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Posts tagged ‘My Seattle’

“Iconic Black Women”, by Seattle artist Hiawatha D

(Best you view these images NOT on a tiny mobile screen, but from your desktop or laptop. You can either view the scrolling gallery above, or move down into the post for the same images with important informative captions.)

As part of an ongoing journey to learn more about Seattle’s black community and their ongoing story, I visited the city’s Northwest African American Museum (NAAMNW) in March 2020. The museum’s permanent collection casts a spotlight on black migration within the United States, and the contributions by blacks to the nation and to the American Pacific Northwest. Also timely was the simultaneous visit of the NHL’s Black Hockey History mobile museum as part of their 14-city tour throughout North America.

I was especially moved by the museum’s special exhibition “Iconic Black Women: Ain’t I A Woman“, by Hiawatha D, an artist based in Seattle. His work and paintings highlight his story as a black man and black artist in America. His series of paintings “Iconic Black Women” shines a positive light on black women throughout past and contemporary American history: the important places they’ve occupied, and the important contributions they’ve made to human rights, music, literature, and sport. On sight of the paintings, the context, clothing, and body language may be immediately familiar. But many of the people painted don’t have faces, which allows viewers, especially young women, to see themselves in these figures, sparking and strengthening a connection between viewer and iconic black women.

I would love to see another name added to this list of iconic black women: Viola Desmond.

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My Seattle: Chris Cornell

Above/featured: Customers’ contributions on the walls of Beth’s Cafe in Seattle’s Phinney Ridge – 7 Mar 2020.

Where: Seattle, WA, USA.
Who: Chris Cornell.
Why: A search for traces he left behind in his birth city.

On 21 April 1991, an album of music both memorial and celebratory in nature was released, and changed not only the nature of rock at the time, but also the lives of many, both inside and outside the music industry. In the days and weeks after Andrew Wood’s death in March 1990, a group of people gathered to mourn and remember; they wrote new compositions and sang their songs. Temple of the Dog was born: the release of their self-titled album on that early-spring day in 1991 would be the only full-length album to the band’s name.

Decades later, the album’s 3rd track “Hunger Strike” is as compelling now as the first time the music video dropped in 1992 to grab my eyeballs and the harmony-melody-guitar-crunch latched onto my ears and brain. For lead singer Chris Cornell, intervening years included critical acclaim and success with Soundgarden and Audioslave, among solo efforts and other collaborations. Hours after performing on tour with Soundgarden, Cornell was found dead in his Detroit hotel room on 18 May 2017, shocking the community within Seattle and the community inside music at large; he was a young 52. Wherever they may be, that jam session with Cornell, Kurt Cobain, Layne Staley, and Andrew Wood has got to be one for the ages.

21 April 2021 is the 30th anniversary of the release of Temple of the Dog’s eponymous album.

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Macy's, Bon Marche building, The Bon, Thanksgiving, holiday star, Seattle, Washington, USA, fotoeins.com

Seattle: Thanksgiving holiday star & fireworks

As a wae lad, I was fascinated by comparative branding and marketing, and that’s how I got to thinking about the differences and similarities between Canada’s Hudson’s Bay Company in greater Vancouver and the American Bon Marché in Bellingham and Seattle. But I don’t ever recall a tradition of lighting a star for October/Canadian Thanksgiving.

In downtown Seattle, a grand building opened in 1929 for the locally-owned Bon Marché department store, operating for over 7 decades until “The Bon” became Macy’s in 2005. A holiday star designed by Bob James in 1957 would become a fixture for the city and her residents. In September 2019, Macy’s declared the downtown Seattle location would be closing at the end of February 2020. At the time, the announcement included no plans for lighting the holiday star.

However, the star looks to be coming back for one more (final?) illumination, as a local lighting company agreed to refurbish and reassemble the star in time for the 2019 Thanksgiving season. Festivities occur Friday November 29, beginning with the annual Thanksgiving parade followed by the star’s lighting and fireworks.

•   MyNorthwest, 27 Nov 2019.

