Seattle’s Fremont District

I had the opportunity to go to Seattle and spend the better part of a day just wandering around and taking photos.  Of course, the weather was not favorable, it rained most of the way driving over and all night. The next morning, the rain began to let up.  I visited Glazers Camera in the morning since we no longer have a “real” camera shop in Spokane.  When I came out, the rain had stopped and I headed out to see what I could find.  I ended up a few miles away in the Fremont District.  Also known as the ‘center of the universe’ and ‘The Artists Republic of Fremont,’ there are lots of cool little shops, artwork, and eclectic folks around.  Both Google and Adobe software have offices here as well.

According to the sign, the middle of this busy intersection is the Center of the Universe!

The front door of Google's offices in Seattle's Fremont district

Fremont is clearly pet friendly, as evidenced by the large number of dogs (for such an urban environment).  Some, like the fella below were amazingly well disciplined, no leash and no owner to be seen, and moderate foot traffic a few feet from him on the sidewalk.

A very well-mannered lab waits for it's owner outside a cafe

The George Washington Memorial Bridge, aka Aurora Bridge, is a huge span of steel that carries six lanes of Highway 99 traffic high above the intimacy of Fremont.  It also conceals the Fremont Troll, an 18 foot high sculpture under the north end of the bridge.  As you can see, folks seem to be olfactorily inclined…

People seem to be fascinated with the nose of the Fremont Bridge Troll

This is an old school bridge, with details no longer seen in modern bridges, like individual rivets and a myriad of intertwined beams.  The patterns of repetition can be hypnotic and beautiful.

Looking West under the Aurora Bridge

Looking East from under the Aurora Bridge

I very much enjoyed my short time in Fremont, and I hope to return again on a less rainy day.  They do have those in Seattle, or so I hear…

This last shot is a vertically stitched panoramic of the underside of the main span of the Aurora Bridge.  Enjoy!

A vertical panorama of the bottom of the Aurora Bridge