Seattle Daily Photo

Monday, March 31, 2008

A Little Evening Sparkle on a Gray Day

Here are some of the downtown builidings on the east side of the high rise core. 2 Union Square above and the Experience Music Project below catch some sparkle at sunset. You can also see one of the round towers of the Westin Hotel at right and perhaps you can see a bit of the lighted red Roosevelt sign peeking out from behind a building. A trained eye can just make out the Elephant Carwash sign beyond the top of Purple Haze. Perhaps you work in or have visited one of these buildings?

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Gnarley and Beautiful in Old Age

I've read recently that the Yoshino Cherry trees in the Quad at UW are reaching the end of their life cycle and that there are plans to replace them over time with younger ones. They were transplanted to the University Campus over 40 years ago when a highway project cut through their habitat near the Arboretum.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Snow & Spring Blossoms

The cherry tree at Bergen Place (named for sister city Bergen Norway) is in full bloom and the tulips are tall with yellow blooms, yet the snow falls and people shelter under the kiosk's roof. It was wet snow and only collected on grassy ground and plants for an hour or so. If you'd like to see the first tulip in bloom this year in my garden, visit my Flickr page (link to the right in sidebar). Have a great weekend!

Friday, March 28, 2008

Kabul Daily Photo

Oh, wait, this is actually on the campus of the University of Washington here in Seattle. I was taking photos of the cherry trees in bloom on the quad when these nice guys from Afghanistan asked if I would take a couple group shots for them. So, hi from them to the folks back home in Kabul, and to the Daily Photo folks all over the planet. Happy Friday!

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Kiss Cafe

Given all the romance going on at Paris Daily Photo this week, I thought I would salute the happy couple with a kiss from Seattle. This Kiss Cafe sign caught my eye, but I have yet to try the Ballard eatery. Have you been there?

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Troubled Today

This could be in any American city, but it is here in Seattle, one of the west coast places reported to have coined the logging town term "Skid Road." He was ill but didn't want any assistance, lying next to the fence in a seldom used railway corridor along the ship canal's light industry and maritime business area.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Fast Cat Behind Bars

Only, this Jag is NOT in Woodland Park Zoo. . .
Seen in a gated carport on a cloudy, cold day.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Crémant

Generous portions of rich traditional French dishes, cheeses, and just about any wine on the menu available by the glass are what this local restaurant uses to lure Seattlites from all over the city to the Madrona neighborhood. Crémant is known for delicious, reasonably priced food and deserts that delight.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Unless a Seed Falls to the Ground

Although we had sun yesterday and children could be seen playing all afternoon in yards up and down the street as their parents worked in the gardens, today in Seattle is a rainy affair so far. I don't recall the name of this lovely flower, but it graces a rock garden in front of a Madrona neighborhood home. Wishing all within the CDPB community that celebrate it a lovely Easter.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Cyclist On Foot

A bike commuter, lock and wrench in hand, walking around the corner to park her bike in front of a popular local bakery cafe, Verite Coffee & Cupcake Royal, in the Madrona neighborhood. Showers were predicted, and she was ready with her footwear.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Spring Streetscape

I thought you might like to see this view looking north down a residential street in the Madrona neighborhood. The traffic circles at this intersection and the next are planted with flowering trees and daffodils, a common sight in many Seattle neighborhoods right now. Wishing you a great start to the Easter weekend with lots of time to enjoy the beauty of the spring or autumn scenes near you.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Seattle Spring

It is the first day of spring, fast moving clouds are roiling through the sky on a cold breeze and there is new snow in the mountains. There were showers last evening and predicted again today, but spring is there to be found if you look. The city is awash in the pinks and whites of cherry and plum blossoms, but gray is having its way right now.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Tunnel Vision

"Where will this come out? Oooo, its horribly oppressive in here. Drive faster!" Do you like going through tunnels, or do you feel trapped? We learned from some kids we watched for a week while their parents were away how their parents distracted them from that panicky feeling they got in tunnels: see if you can hold your breath the whole way through, start to finish--no cheating! We started doing it for fun ourselves, and kept it up when we became parents. It's our whole family's automatic reaction when we enter a tunnel. I can do it all the way through this one which passes under Denny Way. Many people in Seattle feel like they've been trapped on a road they didn't want to go down, holding their breath through a long tunnel, not knowing where the end is or how it will turn out. They are gathering today and this evening for somber observances of the 5th anniversary of of the USA going into Iraq, honoring the sacrifices and loss of US military families and Iraqi families, and looking for the light of peace and a full breath of truth and healing at the end of a long, dark and confusing tunnel.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Historic Ballard

