Now, with more weird Seattle goodness!

Seattle is about as far West you can go without falling off the edge.  People who moved here just kept going and going until they couldn't go any further.  Rain, long winter nights, the often-gray skies -- these things have caused many around here to delve deeper into themselves and follow their hearts, eccentricities and all.  People here aren't any weirder than anywhere else, we're just not afraid to show it.

Ivar's Dancing Clams

On a muggy misty day at the beach, Ivar's Dancing Clams run wild and free.

Ivar Haglund was a true Seattle character and icon. He was known as an entertainer, folksinger, restaurateur and ultimately the "King," "Mayor," or "Patriarch" of the waterfront. The story of Ivar's Seafood Restaurants began in 1938 when 33-year old Seattle native Ivar Haglund opened his city's first aquarium on Seattle's Pier 54. Droves of people lined up and paid a nickel to view the sea life that Ivar had collected from the surrounding Puget Sound. Noticing that his patrons often came with an appetite, Haglund began to sell red clam chowder and fish n' chips from the site—an instant success that began his career as a restaurateur. Ivars Hoax Ivar's Restaurants

Poop Walk - Waterworks Gardens wastewater treatment art installation

If you want to get out of the city and have a fun and educational walk, go visit Lorna Jordan's "Waterworks Gardens" a few minutes outside Seattle, near beautiful downtown Renton. Lorna's design for Waterworks Gardens combined classical garden design, wastewater treatment infrastructure and habitat restoration. The garden is a great place to stroll and get out doors, while enjoying an art installation and understanding how nature cleans dirty water to provide us with clean drinking water. The artist was inspired by her study of Italian gardens and the sense of theater that she observed there. The Grotto was hand made from stone and concrete and, with its flowing water, pools, native plantings, mosaic, and stone seating, remains a favorite gathering place for visitors to the site.

Storm water runoff is collected from the grounds of the wastewater reclamation plant and pumped into 11 ponds that settle out contaminants and sediments. Water is then released into the wetland below, helping to sustain plant life, microorganisms and wildlife. The storm water treatment ponds and wetland form an earth/water sculpture, which funnels, captures and releases water. A path called Water Walk weaves through the ponds and wetland to join trails from the cities of Renton and Tukwila. Along the walk, visitors pass through five garden spaces.

More photos of Waterworks Gardens.

The Waterworks Gardens are located at 1200 Monster Road SW, Renton, Washington, 98055

Seattle's Bubbleator

The Bubbleator what is a giant bubble used as a hydraulic elevator. Built specifically for the Seattle worlds fair in 1962, the giant machine was in the old Armory, which then became the food circus in now is Centercourt at the Seattle Space Needle campus.

In its heyday, it made thousands of people up and down through the center of the old armory.

The current owner is Gene Achziger. In the 1980s he went looking for it, as he was curious about what happened to it after the worlds fair. He said a contractor donated it to the children's orthopedic hospital, but they didn't know what to do with it and, by 1984 it was stuck in a warehouse in South Lake Union.

So, for $1000, Achziger bought the Bubbleator at a fraction of its original $63,000 price tag. He put the dismembered machine on a flatbed truck and brought it to his house in Redondo, south of Seattle, to begin the painstaking process of putting it back together.

It was a machine drilled, so every panel had to go back in exactly the right place. Now inspirational form, the Bubbleator  is just over 19 feet wide and weighs more than 3000 pounds. The Bubbleator is now a magnificent greenhouse at Gene's Home in Redondo near Federal Way.

"Something Weird Video" and Prom Queen helps keeps Seattle Weird!

Something Weird Video is a film distributor company founded by the late Mike Vraney and currently run by his wife Lisa Petrucci, and based in Seattle. They specialize in exploitation films, but the content runs the gamut of exploitation cinema, from burlesque and striptease shows to stag and peepshow films, and even some drug and drive's ed shorts.

 Imagine seeing some of their most interesting vintage exploitation films combined with a live soundtrack? Thursday, June 1st is your opportunity to do just that.

