Seattle Daily Photo

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Kinda Spooky Barbie Dream Hearse

Yes, you did read that right. Having been the childhood owner of the classic Barbie-sized Austin Healy Sports Car, this hearse with Barbie's name on it got my attention with it's word play on the familiar Barbie Dream House by Mattel Toys. I nabbed this Pike Place Market area shot with my iPhone and the Instagram app. The vintage hearse has been converted by its entrepreneurial owner into a limousine with white and pink interior that can seat seven for party and event rentals. I imagine some Seattlites in costume have it fully booked for some spooky Halloween reveling tonight. . .but there's always next year.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Dramatic Light

The steel of the Aurora Bridge was catching some serious rays as I walked along the ship canal. The light with that dramatic backdrop of cloudy skies painted a lovely autumn scene. Others were out enjoying the sun break and fall colors. Made me want to fix my flat tire and ride my bike! :-). Maybe this weekend. Wishing folks in the east clearing skies and safety.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Woes

An altered stop sign near Seattle Center had this prophetic word to offer. Well, we've sure all got them from time to time. May all our woes be stopped or eased this day. Wishing you a good Monday and start to the week, despite whatever it is you might be up against today. Thinking of those along the US east coast, those facing personal health concerns, those grieving loss of loved ones, those displaced due to war and unrest. I'm looking for some street sign that reads "blessings"! :-)

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Two For the Show

Taxi, taxi! No we're not in NYC. On 1st Avenue in Seattle one doesn't have to wait long to glimpse a cab or two. These days, though, you are as likely to see an orange or green cab, and a Prius at that! These are a bit old school. "Two riders were approaching" :-) so I quickly whipped out my iPhone and nabbed this Instagram shot looking towards the south late on Saturday afternoon. Surprising how little traffic is in view.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Doppelganger

As he approached I thought this might be Seattle's Mayor Mike McGinn, but when he came into closer range here I could see this cyclist just had a beard similar to our cycling city leader. I really like his messenger bag; it looks very comfortable. This was on the bike trail just outside of Google in the Fremont neighborhood.

Friday, October 26, 2012

My Favorite Houseboat

I've shown you this houseboat before. It was three years ago, but in a night shot when it was all lit up from within. This floating home is on the west shore of Lake Union along the Burke Gilman Trail, just under the Aurora Bridge in the Fremont neighborhood.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Graphic Art Underfoot

I've shared lots of photos of Seattle's literal street art, the kind that is underfoot (some examples here). I've always liked this black and white graphic design painted on the sidewalk in the Capital Hill neighborhood. The shine from the rain adds a nice effect.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Seems Familiar

Perhaps this building seems familiar to you, and perhaps for more than one reason. This is the northwest elevation of the building complex called Fisher Plaza which sits between Broad Street and 5th Avenue along Denny Way. It houses several businesses, the largest being the ABC affiliate, KOMO 4 television. If you've visited the Space Needle before, this building would have featured prominently in the view as it is just steps away. You may have also seen the upper exterior of the round portion featured as the helipad of Seattle Grace Hospital in the long running television show Gray's Anatomy. The actual exteriors of the fictional hospital are filmed in Southern California, as is the show, but this building and other Seattle locations do come up now and again. Do you like to find filming locations you recognize from favorite movies and TV shows when you visit other cities?

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Streetlight Scene

The Ballard neighborhood of Seattle is known for many things. Among them, the huge vintage ADD BARDAHL TO YOUR CAR / OIL neon sign which faces the Ballard bridge and the Ship Canal. The sign looms above the Bardahl Manufacturing company's building on 14th Ave NW, where they've been doing business for 73 years. I took this Instagram shot with my iPhone from a few blocks away looking toward the back side of the sign. Last October I featured the front side here. Framed by the light and telephone poles and with that flare of street light warming up the blue twilight sky (and the obligatory kayak mounted on a Thule car rack in the foreground) I thought this shot captured a little bit of everyday Ballard flavor.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Jaguar Reflection on First Hill

I was walking near Town Hall on First Hill when this black curvaceous beauty caught my eye. It also caught the reflection of its surroundings on that shiny boot!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Casting A Long Shadow Across Post Alley

Hello from Seattle Daily Photo after a bit of a hiatus. Today I had the pleasure of meeting up with Bob & Carolyn Crowe of Saint Louis Daily Photo. They were in town for a professional conference and some R&R. We took in the Elles traveling exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum, currently on loan from le Centre Pompidou in Paris. Very fun to see them both. I'm a big fan of SLDP. I had missed meeting Bob by just a few feet the last time he was in Seattle. We had both been at the Kerry Park overlook at the same time, but didn't know each other. It was after we both posted shots taken from the same place at the same time that we realized we were probably standing just a few feet apart. So, seeing them both today was a real treat. No photography was allowed in the gallery we were in, so no shots of them or the wonderful art we saw together. I took this late afternoon shot with my iPhone from a Union Street overlook into Post Alley just a half block from the museum. And, yes, you've seen many shots of or from Post Alley here before on SDP, and can click here to see 20 of them. :-)

