Pia the Peacekeeper, the 18-foot giant troll sculpture on Bainbridge Island by Danish artist Thomas…read moreDambo, took approximately seven days to two weeks to make. She was so cool to see, this is our second troll to visit while being in this beautiful state! We decided to spend our last day experiencing the ferry ride and go across to Bainbridge and enjoy the afternoon and grab lunch and visit Pea. Such a went quaint little town look forward to visiting again.

Went to Bainbridge Island recently, we thought to come check out one of the troll statues around…read morethe Seattle area. We haven't seen this one so it was on our list while in the area. We took the ferry to come over from Seattle, we did not bring our car. It's about a 1.5 +/- mile walk from the ferry terminal, with some internet searching we were able to find one of the trailhead entrances, follow the loop trail then find Pia. It's just beyond one of the main parking lots. If you end up by the tennis courts, you've gone too far. Walking back to the main downtown strip area is about another 1.5 miles. When we got there, luckily no one was there, we had the place to ourselves for a while to get some photos, and check it out at our own pace. It's pretty cool to see, worth coming by when on Bainbridge Island. I believe this is my 4th troll statue I've seen in the Seattle area.

The Bainbridge Island Ferry had me living out my Grey's Anatomy dreams. We traveled between Seattle…read moreand Bainbridge for an afternoon of wine tasting. We drove a car onto the ferry. On the way there, we got in line about 40 minutes early, so we were able to easily get onto the ferry. However, on the way back, there were a lot of cars in line, so we weren't able to get on the first ferry we were waiting for. The ferries were also backed up, so we waited in line for a bit over an hour. We were in great company, so it was not an issue at all, but it's something to be aware of if you're on a time crunch. There's a lot of unpredictability that can come with the ferry, so you have to give yourself enough time! Once on the ferry, we got out of our cars and explored. The ferry gives gorgeous views of the shoreline including the Space Needle and observation wheel. There's plenty of space inside with lots of tables and chairs. We got a little booth and played card games. The ride itself is so short that I actually could've enjoyed a little more time on the ferry. The ferry is a fun way to explore the islands and the ability to bring on a car adds to the accessibility of exploration on the other end!

Please don't miss taking the ferry to Bainbridge Island. It's a short 35 minute ride with great…read moreviews! The ticket is $8.50. There are plenty of snacks you can get on the ferry. Service is great. The ferries run all year.

Missed Opportunities…read more When I think of this bridge, I think of missing the ferry to Seattle, and having to drive around the island to get home. I think of visiting friends who live on Bainbridge, which in turn makes me think of the Wicker Man. I think of the nights spent at the nearby Clearwater Casino, dancing the night away in a smoke filled room. I also think of Laura.. If you look to the left when leaving Bainbridge, you can see the log where they found Laura Palmer's body in the pilot of David Lynch's Twin Peaks.

I'm a fan of bridges as long as they're not too far off the ground (or water). This bridge is a…read moresteel one that felt very safe. I wanted to get under the bridge in order to take a few pictures. Finding a way under the bridge is not an easy task for a tourist. I used maps to find the roads that would lead me there but had a number of wrong turns and dead ends. Finally, just by chance, I turned my head and saw a path down to the beach. The path is not appropriate for everyone - it was muddy, slippery, and had a bit of an incline. Wearing the wrong shoes could also ruin your day. The beach was full of clam shells and rocks with barnacles. There were a lot of birds and the water flowed at a brisk pace under the bridge. The bridge itself had vines growing on the outer posts away from the water. It was great for photos and my family loved the adventure!

The garden is beautiful and it's a nice activity to do end of fall/early winter. It used to be free…read morethen they started tickets and now they've increased the price just like anything else. But it's worth going around the holiday time each year. I suggest going on a week day of you can to avoid lines and parking craziness. The first slot 4:30 is less busy also.

Wonderful, festive and pretty affordable for the holidays. Ticket cost $10 per person over 11 years…read moreold. Kids 10 and your gets in for free. The lights were fun to look at and had many floral and crops themed ones. It was also larger than I thought cause from the outside you can see a portion of it. The cafe was also open and I wish I can try all their drinks. Their white hot chocolate with whip cream was so good for the cool weather. Also very glad it did not rain on that day.

Visited Bainbridge Island for the first time. Stumbled upon this quaint little restaurant and…read moredecided to have dinner here. Ordered a Margherita Pizza and a Rucola Salad (Sol Farm arugula, strawberries, hazelnuts, fennel, Cana de Oveja sheep's (milk cheese), Balsamic vinaigrette and Fennel pollen. The two complimented one another where the salad tasted fresh, slightly sweet, nutty, and tangy. Had their tiramisu afterwards and it was amazing. The staff are very friendly. They are quick to answer questions and made sure we were well taken care of. If we ever visit this island again, we will make sure to have dinner here once more.

