On Sunday I took the bus downtown to Pike Place market. (Yes, the sellers still throw the dead fish to each other at the fish market, PETA)*. At the little park to the north, I had to do the obligatory peek over the edge onto our infamous Alaska Way Viaduct. It’s no longer deemed safe, and especially vulnerable to earthquakes. And just this Tuesday there is yet another referendum to gauge support for its replacement with a tunnel – for which construction has already started (tunnel nay-sayers want a new viaduct). Also check out the Google street view picture.
*In 2009, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) heard that the American Veterinary Medical Association asked some Pike Place Market fish throwers to be the opening act for their convention at the Seattle convention center, and sent them a protest letter.
Next, I made my way down to Pioneer Square and discovered the Hartford Building, an excellent example of Art Deco style, built in 1929. And I only discovered after I got home that Smith Tower has an observation deck! Aw. Now I’ll have to go back. It opened in 1914, was the fourth tallest building in the world in its heyday, and remained the tallest building west of the Mississippi River for almost 50 years. The black Columbia Tower looming behind it is now the tallest building in the city.
