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| Chihuly Garden and Glass |
On the grounds of the 1962 World's Fair is the landmark Space Needle, the observation tower that inspired William Hanna and Joseph Barbera to create the cartoon, The Jetsons. We didn't take the time to wait in the long lines to ascend to its apex, but I did to take photos of it from different vantage points around the city:
From the waterfront,
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| Smoke from British Columbia wildfires blanketed the city while we were there. |
from Kerry Park,
and from within the Chihuly Garden Glasshouse.
The Chihuly Garden and Glass museum displays the wildly colorful blown glass sculptures created by Seattle artist Dale Chihuly.
and from within the Chihuly Garden Glasshouse.
The Chihuly Garden and Glass museum displays the wildly colorful blown glass sculptures created by Seattle artist Dale Chihuly.
He once said, "I want people to be overwhelmed with light and color in a way they have never experienced." That's definitely the reaction I had to his works and Tim agreed.
The exhibition could not be contained within museum walls but spilled into the adjacent glasshouse and gardens. Truly stunning!
The Hammering Man, Johnathan Borofsky's sculpture, looks like a shadow against the Seattle Art Museum. It's a tribute to the worker in all of us. He raises and lowers his hammer at a clip of two and a half times per minute every day of the year. The only exception? Labor Day!
Then there's Seattle's history which reads like a story of salvation. On June 6, 1889 a fire broke out in Victor Clairmont's cabinetry shop; its flames lapped up the turpentine and sawdust as it quickly spread next door to a liquor store. Fueled by alcohol, the conflagration soon engulfed the city and its lumber mills. Residents struggled to load their possessions on wagons or ships moored at the wooden wharves that also fell victim to the flames. In all, 25 city blocks were destroyed.
Yet, many improvements were made when the city was rebuilt, much of it elevated 22 feet to level the hilly city. (Visitors today can tour Seattle Underground to see the remains of fire-damaged buildings.) Pipes replaced the hollow wooden troughs (also victims of the fire) that carried the city's water supply and additional fire hydrants were added. Instead of volunteer fire fighters, a paid professional fire department was created. New fireproof building codes required the use of brick, stone and iron. Stately edifices built in the fashionable Romanesque Revival style created a unity of appearance that still exists in Seattle's oldest downtown neighborhood, Pioneer Square. It's a wonder that Seattle wasn't renamed Phoenix for the mythical bird that rose from the ashes.
However, Seattle's post-fire building came to an abrupt halt in the Panic of 1893 when banks across the nation, including eleven in Seattle, closed their doors. Then, rumors of gold in the Yukon brought a great influx of goldseekers (and their money) to the city, all of whom had to be outfitted with supplies before they rushed off to the Klondike. This cycle of bust and boom continued through the 20th century until today when notable businesses like Microsoft and Amazon have filled the city's coffers.
Always willing to cross another National Park Service property off our list, Tim and I stopped at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park in Pioneer Square. There one can follow the stories of five people who stocked up on supplies in Seattle before hurrying to Bonanza Creek, a branch of the Klondike River, where gold was first found.
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| The Hammering Man |
Then there's Seattle's history which reads like a story of salvation. On June 6, 1889 a fire broke out in Victor Clairmont's cabinetry shop; its flames lapped up the turpentine and sawdust as it quickly spread next door to a liquor store. Fueled by alcohol, the conflagration soon engulfed the city and its lumber mills. Residents struggled to load their possessions on wagons or ships moored at the wooden wharves that also fell victim to the flames. In all, 25 city blocks were destroyed.
Yet, many improvements were made when the city was rebuilt, much of it elevated 22 feet to level the hilly city. (Visitors today can tour Seattle Underground to see the remains of fire-damaged buildings.) Pipes replaced the hollow wooden troughs (also victims of the fire) that carried the city's water supply and additional fire hydrants were added. Instead of volunteer fire fighters, a paid professional fire department was created. New fireproof building codes required the use of brick, stone and iron. Stately edifices built in the fashionable Romanesque Revival style created a unity of appearance that still exists in Seattle's oldest downtown neighborhood, Pioneer Square. It's a wonder that Seattle wasn't renamed Phoenix for the mythical bird that rose from the ashes.
However, Seattle's post-fire building came to an abrupt halt in the Panic of 1893 when banks across the nation, including eleven in Seattle, closed their doors. Then, rumors of gold in the Yukon brought a great influx of goldseekers (and their money) to the city, all of whom had to be outfitted with supplies before they rushed off to the Klondike. This cycle of bust and boom continued through the 20th century until today when notable businesses like Microsoft and Amazon have filled the city's coffers.
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| Pioneer Square |
Always willing to cross another National Park Service property off our list, Tim and I stopped at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park in Pioneer Square. There one can follow the stories of five people who stocked up on supplies in Seattle before hurrying to Bonanza Creek, a branch of the Klondike River, where gold was first found.
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| John Nordstrom |
One of the five accounts followed the success story of John Nordstrom. Returning to Seattle from the goldfields with $13,000 in his pocket, he used some of the money to buy ten acres of land in the Rainier Valley and two lots in downtown Seattle. There he and his business partner Carl Wallin, a man he met in Alaska, opened a shoe store marking the beginning of the Nordstrom store empire.
The Nordic Heritage Museum is a testament to the numerous contributions to Seattle made by Nordic immigrants like John Nordstrom. Tim's heritage is Danish so we were drawn to visit this small museum. There we learned that Scandinavian immigrants, many of whom were lumberjacks, first flocked to the area because of the opportunities presented by its heavily forested hills. Later, they turned to fishing and maritime enterprises. In fact, many settled in the town of Ballard, now a part of the greater Seattle metropolis, which boomed because of the growing demand for salmon and seafood.
Later we stopped at Hiriam M. Chittenden Locks, also called the Ballard Locks, a waterway system that connects the saltwater of the Puget Sound to the fresh water of Ship Canal that sits 20 feet above sea level. We wanted to see the ships passing through the locks, the adjacent botanical gardens and the fish ladder used by salmon to swim upstream to spawn.
The Nordic Heritage Museum is a testament to the numerous contributions to Seattle made by Nordic immigrants like John Nordstrom. Tim's heritage is Danish so we were drawn to visit this small museum. There we learned that Scandinavian immigrants, many of whom were lumberjacks, first flocked to the area because of the opportunities presented by its heavily forested hills. Later, they turned to fishing and maritime enterprises. In fact, many settled in the town of Ballard, now a part of the greater Seattle metropolis, which boomed because of the growing demand for salmon and seafood.
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| Hiriam M. Chittenden Locks |
Later we stopped at Hiriam M. Chittenden Locks, also called the Ballard Locks, a waterway system that connects the saltwater of the Puget Sound to the fresh water of Ship Canal that sits 20 feet above sea level. We wanted to see the ships passing through the locks, the adjacent botanical gardens and the fish ladder used by salmon to swim upstream to spawn.
There are windows underneath the walkway that allow you to watch the fish as they make their way from the saltwater of the Puget Sound to the freshwater of the Cedar River watershed. Serendipitously, we arrived during the season of spawning which runs from the beginning of July to mid-August.
So, see why we now have a soft spot in our hearts for Seattle? It's because of a million, tiny little things!
So, see why we now have a soft spot in our hearts for Seattle? It's because of a million, tiny little things!
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