Seattle Landmark Guide

The Space Needle

The Fremont Troll

This two-ton rock sculpture located under the Aurora Bridge clutches a real Volkswagen Beetle, complete with California plates. It’s located under the north end of the Aurora Ave. Bridge, not the Fremont Bridge, as one might guess. The mixed-media sculpture was the victor of the 1990 Fremont Arts Council competition. Made of concrete, the troll stands around 15 feet tall.

Lenin Statue in Fremont

An American teaching in Slovakia, Lewis Carpenter, found this statue lying facedown after it was toppled during the 1989 Revolution. He mortgaged his house, bought the statue and brought it back home. After his death in 1994, the statue was loaned to The Republic of Fremont for display and/or sale. The statue is still controversial. For more details, go to the official Republic of Fremont website.

Hammering Man

"Hammering Man" was installed in 1992 in front of the downtown Seattle Art Museum. It was created by Jonathan Borofsky and is 48 feet high and weighs 26,000 pounds. Even though we consider this a Seattle icon, he's actually just one of many, as the artist made several. There are Hammering Man's in Los Angeles, Japan, Germany and New York. The statue hammers silently four times a minute, from 7am to 10pm every day. One may not want to stand under it, however, as it fell over a few years ago. One Labor Day, a group of artists attached a temporary ball and chain in a comical protest.

Pike Place Market & the first Starbucks

Pike Place Market and the World's First Starbucks (not to mention flying fish, a beloved piggy bank, buskers, fresh fruits & vegetables....) The Market was almost torn down in the 70's, but thanks to the community activism of Peter Steinbruck, it was saved from the wrecking ball and has gone on to become one of our most favorite places to visit. It’s home to artisans, quirky shops, Danny Eskanazi's Giant Show Museum and (don't forget) the WORLD'S FIRST STARBUCKS. Yes, folks, the world domination of the $5 coffee market started here at Pike Place. It's located at 1912 Pike Place.

EMP-Experience Music Project

The Smith Tower

When I was growing up, I thought this was the Empire State Building. Turns out it was the tallest building West of the Mississippi for many years. The Smith Tower was locally famous for having copper-clad elevators with live elevator girls. I think those elevator operators are still there. The top floor is the Chinese room and the very top, in the pyramid, is someone's home, designed by Jim Castanes. They charge $6 to go to the top. A bargain, compared to the Space Needle.... Great photos & info about the Pyramid Residence (The "Lighthouse" , designed by Jim Castanes.

Waiting for the Interurban

William Byers most beloved statue "Waiting for the Interurban" stands in Fremont. Everyone loves this piece of art. It's dressed up for birthdays, holidays, football games, or just for the fun of it.

Bruce Lee’s Grave

Bruce and Brandon Lee are buried in the Lakeview Cemetery just northeast of downtown Seattle. The sites are adorned with several monuments and markers. Bruce’s has a book of marble opened to a page that reads, “Your Inspiration Continues To Guide Us Toward Our Personal Liberation.” A concrete bench at the site is marked with, “The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.
Lakeview Cemetery
1554 15th. Ave. E -
Seattle, WA

Gas Works Park

Gas Works is an oddity amongst the other parks of the city, but beautiful in its own right. On the grounds stand the last remaining remnants of a gasification plant in the country, a process that turned coal into gas before we began importing natural gas. Rubble from the razing of the buildings was used to create the large mound that’s toped with an elaborate sundial. But not everything was torn down; some structures were retained as large, rusting ruins and others reconditioned as playthings for children. If that’s sounds bizarre, well, it is, but take a leisurely bike ride down the Burke Gilman around sunset over Lake Union and as spears of light sparkle through the rusting steel and glimmer across water you’ll be illumination with Richard Haag’s vision.

The Ballard Locks

The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks—almost always referred to as the Ballard Locks—connect Puget Sound and Lake Union. Crowds gather to watch the water cascade up and down as a parade of boats travels from the salty sound to the fresh lake and vice versa. The fish ladder is also a popular sight, as glass panels provide a view of the fish struggling their way up what must seem like a surreal trick Mother Nature has played on them. The locks were originally built in 1911 for coal and timber transportation.

The Seattle Monorail

Like the Space Needle, the Monorail was built for the 1962 World’s Fair. The train runs from the Seattle Center to Westlake Center in downtown Seattle. There have been proposals to expand the route, but they’ve all flopped. The general consensus seems to be that light rail is more practical than one big, heavy rail-type-thing. The Monorail is more of a quirky mole adding a winsome touch to city’s visage than a mass-transit solution to our traffic woes, but for visitors, a round trip is compulsory.

Pioneer Square

Pioneer Square is about 20 square blocks of Victorian Romanesque buildings on the southern edge of downtown. Among them are 30 art galleries, restaurants, local nightlife hotspots and large grounds for special events. Totem poles, monuments, classic Seattle buildings like the eight-room triangle building (built on a miniscule sliver of property on King Street) and the Smith Tower are also part of the square. The first Thursday of each month, the galleries open their doors for an art walk. It’s a chance to meander in and out of the conglomeration of studios that make Pioneer Square the epicenter of Seattle arts. And uh, if you’re homeless, it’s apparently a cool place to hang.

The Japanese Gardens @ The Washington Park Arboretum

Inside the Arboretum lies the Japanese Gardens. Juki Iida designed the 3.5-acre garden in 1960 for the city of Seattle. Admission is $5 for adults during open hours, which vary widely depending on the seasons. Check the website for information about free tours of the garden.

The Washington Park Arboretum is 230 acres of trees, shrubs vines backing up to Lake Washington. Built in the 1930’s, the Arboretum is now hose to 139 endangered plant species, numerous collections of plant life on display and the Japanese Gardens. The park is free to the public, but gates are close after dusk and reopened just prior to dawn. Arboretum Drive East is also a popular biking route for commuters and recreational cyclists.

George Washington Memorial Bridge/Aurora Bridge

The Aurora Bridge was, in 1932, the last link in the concrete chain between Canada and Mexico. It was the first major highway bridge to be built in Seattle, completing Highway 99. The dedication ceremony included a 21-gun salute, the army playing the national anthem, fireboats blasting water into the sky, and the sawing of a Doug-fir that served as a ribbon cutting.

South Lake Union Streetcar

This streetcar, joking referred to as the S.L.U.T. by locals, connects downtown with the biotechnology and bio-medical research center and other businesses on the lake. It acquired the unfortunate moniker because it was originally referred to as the South Lake Union Trolley (or transit), though this is rounded denied by the streetcar’s creators. Paul Allen, who owns a large share of the businesses that it serves, spearheaded the trolley. Built for around $50 million, the project caused a lot of residents to scratch their heads and wonder why the city thought the S.L.U.T. would be a useful addition to the myriad transportation projects in the city. If nothing else, it’s served as a source of merriment for those wont to crack euphemistic jokes and writers who don’t usually get to cast the word “slut” in print.