Found this spot on Yelp and the photos made me drool! My best friend and I were really hungry for…read morelunch and came right as they opened. We decided to share a pizza. I think we chose incorrectly. Do know we only tried one thing here, so we might've had more luck with a different dish. We got the spinaci pizza. It was very oily and a bit watery with not enough flavor. This gets an extra star from me because the service was amazing. Our waitress was super sweet and easy to talk to. She was so enthusiastic. We sat a highrise table right by the window so had a nice view of inside and people watching outside. It's a trendy place and I liked the vibe. I think we just should've ordered something else.

I'm giving this grocery store/restaurant 5 stars because it merits more than just a 4-star 'Good'…read morerating. If Yelp allowed it I'd give it a 4.5. Our son's been wanting to take us here for a long time and chose this, our first visit, as his wedding anniversary gift to us, his very dear and suffocatingly loving parents. The first thing that struck us were the variety of Italian foods and ingredients for sale in the grocery part of the restaurant. I bought the Garlic Scape Pesto because I've never had that type of pesto sauce so, why not? The staff at the front counter, who also doubled as hosts and wait staff, were very friendly. We arrived early for our reservation and only had a short wait before being seated at our table. We sat in the larger, outdoor section that was inside a tent. Our table offered great views of the outside and of the restaurant interior. I'm not sure why but when our son called in our reservation we had to pre-order our dishes and he had to pay for it then. The benefit of this was that after we were seated our orders came to our table within 10 minutes. We ordered the Vr11 Caesar Salad (which came with lemon-infused croutons!), two wood-fired pizzas and the Eggplant Parmigiana. The Caesar Salad appeared modest but when eating it, the lemon-infused croutons gave it a wow factor. My pizza was the Pizza Calabrese with two types of spicy Calabrian sausage, a Tropea Onion Jam, scarmozza (smoked mozzarella cheese, roast red peppers and grana padano. I didn't really get the smokiness in the cheese nor did the sausage chunks on pizza taste that spicy. But the clear star of the show was that Tropea Onion Jam which WAS spicy because I think 'NDuja sausage was mixed in with it. THERE was the heat I was looking for within a huge burst of flavor. That jam alone made the pizza. Our son loved his Pizza Carbonara ("It was amazing!") with the large dollops of stracciatella cheese with cured egg yolk, and curled guanchiale (pork jowl). This was our first tasting of guanchiale (our son graciously let me sample his pizza) and it was good. It was more like sliced pancetta and it was good. He loved his pizza but I tell ya, mine with that onion jam had already won me over. How much did my wife enjoy her Eggplant Parmigiana (which she also let me sample)? My wife usually doesn't finish her restaurant entrees. She finished this one. Nice marinara sauce flavors mixed with grated Grana Padano cheese and tender sliced grilled eggplant. I didn't pick up any grilled flavor from the eggplant but the dish was delicious. This was our son's second visit and we'd like to return for his third and our second. Both the grocery and restaurant are definite winners.

3.5 stars. Decent food and decent ambiance. We came here for lunch on a Sat afternoon and got…read moreseated quickly. Their process is that you order at the counter first and then they seat you. We were in the covered patio and it was heated, which worked well since it got cooler and rainy within a few minutes of us getting there. Their ambiance is casual and they have servers but you don't end up interacting much with them. We ordered the margherita pizza, the funghi e tartufo, the hot lovers pasta with shrimp (level 3 spice), the spinach ravioli. Everything was delicious. My personal favorite was the mushroom pizza and the hot lovers pasta. The pasta definitely had a kick to it for level 3. The shrimp could have been replaced with alternative meat option because it didn't absorb the sauce like I would have liked it to. The ravioli was done well. The margherita was very tasty. They gave bread with the pasta but it was just super bland and there was no olive oil or butter with it. Overall, decent place to come and get a quick, filling meal. They could work on their table accompaniments more.

So this is actually a Facebook collection of pages that's gone worldwide…read more Founded around 2013, on Bainbridge Island, this idea took off and is now worldwide. Here's the idea - you gift and share local to you. It's all done through fb pages, which have local admins, and local members. A specific area is determined. If you live within those boundaries you are eligible to be a member. You can only belong to one group, because you are supposed to "give where you live". As you clean out your basement and find that old tennis racquet you never used - you can gift it here. Looking for a pair of rollerblades? Ask for it here. You never know. I've seen snowblowers given away, treadmills asked for and received, and someone who needed 6 rubber bands got them. So nothing is too big or small an ask. The fundamental are: Get to know your neighbors. Keep things out of landfills Ask for knowledge - where is the best hiking? No commerce - so no money. No selling or buying. It's all freely gifted. All under the umbrella of being kind and sharing. You can find your own local page by searching through the Buynothingproject.org page. Or searching fb.

