It was a not-much-happenin' Saturday. We had the Chimney Guy coming at 0900 to check out the, uh, the chimney. Hahaha, that was a no-brainer, right?
Anyway, Carol took off early heading downtown to take care of some of her business at the bank. It's convenient, riding the Link down to Westgate and then walking around the corner to the bank.
EZ-PZ
Just my style.
I waited for the Chimney Guy and, after he checked out the chimney and announced that it needed a new aluminum insert, got into a good conversation with him about politics, idiots and life in general. You might have already guessed that the idiots part there referred to some of our less-than-stellar progressive politicians (I can't bring myself to call them leaders) like Socialist Councilwoman Kshama Sawant, Chic Progressive Mayor Ed Murray and Brain-Lite Governor Jay Inslee.
Hahaha, it is so refreshing, not to mention surprising, to find a fellow traveler here in this miasma of liberal lunacy. We had a jolly ol' time agreeing with each other, tsk-tsk-tsking the current sad and sorry state of our culture and lamenting our rapidly deteriorating international standing.
Haha, keen fun!!
But the good times could only roll for so long and then I had to bid a fond farewell to my new bestest buddy and get ready to go and meet Carol downtown for some adventurin'.
Here I go!!
Très chic, eh? And color-coordinated, too!!
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| You talkin' to me!?!?! |
Carol met me at the arrival platform downtown and we took off. No particular destination and certainly no timetable to work around and so we followed our noses and, in the end, obeyed our tummies.
And guess what we saw as we exited the station? Hahaha,
RePete!!
Hey, after all the Super Bowl is tomorrow!!
RePete!!
Hey, after all the Super Bowl is tomorrow!!
This town is getting crazy.
It's Saturday and the streets were pretty much empty. Great for walkin' and talkin' and seein' what we're gonna see.
This blog is gonna be a lot of pictures mostly. I do love this city and it is always a kick for me to walk about and catch some shots. It's even neater that Carol enjoys walking with me and will wait patiently while I stop, shoot, take two steps, stop, shoot, take . . . Hahaha, you get the idea.
But, for some odd reason, she will not stop with me as we cross streets and I take a shot up one way or down the other. Silly girl.
I was feeling Artsy-Fartsy today. And I was looking up a lot. You'll see. There wasn't a lot of sun out today. We did get a couple of patches of sun but, for the most part, it was cloudy and grey. And it was fun.
And, looking' down Union Street, the Great Wheel.
Fun Facts: The wheel extends nearly 40 feet beyond the end of the pier, over Elliott Bay. The wheel itself weighs over 280,000 lbs and it took more than 550 tons of concrete to make the foundation for the wheel.
There's a symmetry to these old buildings I am drawn to. A strength that impresses and reassures.
I like it.
A slow, sleepy, Seattle Saturday street scene.
See that other street sign? The one for Gerard Schwarz?
Fun Facts: Ol' Gerard is an American conductor. He was the music director of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra from 1985 to 2011.
The Seattle Symphony works out of Benaroya Hall. More on that later.
Hahaha, Andy Warhol has been quoted as saying that art is ". . . whatever you can get away with." I gotta agree; that's a very accurate description.
So I'm gonna try and get away with calling this one art. I like it . . . the colors of the cabs and the streetlights make it for me.
Right!?!
Right!!
Hahaha, you might recognize those feet. I pressed Carol into modeling for the street curb series today.
And for good reason. We'd just gotten to 3rd and Pine and were waiting on the light so we could cross the street. I had just raised my hand to my camera, which was looped around my neck and hanging down on my chest. Carol and I were maybe three feet from the people in front of us when this old woman turned around and began shaking her soda at me. She'd just come out of the McDonald's there on the corner and had a drink in her hand.
She was accusing me of having either poked her in the rear or of having thrown something on her. She was vigourously waving that soda in front of me and letting me have it with both of her rather substantial and mighty vocal barrels.
What can you do? I just kept my mouth shut and watched her to be ready in case she launched that soda.
Hahaha, she trailed me across the street yelling at me. Fortunately, at the corner, we turned in one direction and she had business in another direction because she left off ranting at me and moved on.
And that's how Carol became my model.
