Ever get tired of seeing neat older buildings in once one-house neighborhoods razed and boring…read morecondos and townhouses replace them? Wonder why the City of Seattle does so little to protect them? You have not be familiar with it, but Historic Seattle shares your concern(s) and been saving buildings of historic/aesthetic value for some time now: (1) Queen Anne High School (now condos, but they saved the outside and preserved the integrity of the interior), (2) the oddly modernist Egan House (which I saw as part of a Historic Seattle-sponsored tour) above I-5, (3) Cadillac Hotel (now the Klondike Gold Rush Historical Museum run by the U.S. Parks Service), (4) Church of Christ (now Town Hall!), and (5) the Good Shepherd Center in Wallingford. Both the Egan House and Good Shepherd Center are actually owned by HSP. Sometimes to save a historic building, HSP has had to actually move them! For example, it was instrumental in moving a group of 1890s-era workers' cottages from Chinatown to the Ballard Avenue Historic District. The beautiful Italianate house near Half Price Books on Capitol Hill, now an attorney's office, was originally at Pike and Boren. Washington Hall was one of the focus of its efforts (and was as of mid January 2009 was designated as a Historic Landmark by the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board), thus hopefully being saved from the demolition ball. Currently the organization is trying to save bungalow courts on Capitol Hill from being razed. The non-profit organization is housed in the 102-year-old Dearborn House mansion on First Hill and sponsors tours and lectures throughout the year. There is a library in the basement that is open to the public (which I have not had the opportunity to visit). Late this month, an exhibition on the Arts and Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest at MOHAI will open. One of the major annual events its sponsors is the Bungalow Fair (the next one, in late September 2009, will offer a tour of Ravenna bungalows as well as a contemporary Arts and Crafts exhibition and related lectures at Town Hall). Other events include tours of notable houses ("tea and tour") in the area. I am not sure how large a membership base it has, but there are a number of volunteer openings, apparently, at this very active but not very well-known--to the general public--civic organization. http://www.historicseattle.org/default.aspx http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/thearts/2009197262_historic100.html http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw/2008609127_pacificpbuilt11.html http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/landmark-theater/Content?oid=813227 http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/01/09/washington_hall_is_now_a_histo

While recently on a day trip to explore the wilds of Bainbridge Island, I was pleasantly surprised…read moreto stumble on the Chief Sealth Gravesite. Located in a small graveyard behind a tiny church, the gravesite is very well marked if you follow the signs. It was really neat to experience a piece of Seattle history, and honor the proud man after whom our great city was named. This is definitely worth a detour if you're touring around Bainbridge - it was only about 5-6 minutes off the main road.

Seattle's most popular piece of public art, Waiting for the Interurban, is cast in recycled…read morealuminum and depicts six people waiting for a train that never comes. Occasionally locals will lovingly decorate the people in outfits corresponding to a special event, the weather, someone's birthday, a Mariners win - whatever. Check out the human face on the dog; it's Armen Stepanian, once Fremont's honorary mayor, who made the mistake of objecting to the sculpture. In 1979 sculptor Richard Beyer created Seattle's most popular interactive artwork. It commemorates the light rail Interurban line that used to connect downtown Seattle with all of its neighborhoods. The piece depicts five people under a shelter and a curious dog, with a human face. About the Dog: Rumor has it that the face on the dog is that of another local legend, Arman Napoleon Stepanian. He was the unofficial Mayor of Fremont in the early years and the "Christopher Columbus" of curbside recycling. Arman's tireless activism and "dogged" persistence pioneered Seattle's highly successful recycling program that has now been copied nationwide.

Often, as I would pass by, my head would turn and I would wonder, what's that? Then, I would get…read moredistracted and forget until it happened again a week later. I've seen some fantastic decorations over the years and must admit that personally, I've only been up close about 3 times even though I'm in Fremont much more than that. I often tend to be across the way on the Peet's side of the street. This review was prompted because I was in Fremont last week (surprise) and for some reason, I felt like having a look. Okay, I lied, I was going over yonder to peer into the windows of the frozen custard shop (they were closed, thankfully, since my lactose intolerance would seek vengeance against me if they were open). Fine. The truth comes out. Wherever I live, I'm always a bit of a tourist at heart. I've heard people say that it's hard to get a picture because of traffic. True, during certain times but the traffic coming that way is fairly well timed so long as it isn't during peak hours. After all these years, I'm still waiting to catch people decorating. I never have. I still have something to look forward to.

This community garden has welcomed a generous number of new gardeners the last 3 years. Several…read morehave stepped up to volunteer and leadership roles. This has grown the potential of our community impact and mutual aid among gardeners.

On 1st look any garden like space with that green look comes off like a winner , unfortunately the…read moreInterbay Pea Patch operates under this cloak of almost nepotism like grift ..when one 1st signs up for then receives an offer of a plot , so-called long time gardeners here at this location cherry pick through on preferential locations within the garden while dumping off the plots quite frequently vandalized , in some cases we saw where persons had more than 3 times the supposed allowed garden area..when we asked how this could be , just caught a shrug & a wink..this is a city run or gifted , yet what you see for yourself is a strong tendency to see certain gardeners group together separately from what they don't want the others publicly to be aware of...when I said I'd go for a back plot myself , I was informed you'd have to play the game long term whatever this means...kind of ruins the enthusiastic reason to investigate this type of shared spaces..apparently once you have a enviable spot , you can gift public space to someone that simply jumps ahead of everyone while a 2yr wait for us then the scraps of something unwanted instead of simply seeing this go to the next person on this supposed public posted list..this location is subject to a unhoused people coming thru , these same steal savage the gardens destroy the seating area rob the equipment sheds defecate everywhere..the one pea patch dedicated porta potty has been allowed to be taken over this same way..supposedly the steward person here shrieks up if someone even suggests this same should be left secured for the gardeners purpose since it wouldn't be there anyways without the garden being in operation....one gardener says they've lost control of the situation on all fronts...what a horrible way to operate...we could hear screaming and threatening from around the corner in a ragged tent city where unclean trash piles & piles strangling into the side of the garden here..seattle city parks must be even more ignorant than we 1st thought.. interbay garbage

