"The Red Popsicle" by Catherine Mayer located on the corner of Fourth Street and Blanchard Avenue…read morein Downtown Seattle in the Belltown neighborhood. This is one of those public art pieces I heard about and had to go find. We were at Pikes Place and decided to set on a mission to find it and it wasn't to far away. It's a cool sculpture in person and is 17-feet tall. One of those little touristy things I wanted to do and now craving a red popsicle. It's a cool piece to checkout.

Admittedly, there may be better views of the New Year's Eve fireworks show at the Seattle Space…read moreNeedle, but "The Popsicle" on the corner of 4th Avenue and Blanchard Street is where it's at for us. We've celebrated NYE here many times and witnessed many things (including a marriage proposal that included the "fine print" disclaimer of "I will propose to you for real...someday." ‍ While you may or may not witness anything like a sorta/kinda marriage proposal when you visit, the views from this spot of the Space Needle and the fireworks show are only obstructed by a few power lines and tree branches (and this year some lingering clouds). This viewing location is easily walkable from most downtown hotels (our walk was approximately 12 minutes) and has felt safe each year to us with just two recommendations. Be sure to remain on the streets where the largest number of pedestrians are traveling and be sure to completely avoid walking on 3rd Avenue. A brand new year has been christened and hopeful new resolutions abound. Who knows? Maybe we'll meet 'ya at "The Popsicle" next year! And that's...Henry's Take. #seattlepopsicle #seattlenye #happynewyearseattle

The Olympic Sculpture Park has been on my list to visit since it was built in 2007 and I finally…read moredid! It is a free oasis of calm, a view of the Sound, the Olympics on a clear day, and an opportunity to wander among world class contemporary sculptures. It is the free part of the Seattle Art Museum along with the original Volunteer Park building and the downtown Venturi-Cloepfil building which charge admission. Like most all museums, the work has been donated by Seattle families. It was a brownfield. The site is sloped and difficult to design to, with roads and rail going under it. It connects to the Eliot Bay Trail. The shoreline by the trail was extensively rebuilt in a natural way. The design is a success. The usual entry is from Western and Broad. Seattle has done well building apartments in the area, so parking can be fierce. The main entry has a large, clean, indoor pavilion with a minimal cafe, restrooms, some tables and chairs, artworks, and events. In rain it could be good for children, but may not have activities. To the Northwest is a narrow amphitheater. The backdrop to the amphitheater stage is a significant Serra. It is a great introduction to the artist, created in 2004, and the first piece installed in the park. The Eagle by Calder is the icon of the park often seen in photos. Seattle has a romance with Calder usually associated with his indoor hanging mobiles. Louise Bourgeois has a fountain and stone benches. A Roxy Paine stainless steel tree holds its own against the sea and mountain backdrop. A favorite artist of mine, Louise Nevelson, has a steel sculpture. They have an artist mini golf. I was especially excited to see Ai Weiwei's Circle Of Animals / Zodiac Heads on loan from the artist. I've seen other variations. Each head is a Chinese zodiac animal. I think kids would love it, but no climbing. The story of the originals is fascinating as is Weiwei's autobiography, 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows. With all the art, to me it is primarily a park. People just walk, sit and read, decompress, and children play. It's easy to visit, except for parking, is open 24 hours, has significant contemporary artists, you don't need to know anything about art to enjoy it, and it is free!

The perfect park for a nice stroll…read more I love that you have to go "looking" for the sculptures and that it's not all in one place. It makes it fun and feel like an adventure.

You know art is good when it draws you in. I saw this red sculpture from the sidewalks and found a…read moreway to it as soon as I could. Partially because of the redness and partially because my curiosity was piqued. Not knowing what this was before my visit, I had to find out for myself what I was looking at. No matter the perspective you look at this from, you do not have the same view. This is a 1984 sculpture by Alexander Liberman. Located outside the Space Needle within the Seattle Center grounds. Consisting of large steel cylinders. Cut at different angles and then linked together. Similar to the sculpture in New York state. After circling this and seeing all the angles, I can see why it is also dubbed as the Pasta Tube. It definitely looks like penne pasta.

If you love art, enjoy the outside and want to see something a bit different this is pretty cool…read more While strolling around the space needle it's easy to find. With great spots to lay in the grass, enjoy the shade and take in the views of this massive sculpture. The kid in me imagined being able to climb it and slide down. One of a kind for sure.

Soooo weird but so cool lol This is a must do when visiting…read moreSeattle, as much as it's so gross to think about I just had to come experience it and it didn't disappoint.. We came prepared with lots of bubble gum thanks to my long time friend Emma who lives in Seattle and has been the best tour guide ever!! After looking at all the gum and unique ways people placed there's I decided to blow a bubble and leave it while my hubby left his hanging lol Fun memories made, definitely come see this alley way full.of gum that you won't see anywhere else in the world.

A little bit disgusting but fun at the same time. Lol! It is located on the street below the big…read morePublic Market Center sign. We purchased gum from the window of the shop at the entrance of the gum alley. After a few minutes of chewing, we were ready to add our contributions. Haha! We went on a Monday around noon and it wasn't crowded at all.