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My Seattle: that tower again

“That Tower Again,” a three-word online phrase for the early 21st-century.

It’s a phrase I associate with Berlin and her TV Tower (Fernsehturm), and that comes with multiple stays and many months in the German capita, a city I feel very much at home (winters notwithstanding). With my return to the Canadian Southwest and near-proximity to Seattle, I reconsider my fondness for the city’s iconic landmark: the Space Needle observation tower. Sight of the tower hasn’t lost its allure since our first family visit in the late 1970s.

For the Seattle World Fair in 1962, construction of the Space Needle occurred over a mere 400 days in time for the “Century 21 Exposition”. The 605-foot (184 metre) tower stood for the spirit of innovation and the might of technology. The city of Seattle designated the tower as an official city landmark in 1999. Fast forward now into the 21st century, it’s unfathomable for resident and visitor alike to think about the Emerald City without its leading spire.

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Phnom Penh Noodle House, International District, Seattle, WA, USA, fotoeins.com

My Seattle: good tasty eats

Above/featured: Cambodian-Chinese cuisine, with seafood special on jasmine rice, and crispy shrimp rolls at upper-right. Phnom Penh Noodle House (CID) – 7 Feb 2017.

How far would I go for food?

The distance between Vancouver BC and Seattle WA is 232 kilometres (144 miles) which is a 2.5- to 3-hour drive or a slightly longer trip with the bus or train. Seattle is older than Vancouver by 27 years as incorporated cities (1869 vs. 1886), but despite relative proximity, I’m fascinated by the different paths by which both cities have evolved.

Seattle is famous for its coffee and for her people’s love of a good brew in a cup. With good coffee people want good food. And what’s even better is that these examples won’t bust your wallet.

CAUTION: The following photos from Seattle (2020) you are about to see may cause sudden pangs of hunger. If you get a terrible case of the drools, I claim total responsibility.

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The Spheres, Amazon Spheres, 6th and Lenora, Amazon, Denny Regrade, Denny Triangle, Seattle, Washington, fotoeins.com

My Seattle: curious glowing Amazon Spheres

Above: (A) The Spheres, northeast from 6th Avenue and Lenora Street (HL).

Glowing glass forms appear around the corner as if they’ve risen suddenly from the ground, eliciting odd looks and interested inquiries from passersby.

On Amazon’s urban campus at the feet of towers Day One and Doppler, The Spheres are located in downtown Seattle on Lenora Street between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue. The futuristic structures provide a highly visible centre of attention for the electronic-commerce and -computing company. Three intersecting glass and steel half-spheres will contain a botanic garden to include exotic plants, waterfalls, and treehouses, and workspaces to further cultivate creativity by and collaboration among Amazon employees. The grand opening is scheduled for 18 January 2018.

The construction development projects are part of the joint efforts by NBBJ and Amazon to regenerate the Denny Regrade area with ample office space for the world headquarters of Amazon, and additional space for retail and public facilities.

The Spheres, Amazon Spheres, 7th and Lenora, Amazon, Denny Regrade, Denny Triangle, Seattle, Washington, fotoeins.com

(B) The Spheres, northwest from 7th and Lenora (HL).

Seattle Municipal Archives, item no. 4011

(C) Seattle Municipal Archives, item no. 4011.

Denny Hill was regraded and removed in multiple phases between 1898 and 1931. In the 1930 picture above (C), the 2017 Spheres in image (B) would be located to the right of the utility pole between the two cars in the foreground and the digging excavator in the background.

I made photos (A) and (B) above on 10 December 2017. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins.com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-aVe.

Morning fog, autumn fog, Seattle P-I globe, West Thomas St Overpass, Myrtle Edwards Park, Seattle, WA, USA, fotoeins.com

Seattle: the Sound and the Silence

“Fog”, definition: “a thick cloud of tiny water droplets suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth’s surface that obscures or restricts visibility (to a greater extent than mist; strictly, reducing visibility to below 1 kilometre).”

