Way.

Ballard Way is broken into half by the part of 15th Avenue Northwest that is the Ballard Bridge. I continued my tour despite the slight name change and having to make a bit of a detour to get underneath the bridge. I found Mike's Chili living under the shadow of the opposite side of the new shopping complex that built itself around Edith Macefield's house.

This walk took me about 15 minutes, but it was a crash course in modern Ballard. The situation on Ballard Avenue is a microcosm of what is occurring all over the neighborhood.

What is happening is exciting tainted with a sadness at the passing of what once was. At the same time, those who are concerned about the pace of the change, who fear that everything old will be pushed out and Ballard will lose its gritty Nordic flavor, can take a bit of comfort in the fact that it hasn't entirely happened yet, nor do I think it will. Ballard's maritime and industrial businesses contribute just as much revenue to the local economy as the entertainment businesses a little to the west of them on Ballard Avenue.

It certainly looks like the maritime and industrial businesses are being squeezed in on both ends, and we need to create a positive business environment where all the businesses represented on Ballard Avenue can thrive.

The problem here seems to be that the interests on both sides do not seem to want to walk down to the other end and see Ballard Avenue as a whole. The need for both sides to find some common ground is more important than ever in these uncertain economic times.

Ballard can't afford to lose any of these businesses. There has never been a better time than now to realize that both sides are a lot closer together than they might have thought, because we all want Ballard, and Ballard Avenue, to succeed and thrive.

Questions, comments, column idea? Please contact Brian Le Blanc at brianleblanc76@yahoo.com or comment below.