Bizarre Things in Seattle

Medical Error
Donald Church, 49, had a tumor in his abdomen when he arrived at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle in June 2000. When he left, the tumor was gone -- but a metal retractor had taken its place. Doctors admitted to leaving the 13-inch-long retractor in Church's abdomen by mistake. It was not the first such incident at the medical center; four other such occurrences had been documented at the hospital between 1997 and 2000. Fortunately, surgeons were able to remove the retractor shortly after it was discovered, and Church experienced no long-term health consequences from the mistake. The hospital agreed to pay Church $97,000.



The treehouse workshop
The TreeHouse Workshop is a Seattle-based company that takes the art of constructing tree houses extremely seriously. They build an average of one tree house per month and hire extremely able builders and carpenters to construct their projects. Their finished works vary in luxury but some even include (counterintuitive!) fireplaces.



World's Largest Birthday Cake
Made in 1962 for the Seattle World's Fair, the world's largest birthday cake weighted 25,000 pounds and stood 23 feet tall. The ingredients list includes the 10,500 pounds of flour needed for the cake.



Bizarre beards
Gandhi Jones, 34, from Seattle, 1st Place winner in the Freestyle Moustache category in 2007



CREDIT TO: http://www.oddee.com/

Summer Activities in Seattle

Summer is coming, what sorts of activities can we do in Seattle? We are lucky to live in the Northwest, where everything is available for us to explore, such as nature and water activities. Check out our Seattleites' Flickrs on Summer Activites, it will inspire you to go outside and plan for some amazing adventures!

Three Person Canoe -novon


Seattle Folklife Festival -singingpixel


Splash at Seattle Center -singingpixel


Trail/hiking at Yancy St and take pictures at Fishbone Bridge -Duckyguy

Capturing images of Musicians at Pike Place Market

If you have been to Pike Place Market, you probably notice some great street musicians singing by the side walk and entertaining people around them as they sing. Check out these great pictures from Pike Place Market by our Seattle flickr members.

accordion and dog -smitheruwm



Violinist - joeszilagyi


Emery Carl -BrittneyBush


Musician at Pike Place Market - beatnikside


Buskers Festival 2k8 m - lawrence_grant247


Street Musicians - dklimke


He's back and brought friends -MaryWit


Flute Dude -Stacie_O

Coffee Art Inspirations....

"Ever have a cup of coffee with some of the most elaborate designs that make it almost too beautiful to drink? Many baristas have evolved the method of creating coffee to an aesthetic quality. This technique is called Latte Art." - Steve G - from The Barista Culture - theChefSeattle.com

Living in Seattle, you can't help to see creativity in your coffee latte. Check out Coffee art for your inspirations today...and enjoy a cup of coffee today...


pretty cup of caffeine by Gilfer



pirate con leche by ChrisB in SEA



It's spring! Time for coffee by ChrisB in SEA



latte art, latte heart -andy.s.


coffee art -Gilfer


Cup of Cappucino -swisscan

Seattleites' Flickr...

I thought this week would be fun to feature our local flickr.... Check this out!

That Girl - Walsh



lady liberty -Walsh



Green Lake - Seattle -pkarm70



your basic tourist shot -EdgarDiazRocks



Latte Art - Flowers - Makeda Coffee Seattle, WA- shawnmebo



Daner WK Parskid - SoDo Legal Wall -Slightlynorth



YIP071 - Dave and Maggie - Slightlynorth



Now that is a beer holder - J. Kraemer



Ballard Sunday Market Musicians -PamINseattle



Green Lake ducks -mr*sha*mme*r



After all these years, the truth comes out -Justin Kramer



OVO Installation - Instax WIndows - Slightlynorth



Top Pot Doughnuts Coffee Cup -shawnmebo



Seattle Center Sci-Fi Perspective -Surrealize

Seattle's Best Walking Trails

Apart from the rain, the Sun awaits behind those clouds, ready to welcome the warm weather and Summer. Let's get ready and get those walking/running shoes out from your closet, we're going for a walk in Seattle's Best walking trails!

PHOTO BY: TRISH SNYDER. DISCOVERY PARK TRAILS

Discovery Park
Discovery Park is a 534 acre natural area park operated by the Seattle Parks and Recreation. It is the largest city park in Seattle, and occupies most of the former Fort Lawton site.

