Holiday: Garden d'Lights 2010

What has become the premier scene at the Garden d'Lights in Bellevue, Washington, the pond scene, was captured on 22-December-2010

BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON - It seems that all really good free things come to an end, and such is the case with the holiday season Garden d'Lights in Bellevue, Washington. Since 1994, the ever-growing light display had been free, but this year, outside of a few early-season dates, it cost $5 for adults and reservations were needed as total admissions were limited to keep the Botanical Gardens from becoming overcrowded, as had happened on several nights in the 2009 season.


An octopus was targeting a starfish for lunch in the aquarium scene at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens in Bellevue, Washington on 22-December-2010

The display now features more than 500,000 individual lights in dozens of scenes that stretch throughout nearly the entire Botanical Gardens complex. The display is always different each year, so while one can expect listeria at the covered walkways and a pond scene on the upper lawn, some of the better animals like the monkey and the slug could be found in different locations, and there were plenty of new scenes throughout the park.


A gardener watered potted plants near gourds at the Garden d'Lights in Bellevue, Washington on 22-December-2010

While the original idea behind the Garden d'Lights had been to highlight plant life as a winter nighttime extension of the Bellevue Botanical Garden's daytime and mostly fair-season mission, the most popular parts of the Garden d'Lights have mostly become the animals. Some years, kids were given a list of animals to find hidden around the displays, and certainly the rabbit with its carrot and the spider with a fly caught in its web have become perennial favorite scenes, with new ones added each year.


A turtle was one of the prominent animals scattered about the Garden D'Lights in Bellevue, Washington on 22-December-2010

Still, the bulk of the lights in the Garden d'Lights are devoted to plant representations, with quite a variety, from desert succulents to both the blue and pink versions of hydrangeas, with just about any flower imaginable seen somewhere in the gardens. I wish some of them could be labeled just like the various real plant species in the garden have signs with their names that can be seen in daylight.


A typical scene with a variety of plants was seen along the hillside of the Garden d'Lights in Bellevue, Washington on 22-December-2010

The size of the garden was expanded significantly this year to include new portrayals of salmon jumping in a rapidly-moving stream. This display was especially appropriate considering the Botanical Gardens' proximity to Kelsey Creek, a stream that is alive with migrating salmon at certain times of year.


Salmon jumped up a creek in a new display for 2010 at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens' Garden d'Lights on 22-December-2010

With all the new displays, even with the $5 charge, the Garden d'Lights still compares favorably with other similar displays. It remains open through 1-January-2011--remember to make reservations if you wish to go!

Culture: Opposing Transit

BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON - Walking around this mostly-affluent suburb of Seattle today, I was surprised to see a substantial number of "No Trains in Our Neighborhoods" signs. What was especially strange was that many of these signs were located more than a fifteen minute walk away from the closest proposed light rail alignment. I can understand some opposition to light rail, but the flavor in Bellevue is really hard to explain.

Sound Transit plans to build the East Link light rail line from the current north-south Central Link near downtown Seattle to Bellevue and Overlake. Based on the timetable voted for by the public in November 2008, construction would begin in 2013 and the first segment of the line to Bellevue would open by 2020. One of the first steps in the planning process was to determine the design and alignment of the line.

The alignment preferred by Sound Transit would stop at South Bellevue Park and Ride and then head north roughly along Bellevue Way and 112th Ave SE to downtown Bellevue. As urban rapid transit systems go, the route has relatively low residential density. However, it's still higher than an alternate alignment (B7) that would avoid South Bellevue Park and Ride, head east to I-405, and then north along the currently-dormant railway right-of-way toward downtown Bellevue. While it could serve a Wilburton Park and Ride lot, there are almost no residences within walking distance of stop(s) on that route, and it adds trip time over the preferred alternative.

The opposition to the preferred alignment comes from an anticipated decline in property values as a result of the line construction, because of increased noise and crime. As far as I know, such a decline in property value has never occurred after the construction of a modern transit line. Instead, property always increases in value, especially near the station locations. I haven't seen statistics yet, but I would be pretty surprised if crime rates have increased in the Rainier Valley or near the Tukwila station as the result of the arrival of light rail. As a result of gentrification (driven by the rise in property values), it would actually be expected to go down. Beyond these arguments, it starts to get really absurd, like an actual web site comment claiming that light rail advocates did not understand the damage that would be done by taking the space for two tennis courts away from the Bellevue Club (an institution whose membership rates are so high they don't release the rates publicly).

Even if any of these fears were justified, they only would affect residents within at most a radius of a few blocks of the tracks, if that. The anti-light rail signs appear throughout essentially all of the South Bellevue, including households a substantial distance from the preferred alignment. There's no way a house along 108th Ave SE south of Bellevue is going to be affected by a light rail line running on an elevated right-of-way more than a block and a steep hill away, more than a half-mile away from the nearest station.

There are some reasons to oppose transit systems. The arguments being observed in southern Bellevue have to be amongst the most pathetic I have ever observed.

