seattle pics

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Seattle Autumn Night

Chilly and clear autumn night with the Seattle skyline viewed from across Elliott Bay.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Rozella Building in White Center

Business was buzzing at Platinum Cuts and Cafe Rozella on a bright autumn afternoon in the historic Delridge Triangle area in the White Center neighborhood of West Seattle. White Center's population is working class and culturally diverse, a place where immigrants from many regions of the globe have come for jobs in agriculture, shipping, and aerospace and put down roots. You can read a bit of the neighborhood's history here, including how it got it's name from a coin toss between Mr. Green and Mr. White.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Urban Village Nearing Completion

I hadn't been out to the Northgate area much in the past couple years, so when I was in the neighborhood recently and saw this mammoth, gargantuan, behemoth hive of construction going on I had to wonder what it was. Well, it's name is Thornton Place (click for layout). The tall building in the right foreground of this photo will be 143 residences for seniors. You can just see the third floor and roofs of the gray buildings housing 121 condominiums. They are in two semicircular rows The outer one will face a small greenbelt and man-made creek using diverted water from a formerly culverted portion of the Thornton Creek watershed. The other two six story buildings you see are at either end of the two horseshoes of condos and the adverts say they will contain 266 apartments. There will be a common plaza area between, and the tallest building at the back (yellow visible on the left) will be a 14 screen IMAX cinema and 50,000 square feet of new retail space. The development comprises 6 acres, and it is thought will house about 600 people and be "green" certified LEED Silver. It is across the street from the newly expanded Northgate Mall and adjacent to the Northgate Transit Center (yesterday's photo). It is also within view and sound of I-5 and mere yards from its north and south freeway on-ramps. I will be curious to see how this urban village experiment pans out for its residents, and how it shapes the existing neighborhood. A few things occurred to me, but may have already been thought through by the developers and the surrounding community that aren't readily apparent. Except for the small greenbelt and creek, there do not appear to be any spaces where children might play, and for people of any age, the exterior quarters appear to be quite close. Two car households might find parking their second vehicle nearby a challenge. And, if you ever wanted to open a grocery store or quickie mart, this might be an opportune moment to look for space in the Northgate area, as there is currently only one large food market within a several mile radius. Come next year, about 600 new folks are gonna need to stock their new fridges ;^).

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Transit Center

This is part of the distinctive Northgate Transit Center, built in the early 1990's as a hub for Metro bus routes in the north end of Seattle. Seen in passing from I-5, the transit center's design looks futuristic with a 60's flair. Perhaps the design elements remind me most of those found at Seattle Center and the legacy of the 1962 Century 21 Expo. This hub may eventually tie-in with a proposed 12.5 mile extension of the light rail system north from the University of Washington if it is approved as part of the Mass Transit Expansion Proposal before voters on November 4th. More available transit couldn't come too soon to this area, judging from the nearly completed development next door, Thornton Place. It's a huge six acre project of 109 three story condos, 278 apartments in two multistory complexes, and 143 senior residences in another multistory building, a new 14 screen IMAX theater and 50,000 square feet of retail space at Thornton Plaza. Talk about your urban density model! Photos of those tomorrow!

Friday, October 17, 2008

Gold For All

I thought I would offer to share these riches I found. We could all use a little splurge of abundance right about now, even if its only natural rather than legal tender. I think the exchange rate remains constant across any border. ;^) We are being promised an ideal autumn weekend in Seattle, so I look forward to doing some photowalking. Happy Friday everyone!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Dark Day, Rich Colors

Even mundane street scenes seem rich in color under cloud cover on autumn days. I saw the flaming yellow and orange of the background trees in the Ballard neighborhood and stopped to photograph them. Then I noticed the blue-green peeling paint of the rusting fire hydrant and thought how lovely the colors might look together. The vivid green of the lawn turned out to be a bonus.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Last Debate

Federal and state political campaigns dominated the airwaves this evening in Seattle. We had to run an errand to Northgate Mall and as we were leaving noticed a couple dozen people had gathered around four TV screens to catch the last debate between presidential candidates McCain and Obama. Young, old, men, women, workers, shoppers, it was generating attentive listening and animated conversations. We listened to the remainder on the car radio. At home afterward we listened to the Washington State gubernatorial debate between Governor Gregoire and challenger former state senator Dino Rossi.