I recently joined the Seattle Architecture Foundation's walking tour of my neighborhood. The Pike/Pine: Cars, Bars, and Dead Rock Stars tour is informative of historical and contemporary design, and use of neighborhood structures.
This tour is good for regional residents: it includes useful historical context and discussion of contemporary urban planning and redevelopment projects. However, I don't recommend you take out-of-town visitors on this tour. The Underground Tour is for the tourists; the Seattle Architecture Foundation's tour is for residents and those interested in the neighborhood's history and building design.
Check my post over on the Capitol Hill Seattle site to discover buildings that were car dealerships or auto services 100 years ago, when Pike/Pine was Seattle's "auto row." Once you know what to look for, it is fun to recognize the structures and see how they are used today. Some still have auto-related businesses.
We also had an interesting brewmaster-led tour of the Elysian Brewery. No beer tasting, but it wasn't even noon o'clock yet anyway.
Showing posts with label tourist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tourist. Show all posts
Thursday, August 21, 2008
A Little Walking Tour of Capitol Hill
Monday, July 21, 2008
Raise Your Hand if You're a Tourist
The ferry ride to Bainbridge Island (Winslow) and back is one of the best low-cost tourist activities in Seattle. Less than $7 will get you a roundtrip ride across Puget Sound with spectacular views of the city skyline, the shipyards and a glimpse of island life.
Ferries run about every 40 minutes on weekends. The little town of Winslow is a 6-block walk from the terminal and offers two blocks of shops, restaurants and bakeries. Best bets are Eagle Harbor Book Store and Blackbird Bakery.
Eagle Harbor Book Store is a mini Elliott Bay Book Co, if you will. The staff are knowledgeable and helpful, and the selection and arrangement of books demonstrates thoughtful care. (BTW, they are hiring. Wanna live on Bainbridge?)
Blackbird Bakery offers a good selection of vegan baked goods as well as traditional wheat and sugar goodness. Something for everybody here! I had a delicious oatmeal and craisin cookie. The real tourist I traveled with was pleased with the vegan lemon pound cake.
Don't bother with the waterfront walk/trail that is signed to the left as you exit the ferry area on Bainbridge. The "trail" wanders through the service area for the Washington state ferries (sorta interesting if you are mechanically inclined), crosses a bracken outflow, and then pops out for a waterfront view of Eagle Harbor from the industrial side of the bay. Not very interesting or pretty. Better to hang out at the terminal and people watch if you arrive back early.
Ferries run about every 40 minutes on weekends. The little town of Winslow is a 6-block walk from the terminal and offers two blocks of shops, restaurants and bakeries. Best bets are Eagle Harbor Book Store and Blackbird Bakery.
Eagle Harbor Book Store is a mini Elliott Bay Book Co, if you will. The staff are knowledgeable and helpful, and the selection and arrangement of books demonstrates thoughtful care. (BTW, they are hiring. Wanna live on Bainbridge?)
Blackbird Bakery offers a good selection of vegan baked goods as well as traditional wheat and sugar goodness. Something for everybody here! I had a delicious oatmeal and craisin cookie. The real tourist I traveled with was pleased with the vegan lemon pound cake.
Don't bother with the waterfront walk/trail that is signed to the left as you exit the ferry area on Bainbridge. The "trail" wanders through the service area for the Washington state ferries (sorta interesting if you are mechanically inclined), crosses a bracken outflow, and then pops out for a waterfront view of Eagle Harbor from the industrial side of the bay. Not very interesting or pretty. Better to hang out at the terminal and people watch if you arrive back early.
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