Salute to the Sound

The Puget Soundkeeper Alliance is holding their "Salute to the Sound" event on Saturday September 26th at the Great Hall of Lake Union Park. From their announcement:

"Celebrate the bounty of the Sound and help us welcome keynote speaker Hedrick Smith, the Frontline correspondent of the recent Poisoned Waters series on PBS.

Join us for oysters, clams, catering by Bacchus and Arianna, Soundkeeper Organic Pale ale & other brews, local wines, live music and a Silent Auction."

Elliott Bay Water Taxi Sets New Record

The Elliott Bay Water Taxi, which travels from West Seattle across to downtown Seattle in 12 minutes, increased its ridership by 15% over the prior year. It's a great commute alternative for people who live in the waterfront community of West Seattle and either work in downtown Seattle or can connect to other public transportation from there.

The water taxi is successful enough that year around service is set to start in 2010, and several other demonstration routes are being planned for other local Puget Sound and Lake Washington communities.

Elliott Bay Water Taxi is back in service

The Elliott Bay Water Taxi service - that takes passengers between West Seattle dock at Seacrest Park and downtown at Pier 55 by Spring Street - is back in operation starting April 29th and runs through September 30th this year. There is also an associated free shuttle bus that connects the dock at Seacrest Park to Alki, Admiral District, and West Seattle Junction. It operates 7 days a week and operates throughout the day, with more frequent crossings during commute hours. Fare is $3, and numerous passes and associated discounts are accepted.

A community celebration will be held opening day on Sunday April 29th, including music, family activities, and free rides on the Water Taxi all day.

Olympic Sculpture Park on Seattle Waterfront

The Emerald City has another jewel in its crown: the Seattle Art Museum's Olympic Sculpture Park on the waterfront of downtown Seattle. It officially opens to the public Saturday and Sunday January 20-21, and I recommend stopping by for a stroll when you are next in the area.

Whatever your particular tastes and however you may feel about the modern sculptures represented throughout the park, it's a bold urban move in a prime development spot that ended up being preserved for public space and urban lifestyle. It also connects the city core literally with the water again: it has returned 850 feet of shoreline back to a more naturally sloped and publicly accessible topography, right in the middle of downtown Seattle.

The meandering path and architectural control emphasizes integration with the art, yet the views are expansive outwards to Elliott Bay, the Olympic Mountain range, downtown skyscrapers, ferry traffic, and even Mt Rainier. One stop shopping for all the local classics there.

And perhaps one of the most impressive feats is invisible to the casual visitor: $64M of the park's $85M total were from private donors, not from government tax sources.

For good information, check out the Seattle Times guide to the park. It includes entertaining pictures from a hundred years ago, virtual tours, how the park was built, and more.