Yes the alleys are good. Kubota Garden, south Beacon Hill area, at Renton Ave So & 55th Ave South (entry on 55th) is a Japanese Garden, free, open all day every day (favorite for weddings) and NO problem with tripods. The Japanese Garden in the Arboretum is more traditional but has a fee and tripods are normally not allowed (except several photographer days @ $40 or $50.) the new Sculpture Park is interesting for its bigger than life features and free - located next to pier 70 off Alaskan Way.
My brother has some interesting shots from the new Seattle library...one of the more interesting buildings in Seattle (maybe it is a stand-out because most Seattle buildings of the last 4 decades are mundane). If you go to Pike Place Market (you should...even if you don't shoot anything) go down to lower Post Alley and check out the chewing gum wall.
Hey, we ought to do coffee -- I'm right across the canal from you in upper Queen Anne (overlooking the canal).Originally Posted by Rob Vinnedge
I took some building shots in downtown Seattle with my 4x5 a couple of weeks ago. It was a bit awkward - It was a Sunday afternoon and I picked areas that were fairly safe but there were still a few street people that were asking the usual questions etc. It always seems to me to have a second person with me while I am shooting would help. I never had any problems with a hand camera downtown. But I wasn't set up and as vulnerable.
There are some interesting buildings in Seattle - its not as old as Portland Oregon, but has an interesting mix of buildings: Art Deco-Northern Life Tower, Smith Tower, Alaska Building, and newer ones like the EMP and Seattle Library. Also the U of W has some interesting new buildings as well as older ones - its just north of downtown.
For nature there are Seattle Parks as already mentioned: Gasworks Park has the old gas-powered generator equipment exposed - often seen in photographs, I like Discovery Park in Magnolia - where you can walk down to the beach and Puget Sound, Kerry Park on Queen Anne is a great place for a southerly Seattle scenic view, Carkeek to the north - I have been meaning to re-explore.
You mentioned places accessible by ferry boat there are two places accessible from downtown Seattles ferry terminal: Bremerton - I havent been there recently enough to say what is there now - but it would be an interesting downtown to explore it is being re-vitalized, and Winslow on Bainbridge Inland - which is a small town located just above the ferry landing - It is a interesting walk.
The San Juans Islands are a drive from Seattle. You will need to drive to Anacortes
1 1/2 hour dirve from downtown and take the ferry from there. There are three main islands accessible by State ferrys.
San Juan Island - the most developed has an interesting town at the landing called Friday Harbor (if interested look it up there are more places to go including an old blockhouse from the Pig War), Orcus Island - From Mount Constitution lookout you can see all of the islands, Moran State Park is wonderful, Eastsound is a small fun town. Lopez Island - I dont know, and Shaw Island - I dont know
I have not been to Seattle since 93' but back when I lived there in the late 80's some of the places I would go were that I have not yet seen mentioned are:
Closer spots: Freemont and the Fremont Troll (under Aurora bridge). Golden Garden's park on Shilshole bay (was a nice upper trail heading north that had some great views back then). In fact many of the parks are not bad options for photography. Carkeek just north of Golden Gardens is another that had some possiblities. For Seattle park info one can check this site: http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/parkspaces/index.htm and do a search by "feature".
Now for going further afield I enjoyed going out to the Olympic peninsula to visit Port Townsend, or over on the west side to the Hoh rain forest. There is a realy cool park just north of Hoh allong the coast by an indian reservation as well with tall rock stacks jutting up from the sand on the beach. Other options are visiting the farm country east of Seattle up in Snohomish county (used to be some great old delapdated barns by Lake Stevens). Lots of interesting spots allong the Cascades as well. Sometimes it is just fun to explore and see what you find allong the way.
Søren
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." -Douglas Adams-
Heroique, some years back, when a passenger in someone else's car, the driver took me on neighborhood streets traveling northeast diagonally from Volunteer Park ending up ultimately at the north side of Montlake Bridge, just across I believe 10th from the Montlake end of the entrance to Arboretum. But the unexpected treat along the way was a very densely forested rainforest-like area with winding roads and trails in amongst the hanging mossy environment that looked very much like the Hoh, but in comparison miniature in acreage and surrounded by neighborhoods on three or four sides. I didn't have my cameras with me that day (and there were hundreds of beautiful nature photo ops, including filtered sunlight through the densely packed tree canopy, huge spider webs in and between the trees, moderately hilly trails with gnarly roots to be avoided as tripping hazards, yards of hanging moss from higher branches of random trees, thick velvet moss blanketing the lower trunks of most of the trees, even the winding and sometimes hairpin turn roads themselves, and especially the odd appearane of entering and emerging immediatly adjacent to residential neighborhoods).