The site is one of breathtaking majesty. Situated on Magnolia Bluff overlooking Puget Sound, Discovery Park offers spectacular view of both the Cascade and the Olympic Mountain ranges. The secluded site includes two miles of protected tidal beaches as well as open meadow lands, dramatic sea cliffs, forest groves, active sand dunes, thickets and streams. See how to get there by car or by bus.

PHOTO BY: SEATTLE GOV. CARKEEK PARK TRAILS

Carkeek Park Trails

Located in northwest Seattle, this popular park offers extraordinary views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.
TRAIL MILEAGE: 6.061 miles
TRAIL CONDITION: Fair to excellent. Quite a bit of work has been done in the park over the past few years.
ADA: The Salmon to Sound Trail, the Piper"s Creek Trail from the Lower Meadow to Piper"s Orchard and the Wetland Trail are ADA accessible. Directions to Carkeek Park

PHOTO BY: HILLCLIMBKEN. WASHINGTON PARK ARBORETUM

Washington Park Arboretum and Foster Island Trail

A few Seattle parks provide a glimpse of the way it was by harboring the last stands of the thick forest that once covered the region. The Washington Park Arboretum is a similar sanctuary, instead featuring exotic plant life from around the world. Level of difficulty: Flat to moderately sloping dirt trails and grassy lawns; boardwalk on parts of Foster Island Trail. Get directions to Washington Park Arboretum trails.

You might like these articles:
Best Walking in Washington
Safety Tips for Pedestrian
Walking and Fitness
Seattle Running Trails in Washington
The Numerous Benefits of Walking

Movies that were Made in Seattle

This week, I'm having too much fun with fun facts about Seattle and unique things that have happened in Seattle alone. Today, I'm going to cover movies that were made in Seattle.

Sleepless in Seattle, ranked #10 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "Romantic Comedy".

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
Featuring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan

Short Summary:
Two soul mates who come perilously close to never meeting, although separated by thousands of miles, rueful widower Sam Baldwin (Hanks) and soon-to-be married Annie Reed (Ryan) connect through a radio call-in show encounter engineered by Sam's son, Jonah (Ross Malinger). Fans of An Affair to Remember will enjoy the many references to that classic romance.

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The Ring produced the highest gross movie that were made in Seattle:

The Ring (2002)
Featuring: Naomi Watts

Short Summary:
It sounded like just another urban legend: a videotape filled with nightmarish images, leading to a phone call foretelling the viewer's death in exactly 7 days. Newspaper reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) was naturally skeptical of the story -- until four teens died mysteriously one week after watching such a tape. Curious, Rachel tracks down the video and watches it … and now, she has just 7 days to unravel the mystery of the "Ring."

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Rose Red by Stephen King is the longest Movie Durations: 254 minutes that were made in Seattle.

Rose Red (2002)
Featuring: Nancy Travis, Kimberly J. Brown

Short Summary:
In Stephen King's chilling tale, psychology professor Dr. Joyce Reardon (Nancy Travis) commissions a team of psychics and a gifted 15-year-old (Kimberly J. Brown) to wake up a supposedly dormant haunted mansion known as Rose Red. Their efforts unleash myriad spirits and uncover horrifying secrets of the generations who have lived and died in the mansion.

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30 Frames a Second: The WTO in Seattle by Rustin Thompson is the shortest Movie Durations: 73 minutes that were made in Seattle.

30 Frames a Second: The WTO in Seattle (2000)

Short Summary:
Independent journalist Rustin Thompson went to Seattle to cover the 1999 World Trade Organization meeting and came away with this powerful video chronicle of how a protest spiraled out of control. Thompson's personal account shows you the 50,000-person demonstration from all angles: the confusion inside the convention center; the zeal of the protesters and the mayhem out on the streets; and the police's questionable tactics.

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As for me- I would recommend this movie for you to watch:

Life or Something Like It 2002
Featuring: Angelina Jolie, Tony Shalhoub

Short Summary:
A reporter (Angelina Jolie) with a shallow, meaningless life interviews a psychic homeless man named Prophet Jack (Tony Shalhoub) who informs her that her life will end in just a few days. The wake-up call emboldens her to try and change things around ... hopefully, for the better. Stockard Channing scores as an investigative reporter modeled after Barbara Walters, and Edward Burns co-stars as Jolie's beleaguered cameraman.

