Seattle Diary

[doady]

The "urban oasis" really does have calm, serene feeling, lol.

Rain all the time? That also means beautiful rainforests. And of course, the reason for the rain is the vast ocean and the majestic mountains.

Physical geography aside, Seattle also has great urban geography: a still intact and flourishing inner city, and an urban area still heavily invested and oriented towards public transit, so the downtown was not destroyed for parking lots and garages like so many US cities. Only the photo of that "flatiron" parking garage gives me unease.

 

[Kalifornier]

Ya that is what I immediately noticed, the lack of shadows where you would expect them (plus that slight look you get with HDR photos which looks, well I don't have a word for it, but it is the look you get with the more subtle ones like yours).

My problem is I don't have a lot of patience for a lot of post processing in my photos, so I rarely bracket let alone on a normal basis. Of course part of that may be my lack of skills for anything beyond the basics in post processing, which in turn is probably caused for my lack of patience to learn it. Sort of a circular logic there where each prevents the other from happening.

I hear ya. It definitely adds some extra post-processing time. But given the alternative of noisy shadows, Decided to bite the bullet. If you use Lightroom, it's not too bad to add the extra step.

 

[DeeJayK]

Only the photo of that "flatiron" parking garage gives me unease.

That parking garage is a local icon. It even has its own Wikipedia entry: Sinking ship.

- K

 

[Kalifornier]

I was also remiss in commenting on the images previously, getting tied up instead in discussing the weather.

This is a absolutely cracking set of images. You basically ticked off every iconic image of the city in a single visit. You make me feel like an layabout (which is not inaccurate) as I've lived here for a quarter century and couldn't conjure such a thorough set of Seattle icons from my catalog.

I appreciate that you also included the "sinking ship" and Uncle Jeff's balls in the set. I'm a bit surprised your Freeway Park image is free of tweakers and addicts. Did you have to remove some in post?

- K

Thank you for the kind words, Keith. 'Uncle Jeff's balls' really cracked me up I very much enjoyed walking around, and when locations were a bit too far, public transit was great. I suppose we all are guilty of taking our home towns for granted and seeking greener pastures. I didn't encounter anyone at Freeway Park save for couple of grandmas on nearby benches and some rats at the bottom of the maze. Maybe I lucked out with the timing.

 

[Holoholo55]

We never go to Seattle so thanks for the vicarious visit


[rant]
Seems like everyone IS moving here. Traffic is the worst compared to anywhere you measure it. Sometimes it takes an hour to try to sneak by on I405. Strip malls are approaching Arlington to the north and continue past Olympia south. Why anyone would want to live in rainy Issaquah or North Bend is beyond me but the hills are now covered in subdivisions and continuing to spread east. People are even commuting over the pass.

Our little rural corner of the PacNW is growing like crazy since people realized that they could live anywhere. Wish they would leave their urban expectations back in the city. (can't get a latte 24/7)
[/rant]

Seattle is a lovely city, but on my previous visits, found that traffic was pretty bad. I once rented a car and drove myself from SeaTac to Montlake early in the AM rush hour during winter after a redeye flight from Honolulu. This was before smartphones and navigation apps and I had to try to follow the route printed from the computer and figure out finding the right exit from the damned freeways and try not to get killed while trying to look at the map, avoid speeding cars, and roadsigns. Finally made to the hotel with my blood pressure and heart rate probably 2x normal. That was the last time I tried to drive myself in Seattle. Next time, took the shuttle.

 

[RichardC]

I have never been to Seattle. It looks like an impressive city with lots to photograph.

I've got the record though. Perry never mentioned the traffic.

 

[OldRex]

Hey I think Seattle is a great place. It's a town I have a lot of love for. My wife and I have been going there for more than 10 years to attend an IT Conference (PASS - Professional Association of SQL Server Developers) around Oct/Nov. This was from 2017 and very unexpected. Created havoc with our outbound flights too!

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[Sleepy Capybara]

Beautiful photos!
Seattle has been my second home. Absolutely lovely place, even better people and fantastic scenery all around.
Don't want to hijack your thread but couldn't resist posting a few of my favorite Seattle area pictures.

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P4153276_DxO by CondentMedia, on Flickr

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_DSC0506 by CondentMedia, on Flickr

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DSC_5023_DxO by CondentMedia, on Flickr

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DSC_4245 (1) by CondentMedia, on Flickr

 

[jaydubstar]

Great shots! Speaking as a local, you captured some iconic spots very well! Great job!

I feel like I need to try out that "be a tourist in your my city" mentality and get out there and shoot in my own city as if I was in another one, haha.

Thanks for the inspiration.