The Buy Nothing Project is an online community where people give and receive goods for free…read more According to its website, the project has millions of members across dozens of countries, and it has helped to divert many thousands of tons of waste from landfills each year. People may either join a local Buy Nothing group on Facebook or download the Buy Nothing app. Weeks ago, I had three pieces of furniture--a desk, a bookcase, and a bench--that I wanted to give away for free. The thrift stores near me had no space for additional inventory. One of my neighbors and one of my friends recommended that I join a Buy Nothing (BN) group on Facebook. My neighbor said that she tried to invite me to our local BN group on Facebook, but I never received the invitation. Therefore, I directly requested to join the group, but the admin apparently never reviewed applications, because after weeks of time, I saw that the group had 0 new members in recent weeks and that my request to join was still listed as "pending." I ended up paying $185 to a junk-removal business to transport my desk to a landfill, and I discarded the bookcase and bench through my trash company for free. Afterward, I found the Buy Nothing Project's website, and it mentioned an app that I could download to my phone. The app contains some local listings, and people seem to successfully give and receive some things through it. Too bad that I did not know about this app previously. Some things to know about the app: It offers both free Standard and paid Sustaining memberships. Furthermore, a Pro plan allows you to bump your posts, get alerts for searches, save five locations, and more for $29.99 per year or $2.99 per month.

I mean, what can be said about this strange abandoned art installation that hasn't been said…read morealready. It's not a great area, there's currently a homeless encampment right behind it. It has a chain link fence surrounding it giving it a 'We haven't torn this down yet' vibe. Being from the Bay Area and having seen pieces created at The Crucible I personally would call it exceptionally lazy art - if you're generous with the word 'art'. It's a sign, with some pointed cylinders around it. In my opinion the painted pieces at Gas Works are more interesting. I personally think it's only a matter of time before they tear it out and make it into another park so all in all, it's an easy skip.

At one point, I'm sure The Wall of Death was a very cool public art installation in Seattle. It's a…read morepermanently sited installation located along the Burke-Gilman Trail under the University Bridge along NE 40th Street. It was designed and built by Mowry Baden and his son Colin in 1993. While the exhibit sounds ominous, it's neither a memorial or some gothic art piece. Instead, it's a tribute to the structure used to perform "the wall of death," a motorcycle and miniature automobile stunt. While it looks like it was initially quite amazing, The Wall of Death has largely fallen victim to time and graffiti and it's really that graffiti that negatively impacts the appeal of the exhibit. The exhibit includes the cylinder itself on the south side of the Burke-Gilman Trail, as well as a concrete ramp to the north of the trail, which includes a "series of stylized metal chairs mounted to the existing concrete bridge columns and serves as the stands from which the stunts were viewed. The exhibit was originally intended as interactive with skateboarders intended to use it. However, after several skateboarding accidents including one involving a head-on collision between a skateboarder and a cyclist the exhibit was adapted, by Baden himself, to include 25 concrete parking stops. At this point, the exhibit is somewhat fenced in and much more difficult to access. However, it remains one of the more intriguing public art exhibits in Seattle and is still free to see. It's listed in Atlas Obscura. The exhibit was also reportedly damaged on 11/15/20 when a homeless camp tent caught fire. The exhibit is made of concrete, steel, and aluminum and measures 16' x 65' x 30'. It's easy to access the exhibit from the Burke Gilman Trail in the University District. It's near University of Washington housing and only a few blocks from Lake Union. The trail itself is wheelchair friendly and accessible quite easily.

Frankie Feetsplinters making his presence known in front of the National Nordic Museum. With his…read morejoyful and curious look he makes me smile whenever I see him. Standing tall and gazing out welcoming others to the museum. I'm glad I got to visit him on a sunny day. Parking can be a bit challenging, there is a lot behind museum in the that you can park in for a $2 fee. I had a great time visiting Frankie and admiring him.

We stopped here today to see Frankie Feetsplinters and were delighted as always with the work of…read moreThomas Dambo. Frankie stands ( or stomps :)) in front of the National Nordic Museum and since street parking can be impossible to find, your best bet is to park on the museum lot for $2 and walk around. I love his frolicsome exuberance and his ubiquitous gaze. His boyish charm looms as largely as his figure. We were able to find the wooden nameplate for him but not the metal placard.. Because of the location we could not stay as long to admire him as we typically do but we enjoyed our visit with him all the same.

Cool Landmark in Seattle, Washington…read more.. I've had "The Center of the Universe" bookmarked for a while. It's a good thing to look at the bookmarked items on the Yelp app once in a while. I totally forgot about this novel and unique piece of Public Art! I should have visited it when I saw the Troll and the blue Fremont Bridge yesterday... darn! Anyway... I parked across the street and got a good shot of this directional sign! As I drew closer, I saw places on the sign that I would like to see - such as Machu Piccu and Rio de Janeiro. Other interesting places include The North Pole and The Milky Way. What a fun tourist stop! Check it out when you have time! It's free, quick, and a good break from daily routine!

One of the few photo ops (like the Rocket, dinosaurs, the Troll, etc) in Fremont…read more I saw the sign. It opened up my eyes. Life is demanding without understanding. To reiterate, I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes I saw the sign. No one's gonna drag you up To get into the light where you belong But where do you belong? Now if you excuse me, all that she wants is another baby, and she's gone tomorrow, boy.