Seattles Pike Place Market
Pike Place Market - The Soul of Seattle
With over 10 million visitors each year, Seattle's Pike Place Market is the top Seattle attraction for visitors to the city. But it is not just for tourists! It is also frequented and enjoyed by the local residents of Seattle and the surrounding area. The Pike Place Market is one of the oldest farmer's markets in the US, but it is much more than just a collection of fruit and vegetable stands. It is a window into the history and culture of Seattle. The market is what some have called "the sou...

Step Into Seattle: Spring
Seattle Spring: A Procession of Blossoms
A Seattle spring lasts a long, long time. The first blossoms flicker open before the groundhog even looks for a shadow, yet often the days are not consistently warm and bright and summer-like until the Fourth of July. In between, there's frequent rain and a long procession of blossoming things: The blooming season starts as a flicker here and there, builds to a crescendo around April or so... and then it just keeps going and going. And, oh, the pastels! When I lived in Northern Virginia (as ...

Step Into Seattle
A Seattle Snapshot
I don't live in a world of polka-dot skies, and I never have, except for those brief flashes of Kodak time. I do live in a beautiful city -- a city of angels, a city of bridges -- though officially those names belong to other cities, and not to mine. Seattle -- my city -- is a city best described by its residents. Why? The city shows a different face to residents than it does to tourists. Here's an example: If you look at a postcard, you'll get the sense that the Space Needle looms large acr...

Seattle Ballard Locks
Hiram M. Chittenden Locks
The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, also known as The Ballard Locks, is one of the most interesting, fun and free places to visit in Seattle. The locks are part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, built by the Army Corps of Engineers to facilitate the travel of boats and ships between Lake Washington, Lake Union and Puget Sound. The lakes are approximately 22 feet above the average level of the sound, which varies depending on the tide. In addition to allowing passage of the boats, the locks also ...

Seattle Sculpture Park
The Seattle Art Museum Olympic Sculpture Park
A few blocks west of the Seattle Space Needle lies the Olympic Sculpture Park, a gem of a park in the middle of the city to enjoy both art and nature. The Olympic Sculpture Park was created on nine acres of land that was formerly a contaminated industrial site by the Seattle Art Museum. The project was made possible by donations by many companies and individuals and the cooperation of several private and public organizations including The Trust for Public Land, the City of Seattle, King Count...

Step Into Seattle Farmers Market
Grown and Crafted in Washington State
Seattle's farmers markets are on an upswing, existing on a wing and a prayer -- and on a belief in a sustainable future. Recent years have seen an increase in the number of markets and in the number of hours they operate. In fact, the Seattle U-District Farmers Market is now open Saturdays 9 AM - 2 PM year round. You can find tubers in the winter, tulips in the spring, and hand-crafted edibles such as jam, bread, cider, and cheese throughout the year. It's in the summer sun, though, that the...

The Seattle Monorail
Take a Ride on the Seattle Monorail
March 24, 2012 is the 50 year anniversary of the official opening day of the Seattle Monorail. Built in 1961-1962 for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair by the Alweg Rapid Transit Company, it took visitors the one mile distance from the main Seattle downtown business district to the site of the fair. In keeping with the fair's theme of Century 21, the monorail was featured as a promising transportation method of the future. Some envisioned the World's Fair monorail as just the beginning of a larg...

Step Into Seattle... Calendars
Photos and Calendars Go Hand in Hand
I think many of us are born to one type of land or another. During my Tucson days, I seldom took photographs of my surroundings, but soon after I set foot in Seattle -- a woodsy land not unlike the woods of my early childhood -- I equipped myself with a FujiFilm camera and began to point it all around me. I gave homemade Seattle calendars to friends and family that first Christmas (or was it the second?) I shared my place on earth through words and pictures. This year, with the help of new t...

The Seattle Ducks Tour
What is the Seattle Ride the Ducks Tour?
If you are looking for a tour to see the sights of Seattle that is is fun and unique, the Seattle Ride the Ducks Tour may be just what you are looking for. The Ducks is the only Seattle sightseeing adventure that combines both a land tour of the main attractions and a cruise all in one tour! The Ducks are colorful vehicles that were originally designed for use as amphibious landing craft during World War II. The vehicles have been modified to be a comfortable and fun way to view a city like S...

Step Into Ravenna Creek Ravine
Walk With Me to Ravenna Woods
"It's magic," I tease, but I don't tell him what it is. He's game, and so we begin the trip near my home, in one of the most commercial parts of Seattle's University District. We walk along University Boulevard -- 'the Ave' -- past the coffee houses, the Middle Eastern and vegetarian eateries, the myriad people peddling papers, strolling or rushing about, playing guitar for pocket change. We amble past the grassy lot that on Saturdays hosts the U-District Farmers Market. At the corner of 60t...