Seattle Daily Photo

iPhone Wednesday #18: We Remember

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:57:00 +0000

This iPhone Wednesday shot comes from Victoria, BC, where I am visiting. I caught sight of these poppies in a shop window last night. Today I attended the colorful and touching Canadian Remembrance Day ceremonies in the bright sunlight. With thoughts of my mom, dad, two brothers, and four uncles, all of whom served in the armed forces during various conflicts, and honoring the memories of all those who gave their lives in service to their countries.

The Lights Are On But Nobody's Home

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:01:00 +0000

An abandoned bank on First Hill. What might that dog be thinking?

Gettin' Outta Dodge

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +0000

I was photographing a street scene of a pedestrian on a sidewalk when Bambi here suddenly pulled out of the alley between me and my subject and turned into the street. I hadn't ever noticed contemporary Airstream trailers before and it was sort of cool to have this shiny curved surface suddenly appear from nowhere in the midst of the dark rain stormy scene with fall colors. Hope the folks towing it have a good trip. I'm wondering if they are snowbirds making their escape to the desert. Where would you be heading?

Pho Bac

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:01:00 +0000

I've been craving warm soups and stews since the time change plunged us into early darkness and the chill winds of fall have started in earnest to take the leaves from the trees. This colorful shop front of Pho Bac Restaurant in the International District called out from the dark. It is one of four sites of this economic and tasty Vietnamese eatery. It probably will raise a few eyebrows aesthetically. The scaffolding has been up since forever and there are noticeable unfinished interior repairs going on; however really good eats are the reward for braving it. Seattle chef and restaurateur Tom Douglas listed the Beacon Hill/Little Saigon neighborhood Pho Bac as one of his four favorite Seattle restaurants, besides his own Palace Kitchen, Dahlia Lounge, Serious Pie, Etta's, and Lola restaurants (and a new, as yet unnamed, restaurant opening in April next to Etta's). What are your favorite soups and stews for this time of year? (Recipes and restaurant tips welcome!)

Shorts in a Rain Storm?

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:01:00 +0000

Shorts in a rain storm? Typical Seattle? You bet. Seattle folks can seem pretty casual about rain sometimes, like this guy on Capitol Hill. This storm hasn't been really cold, just blustery with a lot of thunder and lightning and hail. Toward the end of the month we'll be putting our winter tires on our vehicles and pulling out the wooly jumpers, Northface jackets, scarves, hats, gloves, and thick jeans. But right now, it is more beautiful than bleak. The lovely fallen leaves are beginning to pile up now, and if you'd care to see the hail piled up in my garden yesterday, just click More Seattle Stuff.

Skywatch: November Storm

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:00:00 +0000

I took this shot of Seattle's skyline and I-5 in the rain yesterday evening, looking out from Capitol Hill. We had our first good storm last night with lightning, hail, wind, downpour and thunder claps so big they shook the house and sent the kitties scrambling for cover. It's Skywatch Friday and you can see skies from all over or contribute a photo of your own by clicking here.

Lines & Reflecton

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Several SDP visitors have mentioned living here for years and not yet visiting the Central Library. It is an amazing space inside and out, and you will enjoy going just to do a self tour of the place. I was trying to get a shot that contained strong graphic elements and reflections when this trio walked past me into the scene and peered down from this third floor overlook down to the first floor. If you'd like to see what they saw, click my More Seattle Stuff page.

iPhone Wednesday #17: Museum Steps

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:31:00 +0000

These steps are on the south side of the Seattle Art Museum and help pedestrians start an ascent up the steep street. The design elements running along this elevation catch a glint of late afternoon sunlight. Hammering Man is visible at the corner, and pedestrians cast long shadows as they walk up the street.
Ming the Merciless has an iPhone Wednesday shot to share with you, too.

Angled Tunnel

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:15:00 +0000

As promised, another entryway. This one is on the east side of the Central Library. The steel diamond grid that forms the exterior shell of the building descends as an open work past the glass wall on the first floor which angles back. The shapes are reflected in the glass. I liked looking down the tunnel it forms leading to the east library entrance and to Chocolati, the on site coffee and chocolate source that makes hanging at the library on a rainy day an even more splendid experience.

Garfield Community Center Doorway

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Here is a runner up shot I considered for yesterday's theme day, and I'll have another doorway for you tomorrow. I was walking in the Central District and thought this was such an interesting entrance. It caught my eye from a block away. The steps leading up to it have many thought provoking sayings written in bronze letters on the stair kicks. The doors themselves are conventional glass doors you might find anywhere, but the cast aluminum sculpture suspended above them defining the space is far from common. It is the Kuba Textile Grill based on traditional textile patterns of the Kuba people of Zaire, Africa, and is the work of Beliz Brother & Mark Calderon, 1994. I also like the cheery element of the colored tiles spaced randomly in the brickwork facade.