You'll get a chance to hear Seattle's Prom Queen, a band that blends dark-surf, girl-group noir sound with some of "Something Weird Video's" favorite clips from their catalogue of exploitation film's, creating a show of B-movie indulgence that features classic burlesque reels, drive-in trailers, ephemeral classroom films, and LSD inspired oddities. This special music and film experience at the Seattle International Film Festival is presented as part of Puget Soundtrack, Northwest Film Forum's beloved series that has been inviting local musicians to score films since 2014.

TICKETS: Buy Tickets for Triple Door

Puget Soundtrack presents Prom Queen (SIFF)

City Arts: Prom Queen Scores Something Weird

Seattle's W Hotel "Sound Suite", a hotel room with a recording studio

W Hotels introduces the first W Sound Suite in North America, a private recording studio and creative space for artists to use whenever inspiration hits. With a capacity for up to 25 people, this 380 square foot sound proof space includes a vocal booth, mixing equipment, and lounge area to host your next reception.  Innovative recording technology invites you to unleash your creativity in the studio, while signature WHATEVER/WHENEVER® service ensures you have everything you need to channel your musical genius into your very own masterpiece. 

LET'S MAKE SOME MUSIC TOGETHER. 

Seattle has always been a city of pioneers, leading the world in everything from coffee to technology to music. The launch pad for a spectrum of successful musical careers from Jimi Hendrix to Macklemore and Pearl Jam to Brandi Carlile, Seattle remains the city of who’s new/next in music

http://www.wseattle.com/WSOUNDSUITE

Weird shopping in Seattle

 

Seattle is pretty much the furthest away you could get without dropping off United States border into Canada, Seattle has a lot of weird stuff at some good shopping.

One of my favorite places is Pacific antique gallery in the SODO District. It's not owned by one person but it's actually 50+ different shops under one roof. That way, you get lots of different folks aesthetic I said you never know what you're going to find. There are Victorian items, 18th century collectibles, 60s mid century modern up to the present. It's always a treasure hunt when you visit Pacific Gallery.

Lennon in Fremont

Heart outlives politics

Seen by most as one of the most controversy of art pieces in Fremont, the sculpture of Lennon reminds us that art outlives politics

This sculpture took 10 years to complete and was installed in Slovakia in 1988 only to be toppled by Revolution in 1989.  

While teaching in Poland, American veteran Louis Carpenter discovered the sculpture lying facedown in the mud. Carpenter recognize the scale and craftsmanship of the statute as well as the boldness of design. Determined to preserve the statue, Carpenter decided to mortgage his house to acquire it and brought it back to his home in Issaquah Washington.

Carpenter had dreams of making the statute a centerpiece for the Slovakian restaurant he wanted to open. Instead, he died in a car accident in 1994, leaving his debt and the disposition of the statute to his family. They settled upon an agreement with Fremont community representative to cite the sculpture in Fremont for the work to be seen and enjoyed as Carpenter wished and hopefully to find it a permanent home.

 Right now, the sculpture is located on the corner of Fremont and North 36 street. The mayor of Seattle at the time Paul Shell, came through the neighborhood the day of the cement pour and sign his name to the pedestal project where the sculpture stays until this day.

Seattle's "Holiday Tree" lights up the neighborhood all year 'round

Photo by Ryan Whitney , Creative Commons

Since the mid-70's, Herb Allwine and his wife, Mary Lou, have decorated the tree on the corner at their house for every holiday. Each year it became more elaborate to the delight of all the neighbors. Mary Lou passed away a few years ago, but Mr. Allwine still decorates the house in honor of his wife. Here's a video below with the whole story.

Purple Power - Lilac wishes and lavender dreams at the Purple Store in Seattle

Yes, there is a store in Seattle called the Purple Store and yes, everything in it is PURPLE!
You can get purple furniture, purple kitchen appliances, purple goth items and even stuff for your purple wedding!  Visit it online or in person at

The Purple Store is located at 7616 Aurora Ave N. Seattle, WA 98103

Sound of Light Reflector Art Installation

Artist Dick Elliot has created an incredible public work of art that you can see from your car or get out and examine more closely. The cool thing is you can see it even at night, as it's made out of reflector buttons that light up as autos pass by.

