Sights in Washington
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Fremont Troll
The Fremont Troll lurks beneath the north end of the Aurora Bridge at N 36th St. The troll's creators - artists Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter and Ross Whitehead - won a competition sponsored by the Fremont Arts Council in 1990. The 18ft-high cement figure snacking on a Volkswagen Beetle is now a favorite place for late-night beer drinking.
reviewed
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Makah Museum
- Washington, USA
- Sights › Other
Hosted by the Makah Reservation, this museum displays artifacts from one of North America's most significant archaeological finds and is reason enough to visit the town. Exposed by tidal erosion in 1970, the 500-year-old Makah village of Ozette proved to be a treasure trove of native history, containing a huge range of materials including whaling weapons, canoes, spears and combs. The museum's centerpiece is a mock-up of an old Ozette longhouse.
reviewed
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Victor Steinbrueck Park
When you’ve had enough of the market and its crowds, wander out the end of the North Arcade and cross Western Ave to Victor Steinbrueck Park, a grassy area designed in 1982 by Steinbrueck and Richard Haag. You’ll find benches, a couple of totem poles designed by Quinault tribe member Marvin Oliver, a few shuffling vagrants and great views over the Waterfront and Elliott Bay. Rallies and political demonstrations are often held here.
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Fishermen’s Terminal
Seattle’s fishing fleet resides at Fishermen’s Terminal, in a wide recess in the ship canal called Salmon Bay on the south side of the Ballard Bridge. Fishermen’s Terminal is a popular moorage spot because the facility is in freshwater, above the Chittenden Locks. Freshwater is much less corrosive to boats than saltwater.
It’s great fun to wander the piers, watching crews unload their catch, clean their boats and repair nets. Many of these fishing boats journey to Alaska in summer and return to dry dock while they wait out the winter. Outdoor interpretive displays explain the history of Seattle’s fishing fleet, starting with the native inhabitants who first fished…
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Theo Chocolate Factory
What, perhaps you wonder, could possibly take the place of the free beer that came at the end of a Redhood Brewery tour? How about free chocolate? That’s right – the old Redhood Brewery (empty for years since the company moved operations to Woodinville) has reopened as a chocolate factory, and it does tours. Enough said.
reviewed
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Seattle Tower
Formerly the Northern Life Tower, this 26-story art-deco skyscraper, built in 1928, was designed to reflect the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. The brickwork on the exterior blends from dark at the bottom to light on top, the same way mountains appear to do. Check out the 18-karat-gold relief map in the lobby.
reviewed
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International Fountain
This is the place to be on sunny days. With 287 jets of water (recycled, of course) pumping in time to a computer-driven music system, the International Fountain at the heart of the Seattle Center is a great place to rest your feet or eat lunch on a warm day. On summer nights, there’s a free light-and-music show.
reviewed
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Georgetown Art Center
A former dance studio, the community friendly art center hosts rotating exhibits as well as studio space, classes and workshops. It’s one of several key stops along the route of the Art Attack, Georgetown’s monthly art walk. Stop by on a Wednesday night from 6pm to 9pm for its open life-drawing class ($12).
reviewed
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Japanese Garden
At the southern edge of Washington Park Arboretum, this 3.5-acre formal garden has koi pools, waterfalls, a teahouse and manicured plantings. Granite for the garden’s sculptures was laboriously dragged in from the Cascades. Tea ceremony demonstrations are frequently available. Call for a schedule.
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GS Sanborn Building
The GS Sanborn Building is Ballard’s only example of Romanesque architecture, a style that was popular on the East Coast in the 1880s. It has a sandstone face and a third-story arch, and housed some of Ballard’s key businesses in the early 1900s, including a department store.
reviewed
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Totally Blown Glassworks
This glassworks studio and shop makes all its work in-house; if you’ve never seen a glassblowing demonstration, it’s worth checking out. The studio welcomes spectators any Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday from 8am to 4pm. This is another popular stop on the monthly Art Attack art walk.
reviewed
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Gable House
This 14-gabled house was built in 1905 by Harry Whitney Treat, a friend of William F ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody. Treat also built the Golden Gardens Park. It’s long since become an office building, but both the building and the hillside setting are worth a look.
reviewed
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Jimi Hendrix Statue
Guitar genius of the last century and Seattle’s favorite son, Jimi Hendrix rocks out eternally in this bronze sculpture by local artist Daryl Smith, created in 1997. Hendrix fans have been known to leave flowers, candles and notes at the base of the kneeling statue.
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Times Square Building
This terra-cotta and granite structure, guarded by eagles perched on the roof, was designed by the Paris-trained architect Carl Gould (who also did the Seattle Asian Art Museum and the UW’s Suzzallo Library). It housed the Seattle Times from 1916 to 1931.
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Portland Building
A great example of the decorative brickwork that graces many of the buildings along Ballard Ave, the Portland Building has housed all kinds of businesses since its construction, including taverns and dry-goods stores. It was renovated in 1985.
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Center On Contemporary Art
This gallery has been a force in Seattle’s contemporary art scene for two decades. After moving around a lot, it has opened a new branch in Belltown as well as this primary space in the Shilshole Bay Beach Club.
reviewed
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Louisa Boren Lookout
Outside the Volunteer Park boundaries, the Louisa Boren Lookout provides one of the best views over the university and Union Bay. The small park is named after the longest-surviving member of the party that founded Seattle in 1851.
reviewed
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Cors & Wegener Building
Once the offices of the early local broadsheet, Ballard News, this is still one of the most impressive in the area. One of the first in the area to be revitalized, it’s now mostly shops, apartments and office space.
reviewed
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Columbia Center
Formerly the Columbia Seafirst Center, then the Bank of America Tower, this striking structure is also known as the ‘Darth Vader’ building. Catch a breathtaking view from the observation deck on the 73rd of its 76 floors.
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Seattle Rose Garden
The 2.5-acre Seattle Rose Garden, near the entrance road to the zoo off N 50th St, was started in 1924 and contains 5000 plants, including heirloom roses and a test garden for All-America Rose selections.
reviewed
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Volunteer Park Conservatory
The conservatory is a classic Victorian greenhouse built in 1912. Filled with palms, cacti and tropical plants, it features five galleries representing different world environments. Check out the creepy corpse flower.
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Mount Zion Baptist Church
One of the cornerstones of this neighborhood is Mount Zion Baptist Church, a 2000-member congregation with a choir that has reached national acclaim through its gospel recordings. The church is over a century old.
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Alki Point Lighthouse
The US Coast Guard maintains this lighthouse. It has limited public hours and you can’t just walk up to it, but tours are available by appointment. Call for a current schedule and more information.
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Hau Hau Market
Hau Hau is a modern and bustling Chinese and Vietnamese food market where you can get cheap produce, specialty meats such as pork ears and chicken feet, fireworks, and Asian gifts and knickknacks.
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Shilshole Bay Marina
The Shilshole Bay Marina, about 2 miles northwest of the locks along Seaview Ave, offers nice views across Puget Sound and, as Seattle’s primary sailboat moorage, a glittery collection of boats. Inside the marina, you can rent sailboats or take classes at Windworks.
reviewed