There it is. There's Benaroya Hall and, like everyone else in Seattle, they're 12s, too. It's the round building on the right there, the one with the large 12 on it.
Fun Facts: Benaroya Hall is the home of the Seattle Symphony. It has two auditoriums, the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium, a 2,500-seat performance venue, as well as the Nordstrom Recital Hall, which seats roughly 500. Opened in 1988 at a cost of $120 million. It occupies an entire city block in the center of the city. Of course the lobby has some glass art . . . by Dale Chihuly.
Benaroya Hall is named for noted philanthropist Jack Benaroya, whose $15.8 million donation was the first and largest of many for construction of the facility.
Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. Scott Adams
Hahaha, I was lookin' up for inspiration. Plus, we're kinda like kids and when Carol said "Ooooh, look at the contrail." I was off.
I have to say I've never noticed this side of the Seattle Art Museum before. This is the side facing University Street. I'm guessing it's because I always walk up and down the Avenues and not up and down the Streets. Small point here, the streets run east and west and that means they really do go up and down . . . the hills.
And we all know I'm not too keen on hills anymore.
I shot a picture of the bike on the left a couple of weeks ago and, this is becoming a common refrain, never noticed the other bike chained to a neighboring streetlight.
Regardless, as I look at it now, from my walking down(hill) on University, those bike are probably someone's unique effort at creating some form of street art. Uniquely Seattle, too.
Remember what I said earlier? Well, I'm guessing this artist is getting away with it.
Hahaha, heard the jet and looked up. Shot same.
I like this.
#hahahaha
#igotawaywithit
Photograph: a picture painted by the sun without instruction in art. Ambrose Bierce
We were heading up 2d Avenue when we came across this Gallery and it caught our eye.
www.rovzargallery.com
And so we went in.
The featured artist is a woman from Boise name of Jerri Lisk. She and her husband, Mark, have a gallery of their own there. He is a photographer while she works, as you'll see, in oils on an odd kind of a canvas.
The gallery had a lot of other art there besides Ms Lisk's work. I really enjoyed seeing all art they had on display. Carol and I get into a pretty lively debate on the individual pieces.
It's fun.
What really caught my attention was that some of the artwork looked similar to the scenes I captured traveling in Eastern Washington. There were some, not shown here, pieces with rolling hills and ribbons of road winding through them that really reminded me of what I had shot. Hahaha, maybe I'm on to something. Or maybe not.
Anyway, I went on-line and got a couple shots of Ms. Lisk's work. She does her painting on an aluminum canvas, so-to-speak.
I'm not a big fan of her art. It doesn't work for me. A couple were good but . . .
Evidently there are some heavy hitters out there that do like it. The first one shown is going for $5,000!!
Ay!! Yo no lo creo!!
Ay!! Yo no lo creo!!
And these last two paintings have already been sold. Wow!! It's good work if you can find it.
Here's an example of her husband's work. They both deal with raw nature. And, strangely enough, like me he likes sweeping and grand panoramas.
This is titled, American Desert.
Thank you, Internet. www.liskgallery.com
Ah, I'll stick to what I semi-know. Not quite a panorama but . . .
Whup!! There it is!!
Outside the Boar's Head Window Selfie!!
I was intrigued by the neon logo in the window and ended up with a selfie with it. I'm simple like that. I did notice where they were also advertising a mean lookin' Pastrami Sammie.
Mmmmmmm . . . Pastrami . . .
Remember, art is what you can get away with. I sorta think it's what you can sell and by that I mean what can you get people to declare as art. It's really a pretty individual thing, what is art. Of course some pieces do speak to large numbers and that counts for something. But a lot of times some over-rated Bloated Ego proclaims this or that as great art and the rest of the swells go along while the great unwashed, of which I am a proud charter member, are left standing there scratching our collective heads and wondering, WTH!?!
Like this stuff . . . hahaha, it's an over-priced waste of metal. I featured one of the accompanying pieces a week or so ago and still can't see the big attraction.
But, y'know, they sold it so good on them.
I wouldn't have bought it.
That light thingie . . . The skies were looking a bit friendlier here but, believe me, in an hour it would be dark and gloomy again. Such is life, or weather, in The Emerald City.
You can see here where the light was having some fun playing across the buildings in the street.