See more Movies that were taken in Seattle.
"Reel Life in Seattle" - An Insider's Guide to Seattle Film Locations
See Film Events and Festivals in Seattle

Interested to Filming in Seattle? Here are some great info from Seattle.gov site about incentives, permit, crew, locations, climates, etc

The Best Sunrise and Sunset Locations in Seattle!

Don't you ever wonder, where are the best sunset or sunrise location in Seattle? I do. I have been enjoying these longer daylights for the past few weeks, and I almost feel like my energy to explore the city slowly finds its strength.

I found this really cool website to find out rising and setting times for the Sun. And for those of you, who are interested in photography, photographing Sunsets and Sunrise can be real fun.


PHOTO BY:Samirdiwan photostream, FLIKR. TITLED: PICTURE PERFECT.

So, let's cut the chase, where can I find really good Sunrise locations in Seattle?

• Louisa Boren Park is the best spot to catch the sunrise. where you can gaze eastward over the rolling backside of Capitol Hill, past wavy Lake Washington, and out to the Cascade Mountains beyond. This park is just a few blocks east of Volunteer Park and, if you're not a morning type, is usually a serene spot all day long.


• Olympic Sculpture Park. This new waterfront park gives Seattle residents and visitors the opportunity to experience a variety of sculpture in an outdoor setting, while enjoying the incredible views and beauty of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound during Sunrise and Sunset.

BREAKFAST PLACES AFTER WATCHING SUNRISE

Café Campagne | Pike Place Market
Coastal Kitchen | Capitol Hill
Hi Spot Café | Madrona
Glo's Coffee House | Capitol Hill
Portage Bay Cafe | University District

PHOTO BY:B Mully's photostream, FLIKR. TITLED: SEATTLE, OLYMPIC SCULPTURE PARK, LOVE.

How about Sunset locations?

• Alki Beach Park. Home to the first white settlement in Seattle, nearly 150 years later it’s home to the most spectacular place to view a sunset. From Alki you see Seattle’s downtown core, the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. So dig your toes into the sand and enjoy the perfect ending to your day.


• Kerry Park. An unsurpassed view of Elliott Bay and the Central City, with an occasional backdrop of Mount Rainier, draws camera buffs to this spot. At sunset they often line the wall just as the city and the sound are beginning to glow with lights. At night it becomes almost a fantasy scene, with brightly lit ferries gliding across the water and the Space Needle shining from its 500-foot pedestal.It's is also great for Sunrise view.


• Golden Gardens Park. Located just North of Ballard, Golden Gardens is one of Seattle’s few sandy beaches. The beach stares straight through the Puget Sound and to the Olympics, where onlookers can witness the last peak of the sun.

ROMANTIC DINNER BEFORE/AFTER WATCHING SUNSET

Ray’s Boathouse & Café | Ballard
Palisade | Magnolia
The Melting Pot | Queen Anne
Café Flora | Madison Park
I Love Sushi | Lake Union

Seattle's Smallest Houses

Tim and Diana Hammer's 550 Sqft Cottage Quaint


Tim and Diana Hammer purchased their 550-square-foot Ballard cottage in 1999. Then a dilapidated shack in need of some serious TLC, the tiny space wasn’t quite what the pair had in mind as the perfect newlywed nest. But instead of razing the existing structure, the Hammers opted to rework the former fisherman’s flophouse, creating an open, inviting space that’s anything but cramped. Moreover, they rebuilt an existing outbuilding, outfitting it with reused and donated materials to create a functional guesthouse and studio space, and Diana landscaped the property with low-maintenance native plants. (Source: Living Small).
See more photos of this house.

RELATED ARTICLES:
Northwest Home: Big Ideas for Small Spaces
Living Small: Allison Arth - Living Small blog


David Sarti's 800 sqft Urban House


DAVID SARTI'S newly finished, modernist-style house in Seattle's Judkins Park, a little south of East Yesler Way, is the first he has designed and built for himself. It is a showcase for his aesthetic sensibilities and an embodiment of his can-do spirit. (Source: Seattletimes.com).
See more photos of this house.

RELATED ARTICLES:
Seattle Times: An Urban Pioneer
Small House Style: David Sarti's 800 square feet in Seattle
Grassroots Modern: David Sarti Does Affordable Modern
Apartment Therapy: David Sarti's Small, Affordable Home