Theme Day: Doorways

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:48:00 +0000

It's a beautiful fall day here with blue sky, puffy clouds, autumn colored leaves all around, and it's November 1, and our CDPB monthly theme day: Doorways. I saw this guy framed against the light in a 3rd floor doorway of the central library. The entire 3rd floor (walls, ceilings, floors, doors, hallways, access panels) is entirely red and high gloss. His reflection echos on the curving walls and the shiny floor. You can see doorways all around the world today. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Recycle / Reuse / Build a Mondo Faceted Thoughtful Skyscraper Beside It

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:15:00 +0000

Joining the nearby skyline from yesterday's shot will be the multi-faceted high rise Fifth & Columbia tower that will be built just on the other side of this lovely preserved downtown church-gone-condos. The innovative glass sheathed building design is featured in a poster on the upper left of the building. I showed you the view of this site from high above last winter here, and the orange colored brick building you see in that shot has been demolished. To see what the new building will look like in its setting and view some scale models of it, click on my More Seattle Stuff page

Skywatch: Can't Get There From Here

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:37:00 +0000

Even at 76 stories and a height of 937 feet (285 m), Seattle's tallest building, Columbia Center, cannot manage to reach the blue sky on this cloud covered and blustery day of scattered showers. It is Skywatch Friday, and you can check the skies all over the globe or post your own Skywatch photo here.

Upstairs / Downstairs

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:51:00 +0000

A librarian is working away upstairs as a patron proceeds downstairs. Simultaneous views of multiple floors are possible in many places in the incredible layout of Seattle's Central Library, completed in 2004. This is a curving stairway down to the 3rd floor which is known for its red reflective surfaces. You might dream of tomato soup for days after spending time there, or perhaps recall a childhood impression of going into the gullet of the whale with Pinocchio :-).

iPhone Wednesday #16: Dick's

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:05:00 +0000

Seems like anytime they are open Seattle's five Dick's Drive In locations are doing a brisk business. I stopped for photos only :-), but these other folks went away with burgers, fries, and shakes. Coming in late with my iPhone Wednesday shot for today, as life is full and other deadlines prevailed. Getting night shots with a 2 megapixel iPhone camera is, ah, challenging, shall we say. I had to take 4 or 5 shots before I could manage to keep the highlights from blowing out the words on the signs. Can you read the menu? It's my iPhone Wednesday shot, where I shoot the image and edit it with one or more of the many aps available. Just heard this week that Adobe has a Photo Shop ap for iPhone now, so will be checking that out soon. I was at the Apple store on Monday and played with the 3Gs, which has a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus as well as video. I'm waiting for at least another upgrade or two to come out, since competitor's smart phones already feature 5 mega pixel cameras. If Apple is smart it will drastically improve camera function to stay on top. They just better watch out for the company that already has a deal with Carl Zeiss, the superb lens manufacturer. My only other iPhone wish besides a huge camera upgrade would be an elegant little interfacing folding keyboard like I have for my Palm Pilot. It folded to about the size of an index card, but acted like a full keyboard in how easy it was to type on. Made taking notes in class really easy without the hassle and weight of lugging around a laptop or the expense of a notebook.

Now if you'd like a really fine pulled pork sandwich from Seattle's most unique gourmet meals on wheels, or you are feeling a bit lost and just need some direction, check out Chuck's and Ming the Merciless' iPhone Wednesday shots.

Curved & Linear with Scary Face

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:52:00 +0000

So here's something mundane that on closer look can be a little spooky. I came upon a very handsome grouping of potted plants on a terrace outside this downtown high rise. When uploading this shot the reflections on the large pot morphed in my vision to produce a glaring face and a small worried looking skull. Power of suggestion with Halloween nearly here, I'm sure :-) What do you see? It's not just our flower pots that seem haunted this time of year. Did you know Seattle is famous for its ghost tours? There is one in Pike Place Market that highlights the long tradition of sightings of Chief Sealth's daughter Princess Angeline walking about, and I've heard of folks taking the Capitol Hill Ghost Tour to check out reports of Capital Hill's creaking 1920s era women's club building, converted to an art house movie theater in the 1970's called the Harvard Exit (just across Roy St. from Joe Bar, the DAR and Cornish College) being an active haunt.

Cleaning Break

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Perhaps needing fresh air because of product fumes or just warm and needing to cool off, someone busy at housekeeping was taking a break at the Pacific Apartments downtown. I've always loved the design of this brick and terra cotta building. For years Monday was always washday at our house. What's your housekeeping routine?

Three Alarm Fire in Greenwood

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0000

A huge fire broke out in the wee hours of Friday morning in the heart of the Greenwood neighborhood on N 85th Street near Greenwood Ave. Four popular businesses were distroyed and Taproot Theater Company suffered heavy smoke and water damage. Around the corner firefighters rescued all the cats in the abutting PAWs pet adoption center and they've been safely transported to PAWS Lynwood facility. Please visit the newsblog "PhinnyWood" for full coverage from flames to cleanup, including video. Three of the four businesses that were gutted were family owned and operated, and the four combined employed about 40 people. More photos at More Seattle Stuff.

