I don't want to say that I was staying in a weird neighborhood while I was in Seattle, but being…read morejust over a mile away from the Bettie Page House left me no other option one early morning than to head out by wheelchair to check it out. Smack dab in the middle of Seattle's worst heatwave ever, I can still easily say it was worth the effort for a glimpse of this private residence that features an 18' Bettie Page and even more recently has added the one and only Divine. The house is located in the Ravenna district adjacent to the University District (where I was staying). Commissioned by the owner in 2006, the artwork has been vandalized once (it came back better than ever) and has been threatened by the city at one point with $100 daily fines. because of the "graffiti" on the home. Of course, no fine ever happened and Bettie Page is still alongside the home's exterior wall. Interestingly enough, the home is right across the street from a Mormon Temple. Bettie is adorned with her usual black panties and thigh-highs, a gutter conveniently crosses her chest area. The house is a little tricky to get to, though the mural is easily visible from I-5 near the 65th Street exit. As this is a private home, there is no "admission." Essentially, this is public art visible from a sidewalk or street. If you're in the Seattle area, it's definitely worth checking out and most likely a "must see" for true Bettie Page (or Divine) fans.

Add this to your list Roadside America…read more We've been to the usual Space Needle, Pike's Place Market but, if you're up for something new and unusual --- this is it. Welcome to the Bettie Page and Drag Queen Divine house! After driving around the area that Google Maps told us it was without finding it; we realized it might be across the damn freeway. So, might want to consider that if you haven't found it lol

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.

"Piloti" by Marc Fornes is an art display located at Downtown Park in Bellevue. It is located in…read morefront of the northeast entrance of the park. This is the one near the intersection of Bellevue Way and NE 4th Street, which is across from Bellevue Square. It is also near the cherry blossom area of the park. The city's description of the artwork states that it is made up of fluted columns that come together to form a canopy. When light hits, a shadow forms underneath. The artistic nature of the display combined with the natural elements is supposed to be a nod to the Bellevue tech industry. That description might be a stretch, but I can at least attest that it makes for a very artful entrance into the park it resides.

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.

Only in Fremont can you see dinosaurs in your very own city... They well groomed Ivey beast lurk…read moreneed the banks of the water by the Fremont Bridge. Relax folks you can approach the beasts they won't be harmful to your health. But you can most definitely snap your selfies with the mother and baby dinosaur. But don't climb on them, unless you must and then ride these beasts like your in a Texas rodeo.

Fremont has a bunch of photo ops: a big Troll, a tall Rocket, a strange Center of the Universe…read moresign, a Lenin statue (I LOVED Double Fantasy), and this: a 66-foot-long, ivy-covered mother dinosaur and child. Go around 5:15am to see the feeding. OK, it's automatic sprinklers, but still.

Olympia buildings are covered in murals which makes the buildings entertaining to look at…read more The Star Wars mural is located on a building, in a lot, with three food trucks. The lot has a picnic table for those interested in ordering from the food trucks. Paid street parking is available. While I enjoyed the Star Wars mural, I liked the superhero mural much better. Keep up the artsy work Olympia!

"Honey, let's go check out the Star Wars mural."…read more (silence) There are many times when I suspect that Mr. K rolls his eyes on our little road trips. We are going where? To see what? I came across this local gem when browsing the highest rated spots in Olympia. It was an easy stroll from the center of town and just a couple blocks from the Olympia Coffee Roasting Company. When asking a local for directions to the mural, he informed me that his friend created the mural and although it is a caricature, all characters are truthful in their representation. He was dead serious when describing the artist's motivation. This is when I turn to Mr. K and nod knowingly. Just stick with me, kid. The mural is painted on the side of an apartment building and is in good condition. Someone actually has their apartment in the Death Star. **jealous** The grassy area alongside the building appears to be home to the only food cart in town, so it was a fun little journey of discovery. Not to say all my wanderings are successful. But in this case, the Force was with me.