Photos: Western Washington

The interior of Union Station in Seattle, Washington, now mostly Sound Transit headquarters, was observed on 11-June-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - This week's update to my photo site concludes coverage of a trip to the Pacific Northwest in June 2010 with a focus on western Washington state. New scenes this week include air travel, downtown Seattle, Discovery Park in Seattle, an elementary school reunion, wildlife in parks, downtown Bellevue, and visits with family in Bellevue and Hamilton, Washington.

Margin Notes: Marquee, Signage, Flowers

What will likely be the last marquee messages at the Lusty Lady in Seattle, Washington were observed on 11-June-2010

BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON - Remember the Lusty Lady marquee? The Seattle institution will close today, so the current marquee featuring "The Rear End of An Era" and "Bare Thee Well Seattle" will likely stand as its final ribald configuration.

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A full-color pavement marking for Interstate 405 was noted in Bellevue, Washington on 24-June-2010

A sign that is not intended to disappear soon is a new style of pavement marking guiding motorists to Interstate 405 on 112th Ave NE in Bellevue, Washington. The markings, rather than just using white, are using a full-color interstate shield in blue, red, and white as shown above. I wonder what the marking will look like after a few tens of thousands of cars pass over it.

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Complicated traffic circle signs are proliferating in the Pacific Northwest, including this example at 104th Ave SE and SE 10th Street in Bellevue, Washington on 10-June-2010

Traffic circles or roundabouts are increasingly common in the state of Washington, a trend encouraged by traffic engineers at the state highway department. As a result, increasingly complicated signs are warning motorists of their existence; the above example from a residential roundabout in Bellevue is actually relatively simple.

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Flowers inside glass jars were noted along Bellevue, Washington's pedestrian corridor on 24-June-2010

Another strange sight was found along the Bellevue Pedestrian Corridor, a set of flowers inside jars. The jars were laid out along the NE 6th Street corridor east of 106th Ave NE last week, with no sign of explanation. Does anyone know what this was all about?

Photos: Holiday Scenes in the Northwest, 2009

The fountain scene at the Garden D'Lights in Bellevue, Washington was captured on 22-December-2009

KENNEWICK, WASHINGTON - This week's update to my photo site features a roundup of Pacific Northwest holiday displays. Holiday scenes from around the Seattle, Washington area seen on 22-23-December-2009 included Bellevue's Garden D'Lights, Seattle's Gingerbread Village, Seattle's Toyland Village, and more.

Margin Notes: Shopping, Signs, Ice Kiting

The 110th Ave NE entrance to The Bravern was noted in Bellevue, Washington on 22-December-2009--note the lack of any enclosures

KENNEWICK, WASHINGTON - While doing my final holiday shopping in Bellevue, Washington, I not only visited the "Bellevue Collection" (including Bellevue Square), but The Bravern, a new shopping complex near the NE 8th Street interchange with I-405. I'd really like to know what the designer was thinking--putting an outdoor shopping center in the Pacific Northwest climate full of high-end stores? I don't care if there is a Neiman-Marcus anchoring the complex; I don't plan to head over there and get wet, especially when the only store that seemed worthwhile to me was Sur la table.

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This new guide sign was found in Bellevue, Washington near Main Street and 112th Avenue NE on 22-December-2009--an informative sign, but why was it across the street from the hotels?

The city of Bellevue, on the other hand, seems to be thinking clearly with its new information signs for pedestrians located around the downtown core. The signs may be helpful in finding restaurants and shopping complexes, but some are oddly placed. Rather than being on the east side of 112th Avenue with a Sheraton, Red Lion, and Hilton, it was located on the west side of the street. I guess hotel guests have to commit to walking downtown before they can find a guide sign.

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The South Lake Union Streetcar had just reached its southern terminus near the Westlake Center in Seattle, Washington on 23-December-2009

Another relatively new addition to the pedestrian friendliness of the Pacific Northwest, now two years old, is the South Lake Union Streetcar in Seattle, Washington. The 1.3 mile line is Seattle's first modern streetcar system. The line is severely underutilized in terms of capacity, and is probably best known for its unofficial name--the South Lake Union Trolley, which has the unfortunate acronym of SLUT, leading to "Ride the SLUT" t-shirts becoming a staple in the Westlake area of Seattle.

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At least two people were noted ski-kiting on Keechelus Lake near Hyak, Washington on 26-December-2009

A completely different form of transportation was noted while driving past Keechelus Lake on the east side of Snoqualmie Pass. A pair of people were noted ski-kiting on Keechelus Lake--that's right, using a kite to power them around the iced-over northern end of the lake. This was the first time in many years of crossing the Cascades in the winter that I had seen such an activity there.

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The line between open water and ice covering on Keechelus Lake near Hyak, Washington was noted from I-90 on 26-December-2009

Another first from those years of traveling across the pass was seeing half of Keechelus Lake frozen over and half of it not, as seen in the photograph above. The low water level was fairly typical for this time of year, but the temperature profile was not.

