#35: Emerald City

Those who frequently travel are aware of the way vacations and business trips tend to become social experiments rather than sightseeing expeditions. Sure, we all want to visit the world’s largest ball of twine or try to make the King’s Guard smile, but the purest form of adventure is comprised of what occurs in transit to the destination. Unfortunately the end result can sometimes lead to disappointment, such as my recent stay in the decaying dystopia of San Francisco featured in Blog #31. As the bedraggled squirrels dug their way out of the wintery confines of their dens, it was time to find out if another poorly governed city would live up to its negative reputation: Seattle, Washington

A mishmash of words and phrases found in recent news articles and blogs about Seattle, Washington.

It was less than five years ago that residents of Seattle attempted to burn its own police officers to death inside the neighborhood precinct. This was one month after the citizens’ failed attempt at an autonomous community which saw its inhabitants murdering each other. The natural response to such a bruising of the ego would be to clean up and reshape. Mistakes are opportunities for growth, after all. Yet as I stepped onto my first Seattle sidewalk and immediately saw two vagrants using narcotics less than 10 feet away, I realized that the actual plan for leadership in the city was clearly more along the lines of abandoning the ship.

A little video proof so you know it’s not just me.

The act of exploring new places and cultures is not meant to be started with the phrase, “Let’s just make the best of it”, but that’s exactly what had to be done. I tried to frame my photographs to show the little remaining beauty of Seattle while avoiding the detritus in the background. The intent isn’t to ignore the problem, but rather to illustrate the potential of the once thriving city.

Since SeaTac Airport is nearly located in Oregon, it takes a while to get into the city proper after disembarking from the aircraft. Admittedly though, the light rail makes it a fairly simple process after you walk the long and awkward path through a giant parking garage to get from the terminal to the platform. Like most forms of public transportation, the light rail has no shortage of sleeping homeless people and emotionally disturbed passengers that the “fare ambassadors” completely ignore.

It was cherry blossom season all over the country, and Seattle has a few popular gardens to enjoy. The Quad at the University of Washington campus had dozens of people waiting before sunrise on a weekday morning to snap pictures at first light. The crowd quickly swelled to nearly 200 before lunch, making it difficult to compose a photograph without a tripod or Instagrammer in the background.

Cherry blossom trees at the University of Washington Quad.
Source: Dark Passport Photography

Instead of hopelessly attempting to avoid getting one of the countless wooden benches at the UofW Quad in my pictures, I learned embraced their presence. Source: Dark Passport Photography

What would a morning in Seattle be without coffee? Perhaps you should ask all the people waiting outside without caffeine in the neverending line at the original Starbucks location.

The OG Starbucks coffee shop. Source: Dark Passport Photography

A better bet would be the Starbucks Reserve and Roastery a little ways down the street. Still extremely crowded but a better overall experience for anyone who must have Starbies in the town it first came from.

Not surprisingly, a city famous for its coffee is also known for doughnut culture. Get as far away from the tourist areas of Downtown Seattle before committing the calories though. Otherwise you’ll find out the real reason people dunk their doughnuts in their coffee is mask the bad taste and offset the stale bread.

On the left is maple cinnamon, on the right is raspberry. Both were disappointing. And all these years I thought it was hard to mess up something as delicious as a doughnut.
Source: Dark Passport Photography

Going to Seattle without visiting the world-famous Pike Place Market is practically a sin. If you aren’t familiar, this is the place where they throw the fish.

If you look closely, you can see the fish flying through the air as the worker prepares to catch it. The fishmongers yell funny things and put on a good show for the tourists. Unless of course seeing dead fish in midair is unsettling to you. Source: Dark Passport Photography

Whether accessed by a peripheral service road or a set of stairs hidden in plain sight, a back alley just off the bustling fish market contains an unintentional art project that is as disgusting as it is enthralling. It is known simply as the gum wall and I will let the pictures do the talking (or should I say, chewing?)

Not far from Pike Place Market is the Olympic Sculpture Park, an outdoor art exhibit operated by the Seattle Art Museum. It is essentially a public green space with large pieces of contemporary art on what used to be industrial fuel storage site.

*Wake* was the first piece installed at Olympic Sculpture Park. This picture does not do justice to the enormity of the 14-foot tall steel plates that resemble ship hulls. Sadly and coincidentally, I later learned that the famed sculptor who created this work passed away during my visit.
Source: Dark Passport Photography

What tourist would visit Seattle without venturing over to the iconic Space Needle? Built for the 1962 World’s Fair, this landmark tower is 605 feet tall at the tip of the beacon.

A glorious view from the outdoor viewing deck at the top of the Space Needle.
Source: Dark Passport Photography

Many visitors to the Space Needle opt for a package that also includes tickets to the nearby Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum. As its name implies, the facility has ornate glass sculptures and artwork in both indoor and outdoor exhibits.

*Mille Fiori* by Dale Chihuly. In addition to the black walls and floors drawing all attention to the art, lighting is located inside and outside some of the sculptures at Chihuly Garden & Glass Museum to augment the vibrancy of the colors. The installation pictured here, translated from Italian to “thousand flowers”, was inspired by the garden of the artist’s mother but also references the “millefiori” style of glasswork. Source: Dark Passport Photography

*Ikebana and Float Boats* by Dale Chihuly. This piece, complete with a reflective floor to mimic a body of water, recreates the artist’s experiment of throwing his glass creations into a Finnish river. However, many viewers are reminded of planets in space once they see the colorful orbs surrounded by blackness. Source: Dark Passport Photography

The last notable stop on this journey was to commemorate the beginning of the 2024 season of America’s greatest pastime. Opening week at T-Mobile Park, home of the Seattle Mariners, was blessed with a rare bout of clear skies and otherwise fantastic weather.

Sunset games at open air ballparks are always a treat.
Source: Dark Passport Photography

Sadly, I must admit I was happy when it was time to leave. As someone who loves traveling and interacting with other cultures so much that it became a career, it is painful to truly dislike any place that people call home. Yet a city that has given up on itself can hardly expect anyone else to defend it much less enjoy it. In the coming months this harsh reality will become even more pronounced as we alternate travel between similarly mismanaged municipalities and those that found ways to thrive in this tumultuous world.