Seattle Daily Photo: January 2014

Friday, January 31, 2014

Rehearsing for the Parade

Rehursing for the Parade by Seattle Daily Photo

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Best wishes to everyone as the Year of the Horse begins! Seattle has been celebrating Lunar New Year all week with various events and will conclude on Saturday at Hing Hay Park in the International District with Lion and Dragon Dances, a children's traditional costume parade and many other festivities from 11:00-4:00. This is a shot I took while visiting my former city of San Francisco. I was walking in SF Chinatown when I came across kids from Lau Elementary School rehearsing a dance routine for the new years parade there. I remember how excited and proud a boy named Derick in my preschool class there was the year he was chosen to perform in the Lion Dance. I also remember how deafening the fire crackers were while watching him!

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Leaving Seattle Tower

The lobby of Seattle Tower was constructed to give the impression of a deep cave in a mountainside. The building's exterior was conceived to represent a mountain. The original name of the tower was the Northern Life building. It was constructed in 1929 and is very rich in art deco detailing. I liked seeing the man's reflection in the glossy dark granite wall as he exited the brass doors. Below is a photo of the back of the lobby where another man is gazing at the elaborate golden map of the Pacific Rim, emblazoned with the motto, "Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way."

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

St. Nicholas' Onion Domes

Looking Southwest over rain-puddled rooftops in the Capitol Hill neighborhood you can see the golden domes of Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral, built in 1937. Further away to the left are the brick buildings and landmark 1912 spire of First Baptist Churc h.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Dancing Between 2 & 3

Another interior shot at Seattle Central Library, a design brain child of architect Rem Koolhaas. The red corridor on the 3rd floor revealed a little dance between a man and his coat rack. If you look closely you can see the graphics of numerals 2 and 3 on the curved walls.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Seattlite Monday #4

From a distance the black hats and coats made an impression, but as they got closer it was that million dollar smile that really said to me, "Shoot quickly before her gaze turns." Blue feather in cap and blue gloves (with screen tips). A cold January day, warmed by a great smile. This is #4 in a little Monday series featuring street candids.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Under Front Street

A follow-up to Tuesday's post for you: here's another interesting doorway with an unusual address. Whidbey Island is a great little day trip getaway in winter. A short drive north, a brief ferry ride on Puget Sound and a short hop back in the car once you've disembarked will bring you to a favorite breakfast place of ours, The Knead & Feed bakery cafe on Front Street in Coupeville. From street level the restaurant looks like a one story building perched on the bluff above Penn Cove, but their are two stories underneath it that extend down the bluff. If you go exploring a bit for a view you'll find their business office down the staircase to the beach/water (depending on the tide) has a rather precise address.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Crawdad in the Alley Pickin' For Dough

Talented trio, Crawdad, makin' music in an alleyway. Downtown Edmonds in chilly January. Hey, it's Friday! Get out and hear some live music!

Thursday, January 23, 2014

She Was a Legend in Her Own Mind

I was just shooting some interiors and candids in Seattle's Central Library and I've no idea who she is. She came around the corner of the stack, spotted me with the camera and spontaneously launched into this "I'm a star" pose. I started cracking up as I got off a couple of shots, then she turned and walked away without a word. People are so delightful sometimes. Another instance of "saw me" and mugging for the camera is below. On a different floor of the library a while later, another person started leaping and dancing when he saw the camera. He also walked away as if nothing had happened. I laughed so hard. :-)

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Cherry Street Reflection

Night in the city has its bright spots, and I loved the reflection of Cherry Street's pink and red sign. This is an exceptionally friendly coffee house, and although there are now several of them scattered along 1st Street and a little further afield going up-slope, each location is has a unique interior. Except for the shared logo, there's not a "cookie cutter" feeling of "branded" sameness among the shops.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

656 1/2 King Street

Behind these double doors in the International District and up the stairs beyond them is The Kung Fu Club of Seattle, a dojo founded in the early 1960s that continues to teach traditional Kung Fu to serious students, male and female, young children to adults in their 70s. What attracted me to wonder about this place, besides the vintage bright red doors, was the painted address of 656 1/2 on the transom. I heard a tour guide on one of those passing van tours tell her passengers this studio with the red windows was Bruce Lee's, but I am sure she was mistaken. The world famous martial arts master's first studio, the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, was in Seattle's University District, but he moved it to a second location just two blocks east of here and around the corner on 8th (it also has a 1/2 in the address). He would for sure have gone past these doors frequently as he walked the streets of the International District.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Seattlite Monday #3

