The City By Elliott Bay

I'd been sitting downstairs enjoying my after-work glass of wine pondering what to post tonight. I had a vague thought of doing a post about Seattle, wanting to show off where fiwa, Mo and I get to live. I really love my home town and it's history. So I got up off my lazy butt and came upstairs and found an Email from Cheryl talking about her experiences here and how she liked the place so that sealed the deal.

My first thought was, The pics should be ones I took.

My second thought was hell, how would I ever get that accomplished ?

My third thought was no. Best intentions maybe, but with my track record not likely to ever get finished.

So, I give you Brad's 'Not Brad's Picture Tour of Seattle'

(Grit: I'm in desperate need to know my comma placement - Please ask Dig to post a primer ? I'll add it to my side bar for reminders)

So here it is. Brad's version of a Seattle tour with images lifted off the web.


So shoot me. I cheat.

Ok, so we'll get through the broad commercial shots first and then see if i can narrow down the scope to some cool small places/spaces.




This is a shot of a Duck Dodge Race. It takes place every Tuesday evening from May till Sept. in the rather confined Lake Union at the north end of downtown. They get pretty hairy and are fun to watch. There are many vantage points on the hills surrounding (not shown) to the left and right of the edges of the image.



This shot is from Highland Drive Park on the top of Queen Anne Hill. I used to live at the right bottom corner of this shot, under Tim Knights name. I often hiked up the hill to sit and contemplate here. It's still very under used and a quite spot.



South from Mercer Island over Lake Washington. Still really downtown-ish. Don't let that sleeping behemoth fool you. It's a volcano just like Mount St. Helens

Ok, enough of that crap.



First up: Pike Place Market. established at the turn of the last century when the farmers from the local valleys got tired of being short changed by the local grocery middle men and went into business for themselves on a muddy back water street. It grew in to this - We've always been a bunch of webbed feet socialist out here.

The best meat, cheese, bread and dairy & veggies to be had in this town to this day.

Interested parties should check out the "Wobblies'



The Original Starbucks Store from 1971 - And boy have the F'd it up - It used to be very cool and funky.



This is Kubota Gardens - about 40 acres down the green belt from us.



This one's for Crusty - This is Starbucks Center, I worked here for over 15 years. It was an old Sear Distribution Center that had sat empty in South Seattle for many years before Starbucks agreed to become the anchor tenant and we took over the building. It's technically the largest office build in Seattle. You can't tell by the pic but it's two city blocks long and just as deep. It's built on pilings sunk into Elliot Bay in the 1900's - when the Nisqually Earthquake struck in Feb. 2001 it shook the floors above like a pogo stick, the place nearly shook it's self apart. Thank God there was earthquake bracing installed three years before. We spent over a year and a half squished into 2/3's of the habitable part of building while the rest was repaired. The entire facade of the 1907 brick building had to be removed and replaced - That's why it looks so good.

Ok, friends - I'm tired of editing and need to go spend time with Partner - Count this as part 1 - more too come if you want - don't hold back -