It's a famous line from a mediocre movie: "That's not a knife, THAT'S a knife!"…read more The movie of course is Crocodile Dundee staring Paul Hogan. It is utterly forgettable and in fact, I have forgotten everything about it, except when I visit my neighborhood's biggest tourist draw, the Wedgwood Rock. "That's not a rock, THAT'S a rock!" Standing 19 feet tall and deposited by glacial ice sheets tens of thousands of years ago, the Wedgwood Rock is a humbling reminder of just how little control we humans have over our grand Mother Earth. According to Dr. Terry W. Swanson, of the UW Department of Geological Sciences, the Wedgwood Rock has its origins on Fidalgo Island, near Anacortes, about 75 miles north of Seattle. It was carried 75 miles and by ice sheets and then deposited in little old Wedgwood as the most recent ice age ended (source: http://bit.ly/WcjCNQ). Admittedly, the Wedgwood Rock doesn't quite rank up there with Seattle's top tourist draws, but it's always a lot of fun to take visitors on a drive by and watch their eyes bulge as we round the corner to 28th Ave NE and the rock comes into view. Kudos to the neighbors of the Wedgwood Rock who have assumed the role of caretakers for the iconic boulder, from enforcing the climbing ban, to gardening around it, to making sure graffiti gets cleaned up promptly. It's a bit ironic, of course, that the Wedgwood Rock isn't actually in the Wedgwood neighborhood, which is widely considered to encompass the boundaries of NE 95th St to NE 75th St, between 45th Ave NE on the east to a combination of Lake City Way, Ravenna Ave NE, and 25th Ave NE on the west (Source: http://bit.ly/Wcm6vI). Technically I suppose it would be the Ravenna neighborhood that the rock actually resides in. Still, that bit of trivia doesn't detract from the neighborhood's love for its most famous attraction, nor its appeal to young and old alike. Tip: While the Wedgwood Rock may be the neighborhood's largest and most famous glacial erratic, it is hardly the only one. Check out the Wedgwood Rock's modest sibling located in a tiny park known as Wedgwood Square at the corner of 31st Ave NE and NE 82nd Street.

I used to live several blocks away from the Wedgwood Rock and liked occasionally walking by it…read more I wouldn't drive a significant distance to come see it, but it's still pretty cool to have this this huge rock just sitting there in an urban residential neighborhood. I've read that this rock has a pretty rich history as a landmark for native americans, a picnic spot for families, a place for hippies to hang out and do drugs, etc... right now, however, it's just a big rock on the corner with houses all around... and apparently you get fined $100 if you're caught climbing it.

Great statue if you're in the area - not a "must see" destination…read more It has been painted somewhat recently; kind of sad that people feel the need to vandalize everything. That being said, the vandalism kind of goes along with his aesthetic.

Rock guitarist GOAT [Seattle WA]…read more Here in Seattle is yet another bronze statue of an icon in the music world, Jimi Hendrix. He is a bit farther from the other statues we visited in the Fremont neighborhood. This statue is located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. The guitar god is shown in a bronze likeness on his knees shredding on his guitar. While the world isn't always fair to left-handed people Jimi Hendrix was a master. He was a left handed guitarist who played a right handed guitar upside down and backwards. One of the most influential guitarists of all time. This statue is located in the heart of Capitol Hill, a busy neighborhood but I got lucky because at 4:00p on a Saturday afternoon no one was passing by on the sidewalk and I was able to capture a photo without people in the background ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Very cool quirky attraction. Also, just 17 miles from the statue is the Jimi Hendrix Memorial in Renton. Unfortunately, we were not able to see this. Review #3622

Harbor Steps is a public plaza near Pike Place Market and right below the Harbor Steps Apartments…read more Essentially this plaza consists of staircases leading from 1st Avenue to the Seattle Waterfront. Walking all the way down leads to Pier 57 and the Seattle Great Wheel. The staircases are well-maintained, though I do get a little skittish about walking down them when it rains. There are tables as well as seating by the fountains here that are ideal for an outdoor lunch. Plus there are a bunch of popular restaurants like Dough Zone, Skillet and Von's that are located in this area. The entrance to the plaza on 1st Avenue is also right across from Seattle Art Museum. If you need to get from Pike Place Market or Downtown Seattle to the Seattle Waterfront, it is worth walking down the Harbor Steps for its ease of access. And it makes for a nice place to lounge for a bit if you are in the area and need a place to rest.

Kinda cool spot to take photo in the midst of city building/street! We weren't there for the…read moreevening yet it was a nice spot!

The Ballard Bridge. I've yet to see it raised but it is said to raise quite frequently. At first…read moreglance, not as drawing to the eye as the Fremont Bridge it is still all as important to let sea vessels go on their way in the waterways around the city. The bridge remains down during rush hour so as not cause more back up than there already is. Built in the 1910's the bridge is almost 3000 feet in length and connects Ballard to Interbay, Magnolia and Queen Anne areas and neighborhoods. While crossing the bridge to the west you can see Salmon Bay, the Fisherman's Terminal as well as Ballard Waterfront. There are sculptures that decorate the bridge designed by Tom Askman and Lea Anne Lake that are inspired by Scandanavian and American Indian roots and influence. As important as it is. Ballard Bridge just isn't as exciting to look at when compared to the Fremont Bridge. Also, the walking path on it is so narrow. It's not as inviting to traverse. The bridges colors are that of many bridges - a sort of green that just doesn't draw your eye. How about a splash of paint for this bridge to make it pop like the Fremont Bridge? Also, there isn't much in the way of overhanging's for Ballard Bridge, just bridge itself which in a small way is good as views are unobscured but has less character. Again, an important bridge but beyond its importance is just outshined in color and visual to the Fremont Bridge. Sorry Ballard Bridge.

My Viking Quest Gateway starts with a Ballard Bridge crossing. This body of water that separates…read moreSeattle from mainland Ballard needs a sturdy bridge for my car to move across and this is it. I've always enjoyed the journey as my automobile cross's this old school metal structure bridge to the Ballard area. Many memories I've had crossing this structure to either cocktail or see live music at The Ballard Fire House to rock my brains out or Legionary Monday nights at Spinnakers for cheap cocktails and women. I'm sure many others have memories just like this is but these are my words not yours. All I know is my journey always started at The Ballard Bridge. Long Live Ballard!