Our Seattle office recently put together images and captions depicting our favorite places in Seattle. It was fun to hear from individuals and understand ourselves better as a collective.
1. Katie Hunt (scramble intersection)
There is something so seemingly taboo about crossing the street at a diagonal (especially in a city that hands out tickets to jaywalking pedestrians!) that I can't help but get a little thrill while strutting crossways through a good scramble intersection!
2. Uwe (Myrtle Edwards Park)
Cycling to work, I like being outside in the fresh air and seeing incredible sights, such as the waterfront with large ships superimposed on the mountain ranges, and Seattle's skyline. Also, I like to witness the weather conditions changing.
3. Gary (Hamilton Viewpoint Park or Seacrest Park)
Whether from Hamilton Viewpoint Park above, or Seacrest Park below, the view of downtown Seattle from West Seattle is a yin-yang experience. The natural beauty of the park or beachfront smacks right up against the dense urban setting, with Elliot Bay in between. It is always a spectacular view of the city, day or night.
4. Royce (U-District, Old Tubs w/ graffiti)
I could not return home. Home is never the same as it was, and neither am I. Time weathers the places and experiences that linger in memory-the same ones that shape me individually.
5. Erica (stair)
I am a stair
And I don't care
I am pure utility
To get you from points A to B
I am not fashionable
Or overdesigned
I am part of your simple journey
Installed at a simpler time
I am a secret wedged
Between two buildings
One day
I will be gone
Until then...
Tread on me.
6. Keasa (Taqueria la Fondita)
Taqueria la Fondita has held the title of best taco truck in town for eleven years. A White Center icon, it's known and loved for providing a real taste of Mexico.
7. Nathan (Urban Garden)
The Seattle Children's Playgarden just north of 23rd and Rainier is an invitation of color and play, built for children with challenges, and daring passersby to pass by. Part p-patch, part chicken-coop, part old, part new, part nature, part SuperSonic, it represents the spirit of community building I find most promising in Seattle's neighborhoods.
8. Rick (Rooftop view in Queen Anne Neighborhood)
This view demonstrates the biophilic theory that humans enjoy a place that provides "prospect and refuge" - a chance to survey the horizon from a safe place. The roof deck at my house, overlooking my neighborhood, is one of my favorite places.
9. Yang (Kerry Park)
My favorite spot for seeing Seattle is Kerry Park, up on Queen Anne hill. The city changed this great viewing spot into such a popular little destination, for tourists to visit, for photographers to stay, for party groups to drop by and celebrate in front of the beautiful view of downtown Seattle and Mount Rainer.
10. Tim Richey (Little League)
Just south of Green Lake, lie four Little League baseball fields, arranged in the shape of a 4-leaf clover.
It's here where I've shared some of my fondest memories, my proudest moments, and experiences I won't soon forget. On this cloverleaf, the players and I learned that, in baseball and in life:
Sometimes you win.
Sometimes you lose.
Sometimes it rains. . . And it's always good to have a little luck.
11. Ingrid (Pike Place Market Childcare and daughter, Oona)
Every day I have the opportunity to experience not only the effect of our work on the Market, but the history and liveliness that has built up over the years. Every day I drop off my daughter at the Pike Market Childcare and Preschool, and I'm thrilled that I not only could aid in giving her access to such a wonderful place, but that she is now learning about how to go out and find her way into the rest of the world.
12. Bonnie (Space Needle)
I love the Space Needle, almost the way a child loves a teddy bear. It reminds me of my childhood and the grand adventure of visiting Seattle for the World's Fair in 1962. It reminds me of what I wore, my favorite new red, white and blue peddle-pusher outfit and swingy ponytail. To me it says "home" from anywhere in the world.
13. Jane (Seattle skyline, Space Needle, Harbor, Mt. Rainier at dusk)
Not exactly an original observation, but Seattle's combination of water and topography is unique, especially at sunrise on a clear winter solstice. It gives drama and incredible beauty to an otherwise not-so-interesting morning commute, and makes the place seem less earthbound than other cities.