The Ballard neighborhood is known for its maritime heritage, its Nordic roots, and its former glory days as the west coast's shingle mill capitol. This Mid-century modern structure was a Manning's Restaurant and until recently a Denny's. Community groups in Ballard sought and obtained historic landmark status to avoid demolition for a multistory condominium development which they oppose. The neighborhood is undergoing rapid change. The building is an example of sorts of Googie architecture from the late 50s and early 60s, with its soaring and unusual roof lines, and was a predominant theme in west coast commercial architecture during the science-influenced "space age" days. The dispute continues and the fate of the property is still being worked out.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Flash Mob Pillow Fight

Happy St. Patrick's Day to those celebrating today!
This photo is from a Flash Mob Pillow Fight at Bergen Place in the heart of the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle yesterday. Have there been Flash Mob events of some kind in your city? In the case of this pillow fight, an organizer sent emails inviting people to come with concealed pillows at 2:22 PM. At that time, a whistle sounded and all these people who had gathered in the area suddenly whipped out their pillows and started clobbering each other. Midway through the 5 minutes allotted, feathers exploded everywhere. When the time was up a whistle blew and people stopped and walked away quickly, clapping and cheering. Someone had tipped off the news media, as two stations had cameramen there. For more photos, see my Flickr site.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Call the Realtor!

Let's move in. This is perfect! We could buy it for a song!
Perhaps the only truly affordable house in Seattle is this one for birds among the plum blossoms on Capitol Hill.

Wishing all who celebrate it a lovely Palm Sunday and beginning of Holy Week.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Refurbished She Stands

West Seattle's Alki Beach has been graced with a replica of the Statue of Liberty since 1952 when local Boy Scouts raised funding and had it installed, part of a nation-wide BSA effort that placed over 200 of these 8 ft. replicas all over America. She became a magnet for community expressions of outrage, mourning, and solidarity with the people of NYC after the 9-11 attacks. The elements and vandalism had not been kind to Lady Liberty, so she went in for an extreme makeover at the foundry. She returned rejuvenated to her pedestal last September 11th, and her original self can now be viewed in the Log House Museum. She's slated to have a new base and plaza installed for the public to enjoy by the end of this year.

Seattle Daily Photo takes this opportunity to raise a golden Tater Tot in salute to West Seattle Blog, an unparalleled community news blog and winner of Metroblogging Seattle's 2008 blog tournament. Big woo hoo and wishes for continued success in building a more connected and informed community, something no true democracy can have enough of. And, many, many thanks to SDP readers for all their kind support up through the final round, and to the MetBlogs staff for featuring and encouraging bloggers from all over the city. Thanks a bunch!

Friday, March 14, 2008

On The Viaduct Thru Belltown

If you've visited Seattle, you are familiar with this area along the waterfront, but perhaps from a different viewpoint. Just past that beige building to the right of the highway is the backside of the Pike Place Market complex and the adjoining Victor Steinbrueck Park. If you live here, you probably have driven along this elevated highway, the Alaskan Way Viaduct (Hwy 99), many, many times. And, no, I do not advocate shooting while driving; this was taken while riding shotgun. :-) The other buildings you see are mainly Belltown's condominiums. I always like seeing the two buildings at center which slope and draw the eye up along their stacked atria (can you see the trees peeking out the skylights?)

Please vote for SDP in the grand final round of the 2008 Tournament of Blogs by clicking here: Metroblogging Seattle will close the poll tonight at 5:00 PM Pacific time. Many thanks for all your support!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Reflected Plaid

I thought we'd spend another day gazing upward in downtown.--this time at an abstract created by all kinds of building stripes, a stripe of blue sky, and golden architectural grid lines superimposed on the gridded glass of 2 Union Square, one building's reflection upon another, creating a visual plaid .

Please vote for SDP in the grand final round of the 2008 Tournament of Blogs by clicking here: Metroblogging Seattle will close the poll for best Seattle blog this Friday at 5:00 PM Pacific time. Many thanks for all your support!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Municipal Tower Top

It's an odd shape in architecture, at least to me. The roof line of Seattle's Municipal Tower is distinctive from any angle. If you view it from the north or south elevations, you'll see that the sloping roof on those sides is transparent. You might remember this image of the base I featured in SDP last spring.

Join me in wishing a happy 3rd anniversary to Eric of Paris Daily Photo, who, without ever dreaming it, founded a global city daily photoblogging movement and anticipates his one millionth unique visitor to PDP today. Bon anniversaire, Eric!

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