Hidden Treasure – Freeway Park

Tucked behind Seattle’s Convention Center and the Union Square buildings, and over a small cap covering a portion of the I-5 freeway, is Freeway Park, an intricate web of walkways, thick landscaping, and restful cubbyholes hiding in plain sight in the middle of the city's business district. The respite from the downtown streets is over 5 acres in size, but given its inconspicuous location, it is one of those special places in Seattle that you must know about (or be an intrepid and fortunate wanderer) to find.

Above: A bright red information kiosk with map stands among the lush plantings.

The park reflects the highrises of the city by use of a “Brutalist” hardscape using heavy forms of concrete to define the spaces of the park’s many “outdoor rooms.” This architecture is balanced by the dense plantings of evergreens and flowering shrubs, trees and annuals. There are highlights of sculpture and a large waterfall at its south end (only on in the late spring to early fall).

Right: An arbored "hallway" between garden rooms.

The park is strewn with benches and summertime lunch hour finds it packed with office workers reading, napping, or chatting over a brown bag meal. The one drawback of the park is the incessant drone of the freeway traffic. However, it is not overpowering and falls into “white noise” status after a while.

Left and Below: Two sculptures at the north end of the park, near the Convention Center.


Only 4 or 5 blocks from the center of Seattle’s retail district, Freeway Park provides a nice break from the shopping frenzy. To-go lunches can be found in the concourse at nearby Two Union Square.

Left: This Escher-esque edifice is a wall of falling water in the summertime.

“The Cirque” Seattle Style

There is a new spring ritual in Seattle: The Moisture Festival. This is an amazing two-week-long celebration of local cabaret, circus, burlesque, and vaudeville talent including acrobatics, juggling, comedy, dance, interactive performances and more. Over 130 artists perform across two venues in the city (Hale’s Palladium in Fremont and the ACT downtown). It is quickly becoming the Spring equinox equivalent to the Summer Solstice parade and festival (also held in Fremont). Per the website, the Festival has become an annual reunion of sorts for local vaudeville-style artists.

Proceeds are donated to two local charities: the BF Day School Foundation and the New Old Time Chautauqua. Tickets to the Palladium show start at $5 and tickets to the ACT’s burlesque show are $20. The Festival runs from March 15 to April 1.

This is just the tip of the psychedelic iceberg when it comes to neo-burlesque and Cirque du Soleil style cabaret performances. Teatro Zinzanni takes you to Liza Minelli's Cabaret and beyond. Can Can’s neo-burlesque cabaret is new and supposed to be cheeky and fun.

The Seattle Times recently did a great write-up on the mushrooming new-burlesque scene in Seattle, and included a list of venues.

This Seattle zeitgeist should not be missed…. Enjoy!

A Day (or so) In: The Pike Place Market

Note: This post is the first of an intermittent series focused on experiencing the full and authentic flavor of specific Seattle neighborhoods. What to do and see, where to eat and drink, and other details are organized in itinerary form, with an eye to keeping it affordable.

Overview:
Granted, the Pike Place Market is not a neighborhood, officially, but it certainly should be. The Market is the epicenter of Seattle for tourists and residents alike. Perched in a stellar setting over Elliott Bay in downtown, it is central to all of the city. Just about everything one would need for daily living is found in this historic, patinaed landmark. Produce and flower stalls, bakeries, butchers, fish mongers, breweries, cheese makers, and ethnic grocers abound (as do local craft stalls and the more generic souvenir shops). There are restaurants, shops, services, and apartments. There is even a health clinic, a senior center and a daycare facility in the greater, 12+ block labyrinth of the Market.

Checking in: There are two places to consider staying at the Market. For those traveling on the proverbial shoe string, the HI-Seattle Hostel is a real bargain. This clean, and secure hostel is right in the lower part of the Market and dorm beds start at $25 per night. For those with more leeway in their budget, the bed and breakfast, Pension Nichols, offers the best value for ambience, location and amenities. (It is also, by the way, pet friendly!) Rooms start at $120 per night for double occupancy.

Morning:
Start your day at the Market with a hearty oatmeal or egg-&-bacon breakfast at the Soundview Café. It is a cafeteria-style diner with one of the best views in town. A counter seat at the west wall proffers a sweeping vista of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains (on sunny days). This place is frequented by locals, and the café even has an area for folks bringing their own brown bag meals.