Street Scene Reflected Window Selfie!!
I'm not original. I'm semi-fun, though.
Bank Reflected Window Selfie!!
Hahaha, we were on a roll. Truth is, I saw the large figure of Richard Sherman inside this dignified and staid bank lobby and liked the contradictions and so I went to get a wide picture of the lobby and ended up getting this great-looking selfie instead.
This town is 'Hawks crazy. They're everywhere. I've just shown you the more extreme examples of the craziness but you'll see 12s all over the place.
Everywhere.
Here's an example of some of the extremes they're going to. This hand-made sign advertises a SeaHawks Frappuccino. Hahaha, that's great!! Take an existing drink, slap a SeaHawks in front of it and charge more!!
Hahaha, who says entrepreneurship is dead in America?
Just because. That's all.
And I like it!!
Hahaha, I told you you'd be seeing some more of these . . .
Good grief, ain't these something? I mean, they're there and they are beautiful.
Loving the Irises.
Just an interesting arrangement. An office building. It's a shame no one will enjoy all those balconies.
OK, the next couple of pictures will all be of the Exchange Building.
Fun Facts: The Exchange Building is a 22-story Art Deco office building. Completed in 1930, it was, at the time, the second-tallest reinforced concrete skyscraper in the U.S.
Woo, woo!!
Anyway, after seeing the ornamentation on the outside of the building, what could we do but . . .
. . . go inside.
What a kick!! They were art decoing all over the place!!
Some of the detail just inside the entryway.
Inside the lobby were these marble walls and these ornate elevators. Hahaha, they knew how to put stuff together back then.
Detail of the entryway.
They really worked it.
We really did have a destination in mind as we ambled along. We were heading to the Smith Tower and our favorite Irish Pub, O'Donnell's. Carol's taken a real liking to their fish and chips and we've already established my fondness for a good Irish Ale, so . . . off we went.
And the beat of the city continued on, too. The Police were roaring along, business as usual, down 2nd Avenue. Must have been something important as three cars responded.
Now here's some pleasant street art. It's eminently affordable and it looks good. They have some kind of power boxes(?) on a lot of the street corners here and someone, or someones, have painted scenes on them.
Rebel without a cause ridin' a Vespa.
Hahaha, here it is the 31st of January and already Spring is poking its head round the corner.
And, finally, we reached our destination.
Shawn O'Donnell's has two locations. This is the newest one, the one in the Smith Tower, and it's run by Shawn Jr.
Seo a thabhairt duit!
For you not literate with the Old Irish, it translates to . . .
Here's to you!
Hahahaha, thank heavens for the Internet and the Translate English to Any Other Language in the World websites.
I feel comfortable here.
This is the entry into the Smith Tower. Once you've gone up and seen Seattle you can use the $5 off coupon they give you with your ticket, enter here, and enjoy some fine food and Irish beer.
We were a bit early and the lunch crowd hadn't showed up yet. Oh, yeah, and it was a Saturday, too.
Hahaha, it could happen!!
The Ol' Beast Mode ain't shy about talking when there's money involved. Marshawn can talk up a storm when he wants to.
Hahaha, what bar in Seattle isn't!?! Seriously, they all make this claim. SeaHawks craziness knows no boundaries.
I like this shot; it's of the Smith Tower shortly after it was built. In front is the Seattle Hotel, the one that was torn down so they could put up a parking lot.
That still rankles. But it was, in large part, the destruction of this Old Beauty that sparked the movement to save Seattle's old buildings from the wrecking ball.
Whup!! There it is!!
Carol got her usual Fish 'N Chips and I strayed off the reservation eschewing both the Rueben and the Patty Melt for . . .
Donegal Bay Fish, Chips & Chowder
Two pieces of hand-breaded cod, their famous fries and a cup of freshly made chowder.
And it were ga-oood!!
Those fries were so doggone good that I went back for round two. Carol was collecting evidence against me.
Ahhh, good advice.
Very good advice.
And when we walked out, we saw this sign in front.
Yeah, this town is SeaHawks crazy!!
We decided to mosey on down towards Pioneer Square after lunch. A little stretch of the legs to ease some of the strain on the tummy.
Looking down Yesler Way towards the waterfront.
