Goodbye, Seattle!

My train to Vancouver, WA, left around 2pm, so my last day in Seattle was very short. After walking all the way to Capitol Hill, I walked all the way back to downtown, and got very lost. I walked down wide avenues, saw the skyscrapers up-close and found a touch of French influence in Westlake. 

I couldn't not take a picture of this street sign because we

have this tv show in France called Plus Belle La Vie that revolves around a Marseilles neighborhood called Le Mistral, and the main characters live on Place du Mistral. 

I went back to Pike Place to buy chocolate pasta at Pappardelle's for my parents, but I ended up giving them to my boyfriend who, I'm sure, hasn't tried them.

I ran into these poor little crabs that I couldn't resist taking snapshots of. 

And these yummy looking cookies that I resisted trying, but had to photograph.

I loved this chili display; the colors were so vibrant!

And then it was time to bid Seattle adieu, but not before taking a last look at the mountains in the background. 

Goodbye, Seattle! I've missed you since I left, despite my mixed feelings about you as a whole. 

Capitol Hill, Seattle

I walked for a while, trying to find the exact location of the Singles apartment building, and ended up finding some other cute houses and buildings. Capitol Hill is a lovely neighborhood. If I moved to Seattle, I would want to live in that area.  

I loved the apartment buildings in the East Thomas area. 

There were some really similar ones in SE Portland. 

This is the apartment complex where Singles was shot. It looked different in the movie, but once I found out the cross-street it was on, it was pretty easy to recognize. It looked unlike any other. I blurred the street number for
obvious reasons. 

That's the best shot I could get of the Space Needle. Sad, uh? 

I love my 50mm lens, but it's useless to photograph certain things.  

I loved this old drive-thru sign. I love neon signs, and this one was

particularly pleasing to the eyes. It was enormous, too. 

I liked the window display at Urban Outfitters. Thankfully, it was closed when I walked by, otherwise, I would have left considerably poorer. 

This coffee house had a really cute exterior. 

Seattle, Day 2 - Walk to Broadway, Part 1

  My second day in Seattle, I woke up reasonably early (around 5am) and decided to walk from Chinatown to Capitol Hill in search of the apartment complex where part of the Cameron Crowe movie Singles was filmed. 
  I walked down deserted streets at 8am, streets that showed signs of neglect and the passing of time. If this was a wealthy city in a first world country in the 21st century, then why, everywhere I went in the early hours of the morning, did I pass by so many homeless men? 
  The houses along the way showed signs of decay (paint peeling, untended front yards); there were a few abandoned lots, rusty gates, boarded up houses. 
  

There were also some fine looking dining establishments like the ones below. 

Things got progressively better the closer I got to Capitol Hill. 

If the cars and trucks looked beat up, it was in a hipsterish way.

The businesses started looking more attractive and profitable, too. More thought and effort was put into the architecture and decoration.  

I was amused by the French Presse sign on the right, because it means newsagent, not café. I liked the way the owners used it, though. 

Fremont, Seattle

In Fremont, the first afternoon I spent in Seattle, I did what Road Side America told me to, and paid a visit to the Fremont troll, located under the Fremont bridge.

I had to wait until the loud suburbanites left until I could get a decent shot that didn't include someone's rude 7 year old.

Then, I visited old Lenin, and that's where I really noticed how limiting a 50mm lens can be. I feel like Lenin and I have become quite close over the past year, given that the birth of communism is something I've had to explain over and over to my middle school students. Ideologically, he and I aren't that close.  

I also saw the rocket, but got too bad a shot to share. When I go back to Seattle, I'll make sure to get a good photo of it.

My last visit was to the dinosaur, only one of which is pictured here. The metal wire is part of the second dinosaur. 

Fremont also had some cute stores, and the best vintage shop I've ever been to, where I was tempted to buy a dozen records and even more dinnerware and furniture.

There was no escaping the hipster vibe.

There were cafés and restaurants everywhere. I had a delicious cucumber, avocado and sprout sandwich right after getting off the bus.

The river bank was lovely, and made me wish I worked at Google or Getty images, which have local offices by the river, and got to take my lunch breaks there every day.

Going back to Chinatown was sad, but I was exhausted and jetlagged. 

You can find more Fremont photos in my Seattle album.

Pioneer Square area

This post should also be called, why, yes, I do like red brick and ivy covered buildings!

That street wasn't nearly as deserted as the others
I walked down to get to Pike Place Market. 

Time worn business signs are one of my weaknesses. 

Seattle had plenty of them. 

Come unto me. 

Not the greatest area, but I bet these condos are lovely. 

Gentrification has a lot of upsides.

This poor guy looks like he is going to get hosed down, 

and I have a feeling it wouldn't be pretty. 

Whoever you are, thank you for taking that walk with me around the Pioneer Square area.