This coming Friday (4/10/2020) my daughter and I were supposed to leave for the Netherlands, but we are obviously not going. She had wanted to see the tulips, and next week is her spring vacation. However, the COVID-19 has changed so many things including travel. It has ceased, and since I am writing a travel blog, that’s been a bit tough. Fortunately I live in a beautiful area that I can share about with others. Also I have memories of travel I can share so I hope you can stick with me until I can travel again.
Tourists come to Seattle for its beautiful setting. Water and nature have always been important to Seattle, and its parks are a reminder of that. Volunteer Park, which sits at the top of Capital Hill, is one of the best. At over 40 acres it was originally designed as a park for everyone to enjoy nature.
The city purchased the land in 1876, but it took a while before the city developed it as a park. Finally in 1903 the council hired John Olmsted to design a park system in the city, and Volunteer Park was a key element. By the way the city changed the name to Volunteer Park from City Park in 1901 to honor the volunteer soldiers who fought in the Spanish-American War.
While today the park still has a lot of beautiful green lawns for picnics or a game of frisbee, there are some significant elements of the park that make it a worthwhile place to visit either as an out of town guest or an interested local.
In its early days the park was used as part of the Seattle water system. There is a large visible reservoir in the park, but the more interesting element is the water tower. Built in 1908, the top of the brick tower offers a great view of Seattle. There are two entrances to the tower which open to the bottom of the stairs that curve around the outside of the actual water tank.
Once at the top of the tower, visitors can look out through the many windows that offer wide views. They can see Seattle and Puget Sound to the west and Bellevue and Lake Washington to the east. The Seattle downtown area looks somewhat different from this perspective although the Space Needle can still be seen. It’s a great spot to get a sense of the layout of the Seattle area.
The water tower stands at the south end of the park. From it a road traverses through the park to the north end where the Conservatory sits. In winter the Conservatory is a great place to visit as it is nice and warm inside. This beautiful Victorian style glass structure was opened in 1912. Today plants fill the various rooms.
At the east end of the building visitors will enter a warm, dry room of desert plants. Since these are not native to the region, the room’s atmosphere is monitored to accommodate the needs of the plants. Here one can find some unique and fun plants.
Orchids are the main attraction in the center section of the building. These beautiful and graceful flowers can be real show stoppers. In the rest of the conservatory plant enthusiasts will discover a variety of other plants many of a tropical nature. There is a nominal $4 entrance fee. You can get more information on times and free days by checking their website.
Between the water tower and the conservatory lies the Seattle Asian Art Museum. The building opened in 1932 as the Seattle Art Museum. However the main art collection moved to new digs in downtown Seattle in 1991. Two years later this building reopened as The Seattle Asian Art Museum to emphasize Asian art. Since then the museum has recently been renovated, and it just reopened about a month ago. I was able to visit it before the COVID-19 crisis shut it down. That day was also a free day for seniors. They have various free days each month so it doesn’t have to cost you anything to visit. Check out those times on their website.
Upon entering the building, visitors are guided to the ticket booth which is a little hidden on the right side of the entrance. Even on a free day everyone needs a ticket. Straight ahead from the main door is a large atrium with a fountain at the far end. It seems that to the right of the atrium are mostly rooms dedicated to the religious arts of Asia while to the left are the more generic artistic endeavors.
In many culture religious art has historically dominated the art world. We see this in European art which focuses on the Christian stories. The Asian art comes not from a single religion but from a variety of religions. The exhibits are not arranged by country or culture but by similarity of form. One exhibit I found interesting was a collection of the heads of the various gods of the region. It’s interesting to note that much of the art in these galleries are statues. There are not a lot of paintings. There are, however, some prints as well as decorated religious writings along with a large screen.
Walking straight back from the center atrium leads to a hallway with glass walls looking out to the park. It’s a beautiful view point. To the right is a room with contemporary art pieces. One of the more dominating exhibits of the museum is a piece entitled Some/One by a Korean-American artist. It is composed of thousands of dog tags put together as a sort of armor. It is a very fascinating piece.
To the left of the center atrium are rooms with a variety of art forms. These include ceramics, textiles, printing, and a few paintings. While the exhibits are not extensive, they definitely give you a sense of the arts in the various countries they represent.
Upon leaving the museum, visitors will notice another piece of art entitled Black Sun. It was installed in 1969 and became an iconic art piece in Seattle. At the right angle photographers can get a shot of the Space Needle inside the circle.
Once your exploration of Volunteer Park is finished, consider taking a short drive or walk to the north and visit Lake View Cemetery. A cemetery might not be one’s first thought when looking for places to explore, but there are some interesting things to note in this particular one.
For anyone interested in Seattle’s history, this is definitely the place to explore. The familiar names of Seattle’s streets and neighborhoods will take on more meaning. Here can be found the Yesler family site, the Denny family plot, the Phinney family monument as well as the grave of the more recent Molbak family . Most of these grave sites are located at the highest point in the cemetery.
While these historical names are of interest, there is one grave that is visited daily, and that is the grave of Bruce Lee. His grave site is not very large, nor is it easily seen, but people come from far and near to pay tribute even to this day. When I visited recently I saw two couples stop by before I got there. It is difficult in the picture to read the inscription, but it says, Your inspiration continues to guide us towards our personal liberation.
For me the visit to the cemetery also revealed how strong the Asian community has become in Seattle. I was surprised by the large number of Asian graves in long rows usually from red granite. I also saw a new element of gravestones which is engraving a picture of the deceased on them. This seemed particularly popular with the Asian sites.
Volunteer Park and the Lake View Cemetery might well be considered some of the hidden gems of Seattle. Much like the Boeing Tour they are not at the top of most visitors’ list of top things to do in Seattle. However, in some ways they reveal more about Seattle than some of the major attractions. Check them out. They are worth your time.
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