November 2009

Wandering around cities

Wandering Around Chinatown

I really like Chinatown. Helen and have our favorite haunts for breakfast or buying groceries. We had an afternoon free so we decided to go for a walk around the neighborhood before we picked up steamed buns.

Wandering around, we were a little sad for the neighborhood. The city really is marching towards chinatown and I'm not sure how much longer the land can stay as it is. To make matters worse, many of the workers in Chinatown are older than average for retail and I suspect their core clients are going the same way. Eventually the demographics will erode the neighborhood.

We were reminded that if you want to keep a neighborhood, you need to patronize it.

Seattle for the Weekend

Helen and I had a free weekend so we decided to make a go down to Seattle for the weekend to visit friends. Turns out it was American Thanksgiving weekend so shopping was a little more crazy than usual. We tried to mix going outside with shopping so I got a bit of time to take photos.

Amenda has a photo of Snoqualmie falls on her fridge. I did a bit of searching on the internet and found out it isn't that far from Seattle - about 25 miles East on I-90. We drove out and found the Lodge no problem - lots of parking. There are nice vantage points all fenced in and tourists everywhere snapping photos. A few surprises - the falls have a large power plant next to them so you really want a view that minimizes the plant. The falls are hidden from the sun well before sunset. If you are looking for a "good" shot, you are in for some hiking and the hiking trails weren't obvious, but they are there.

Old International Truck Outside Public Market

Pike Place Public Market is a favorite market for me. I have taken way more photos in this market than I have at Granville Island - the Vancouver equivilant. There are a number of vendors selling photos in the market which gives you a little kick to do a better job yourself.

Produce Market Outside Pike Place Market

Compared to Granville Island, Pike Place is more of a tourist destination and less of a real shopping destination. I sometimes feel bad for the vendors - lots of tourists taking photos, almost no customers. Perhaps there are better times, but I can't say I've ever seen a crowd of people carrying groceries.

Another Seattle favorite for me is Elliot Bay books. Books usually print the prices in US and Canadian dollars on them so when the Canadian dollar gets strong it's like all the books in the US go on sale. Elliot Bay is in the pioneer square area which has some beautiful old architecture.

A final new place for me - Discovery Park / Fort Lawton. This park used to be a military base and is now a city park. It's big - we hiked for at least 5 km. There are great views of Bainbridge island across Puget Sound. We were a little disappointed to find the lighthouse was undergoing repairs and was completly scaffolded/tented when we visted. Oh well - a good reason to come back!