Then, walk all the calories off by exploring the main drag of the Market, Pike Place, and the adjacent walking street, Post Alley. Take pictures, listen to buskers (there is a fabulous A-cappella singing group that is often in front of the original Starbuck’s shop), take in the stunning view from Victor Steinbrueck Park at the north end of the market, and do a whole lot of tasting and window shopping. Some of my favorite haunts include: Sur La Table (the original shop), The Souk, DeLaurenti, Metsker Maps, Left Bank Books, Market Spice, and Raven’s Nest.

Afternoon:
On a nice day, shopping for picnic groceries for lunch at the park is a fun option. If you do, check out Beecher’s Cheese and the deli counter at DeLaurenti’s for some nice additions to your basket. If the weather is less than accommodating, there is a myriad of small lunch spots and take out counters to choose from. You can find humbow to yeeros, piroshky to pizza. These are your most affordable options. For great food and ambience at reasonable (but not cheap) prices, try Maximilien Bistro for GREAT salads and french onion soup or, Matt’s in the Market for fabulous seafood. During tourist season, you may need a reservation for either.

Fueled up again, now head “Downunder” to the lower levels of the Market. You will find a playground of unique, kitchy shops, like Market Magic, F & J Great Western Trading Co., and Holy Cow Records. Let yourself get lost in the maze of shops. Any shopkeeper will help you find your way out.

Evening:
For dinner, head to the bar at the Pink Door. This whimsical, romantic little Italian joint is a favorite place for Seattlites to meet up with friends. If it is summer, try to snag a table on the patio. Their antipasti menu is very reasonable as is their house wine. For a treat, try their blue martini called “Parfait Amore”. Later in the evenings there is usually live music and sometimes a fabulous cabaret.

If you want to keep going, just across Post Alley from the Pink Door is Kells, an Irish (surprise-surprise) restaurant and pub that also has live music on the weekends.

And if you want to keep going in the wee hours, Le Pichet stays open until 2am, serving French Bistro fare, good espresso and wine.

Getting around Seattle by Bus

Seattle's current snow day got me thinking about the bus. This town has a great bus system. Metro covers all of the greater Seattle area, including Bellevue, Kirkland, and other eastside cities. It also links up well with transit for other areas of the Puget Sound. Fares are reasonable and the buses are pretty reliable. Dogs are allowed on buses, but you must pay a fare for them (unless Spot is a service dog). Often the driver will not enforce the fare rule, but the big rule is that Fido keeps her four on the floor.

Metro has several online tools to help their customers build itineraries for the rides and catch their buses.

The Trip Planner is a great tool that allows you to plug in variables such as start and end addresses, date, time, maximum distance you are willing to walk, and other details and it will provide you with an agenda for each leg of your trip.

The Tracker allows you to plug in a bus line number and see, in real time, where that bus is on its route.

Of course there are timetables on the site.

There is also a tool for finding carpool and vanshare partners. This is not only for commuting, but for finding a ride to regional, public events as well.

For travelers with disabilities, there are many accessibility services. In the summertime there is even a water taxi that links downtown to West Seattle.

A Very Seattle Christmas

Like most towns, Seattle has some holiday traditions that are unique and/or flavored heavily by its culture. A few of my low-cost (most are free) favorites are listed below. Visiting the Emerald City during the season of lights? Check a few of these out!

The Figgy Pudding Caroling Contest is a fabulous happening on the streets of downtown Seattle. A fundraiser for the Pike Place Market Senior Center, caroling groups pay a fee to claim a street corner and sing their hearts out. Funny or sublime, mild or raucous, talented or no, they compete for prizes based on your votes. This year it happens on December 1st.

Visiting Pike Place Market all dressed up in lights and trees. The lighting ceremony is on November 25th.

The Christmas Ships are an everchanging flotilla of private and commercial boats that dress up in lights and parade through the waters around Seattle after dark. Led by one of the Argosy ships that each night has a choir on board, they make a few stops in different areas (usually lake- or sound-side parks) for a brief concert. I recommend one of the locations that has a bonfire or other special lighting, such as Madrona Park or Seward Park (get schedule info on the link).

The Caroling Kayakers. These guys are hardy! Another fabulous fundraiser, the carolers pay for the privelege of paddling around Lake Union with Santa in decorated kayaks to carol at houseboats and other shoreline spots.

Greenlake "Pathway of Lights" is a lovely luminaria event at one of the most popular city parks.

The Jinglebell Run. Yet another fabulous, brave-the-cold-and-rain fundraisers (we are a city of do-gooders!), thousands of runners tie bells to their shoes, many dress in costume, and prance a 5k route through downtown, including a tunnel (imagine the acoustics!)