Monday, May 14, 2012

Put It In Your Pocket

And you thought the Fiat 500 was a cutie! I had a treat today in seeing this little gem buzzing down Seattle's Queen Anne Ave N. It's a 1957 BMW Isetta 300. The owner walked up as I was taking this shot and shared this bit of information with me. He then opened up the front of the car and got in via the dash board door. He said it runs on a BMW motorcycle engine. There are 4 wheels, but the the back two are spaced very close together. The owner said at one time previous models had three wheels, but this was modified for stability. I really loved seeing this and wish it were still being made. It would be a super choice for today's city driver.

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Goodbye Maurice

When I heard this week that Maurice Sendak had passed away at age 83, I thought of all the enjoyment I've had over the years reading his books with and to children. I hear the little voices of kids at our preschool who memorize and recite all the verses each year from his little illustrated jewel, "Chicken Soup With Rice." I thought of this photo I took of a Sendak display made by librarians at the Seattle Central Library. Sendak's drawings are so distinctive. He was an illustrator and author of myriad children's picture books from the 1950s to the present, many of them now classics. He was the costume and set designer of The Pacific Northwest Ballet's beloved Seattle production of "The Nutcracker." Raised in Brooklyn and the son of a Holocaust survivor, he had a long and productive life and was predeceased by his life partner of more than 50 years. Maurice Sendak brought so much understanding, wit, and humor to life in his pages for children. Thanks, Maurice. Generations of your readers will miss you."Going once, going twice, going chicken soup with rice."

Saturday, May 05, 2012

Seattle Children's Theatre

The Charlotte Martin Theatre was designed by Seattle architects Mahlum & Nordfors McKinley Gordon and built almost 20 years ago. I love this building's appearance from all four sides. It features playful uses of shape and surface design. This is the west elevation at street side. The productions of the Seattle Children's Theatre are much loved by the community.

Friday, May 04, 2012

A Labyrinth of Solitude

Nobody's about 'cept me. Painted on the pavement just outside the curvacious EMP is a black and orange Chartres-style labyrinth. This labyrinth is open to the public 24/7 and was painted two years ago this month. All those curvy lines, I just had to capture the scene.

Thursday, May 03, 2012

As Far As the Eye Can See

Did you get up to Skagit Valley for the Tulip Festival this year? It ended Sunday. We missed the magic this year. We'll be heading up there in July to help out at New Earth Farm, an organic fruit and veggie farm we buy a CSA share in, and visit friends there who provide all kinds of support services for Skagit area farm workers and their families. If you visit Seattle, be sure to explore this beautiful area to the north.

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

1962 Redeux

Here's a view of the Space Needle's new coat of orange paint, a throw back to the color it wore on its hat when it opened for the 1962 Century 21 World's Fair. I took this with my iPhone in HDR and Instagram.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Still Looking Up to Her at 50!

I took this shot of The Jetsons era beauty looking up through the glass rain shield that covers the gift shop walkway. Seattlites are going dotty for their icon, as the Space Needle is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month. Here's the Needle By The Numbers:
605 feet tall
Original cost: $4.5 million
Remodel cost in 2000: $21 million
Visited by 1.2 million people a year
Repainted 4 times, using 8,000 gallons
On hot days, the Needle expands about 1 inch
Opened to the public April 21, 1962
Open 365 days per year

Here's a link to the live webcam on top of the Needle. You can manipulate the view to see out in any direction on the compass. So, check out the view from the top, and if you look in the right direction, you might see my house :-).

Friday, April 27, 2012

Economy of Scale

I was not the only photographer wandering around the base of the Fremont neighborhood's colossal Lenin statue late in the evening. I, however, did not have my tripod with me. This guy got some super night shots with his. His presence allows me to show you the scale of this controversial statue that is considered a neighborhood art novelty rather than a political work (full story here of how this 16' bronze cast in 1988 came from Slovakia to reside in Washington State in 1994). As huge as he is, this is only the second largest sculpture in Fremont. The Fremont Troll (shown here) is two feet taller and much, much wider.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Spring Evening On Greenlake

My mother-in-law and I were taking a walk around Greenlake when we noticed four paddlers making their way through the cloudscape on the water.

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