Downtown and Belltown

Today's walk was hilly so I didn't mind the cooler, cloudy weather as I went downtown to run chores and walk in the Belltown neighborhood and some nearby streets.

My walk started walking down Union Street where a sign to "Buy One Get One for $100" caught my eye. It was the related to men's suits and sport coats so it made sense but it was still startling.

Continuing on, I passed the long established Byrnie Utz Hats, the Emerald City Shoe Repair (with its distinctive logo), Gelatiamo, Wild Ginger, Benaroya Hall (whose plain outside belies the great spaces within), the Triple Door, the new Target City store (which includes a grocery section)

and saw some window washers rappelling down the side of a building, all the while having a great view of the Great Wheel; the wheel was running but there was no line on this overcast day.



















I walked down a few staircases to the waterfront

where I admired the old waterfront trolley stations, wishing that they were still being used.

I observed parking under the viaduct and wondered what parking will be available when it comes down and whether the walking/biking trail along the trolly tracks will be part of the new scheme.

At Bell Street, I noticed Wave Rave Cave sculpture under the viaduct (what I read at this link makes me want to return at night to see the lights)

and a bridge to a cruise ship pier on Alaskan Way.

On the way to Belltown, I passed vacant lots where buildings will be going up, the Art Institute of Seattle, the World Trade Center Seattle, the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology and the Old Spaghetti Factory.

In Belltown, I spotted the Labor Temple, lots of dry cleaners, sidewalk cafes, pubs and restaurants, including the Cyclops,

 Macrina's Bakery, the Sarajevo Lounge, the Belltown Pub,

and Vita Bella Cafe.

I noticed the UW Medicine Belltown Clinic, an ivy covered building housing JQB Ltd Yacht Design and two new artistic manhole covers; one at 2nd and Cedar

and the other at 3rd and Clay.

From Denny and from Broad, I spotted Seattle Center attractions including the Space Needle, the Experience Music Project, the Monorail and the arches of the Pacific Science Center. (I'll include pictures when I return to walk in Seattle Center.)

This area is home to the lovely Belltown P-Patch and Cottages,
lots of old and new apartments and condos,

the City Church




and a nice plaza at Tilikum Place where Cedar, Denny, 5th and 4th meet; it has a nice memorial to Chief Sealth.


The plaza is surrounded by the Monorail and some nice looking restaurants.

Walking around and under the Olympic Sculpture Park, noting my favorite sculpture, people weeding, the Neukom Vivarium and more sculpture near an office complex.

I noticed people on Segways, murals

and, after crossing under Aurora to catch the bus, a solar trash compactor.

This was a walked packed with sights.