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| Seattle |
Vancouver |
Stanley Park |
Lynn Canyon |
Victoria |
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| Kalaloch |
Ozette |
Hoh |
Hurricane Ridge |
Seattle |
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Hurricane Ridge was our last stop in the Olympic N.P. After seeing the sites at high altitude, we drove down the mountains, clock-wise around the peninsula, and once again boarded a ferry - Bainbridge Island to Seattle.
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| Cyclists spilling out onto Bainbridge Island from Seattle
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| Once aboard the ferry, we were privy to some excellent views of Mt. Ranier and the city.
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| Downtown Seattle from the ferry.
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In Seattle we had a few days to take in the sites. We visited a rare book room at the University of Washington, took an underground tour of "Old Seattle", explored the fremont district, walked through Pioneer Square and Pike's Place Market, and saw Seattle's extremely modern new public library.
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| Drumheller Fountain on the Univ. of Washington campus, with a clear view of Mt. Ranier in the background.
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| Bimbos had an amazing assortment of burritos and the darkest bathroom I've ever experienced.
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Next we toured underground Seattle. In a nutshell, the city we currently know as Seattle was rebuilt on old Seattle. There were problems with flooding tides, uncontrollable sewerage, and fire - the Great Seattle Fire. In 1889, the entire downtown area burned to the ground. Luckily, much still remains, like a time capsule under the asphalt, of the old life. The tour took place in, around, and under Pioneer Square.
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| Totem pole in Pioneer Square.
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| Pioneer Building. In the days of the gold rush, Pioneer Building had 48 mining companies officed here.
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| The underground tour started under this building.
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| Our tourguide, walking us through the lower levels of the city.
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| This is the Smith Tower. It is the oldest skyscraper in Seattle. This 42-story building was the tallest west of the Mississippi until 1931.
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| A view of Seattle's original water system from 1854.
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| Closer view of the old pipe.
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| Bust of Chief Seattle in Pioneer Square. Seattle (also known as "Chief Sealth") was leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish Native American tribes. The Suquamish Tribe honors Chief Seattle every third week in August at "Chief Seattle Days".
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| Elliot Bay Book Co. is housed in an historic building near Pioneer Square. It is exactly what every bookstore should be: old wooden creeking floors and steps, mysterious nooks and crannies, exemplary customer service, new and notable titles, a vast selection of well categorized used titles, and a dark basement cafe.
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Fremont Rocket. The website "see-seattle.com" says:
The Fremont Rocket was constructed using a 1950s rocket which had graced a defunct surplus shop in Belltown. Local artists added metalwork, neon, paint and a mural of blast-off clouds and whirling galaxies. The Rocket was erected with much fanfare in 1994. Its nozzles ooze clouds of vapor at regular intervals through the day. It graces the corner of the Ah Nuts junk shop, overlooking the lot where the Fremont Almost Free Cinema screenings take place during the summer, and which hosts the Fremont Sunday Market and Flea Market.
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Fremont Troll. A Wikipedia article states:
Megalithic statue, located on N. 36th Street at Troll Avenue N., under the north end of the Aurora Bridge. (Aurora Avenue North was renamed "Troll Avenue" in its honor in 2005.) It is clutching an actual original Volkswagen Beetle, as if it had just swiped it from the roadway above. The piece was the winner of a competition sponsored by the Fremont Arts Council in 1990, and was built the same year. The Troll was sculpted by four local artists: Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter and Ross Whitehead. He is interactive-visitors are encouraged to clamber on him or try to poke out his one good eye (a hubcap). The Troll is 5.5 meters high, weighs two tons (1814 kg), and is made of steel rebar, wire and ferroconcrete. On Halloween, neighborhood residents hold a "Troll-a-ween" party at the site, leading to a samba driven parade and, on some occasions, Troll-a-gogo dancing.
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| Pike Place Market is 9 acres of merchants, craftsmen, farmers, and anyone else who wants to sell something. The market was established in 1907, making it one of the oldest continuous market in the US. We missed the centennial celebrations by ten days!
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| Pike Place Fish Co. - These are the guys who take your order and then throw the fish across the room to another guy who catches it (hopefully) and bags it for you.
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Seattle's Central Library, is an amazing building, inside and out. Opened on May 23, 2004, it is 11 stories and 362,987 square feet of glass and steel. Each floor has its own signature characteristics, as you will see in the photos below.
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| Seattle Central Library
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| Main circulation desk. Notice the floor, an installation titled Floor of Babble by artist Anne Hamilton. It is made to resemble type set and ready to print, therefore it is backwards.
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| Floor of Babble by Anne Hamilton
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| The stacks begin on one of the upper floors and spiral down, making it possible to continue walking along the stacks without using stairs or elevator! This architectual devise spans several floors.
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| The red floor.
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| Children's department.
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| Yellow escalator.
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| Stat-tracking Dewey computer displays.
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| Lots of free public computer access!
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| I don't think I could ever look down at a book long enough to read in this building. It's too amazing.
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The Seattle Central Library was our very last stop. We returned to the Elliot Bay bookstore and spent our final moments organizing our thoughts, taking notes on our trip, and trying to come to grips with the reality that it was time to go home.
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| Seattle |
Vancouver |
Stanley Park |
Lynn Canyon |
Victoria |
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| Kalaloch |
Ozette |
Hoh |
Hurricane Ridge |
Seattle |
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