A Seattle icon, the Fremont Troll is a must-visit. We went on a weekday and there were still a good…read morenumber of tourists coming around to take photos. Many of them even chose to climb onto the troll itself, but I didn't dare. Parking can be super hard to find as the troll is nestled in a residential neighborhood, but after circling around quite a few times, we finally found a spot. Even with the waves of people visiting, I still managed to capture photos of Newt with the troll without anyone in the frame, and my husband even captured a nice photo of us performing our iconic piggyback trick, as well as the cutest shot of me looking up at Newt as he sat on the troll's hand. Caveat: unless your dog is well-trained and can hold a distance AND duration sit-stay (especially on an elevated, uneven surface), I would not attempt to recreate that shot. When you visit the troll, don't forget to look behind you and admire the architecture of the overpass too. It's breathtaking in itself. While we were there, many of the tourists asked me to take photos of them with the troll with their phones or cameras, since they saw I had brought my DSLR with me. Of course I happily obliged. We did not spend too much time at the troll as there wasn't much to do outside of taking photos with it, and as we were leaving, another wave of tourists showed up. The Fremont Troll is a fun spot to take photos at/with, and a cool art installation. I wish we had something similar in the bay or Sac!

A fun experience, a bit off the beaten path in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle…read more We ventured from downtown to check out the troll. Very easy access via a city bus route. After a short stroll down a well-designed dirt path, we found the giant troll. The troll is great for photos and has a sign that describes the history of the troll. My kids enjoyed climbing around the area, too. Facing the opposite direction from the troll is a very cool bridge that creates some awesome cathedral-like architecture. There is lots to do in Fremont, and even though the troll is kind of a one-and-done deal, it's worth checking out simply to explore the rest of the neighborhood and awesome surrounding businesses. Enjoy your troll hunt!

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.

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.

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

This being my third or fourth time here, the architecture and interior design of this library still…read morenever fail to impress me. It's one of Seattle's landmark buildings, and a place that's on the must-see list for visitors if you're a fan of unique design. This relatively new building was constructed in 2004, funded in part by a $196.4 million bond approved by Seattle constituents in November 1998, and in part with a $20 million donation from the Gates Foundation. The location replaces the two consecutive libraries that stood in the same location, the Carnegie Library which stood for about 50 years, and the Bindon and Wright Library which stood for 41 years. The design was conceived by the Dutch firm Office for Metropolitan Architecture in conjunction with Seattle firm LMN Architects (Loschky, Marquardt and Nesholm), and involved creating space to house 1.5 million books, which was 600K more than its predecessor, while simultaneously aiming to dispel the stereotype of libraries being stuffy and closed off. I think they succeeded! The exterior almost appears to covered in a web of steel mesh, with over ten thousand custom-sized glass windows; the inside floors look like floating open layers inside the building, Entering the building from Fourth Avenue into the main lobby, this is the 3rd floor of the building with a gift shop, small cafe, books on hold, an auditorium, and spacious reading rooms. Up a floor to the "red floor," the 4th floor uses thirteen shades of red paint and includes meeting rooms, computer labs and more public meeting spaces. The Books Spiral is a seminal format for shelving of books according to the Dewey Decimal system without breaking up the order over different levels; it progresses at a two degree sloped incline spread over the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th stories. Other facilities include music practice rooms, genealogy collection, map rom, and a couple small gallery rooms for temporary exhibits. The 10th floor is highest level and also offers views of the surrounding blocks and over the reading/meeting rooms below. The biggest gripe most people have is probably the parking, which is exorbitantly expensive even coming from NYC. There's a structure under the library, though at $7-8 an hour it's not cheap.

Fun and interesting architecture for a public library. They have a paid parking lot, which is crazy…read morefor a public library. The first 20 mins are free and after that it's $4 per 20 minutes. Lots of areas to read and relax. Very spacious, has a coffee shop inside. Larger than most other public libraries. Free WiFi and public bathrooms available. The ambiance is nice. It's a rip off to have to pay for parking.

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.

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

10/3/26 The Olympic Sculpture Park is an excellent place to…read morevisit on a nice day. I took a nice stroll though this park and enjoyed looking at the artistic creations and learning about the artists. The first thing that caught my eye was the zodiac sign animals. Then I noticed an area that was an abstract art putt putt course. People seem to come here to picnic and let the little ones run off some energy. There is plenty of open space and gravel paths to walk on as well. I had a nice time here and I would definitely come back.

The Olympic Sculpture Park has been on my list to visit since it was built in 2007 and I finally…read moredid! It is a free oasis of calm, a view of the Sound, the Olympics on a clear day, and an opportunity to wander among world class contemporary sculptures. It is the free part of the Seattle Art Museum along with the original Volunteer Park building and the downtown Venturi-Cloepfil building which charge admission. Like most all museums, the work has been donated by Seattle families. It was a brownfield. The site is sloped and difficult to design to, with roads and rail going under it. It connects to the Eliot Bay Trail. The shoreline by the trail was extensively rebuilt in a natural way. The design is a success. The usual entry is from Western and Broad. Seattle has done well building apartments in the area, so parking can be fierce. The main entry has a large, clean, indoor pavilion with a minimal cafe, restrooms, some tables and chairs, artworks, and events. In rain it could be good for children, but may not have activities. To the Northwest is a narrow amphitheater. The backdrop to the amphitheater stage is a significant Serra. It is a great introduction to the artist, created in 2004, and the first piece installed in the park. The Eagle by Calder is the icon of the park often seen in photos. Seattle has a romance with Calder usually associated with his indoor hanging mobiles. Louise Bourgeois has a fountain and stone benches. A Roxy Paine stainless steel tree holds its own against the sea and mountain backdrop. A favorite artist of mine, Louise Nevelson, has a steel sculpture. They have an artist mini golf. I was especially excited to see Ai Weiwei's Circle Of Animals / Zodiac Heads on loan from the artist. I've seen other variations. Each head is a Chinese zodiac animal. I think kids would love it, but no climbing. The story of the originals is fascinating as is Weiwei's autobiography, 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows. With all the art, to me it is primarily a park. People just walk, sit and read, decompress, and children play. It's easy to visit, except for parking, is open 24 hours, has significant contemporary artists, you don't need to know anything about art to enjoy it, and it is free!

Ah, yes, The Gum Wall. One of the most exciting and disgusting things to see. And for me, it was…read moreone of the hardest/confusing places to find. Not because it is, but because I had no idea where I was in relation to this place. I was mere feet away from here and still somehow took the long way to get here. When I realized this, I wanted to kick myself. Who knew a wall covered in gum would be such a tourist draw. Located in Post Alley just off of Pike Place Market you will find this Seattle marvel. What started as an unexpected way to discard gum, became a well known city landmark. When the nearby Market Theater would not allow patrons to enter with gum, this became an area where that gum would go. At first, the gum had pennies pushed into them, later being removed, but the gum remaining. This wall extends over fifty feet and is as high as eight feet. It has been cleaned on several occasions. Reasons being to preserve the bricks. Not to worry, it returns after each cleaning. One cleaning it was said that 2 tons of gum was removed from the wall. Some contributors to the wall will put designs in their gum. Others, just push it into a mess that ever grows. Mostly on the wall, but anything near the wall can end up with gum on it, including street posts/signs. Great distraction, and definitely earned the tourist trap honor. One of a kind attraction to see.

A little bit disgusting but fun at the same time. Lol! It is located on the street below the big…read morePublic Market Center sign. We purchased gum from the window of the shop at the entrance of the gum alley. After a few minutes of chewing, we were ready to add our contributions. Haha! We went on a Monday around noon and it wasn't crowded at all.