But recently I gathered up the family of a neighbor who has several children from 4 through 15, and this time armed with my cameras, and I hugely disappointed myself, my neighbor and her children by not finding this "microcosm" rainforest-like small forest surrounded by neighborhoods. I know on tht short drive years ago we had started near Volunteer Park and emerged at the north end of Montlake Bridge, but I was shocked I couldn't find my way in to this gem.
Your description sounds like what we encountered, but driving much of Interlaken Blvd also didn't get me to where I remembed. If you're still on is site, could you give me rough driving instructions as well as any photo tips that you're willing to share that you utilized for this relatively low light delightful "park", which I put in quotes because when I called the Seattle Parks info line the day I took my neighbors down in that area, the person there fell silent and said it didn't sound like anything she had ever seen unless it was a special section of Interlochen Park.
I enjoy trees and forests enough that I sometimes wonder if I have some druid DNA, but then I also love waterways, beaches, cityscapes, people watching, mountain terrain, farmscapes...and what better place to do it all than in Seattle and in Washington State?
This is my third attempt to post and I keep getting told that I'm either not logged in or I'm not registered so my post didn't take, but I registered and confirmed my registration before I ever started to try to post. What I think I'm ending up with in this post, if I ever get it to take, is a combination of the three posts, and although I saw on at least one of the previous attempts an option for reviewing before finalizing, I don't see it for this post, so I will apologize in advance for any typos, nonsensical phraseology or repetition ensuing from the three attempts.
Have a great summer in Seattle and Washington State, and as well and beautiful BC.
Last edited by rainpanda; 17-Jun-2014 at 18:38. Reason: 1 of probably many typos...then cut off *sigh*
Welcome to the site, rainpanda! Try this Google map view. One thing to remember is that sometimes the weather and light conspires to really bring out the magic in a place.
"It's the way to educate your eyes. Stare. Pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long." - Walker Evans
Thank you very much Brian. This is a much better map than we pulled up trying to use Google Maps the first time I tried it after we came back not finding the section of Interlachen that was like a temperate rainforest.
What's kind of funny is that the park rangers at the Parks Department for Seattle said to please get back to them if I find the section that looks like a temperate rainforest as I described to them, because they didn't know of any parks within Seattle that had this appearance, unless it was a special section of Interlachen that they'd never seen, and they wanted to be able to tell other people about it. I guess it is a little-known gem if the Seattle park rangers didn't know about it! But it's good to know having looked at here at Heroique's post that I didn't dream it up and had actually been there before. Maybe I'll send the park rangers one of my pics after I can gather up my neighbor's family to try going again.
How neighborly of you to give me this map link! Grazi! Natalie, aka rainpanda
It sounds like you were very, very close!
Look for the intersection of 24th Ave. and Boyer Ave. – this intersection is a little south of Montlake Bridge.
Option 1: From there, head south on 24th Ave. – your first right is E. Interlaken Blvd. This street takes you into Interlaken Park, but there are no signs. Go for a block or two, and you'll see the main trail going in. Just pull over on the quiet road and hike away.
Option 2: From the same intersection (24th/Boyer), you can also head west on Boyer, and take a left on 19th Ave. (a few streets down). Go up a short steep hill, and once again, you're traveling through the park, so just pull over and hike in!
There are additional ways into the park, but these are the most simple.
Be ready for broken-contrasty light, just as you'd expect from a thickly canopied forest with mature trees. During summer, the light is magical in late afternoon/early evening. Think of near-horizontal, broken beams of light coming through gigantic trees with ferns hanging off their branches – it's like you've stepped into a story by the Brothers Grimm.
Have fun!
For in Seattle try the Space Needle, the EMP (as already suggested),the Chihuly Garden and Glass (handheld photography only so not large format friendly), if you're into butterflies there's a butterfly exhibit at the Pacific Science Center, which begs the actual Pacific Science Center. All of these are within the Seattle Center. If you don't like the insides, you should like the outsides, depending on the weather. Depending on when you're here the weather can be a real challenge. Actually, even if you're here in summer the weather can be a challenge.
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