Ibike USA/Canada Program
Rolling the Islands of the Salish Sea
   
 

 

Photo essay: Rolling the Islands of the Salish Sea: Seattle Ethnic Heritage
   

SEATTLE (50km, 31mi) Tour Seattle's ethnic neighborhoods, and learn about the cities social and natural history.
Points of interest: Waterfront, heron rookery, salmon run at the fish ladder, Locks, Fremont (Center of the Universe), University of Washington, Arboretum, Lake Washington Blvd.
  Bicyclists at Myrtle Edwards Park, Seattle
Bicyclists at Myrtle Edwards Park		 The north end of Seattle's waterfront has unobstructed shore access through Myrtle Edwards and Elliott Bay Parks.  It is part of the intra-city bicycle network, a popular route for joggers, and a favorite of the more sedentary crowd who wants to escape the energy of the city for a while.  Beside fresh and breezy open space, there are good views back into the city
  Magnolia bluff and Elliot Bay Magnolia bluff and Elliot BayMagnolia bluff -- misnamed because the dominate tree is the Madrona (aka Arbutus) -- offers a panoramic view of Puget Sound and the distant Olympic mountain range, from 100m (~30 stories).
  Fisherman's Terminal
Fisherman's Terminal 		Fisherman's Terminal Because of the protected harbor and fresh water Fisherman's Terminal is the home of the Alaska fishing fleet -- crab, bottom fishers, purse seine and long line. Boats also dispatch to the South Pacific. Recently women have gained some equality in the industry.  Fisherman's Terminal hosts the memorial to 460 Seattle fishermen lost at sea since 1900.
  Hiram Chittenden Locks and fish ladder
Hiram Chittenden Locks and fish ladder		 After fifty-five years of controversy and politics on how to connect Lake Washington to Puget Sound, work was started on Hiram Chittenden Locks and fish ladder in 1911. They were opened in 1917.  They are our gateway to the historic Scandinavian community of Ballard.  Legend is there had to be as many churches as there were bars, OR, as many bars as churches.  Ballard is Seattle's newest "new bohemia". Popular stops are the Tractor Tavern, Bop Street Records, the Sunset Tavern, Hattie's Hat.
  Eating lunch al fresco in Fremont Bicyclists travel on their stomachs so good meals are part of the program.  Before we got out of Seattle we had Thai, Ethiopian and Japanese food.  Over the coarse of the next two weeks we added Korean, Mexican, Italian, Northwest, BBQ, and more Thai and Japanese.
  Waiting For the Interurban
Waiting For the Interurban

Fremont Troll
Fremont Troll (under the Aurora Bridge)

V.I. Lenin statue, Fremont
V.I. Lenin (Soviet era sculpture rescued from a Russian junk yard*) [*Lewis Carpenter, a local resident, was teaching in Poprad, Slovakia, in 1989 when the Soviet Union began to implode. A mob toppled the statue. Carpenter bought it and ship it home.]

 Fremont (self-proclaimed "Center of the Universe") is one of Seattle's most creative neighborhoods. In 1857, John Ross moved to Fremont and built sawmill. It was platted in 1888, the same year the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern railroad came from Seattle and headed to the northeast to Lake Washington and beyond. By the next year the hills were clear cut and with the winter rains they had an ecological disaster; 1890 Guy Phinney built the first street car line from downtown through Fremont to carry visitors up the hill to his private Woodland park. 1891 Fremont annexed itself to Seattle. In 1905, the Car Barn was built and in 1910, Aurora Bridge with Mt Rainier peaking out in underneaththe Stone & Webster's Seattle-Everett Traction Co was inaugurated. But, in 1932 Aurora Bridge was built and the railroads quit in 1939. Fremont was down, but not out.  Forty years later it emerged as a creative node of literary and visual artist.  A few of the quirky attractions are:  There is a resident troll under the sidelined the community.  Careful observers will find the boots of the wicked witch protruding from a large bolder -- presumably under which she met her demise.  Rapunzel has been trap in a tower for decades -- presumably waiting for one of the thousands of commuters who pass her daily to rescue her -- most not even realizing her condition.  A bold and bigger than life Vladimir Lenin, the father of the Russia's socialist revolution,  seems to be stepping out on to Leary Way, perhaps to try and stem the flow of capitalist traffic, streaming by on the neighborhoods main arterial. (Mr. Leary, for whom the street is named, was a successful developer of private property, and Mrs. Leary was an avid bicyclist.)  Fremont's backwater days seem to be behind it; The micro-breweries and their groupies have now swept in (and out), followed by the gentrifying boutiques, services and restaurants.
  "Kite Hill" in Gasworks Park From the top of "Kite Hill" in Gasworks Park, you get a sweeping view of the city.  In front of the city is Lake Union, the location of "Annie's" (Meg Ryan)  house boat (on the right shore in this picture) in the movie "Sleepless in Seattle."
  Sadako and 1000 cranes, Peace Park
Sadako and 1000 cranes, Peace Park		 This monument commemorates Sadako, a young Japanese girl who contracted leukemia the from Hiroshima atomic bomb  (Aug 6, 1945). She was a runner and collapsed one day at a competition. She want to run again so she started folding 1000 origami cranes. Japanese legend says if you fold 1000 cranes your wish will come true.  Unfortunately, she died before she could finish. Her determination inspired her classmates to continue to fold cranes and work for world peace.
  Drumheller Fountain and frosh pond
Drumheller Fountain and frosh pond		 Drumheller Fountain and Mt Rainier vistaThe University of Washington is built on the site of the 1909 Alaska, Yukon Pacific Exposition, which celebrated trade with Asia (and we still are.).  Drumheller Fountain and Rainier Vista (right, you can see the mountain in the background.) Are two of the few features left from that time.
  Leschi Marina with Mt Rainier
Leschi Marina with Mt Rainier 		Leschi is the former site of JM Thompson's small amusement park and menagerie (1888), and a cross-lake ferry dock.  It was served by Seattle's first cable car.  Chief Leschi lived in the area with the Nisqually Indians in the early 1800's. In 1855 he refused to sign the Point Elliott Treaty. He lead a rebellion in 1856, and hanged in 1858 on trumped up murder charges.
  Girls dancing at Bon Odori Japanese festival Girls at Bon Odori Japanese FestivalBon Odori is the annual festival of the Seattle Buddhist Temple (a Japanese festival to remember the ancestors and dance). The prayers to the ancestors are done earlier in the day and then the late afternoon and evening are a giant street dance where many of the participants where colorful kimonos and ukatas.
  It's Seattle's best street dance!  If you get their at the right time you can see the Seafair Court (queen and princesses) and Seafair Pirates (Seafair is Seattle's summer long festival with ethnic festivals, street fairs, parades, sports events and plenty of beer drinking at each -- by the spectators)
  Japanese doll exhibit, Seattle Buddhist Temple Inside the building of the adjacent Japanese Buddhist Temple, you can learn about Buddhism and see displays on Japanese-America history, culture, crafts, ikebana, bonsai and other art.
   
 

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