The Sound of Light is a public art piece that enhances the Hudson Wall Of Seattle’s Sound Transit light rail corridor. It is composed of 35 reflector panels attached to the retaining wall. The largest panel is 5’ wide by 20’ tall. It was installed in the fall of 2007 and was recognized by American's for the Arts Recognition for Innovation in Public Art. The piece runs for 2 blocks along Martin Luther King Way on the Seattle Sound Transit Light Rail Corridor between Dawson St. and Hudson St. It can only be seen when driving north.

Here's a photo of Richard Elliot in front of his creation.  He passed away in 2008. 

Nevertold Casket Company on Capitol Hill

If you've got a thirst for gore, goth and the macabre, you'll love the Nevertold Casket Company, a strange and wonderfully unusual shop located on Capitol Hill in Seattle. As you can see, they sell things "old or new, made of gold and diamond or of simple paper mâché, mass produced or painstakingly hand made. It may be a fragile object d’art or a durable part of everyday life. A haunted good is an object of desire. It is haunted and it haunts. It instills the most sublime awe, even fear in the person that owns it and yet to the one haunted by it, there is nothing so beautifully perfect and comforting." Started first in the basement of an old apartment building and now located in a storefront by Seattle University (the exact address is 509 13th Ave, Seattle WA 98122)

You'll love Nevertold Casket Company if you like weird things like stuffed chicks standing on their hind legs, random pieces of taxidermy, old funeral items made out of human hair and other ephemera.  This shop is the very best example of what makes Seattle weird!

Weird Steve's Awesome and Incredible Home on Beacon Hill in Seattle

My friend Steve Bard lives on Capitol Hill and he's a pretty private guy, but a few years ago he let the crew of Antiques Road Show into his home to take a little video tour. Here it is!

Steve has worked most of his life as a Boeing engineer and just retired a few years ago. What is he doing in his spare time? Buying more stuff!

Seattle's Luna Park Cafe - Still crazy after all these years

The original building constructed by Chris Boysen right after World War II. You can still see his namesake on the adjacent apartment building. Originally built as a neighborhood tavern, the building went through various identities over the decades. The last one being the infamous “Pat & Ron’s Tavern” which closed in 1988. After months of work on the space, it reopened on March of 1989 as Luna Park Cafe. The name coming from the former boardwalk park that existed in West Seattle in the early 1900’s. Over the years it has become a museum of sorts for all generations to enjoy. With a 1958 Seeburg Jukebox, other coin-ops like Pepe the Dancing Clown and the mini Orchestra above the front door and plenty of nostalgic decorations, this diner is a haven to it’s regulars and a spectacle to newcomers. The idea behind the cafe is to serve delicious food and great milkshakes in a 1950’s diner atmosphere and they definitely succeed! 

 Luna Park is located at 2918 SW Avalon Way, Seattle, WA 98126

Fremont Solstice Parade

The Fremont Solstice Parade takes place on Summer Solstice Saturday in downtown Fremont.  The historic Fremont Solstice Parade is produced solely by the Fremont Arts Council, a non-profit organization, and they have been delighting crowds at the Center of the Universe with fantastic floats, marching bands, and other free-spirited street performances since 1989.

Everyone is welcome to participate in the Solstice Parade. Public art workshops are held early May through June to prepare for the parade.  For more information on joining the parade, please contact volunteer@fremontartscouncil.org or visit the website www.fremontartscouncil.org  for more information on ways to get involved.

The parade has been made famous (infamous!) by the inclusion of the Solstice Cyclists (Solstice Cylists.org), a celebration of 1500+ naked-but-painted bike riders, who are released onto the parade route before the start of the Solstice Parade.  This event celebrates the rebel in all of us!  It is a “nude not lewd” event, where families are welcome to watch their friends bare all, paint up, and ride through the streets of Fremont!

The parade ends at Gas Works park where you will find food trucks, a beer garden, art installations, and four stages of band performances.