Seattle, Vancouver's American cousin, is just a couple of hours south of the border.
And, like not-too-distant relatives, there
are similarities. These two coastal cities bear a superficial resemblance to one another, and even their moods are alike. In cooler months they are both dark and brooding; they share a predilection for overcast skies and drizzle. (Remember
The Killing and its damp and gloomy 'Seattle" setting? That's
Vancouver mist. Vancouver is frequently a Seattle movie stand-in.)
But it was a wonderfully sunny day as we drove down from Vancouver to visit Seattle friends, Dale and Elizabeth, whom we know through many hiking trips together in Europe. Since we last visited them, they had moved to
Columbia City, a multi-ethnic neighbourhood with an interesting history. This area has recently undergone a revival, with slum properties replaced by a planned community that is a mix of subsidized and market-rate housing that manages to look old because early Seattle house designs provided the inspiration.
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| A new "old" house in Columbia City, Seattle |
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| Slums have been replaced by parks and homes for all. |
I took several walks through the neighbourhood and loved its village appeal. There is a park, a community centre, seniors' housing, lots of small nearby shops and a light-rail system into the downtown core and out to the airport. (
Rosie Larsen would not have come to such a bad end had she lived in such a nice part of Seattle.)
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| The Hammering Man |
Actually, Seattle has many attractive aspects, not the least of which appears to be a
commitment to public art unlike any other city I have visited. Without even trying, I noticed several interesting installations downtown. The largest was
The Hammering Man which is outside the Seattle Art Museum. Interesting fact: This kinetic sculpture stops for a rest at night and on Labour Day.
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| The big Columbia City spade. |
Public art is also in the suburbs (like Columbia City) and at most of the LINK (i.e. LRT) stations. Now that's what I call "liveable"!
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| Public art with a Chinese influence. |
Sounds like a really liveable city. I recognised some familiar Vancouver locatios in The Killing, too.
ReplyDeleteWe must do a Wellington sculpture walk next time you're in town to see if we are moving toward a Seattle standard of commitment.