This morning I woke up, showered, and checked out of the AirBNB. I walked a few minutes to the intersection of 50th and Brooklyn and rode the bus until University Bridge. At University Bridge, I began walking along the waterfront path toward Gas Works Park. Gas Works Park was previously a gas plant, which was transformed into an urban park in the 1970s. The waterfront park now includes numerous walking paths, play areas, and open grassy areas for picnics. During my early morning visit, there were only a few visitors at the park, but I can imagine it would be a vibrant, happening place on a summer day.
After a brief visit to Gas Works Park, I continued walking along the waterfront walking/bicycling path toward the Hiram M Chittenden Locks. During the morning, I probably walked 7-8 miles, which was pleasant during the beautiful weather. The walk passed through an area filled with high-tech office parks, houseboats, heavy industrial uses, and areas undergoing transformation from older industrial/residential to high-density, mixed-use residential uses. The Hiram Chittenden Locks is basically an elevator for boats to be able to transition between the water in the bay and the ocean. The water levels of these two bodies of water vary between 6 feet and 20 feet depending on the tide. The Locks are also the location of a fish ladder, by which fish can swim upstream and complete their life cycle.
After walking across the Locks, I ended up in a heavy industrial district on the other side of the bay near Discovery Park. After walking a couple of miles, I boarded a bus to Downtown Seattle and got off near Pike Place Market. At Pike Place Market, I snacked on a Mac N’ Cheese at Beecher’s Cheese. At Beecher’s Cheese, there is a seating area facing a huge glass window through which you can view the cheese being made. The process takes about three days and requires boiling, constant stirring, and probably many other steps.
Near Pike Place Market, I came across a beautiful mixed-use residential project in Downtown Seattle. The project included 3-4 buildings intersected by a wide staircase/walkway between 1st Ave and Western Ave, and an alleyway between Seneca Street and Union Street. Harbor Steps is owned by Equity Residential, which developed the project to not just be an apartment building, but a mixed-use, walkable, urban environment in which residents can live. Because of the intelligent design and layout, the building gains the following benefits:
- Income from retail/office tenants located along the alley and steps intersecting the project
- Increased walkability, accessibility, and public common areas to for residents and the public
- The location becomes much more central, high-traffic, and prime because of the increased pedestrian traffic and visibility
Many landlords would hesitate to make a portion of their privately-owned land accessible to the general public, but Equity Residential seems to have made a great decision which increased the value of their investment and increased the quality of life for their residents.
From Harbor Steps, I walked to meet with Omer, Chloe, and Theresa at the food court at the city complex. Afterwards, I decided to visit the Chihuly Glass Museum. Chihuly Glass Museum is Seattle’s #1 rated Seattle attraction on Trip Advisor. Dan Chihuly is quoted as saying that he’s never seen a color he doesn’t like. His embrace and appreciation of all colors is visible in all of his art. His art seems simultaneously gives off the feeling fragility, strength, randomness and order. While walking through the museum, I couldn’t help but think of how Chihuly’s work influenced Wynn in not only the design of Bellagio but also the design of Wynn. The vibrant colors that are seen in much of Chihuly’s art are the same vibrant colors that are seen throughout the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas. I also got to thinking about what the purpose of art and came up with the following:
- To inspire the viewers of the art to increase broaden their imagination (as Chihuly’s work seems to have done to Wynn)
- For the creator of the art to express themselves and the feeling inside them
- For the viewers to be entertained and experience pleasure
- For the creator to make money
Afterwards, I walked to the Capital Hill neighborhood of Seattle to meet with Perry. I chatted with Perry on J-Swipe and we planned to meet for a drink at a bar named Unicorn. Perry recently graduated from a University in Vancouver and is working as a cake decorator near Seattle. After having a drink at Unicorn, we walked through the Capital Hill neighborhood. During the walk, we stopped at the Starbucks Roastery store, an approximately 15,000 SF coffee roastery, tasting bar, lounge, restaurant, and retail store at the edge of the Capital district. After about 30 minutes of walking, we stopped by Molly Moon’s to have ice cream.
Visiting Capital Hill was probably my favorite experience in Seattle. Unlike Pike Place Market and Downtown, I didn’t feel like I was in a touristy, artificial area. The neighborhood had character, uniqueness, and a genuine livability to it. While walking to Unicorn, I passed by a public park in which locals were playing “bike polo.” This local, hipster game could very well be the official sport of Seattle, which is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the United States.
After parting ways with Perry, I boarded a bus to Northgate and almost immediately fell asleep from exhaustion. That night, my sleep was probably the most blissful sleep I’ve ever had. Here are my notes that I felt compelled to articulate the following morning:
“I had the most amazing dreams last night during the entire night. Everything was perfect… no issues, no worries, etc. The reason the dreams were amazing is because my mind was too tired to bring its pessimistic view to the events in my dreams. My purely subconscious, autopilot dreams were blissful and my thoughts didn’t have the energy to dim them. Let my life be blissful without interference from my negative mind.”