His shirt says "Open" but the shop says "Closed." The guy with the pegged pants and pompadour taking a break in front of a cafe on Main Street in Edmonds could have stepped out of a scene in American Graffiti. This is #3 in a little Monday series featuring some candids of Seattlites in their environs. Today is Dr. Martin Luther King Day here in the States and I'm wishing American visitors a pleasant holiday. I will listen to his "I Have a Dream" speech today. Dr. King influenced so many and accomplished so much in his 39 short years. If he were still with us he would be 85 years old.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Seahawks Fever Is Everywhere

Whole families have been wearing Seahawks jerseys, caps, sweatshirts and tee shirts that say "I'm In." SUVs driving by and shops everywhere display 12th Man flags. This city supports its sports teams enthusiastically, and the citizenry is clearly rooting for a Championship win. I snapped the collage photos with my iPhone on Queen Anne Hill and in Ballard, and the photo below with my regular gear while in downtown Edmonds on Saturday.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Last Rays

Sunset observed from the northeast shore of Lake Union, taken with my iPhone. Happy Saturday on this long holiday weekend here in the States. I'm hoping it is pleasant wherever you may be. This shot is in loving memory of Mary Tiffany Strong whose life was filled with a beautiful light from dawn through dusk. "We shall meet on that beautiful shore."

Friday, January 17, 2014

Chihuly Garden and Glass

Chihuly Garden and Glass looks a bit more polished than the construction shots I took awhile back, eh? The new showcase for Dale Chilhuly's glass work is particularly lovely at night.

Chihuly Garden & Glass Nearing Completion

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Sonic Bloom

I mentioned the other day that I would try to photograph the new solar-powered interactive sculptural installation next to the Pacific Science Center. The conceptual piece was created by artist Don Corson. It consists of 5 striped stems reaching 30+ feet into the air topped with sunflower-like blooms. Each flower has its own sound pitch from high to low. As you walk near them each hums for a time. As evening descends, the flowers generate colorful light that changes hue as you walk underneath. The whole thing is fun, delighting children and adults as they explore its properties.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Hideaway

I took the photo because I loved seeing the lacy pattern back-lighted by the warm entryway. I had no idea until I looked through the lens to focus that beyond the wrought iron and the transom of 1923 1st Avenue, just visible at the top of the interior stairway there is a small unlit neon sign that says "Hotel." I had missed seeing the little sandwich board sign on the sidewalk that would have alerted me that this is the entrance to Pensione Nichols, a small European-style bed and breakfast hotel tucked away in a historic building near Pike Place Market.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Gasworks Winter Cloudscape

This is just a little iPhone shot I took randomly using the Hipstamatic app. I was out walking on the hill at Gasworks Park. The park is situated on a small point at the north end of Lake Union near the Wallingford neighborhood. It's a great place for a walk or picnic and for watching floatplane take offs and landings on the lake. There are super views of Lake Union and the Seattle skyline at every turn and lots of creative possibilities for sketchers and photographers. The clouds looked so surreal this day, like a dreamscape. We're back to partly sunny days and temps in the balmy 50s this week :-).

Monday, January 13, 2014

Seattlite Monday #2

Number two in a little Monday series featuring some Seattlites in their environs. Vendors who spend their winter days in the open air arcade at Pike Place Market selling their local produce and products in the cold air have adopted ways to keep warm that still allow them to move about easily. This Seattlite was aptly layered to meet the challenge as she helped customers at the Sunny Honey Company's stall.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Puddle Reflection

I saw this reflection of sky, buildings and overhead wires in a parking lot puddle downtown. We had quite a downpour yesterday with a bit of a wind storm, lightning and thunder. Hope your weekend reflections are beautiful.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Spotted in Ballard: 1965 Volvo Electric Car

A family friend had one of these classic Volvo P544s long ago, so I took notice of this one parked outside the Lockspot Cafe as I was exiting the Ballard Locks. She was curvacious with shiny chrome and a few rust spots. What I didn't notice until I saw the clever sign in the window on the other side is that it is an Electric Vehicle. Here is some info for you car buffs on how it was converted by its owner Matt Pollitz. What a great project for a car enthusiast.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Two Curls

I have shared images before of this public art work by Paul Sorey called Salmon Waves that resides on the Magnolia side of the Ballard Locks. These wave-like metal curls are a fun sculptural installation that always proves popular with local photographers. On this winter day I managed to capture a wave and its faint shadow in morning sunlight. Just below the area where the sculptures stand is the viewing area where visitors in summer may watch several species of beautiful salmon make their way through the fish ladder at the locks. For now, though, "salmon in the sea run deep" and the ladder is quiet.

