Belltown, Downtown and South Lake Union

A list of chores brought me downtown today and I wound up taking a 6.5 mile walk around town, including to and from the bus.

I walked many streets I had already covered but tried to walk on a new side of the street. That is how I discovered two additional artistic manhole covers. This one at 5th and Union

and this one at 9th and Stewart.

At Stewart and Denny, I stopped to admire a triangular island with a bus shelter, a palm tree and a sidewalk colored to look like grass and sand and water. The yellow space is inlaid with quotes from famous people. ("When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." - Thomas Jefferson ; "Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi ; "Not all who wander are lost." - Tolkien; "To do is to be." - Socrates; "I ran into Isosceles and he had a great idea for a new triangle." - Woody Allen)

A Ride the Duck boat/car and I passed the Elephant Car Wash at the same time.

It was September 11th and the flag was at half mast over the old firehouse in Belltown

and, at 3rd Avenue, I noticed sheriffs on bikes. I noticed quite a bit of security in the bus tunnel too.

I noted a UW Medicine Research building going up in the South Lake Union area, lots of new housing going up across Aurora near Seattle Center, the future home of City University, shops and restaurants along 4th Avenue,

the courtyard at the Fountain Court Apartments, Dan's Belltown Grocery,

a mural in a Zip Car lot, a Walgreens in an old Seattle First National Bank building

and a shady sitting area along Denny.

On a day of sad memories, it was good to make some new ones.