This is a nice and well-maintained city office building with coffee and food options, utility…read morepayment windows, and underground access to both the Columbia Center and the BofA Building. My most significant complain is the cramped nature of the parking structure.

Street parking is limited. As far as parking lots, there are a few. There is an open parking lot…read moreon 6th but it could get scary since this is a hangout for some homeless. There is another paid lot on the south end on 6th. There is limited parking in the same building. The lobby is spacious. Security is helpful. Monitors are available showing bus schedules. There is a Starbucks in the lobby. There are 2 banks of elevators. One bank to take to you the 16th floor and lower. The Second to take you to floors higher than 16th. When going to a floor higher than 40th, you'd need to transfer to a second set of elevators on the 40th. There are 3 eateries: a Vietnamese restaurant Core Bistro and 2 others outside the building: a Mexican restaurant Bebas And Amigos and a salad/sandwich store Chew Chews Eatery. You'd need to go upstairs from the lobby level. The Mexican restaurant and salad bar is outside the building. There are 2 other floors below the lobby. You'll see some great artwork here, a gift store and escalators to join up to the Columbia Tower. To get to Columbia tower, turn right at the bottom of the escalator to take a second set of escalators. At the bottom, go through the glass doors at the bottom of the escalator and turn left. If you turn right, it takes you through a tunnel. Follow this to another set of escalators to take you up to the Bank of America tower across the street. Pretty handy if you really want to stay warm! Amazon Locker is also located on the bottom level.

If you ever been to Pikes Public Market in Seattle Washington, you surely walked pass the "Silver…read moreOkum Building ". The three story brick building was built by "Ben Silver" in 1910. Ben Silver manufactured and sold okum on the first floor. The upper floors were apartments and a hotel. Okum is a type of fiber. When mixed with tar, it is used as caulking in shipbuilding. Unlike naming the building after himself, Mr. Silver encorporated his product "Okum" in the building's name. Silver Okum Building is also registered in the National Registry of Historic Places. Thanks for reading! Live/Love/Travel !

What a great community center! Have attended several events here in the past year - most recently a…read morefundraising benefit for the center: an outdoor concert with the kid friendly band: The Not It's! They had all kinds of other activities inside and out like face painting and basketball. We had so much fun! Food wise - we were so pleased to find Secret Sausage brought their big stand to the event - they are THE BEST sausages and hot dogs in Seattle! Big fields, a playground and a ball court all on the Community Center grounds. Parking can be a little tricky as its in a neighborhood and the dedicated parking spaces are minimal. But if you get there early or don't mind walking down the sidewalk a block or two - you'll be fine. They have community classes, preschool and after school care onsite also. I can't speak to those but have friends that have loved the teachers and programs there for the littles. Very loving and nurturing environment. Have met a few of the community center staff and volunteers and to me they can all be best described as big hearted! They are all so friendly and caring to our friends and family even though not all of us regularly attend classes or just show up for occasional events on site. The front desk has been very helpful and accommodating with my questions and requests for directions. Really, can't say enough good about the Loyal Heights Community Center. It's just a very warm place and the people there make you feel welcome and right at home!

It's rare that you go into any establishment and see the same employees year after year. I see this…read morehere, and I'm not surprised. It's a sign of good synergy and good leadership. Fantastic caring staff that actually remembers its community members. Super helpful and kind, and they have established a truly safe feeling space for me and my children as we have been so lucky to be a part of the community now for 5 years. My only issue is that I can't get into their childcare programs because they're so popular! the sparc sign up system is a bit frustrating, but the staff at the center have always been so helpful in circumventing that with me :D they throw killer events for our kiddos and really tie us all into a community. can't wait for that new playground to be finished!

I love Seattle for all its little quirks - especially the neighborhood of Fremont, which has many…read morecolorful murals and amusing sculptures. I used to pass by this all the time in college, so it was nice to come back and appreciate it. The rocket is at the corner of the "Burnt Sugar" store. There's a plaque nearby with information on how it came to be there, and you can see how it looks from the bottom with the space themed cutouts. It's something better seen from across the street so you can see it in its entirety. Is it a must see when visiting? Not really... but if you're visiting that troll down the street, you might as well go up a few blocks and see the rocket as well. It's a quick stop, plus at the right angle you can see the Saturn sculpture attached to one of the nearby apartment complexes. I do recommend walking around the area though to take in the other art installations around Fremont! Plus the storefronts around the area are very cute to look at to.

Is it worth a trip to Fremont? No, but, like the Fremont Troll, it's one of a few photo ops in a…read morequirky city with a decent shopping district (especially on Sundays during the market). This rocket sculpture, made from an old aircraft tail, was purchased in 1991 for $750 (or 10 nights of downtown parking) from an army surplus store by the local business association, who erected this rocket sculpture (made from an old aircraft tail) at 35th and Evanston. It took 3 years to erect it, which never happens to me, I swear.