Fog isn’t atypical for autumn or winter in the city of Seattle or in the Puget Sound region. While less effective than snow, the damping by fog on light and sound can still provide a modest visual and auditory sensation of silence. That is, until headlights and foghorns pierce the temporary cloak and illusion.

Morning fog, autumn fog, Seattle P-I globe, West Thomas St Overpass, Myrtle Edwards Park, Seattle, WA, USA, fotoeins.com

740am, West Thomas Street Overpass (20171211).

Morning fog, autumn fog, Seattle P-I globe, West Thomas St Overpass, Myrtle Edwards Park, Seattle, WA, USA, fotoeins.com

751am, West Thomas Street Overpass (20171211).

Morning fog, autumn fog, Seattle P-I globe, West Thomas St Overpass, Myrtle Edwards Park, Seattle, WA, USA, fotoeins.com

830am northwest, into Sound fog (20171211).

Morning fog, autumn fog, Seattle P-I globe, West Thomas St Overpass, Myrtle Edwards Park, Seattle, WA, USA, fotoeins.com

840am southeast, as the sun burns through (20171211).

I made the photos above on 6 January 2015 on board the WSDOT Ferry MV Kaleetan from Bremerton to Seattle, and on 11 December 2017 near Myrtle Edwards Park. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-aYc.

Sonic Bloom, Dan Corson, Pacific Science Center, Seattle Center, Space Needle, Seattle, WA, USA, fotoeins.com

Seattle: “Sonic Bloom”, by Dan Corson

A set of very tall “flowers” greets visitors to the Seattle Center. The sculpture by Dan Corson is called “Sonic Bloom” for the Pacific Science Center. Five flowers constructed with steel, acrylic, and fibreglass stand up to 13 metres (40 feet) above the ground. The stripes along the stalks are large mysterious barcodes left as puzzles for people to decode. Night-time illumination by the sculpture is powered completely from solar energy stored on panels “capping” the flowers and panels at the neighboring Science Center. The sculpture is a playful mix of both sight and sound as detection sensors emit choral tones in the presence of movement.

Sonic Bloom, Dan Corson, Pacific Science Center, Seattle Center, Space Needle, Seattle, WA, USA, fotoeins.com
Sonic Bloom, Dan Corson, Pacific Science Center, Seattle Center, Space Needle, Seattle, WA, USA, fotoeins.com

“Sonic Bloom” (Dan Corson) with the Pacific Science Center behind.

Sonic Bloom, Dan Corson, Pacific Science Center, Seattle Center, Space Needle, Seattle, WA, USA, fotoeins.com

Together with the Space Needle, all lit up!

I acknowledge my time on the traditional and ancestral land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish (Dxʷdəwʔabš) People past and present, and honour with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe. I made the media above by day on 10 October 2016 and at night on 14 April 2017, all entirely with a Canon EOS6D mark1. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as http://wp.me/p1BIdT-9zW.

CenturyLink Field, Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Sounders, Seattle, WA, USA

My Seattle: inside Lumen Field (IG)

Above: “Welcome to CenturyLink Field” – 18 Feb 2012.

19 Nov 2020: In time for the Seahawks’ home game against the Arizona Cardinals, the sports stadium where the NFL Seahawks (and the MLS Sounders) play was rebranded to Lumen Field.

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Salumi Artisan Cured Meats, Seattle, WA, USA, fotoeins.com

My Seattle: Salumi’s succulent salami

17 February 2012, early into my year-long RTW.

I haven’t stepped foot in Seattle since 2003, and in that time I’ve learned about the joy that is Salumi.

Salumi Artisan Cured Meats is a well-known salumeria or Italian delicatessen, located in the Pioneer Square area of downtown Seattle. Salumi was established by Armandino Batali, retired Boeing engineer and father to renowned chef Mario Batali. The day-to-day operations are now run by various members of the Batali family.

A quick online-search shows that there have been many words written about Salumi. I can only add precious few, as it’s preferable to leave the descriptions to the following photos.

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