I heard about this from a friend who is a patron of Taproot Theater. Yesterday would have been closing night of their current production of "Enchanted April." The neighborhood is in shock, but very grateful for the great work of the fire department and that no one was harmed. I am wishing everyone affected by this well.

Dinner Out

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0000

A recent errand took me out Rainier Ave S through the Columbia City Historic District around dinner time. That was fortunate because there are a number of really fun restaurants and cafes, nestled in among the colorful shops, galleries, bars and neighborhood businesses. I was turned down at one place due to lack of a reservation, even though there were eight open tables. So I ended up at a comfortable old favorite and, like our friend Bibi in Belgrade sometimes does, tried a shot from table level to give a sense of being there. Do you have a fave place you like to head out to for Friday night after work or Saturday breakfast?

Ezell's: A Seattle Small Business Success for 25 Years

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:44:00 +0000

Seattlites are known for their smarts, innovation, commitment to principles and community, hard work, and love of fresh food. This is one Seattle small business that is "livin' the dream" every entrepreneur imagines for their enterprise. Ezell's Famous Chicken may seem like just another fast food restaurant as you pass by its flagship location on 23rd Avenue, but it has a history of determination and food that pleases. It first captured the palates of its neighbors in the Central District and now, after 25 years, people all around Puget Sound. Ezell's fried chicken isn't called "Famous" for nothing. Word has definitely gotten around about their comfort food menu. They've built on that reputation to go on to open six other locations since they opened this shop in 1984. I've heard that Oprah enjoyed the chicken so much on a visit here that she has had it flown to her. It is one of Seattle's successful home grown businesses that goes by the first name of a founder, like Fran's, Ivar's, or Dick's, and has built a very loyal customer base by doing things in their signature way.

Not All Our Libraries are Sleek and Modern. . .

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0000

. . .but they have all been renovated, upgraded, and refreshed, top to bottom, in the past 10 years thanks to the popular Libraries for All $196,000 bond measure passed by Seattlites in 1998. Each branch is a unique, inviting, well designed and well utilized space. The massive project of remodeling or replacing every branch was completed last year. The charming Columbia City branch dates from 1915 and was a Carnegie funded library designed in the Beaux-Arts Georgian Revival style. In 2004 an addition was added to the back of this, the smallest of all Seattle's original Carnegie endowed libraries. It is much loved by its community. For a view of the entire front elevation, please click my More Seattle Stuff page.

iPhone Wednesday #15: Fall Rain on the Stoop

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0000

I had run an errand and was heading back to my car when rain started to fall. I pulled up my hood and walked a bit nearer the buildings to take advantage of their awnings. That's when I noticed this great graphic tiled stoop and the fallen leaf on the sidewalk. I just had to make an image of it. Does it surprise you that one of the effects I used to edit it is called "Paris"? ;^) It's my iPhone Wednesday shot for this week where the photo is taken and edited right in the iPhone with various apps. Lets see what iPhone images Ming the Merciless and Chuck have come up with for us today.

Night Glow

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Seattle doesn't look so much like the "emerald city" in this night shot, but it still glows in an amazing way. This is a long exposure looking south across Lake Union. You can see the lights of a fast moving large pleasure boat on the left as it heads west, and there is even a bit of air traffic captured in the sky. The downtown core of high rises sure generates some high wattage light spill.

Garfield High

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0000

One by one each of Seattle's nine active public high school campuses have been receiving much needed renovations. Garfield High in the Central district has been in its newly refurbished diggs since last fall after a two year sojourn at the old Lincoln High campus in the Wallingford neighborhood while construction was going on. The exterior of this 1920s brick and terra cotta building remains intact, but the interior is entirely changed and updated to safely and comfortably accommodate its 1600+ students. Garfield's academic, arts, and sports programs are highly regarded, and its outstanding Advancedd Placement course offerings and music programs have attracted students from throughout the city. A few of the many notable people who once walked these hallways as students include composer/arranger/musician/producer Quincy Jones, for whom the new performing arts building is named, as well as guitarist Jimi Hendrix, architect Minoru Yamasaki, chess grandmaster Yasser Seirawan, and 2007 NBA basketball rookie of the year Brandon Roy. As of next fall, Seattle Public Schools' method of student placement will change from city-wide choice of schools to local neighborhood school assignments. Tentative boundaries for neighborhood schools were released for public comment this month and the School Board will finalize neighborhood school boundaries in time for next fall's enrollment which begins in spring

Blooming in the Bright Alley

seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (Kim) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0000

This 60 foot mural, Whale vs. Squid, was just completed at the end of August by artists Karl Addison and Pixel.Tron. I don't know if the artists planted the variety of sunflowers in front of it, but all that intense color works together to brighten this alley off Cherry St. between 25th and 26th Ave. That is where you will find the entrance to the Twilight Exit, a very popular dive bar. The Twilight moved from its old location on Madison to its new digs at the beginning of the year. I think they now occupy the space vacated by JoAnna's restaurant and jazz club, but am not sure.