I've been thinking . . . Hahaha, I'll give you a moment to recompose yourself after you stop laughing.
Better? Good. OK, let's try it again. I've been thinking of different photo projects I might try. I've been intrigued by the idea of just shooting the details of the city. You know, capture the small parts that make up the whole.
It's an idea I'm toying with. I see it being things like these shots . . . except better.
So we rounded the corner onto Pioneer Square and encountered this man. Now this was interesting.
Hahaha, it was a day for art.
He uses poster boards, you can see some to his right, a great attitude and spray paint for his art.
He gets his inspiration, sees it in his head and then sprays it up on the poster board.
We (and by we, I mean Carol) struck up a conversation with him and discovered that he is, truly, a starving artist. He also admitted that Bob Ross is the inspiration for his quick, quirky kinda art.
His name is Carey.
Hahaha, he said he doesn't eat too much with what he pulls in with his art but he enjoys it. And it certainly appeared that he was enjoying himself . . .
After Carey gets the paint on, he grabs an old credit card and uses that to score the paint and create patterns . . .
Then, when he is satisfied . . .
He sets it out on display. That's the one he was working on on the far left. The one with the hills in the foreground and a green moon in the upper right corner of the picture.
He uses the lids of cans and small bowls to outline his moons and other circles in his paintings.
Taking a break.
The man is prolific.
And his art attracts interest. Even Seattle's Finest come by to take a look.
And the officer looked, too.
Carey was having a good time and doing something to earn his money.
Good on him!!
We walked up 1st Avenue a little bit. It may be Saturday but on 1st Avenue, it's as busy as on a week day. The cops were seen screaming towards the south and, as we look to the north, there's a couple of fire trucks up ahead.
Never dull in the city.
Hahaha, I forgot!!
I forgot I wanted to eat at Luigi's, fine Italian food since 1999.
Doggone it! I promise, we will get us some pizza here before we leave.
Just a busy town.
And then I spotted a Duck!!
Hahaha, I gathered up Carol and we stood on the corner and waited for them to pull alongside so we could . . .
Quack at them!!
And they laughed and quacked back at us!!
They always have fun on those tours.
Since we were there, Carol wanted to stop by and do a little window-gazing at her favorite haute clothing store, Dollz & Dames.
They have lots of fashions from the 50s. Hahaha, they're not bad.
I just can't see any woman wearing a hat like that, though. The other clothes are better. I just wonder where they get the fabric patterns for some of these dresses. A very small market.
Remember, I showed a picture of the Smith Tower and the Seattle Hotel and I mentioned they'd torn down the Seattle Hotel to put in a parking lot . . . Well, here it is. They call it the Sinking Ship because, well, it looks like a sinking ship.
Ugly, ain't it.
Fun Facts: There are those who say the land where the Sinking Ship sits is cursed. There's even a book out about The Curse. The book, "Boren's Block One: A Sinking Ship," by Sidney S. Andrews, traces 160 years of the history of the lot - back to when it was carved into its peculiar alignment by Seattle's sometimes drunk and conniving founding fathers. Part of what he cites as evidence of The Curse is the fact that the family that owns the garage, the Kubota Family, have gotten very little from the property for over 40 years because most of the profit has gone to California speculators.
Oh, and some people died and hotels burned down. You know, the usual curse stuff.
Even Smokey makes an appearance at The Sinking Ship.
Don't ask.
I don't know.
It was lunchtime at the Mission. There are a LOT of homeless here.
A lot.
Finally, the entrance to the Pioneer Square Link Station. Our portal back to the 'Burbs.
Coming back to the Hole-In-the-Ground, we saw Carol's white pigeon, Angel, hanging out with her friends.
Can you spot her?
If you saw two and were confused, don't be. Evidently there's another white pigeon now living in our neck of the woods.
CB
You can see the skies were a little less friendly. The clouds were rolling in and the day was getting colder.
Tomorrow, for Super Sunday, they're expecting rain. Yeah, sounds right.
Another good day. After a while it gets tough wrapping up these little monologues. Hahaha, it's tough but I muddle through.
What a treat it is to be able to go downtown whenever we want and always find something new to see and to do.
We're lucky.
Life is good.
Hooah!!
