seattle pics

Monday, January 7, 2008

Pioneer Place Restored Pergola

Although a truck driver took out the original in an unfortunate turn a few years ago, the cast iron and glass pergola that sheltered generations of public transportation riders from rain was completely restored and reinstalled. It sits atop what was once thought to be the largest and most elegant below-ground public restroom in the USA, a marvel in 1909. Four of the pergola's ornate columns served as vents for this sanitary public "comfort station," which was closed permanently in the late 1940s.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Our Park Mason-Inspired Mosaics

Tile mosaics created by artist Stephen McClellan and inspired by the works of Alden Mason adorn four concrete columns, delineating the entrance to a much loved and beautiful pocket park in the the Greenwood neighborhood. The park on 6th Ave NW, dubbed "Our Park," was developed on the former site of an old utility substation.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Hockey Scuffle

While the rest of Seattle was watching the first quarter of the Hawks vs Redskins game, these dedicated guys were part of a group playing street hockey in the rain at the local school yard in Greenwood. I'm sure they were home in time to enjoy the exciting fourth quarter and Hawk win!

Friday, January 4, 2008

12th Man

Those ice ax door handles I posted a photo of yesterday inadvertently tie in to today's photo. The 25' x 35' 12th man flag has been raised atop the Space Needle once again, representing the incredible fan support for the Seattle Seahawks who go into the championship playoffs with a home game at Quest Field tomorrow against the Washington Redskins. I just learned today that the brave soul hoisting that flag into place on Wednesday was none other than REI's founding president, Jim Whittaker, the first American climber to summit Mt. Everest. I'm sure he didn't use any axes to get the flag up the needle, but I'm thinking some lines, a good harness and a carabiner or two were employed. The city is awash in green beanies and lots of Hawk pride.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Form Follows Function

Another distinctive set of store door handles presented themselves. . . Who knew that "branding" would so often go right down to a store's door handles? Yes, that IS a real ice ax encased in resin, and when grasped and pulled it will give you entrance to the flagship store of REI Co-op (Recreation Equipment, Inc.), the outdoor activities enthusiast's paradise located in the Cascade/South Lake Union neighborhood. This store is remarkable and really worth seeing if you are visiting Seattle. REI began as a humble mountaineering gear buying coop and expanded over the years, first to Berkeley, CA, and then to many other sites. It is one of those household names like Boeing, Starbucks, Alaska Airlines, Nordstrom, Microsoft, and Amazon.com that has its roots in Seattle.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Resolutions to Keep

". . .I've resolutions to keep
And miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep"

Hope this photo will serve as an inspiration (he's wearing a Seattle Marathon 07 shirt). Happy New Year, and best wishes for making your resolutions a reality, to see changes you are pleased with when you look back on 2008.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Theme Day: Best Photo of 2007

Midway through 2007 I took a poll of SDP visitors favorite shots so far, and this one, How Magnolia Got It's Name, won the most votes for their pick of best photo. A friend told me that a European-American sailing into Seattle's Elliott Bay in the late 1800s saw the native madrona trees up on the bluff of what is now called the Magnolia neighborhood. He mistook them for the magnolia trees with which he was familiar and that name stuck. This is one of the few relatively healthy large madrona trees left along those bluffs, and I regularly see bald eagles perched in it. Most of the others have died in the past few years. Their brilliant bark in sunset light is amazing.

Over 200 City Daily Photo Bloggers worked very hard all year to bring us wonderful images of their cities each day. Today, 118 of us have selected the best of our shots to recap 2007. Enjoy your visual tour around the globe on this first day of 2008 by clicking these links to see our best of 2007:
Paris, France - London, England - Hyde, UK - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Grenoble, France - Stockholm, Sweden - Riga, Latvia - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Manila, Philippines - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Weston (FL), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - New Orleans (LA), USA - Wichita (KS), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - San Francisco (CA), USA - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Greenville (SC), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Mainz, Germany - Melbourne, Australia - Portland (OR), USA - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Toulouse, France - Naples (FL), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Brussels, Belgium - Stayton (OR), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Toruń, Poland - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Baziège, France - Nashville (TN), USA - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - Prescott (AZ), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Nottingham, UK - Moscow, Russia - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Evry, France - Trujillo, Peru - Arlington (VA), USA - Denpasar, Indonesia - American Fork (UT), USA - Seattle (WA), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Coral Gables (FL), USA - Montpellier, France - Joplin (MO), USA - Pilisvörösvár, Hungary - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Boston (MA), USA - Torun, Poland - New York City (NY), USA - Dunedin (FL), USA - Quincy (MA), USA - Stavanger, Norway - Chateaubriant, France - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Jackson (MS), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Budapest, Hungary - Austin (TX), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - Cypress (TX), USA - Bicheno, Australia - Wrocław, Poland - Brookville (OH), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Cheltenham, UK - Wellington, New Zealand - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Mumbai (Maharashtra), India - London, UK - Haninge, Sweden - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Arradon, France - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Orlando (FL), USA - Mumbai, India - Terrell (TX), USA - Bogor, Indonesia - Delta (CO), USA - Radonvilliers, France - Saigon, Vietnam - San Diego (CA), USA - Adelaide (SA), Australia - Belgrade, Serbia - Auckland, New Zealand - Seguin (TX), USA - Inverness (IL), USA - Oslo, Norway - Singapore, Singapore - Las Vegas (NV), USA - New York City (NY), USA - Anderson (SC), USA - Torino, Italy - Susanville (CA), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Memphis (Tennessee), USA