Hometown Tourist
The Eiffel Tower – Seen it. Empire State Building - Been there. Sistine Chapel - Check. This summer, through a work initiative called Destination Knowledge, I toured my new favorite city to visit: my hometown, Seattle.
I have pictures of just about every city that I have ever visited. I drive my wife crazy because I plan our touring schedule around what I want to photograph. I once spent six months in Europe and brought back 292 rolls of film.
Recently, however, I realized that I had never really taken photographs of Seattle. So, when we were required to visit all the top tourist attractions in Seattle, I thought I would use the opportunity to take my camera and experience Seattle how I like to experience every other new city – as a shutter bug.
Not a bad view!
The place to start in Seattle is a no-brainer. The Space Needle. I’ve been to the Space Needle many times. I had been there as a kid in school, with every out-of-town guest, and for too many functions to count. I had, however, never been there as a tourist. Wow! To see three bodies of water, two mountain ranges, four volcanoes and a gorgeous skyline was incredible. While I was up there, I plotted the next stops on my hometown itinerary.
View from Kerry Park
After walking around Seattle Center taking some pictures, I was off to Kerry Park on the south slope of Queen Anne Hill. No photo journey through Seattle is complete without the postcard shot! From Kerry Park, Gas Works Park is just a quick trip around Lake Union for some shots at the city from the north. My next stop was the campus at the University of Washington. From campus, I shot up Capitol Hill to check out Bruce Lee’s grave at the Lakeview Cemetery and snap a few pics of Lake Washington, as well as Lake Union and Queen Anne Hill.
Seattle’s newest addition.
From Lakeview, I was back on I-5 heading toward Beacon Hill and Jose Rizal Park for a look at downtown from the south. Then I dropped my car off in Pioneer Square and took the foot ferry over to West Seattle to check out Hamilton Viewpoint Park. There is something about the hills and water that makes the Seattle skyline pop. The trip back to downtown with the foot ferry offers some spectacular shots of our new Seattle Great Wheel and the skyline.
The foot ferry drops you in Pioneer Square so the next stop is the Smith Tower. Did you know it was once the tallest building west of the Mississippi? From Pioneer Square, it’s a short walk up to the Hammering Man sculpture and the Seattle Art Museum. After leaving SAM, it’s another short jaunt to another Seattle icon, the Pike Place market. I love taking pictures from First Avenue looking down at the market, or just walking around taking pictures of all the amazing sights in the market. Last but not least, I love walking over to the Pike Place Brewery to experience one of my other favorite parts of Seattle – its beer. After this trek, you’ve definitely earned a few of these.