Thursday, January 09, 2014

Super Fast

So, how fast is "super fast"? I've got a meeting shortly after work tonight. Too bad one of the MOD (Made On Demand) Pizza eateries in Seattle isn't closer to where I'm going or I'd give it a try. :-) MOD was established 5 years ago by area locals Scott and Ally Svenson. They are also the founders the Seattle Coffee Company and Carluccio's. "Super fast" also seems to apply to MOD's growth. They've just started to offer franchise opportunities and have 11 locations in WA, 2 in OR, and 2 in Southern CA. So maybe it won't be long before you'll see one in your city. It wasn't food that attracted me here, though. Longtime visitors to SDP know I'm a complete sucker for neon signs calling out in the night, sometimes even in the day.

Wednesday, January 08, 2014

Solar Blooms in Seattle

A clever solar panel flower is "planted" outside Puget Sound Solar, one of a growing number of Seattle businesses focused on renewable resources and sustainability. This bloom is a bit of a Plain Jane compared to the new colorful art installation of five giant glow in the dark flowers that were erected at the Pacific Science Center not long ago. The high tech artwork by Dan Corson is called Sonic Bloom (click here), and along with lighting up colorfully, the flowers hum. I will try to feature a shot of it for you very soon. We could use a little glow in the dark and warm hum today--a rain storm's moving through so it's cold, gray and wet. Sending very warm wishes to our friends in the US Midwest and East where it is truly cold. Brrrrrr. Keep warm!

Tuesday, January 07, 2014

King Noodle

Hungry shoppers seeking to warm up from the chill air and perhaps recharge for another go at the local shops duck into King Noodle in the International District. It's where you go with the picky eaters in your family because they can chose every single ingredient of their soup and the not so picky can savor lots of other nicely put together offerings on their wide-ranging menu. This is on King Street.

Monday, January 06, 2014

Seattlite Monday #1

Seattle is full of really interesting sights, things that make you stop and wonder, want to know the history, take a closer look, do a little research to figure out what you're looking at. But for me as I've wandered the neighborhoods on foot with camera in hand the last seven years what has piqued my curiosity most has been the people who live here. Sometimes when I'm reviewing shots I'll notice something interesting about someone who just happened into the frame that I hadn't seen in the moment. Other times I will notice something particularly interesting about someone from a distance and try to capture it in a street shot. That happened when this dapper gent wandered into an alleyway in Pioneer Square and I noticed he was wearing black boots, colorful madras shirt under brick red vest, black jacket and topped with a plaid bow tie. An ordinary moment-- someone just taking a break, checking messages--but if we just have a second to notice, people are pretty extraordinary. I don't have the time or bravery of my photo friend Steffe of Photos From Haninge (Sweden) who for years has made wonderful street portraits of people he has seen in his town and interviewed each of them (here is a wonderful sampler of his portraits from 2013). With this shot I'm starting a little Monday series featuring some Seattlites in their environs.

Sunday, January 05, 2014

MOHI Display

Seattle's Museum of History and Industry holds many interesting treasures, and I'm a sucker for textile arts. This finely coiffed lady wears an exquisite and elaborately hand embroidered kimono gifted to Seattle from her sister city of Kobe, Japan. You can see the back of the kimono here photographed by Brad Mohr. I thought the manikin herself was also interesting and beautiful.

Saturday, January 04, 2014

Joy Ride

Seattle's downtown offers some steep streets, but this guy is making the most of it. His two companions (behind me) were standing, but he chose to sit on his skateboard to enjoy the ride as they zipped past me.

Friday, January 03, 2014

Ship Canal Reflection

Walking along the Fremont side of the Ship Canal and looking northwest across to Queen Anne Hill and the lights of Ashton dorm at Seattle Pacific University.

Thursday, January 02, 2014

Lone Rower

It was early evening and this was the first person I saw out on the water heading along the Ship Canal under the Fremont Bridge and out onto Lake Union. Cold or sunny, you'll always see rowing enthusiasts out alone in a scull or rowing with friends or as part of a crew morning and evening. There are several rowing clubs along Lake Union's shore.

Wednesday, January 01, 2014

Theme Day: Best Shot of 2013

The Party's Over Again by Seattle Daily Photo

It's the first of the month Theme Day for City Daily Photo Bloggers. Today, as in years past, we are each posting our best shot of the year. Click here to see all your favorite photobloggers from around the world's best shots! "The Party's Over Again" was a shot I featured last January. All the festive holiday lights had been put away after the frenetic New Year's Eve fire works display from the Space Needle. The incandescent blue light of evening put on its own light show to backdrop the Needle rising above John Fleming's "Grass Blades" sculpture.

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