Great statue if you're in the area - not a "must see" destination…read more It has been painted somewhat recently; kind of sad that people feel the need to vandalize everything. That being said, the vandalism kind of goes along with his aesthetic.

Rock guitarist GOAT [Seattle WA]…read more Here in Seattle is yet another bronze statue of an icon in the music world, Jimi Hendrix. He is a bit farther from the other statues we visited in the Fremont neighborhood. This statue is located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. The guitar god is shown in a bronze likeness on his knees shredding on his guitar. While the world isn't always fair to left-handed people Jimi Hendrix was a master. He was a left handed guitarist who played a right handed guitar upside down and backwards. One of the most influential guitarists of all time. This statue is located in the heart of Capitol Hill, a busy neighborhood but I got lucky because at 4:00p on a Saturday afternoon no one was passing by on the sidewalk and I was able to capture a photo without people in the background ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Very cool quirky attraction. Also, just 17 miles from the statue is the Jimi Hendrix Memorial in Renton. Unfortunately, we were not able to see this. Review #3622

"The Red Popsicle" by Catherine Mayer located on the corner of Fourth Street and Blanchard Avenue…read morein Downtown Seattle in the Belltown neighborhood. This is one of those public art pieces I heard about and had to go find. We were at Pikes Place and decided to set on a mission to find it and it wasn't to far away. It's a cool sculpture in person and is 17-feet tall. One of those little touristy things I wanted to do and now craving a red popsicle. It's a cool piece to checkout.

Admittedly, there may be better views of the New Year's Eve fireworks show at the Seattle Space…read moreNeedle, but "The Popsicle" on the corner of 4th Avenue and Blanchard Street is where it's at for us. We've celebrated NYE here many times and witnessed many things (including a marriage proposal that included the "fine print" disclaimer of "I will propose to you for real...someday." ‍ While you may or may not witness anything like a sorta/kinda marriage proposal when you visit, the views from this spot of the Space Needle and the fireworks show are only obstructed by a few power lines and tree branches (and this year some lingering clouds). This viewing location is easily walkable from most downtown hotels (our walk was approximately 12 minutes) and has felt safe each year to us with just two recommendations. Be sure to remain on the streets where the largest number of pedestrians are traveling and be sure to completely avoid walking on 3rd Avenue. A brand new year has been christened and hopeful new resolutions abound. Who knows? Maybe we'll meet 'ya at "The Popsicle" next year! And that's...Henry's Take. #seattlepopsicle #seattlenye #happynewyearseattle

This tour made me so happy. Kevin and Russ were enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and their passion (and…read morenerdiness) for the public arts was infectious and endearing. I'll never walk over another hatch cover the same again. I'm excited to go home and see what's beneath my feet there. I would highly recommend this off the beaten path tour to anyone and i'll be happy to do it again the next time i'm back in Seattle. Thanks guys!

I am always looking for low cost, less formal ways to learn about places I either live in or visit…read moreand have done many free tours both in Seattle and while traveling. I learned about this tour from a friend and I think it's fairly new. At any rate, interesting tour. Not your typical here's the city and these are some of the landmarks and here are some fun facts. The difference is this tour was focused around the public art that can be seen everyday along the streets and sidewalks, built into the infrastructure, in the form of manhole covers or hatches as they are referred to. The folks conducting the tour included information of the various artistic manhole covers, combining it with first hand information from the artists and discussed the history of the work and how it fits into the identity of Seattle. They also provide information on the history of the city and how Seattle became the city you see as you take the tour. Pretty neat concept exploring aspects of the city that folks often take for granted as they pass by. Another fun fact about this tour is that it evolved out of an art project. I thought that was particularly interesting. Some of the prints, etc are pretty cool and again not what you would typically expect or encounter from one of these free tours. I'd recommend this tour to anybody to who wants to learn more about the history of Seattle, who appreciates public art or art in general and who has a free hour or so on a Saturday morning.