The Volunteer Park Conservatory on Capitol Hill is a great place to shake of the winter chills. This year, on a few choice afternoons (December 10, 17 and 24, 1pm - 2pm) there will be a free harp recital.

Saturday, December 2 , 1:00 PM
Each year, Town Hall sponsors a free holiday concert. This year it celebrates those people who live and work by the sea and will be held on December 2nd.

A few other more generic but noteworthy activities:

Westlake Center - tree & carousel & minorah The tree lighting celebration is November 24th.

The Holiday Parade, also on November 24th.

Winterfest at Seattle Center on lower Queen Anne Hill (where the Space Needle is)

Candy Cane Lane in the Ravenna neighborhood starting December 9th.

Happy Wasseling!

Some Initial Thoughts on Cheap Eats

Seattle is a foodie town. There are some aMAZing restaurants here. Popularity of bioregional and organic ingredients (of which Cascadia has a wide variety being ocean-side, temperate, and rich in splendid farmland) and strong pan-Asian influences create a foundation for creative, flavorful and varied cuisine.

Fine dining in Seattle can be very expensive, however, with entrees ranging from $18-$35. However, if you can forgo ambiance (and sometimes waitstaff) you can find some very tasty meals for $6-15. Here are a few ideas for affordable dining downtown and in the International District

Food courts have a bad wrap, and usually it's deserved. However, in Seattle they are often a treasure-trove of affordable ethnic dining. This would include the third-floor of Westlake Center which is smack-dab in the middle of the shopping district. You can find Asian noodle dishes, Indian, Greek , sushi, & Mexican, (as well as a McDonald's, which amazingly has the longest line). Prices are mostly around $5-$7.

In the International District, the Uwajimaya Food Court is another gem. A wide range of country-specific Asian and Pacific Island eateries, from Thai to Hawaiian to Korean and more!

If you like spicy middle eastern food/Indian-type food, Cafe Zum Zum will be your Mecca. Fabulous Pakistani lunches for about $7. In the same little outdoor food court, upstairs, there is a Thai place that makes really good Thai sandwiches for about $4.

Tamarind Tree is a particular hidden favorite of mine. Tucked away in the back of an International District strip mall, your search will be gratified by luscious Vietnamese food, priced from $7 for a dinner entree. Parking is horrible, so walk, bus, or carpool if you can.

FareStart, a non-profit that provides gourmet food service training to the homeless, has two cafes that serve fabulous lunches priced from $6-$11.

Here are some links to additional recommendations from local food critics (you may see some overlap):

Northwest Source
City Search
Seattle PI
AOL

Lodging Ideas for a Tight Budget

There are a lot of really nice hotels in Seattle. And really nice equals really expensive. There are many moderately priced hotels as well. Sometimes that is even too expensive, plus a moderate price most often equals a moderate experience. There are options to the hotel/motel/fluffy, victorian B&B scenes that also offer a more personalized experience in the city.

If you have never heard of Craigslist. Know it now. In Craigslist's own words, it is a, "local community classifieds and forums - a place to find jobs, housing, goods & services, social activities, a girlfriend or boyfriend, advice, community information, and just about anything else -- all for free, and in a relatively non-commercial environment."

Craigslist is a huge phenomenon in Seattle. Folks swear by it for buying, selling, finding jobs, apartments, band members, community groups, etc. I had one friend tell me that she she's had such good luck with Craigslist, sometimes thinks that if she typed in "truth" or "God," She'd find it there.

Anyway, there is a section under the Seattle site for sublets and temporary housing. Particularly if you are planning to stay for more than a few days, this is a good page to browse. There are even "by the night" postings at times. There is also a "housing wanted" page and a "house swap" page.

Which brings me to another tip: Housing Exchange programs. If you own a home or rent a place you can loan out, there are programs to match travelers who are willing to let others stay in their home in exchange for the same in a city they'd like to travel to. A couple organizations recommended to me are: Intervac, and Home Exchange. Members can make decisions around whether they allow children, smokers, etc. and whether they will allow use of other amenities, such as the car. Read the sites for rules and the full process.

An even more intimate option is Couch Surfing. Where people offer a free place to stay for a traveler for the sake of meeting new people from around the world. Of course this also means you are willing to make the same offer to your hosts, or others, at some earlier or later date.

Finally, last but not least, Seattle does have a hostel that has great rates and is smack-dab downtown. It is right under the Pike Place Market, which is a classic Seattle landmark and is just blocks from other sights.