Collection by Miyoko Ohtake
Seattle, Part One
Seattle did nothing to cast away its stereotype as the country's wettest city earlier this week. I traveled north from our Dwell headquarters in San Francisco to visit a house that will be featured in an upcoming issue and to get a taste of what the city has to offer. Here's part one of what I discovered.
The next morning I headed out for a photo jog, despite the wind and frigid temperature. From my hotel near the Seattle Public Library (more on this in part two!), I headed down the Harbor Steps to the waterfront and was soon in front of the Seattle Aquarium, where I spotted this delightfully playful bike rack.
My walk back to my hotel continued through Pike Place Market and, of course, included a cup of coffee at the original Starbucks. The exterior and interior there are much softer than the sleek, corporate design of most Starbucks, and it's a shame the company didn't stick closer to the original shop design.
Beecher's wins my heart, however, because it sells cheese curds, aka "squeeky cheese," the key ingredient of my favorite Canadian dish: poutine. The other reason I love it, though, is that every day you can watch the cheese being made through the large corner windows and glass partitions inside the shop, too.
Lake Union Park officially opened September 25, 2010, on a former naval reserve center. Though I was a little disappointed on arrival—it's a very flat park with too much concrete—I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt that it was only because it's just a month old. Once the trees grows—and the sun comes out—it's sure to be a nice spot to picnic.
Next, it was off to Cascade People's Center for lunch. On my way, I ran into the Cascade P-Patch Community Garden. There are more than 70 P-Patches throughout Seattle that offer residents individual plots to tend. The gardens are supported by a partnership between the P-Patch Trust and the P-Patch Community Gardening Program.