Holiday: Garden D'Lights 2009

The Garden D'Lights in Bellevue, Washington included this extensive scene with a centerpiece fountain and even a swan on 22-December-2009

BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON - Last year, a snowstorm kept the number of people visiting the Garden D'Lights at the Bellevue Botanical Garden down, as noted in this blog. This year, with fair weather, the event is overflowing with people to the extent that traffic jams are extending all the way down to the foot of Main Street, and the trails are quite crowded.


An old standby, the snail, was one of the "critters" at the Garden D'Lights in Bellevue, Washington on 22-December-2009

The display added yet more LED lights this year, pushing the total number of lights well beyond the half-million mark to the point that nobody seems to know the exact number anymore. While there were definitely new displays this year as in all previous years, there were many old stand-bys from previous years, including the pond scene, the squirrel, the frog reflected in the pond, and the snail shown above.


A monkey, well-hidden in a tree, was amongst the "critters" in the Garden D'Lights in Bellevue, Washington on 22-December-2009

There are now so many "critters" in the Garden D'Lights, from geckos to ducks to peacocks to the monkey shown above, that a "critter map" is distributed for kids to try to find all of them. The "map" actually does not tell which critter is where, but just gives a list of all the animals and a map of locations, creating an activity for children to match the list with the actual locations.


The aquarium scene inside the Bellevue Botanical Garden Visitor Center was noted in Bellevue, Washington on 22-December-2009

The most impressive scene this year may have been the aquarium inside the visitor center, which now includes an octopus and a smattering of jellyfish as well as tropical fish and plants. With temperatures around the freezing mark, though, the best part of the aquarium scene may have been the ability to view it in a warmer environment.


A jellyfish was included in the aquarium scene at the Garden D'Lights in Bellevue, Washington on 22-December-2009

The Garden D'Lights remains open daily through 2-January-2010 from 5 pm to 10 pm; arriving early or late is advisable. Parking is $5 in the premium area, but there is a drop-off area this year and free parking available farther away. Admission is free but donors are entered in daily and weekly drawings for lights--my mother has of course won a daily drawing.

Photos: Trip to the West Coast, Part I

A pair of snowmen were noted near Enatai Elementary School in Bellevue, Washington on 23-December-2008

TORONTO, ONTARIO - This week's update to my photo site features scenes from the west coast of the United States.

The first portion of a trip to the west coast for the holidays included a ride on the Altamont Commuter Express through the Niles Canyon and over Altamont Pass from San Jose to Stockton, California, a walk around Stockton, a visit to my great aunt Pauline near Placerville, California, a visit to my cousin Bruce Carson, Julie Malloy, and their children in the Phoenix, Arizona suburbs, and a look around Bellevue, Washington under a thick covering of snow between 17- and 23-December-2008.

Holiday: Bellevue's Garden d'Lights

One of several large garden scenes at the Garden d'Lights in Bellevue, Washington on 27-December-2008

BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON - Back in 1994, the city of Bellevue's Botanical Garden was looking for a way to expand its attendance during the winter months. They decided to use some holiday lights to make a replica of some of the plants in the garden so that they could be seen after dark during the shortest days of the year. While a modest display that year, the Garden d'Lights has returned and gotten larger each year.


A frog was reflected in a pond in Bellevue's Botanical Gardens during the Garden d'Lights on 27-December-2008

The display has gotten so large now that it includes over 500,000 lights; some individual plant lights contain 15,000 LED's. Besides plants that exist in the garden and those that would not survive in a Pacific Northwest climate, there are now a variety of birds and other creatures across the gardens, even including a spider and the ultimate northwest garden icon, the slug. Classes are now held each spring and fall to train volunteers in how to make the displays, adding to the collection each year. About the only thing that is not found in fervently secular Bellevue are any signs of the holiday season at all, unless one counts a poinsettia as a holiday symbol.


The snow provided a special backdrop to the Garden d'Lights on 27-December-2008

An unexpected attraction of this year's display was about a foot of snowfall. The snow closed the event for about a week before Christmas Day, but it has now re-opened with the white background of the snow making for a very different feel than the normal annual display, providing another reason to attend besides seeing what has been added since last year.


The view from the educational center parking lot of just a portion of the Garden d'Lights on 27-December-2008

The Garden d'Lights is located near Main Street and 124th Ave NE in Bellevue, Washington with the lights on from 5 pm to 10 pm through Saturday, January 3rd. The event is free unless one chooses premium parking for $5; parking at the Bellevue School District Headquarters across the street for free is recommended as the lone crosswalk from that parking lot is guarded by a policeman.

Holiday: Bellevue's Celebration Lane

Two revelers on stilts passed out kazoos to the crowds at Bellevue, Washington's Celebration Lane on 27-December-2008

BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON - Since 2005, the Seattle suburb of Bellevue, Washington has been host to an interesting night-time holiday performance. At 7 pm sharp, a group of drummers has marched to a designated area along Bellevue Way near NE 8th Street to perform along with a set of classic holiday songs. Called Snowflake Lane, the event was put together by the "Bellevue Collection" of developer Kemper Freeman Junior which includes the well-known Bellevue Square as well as the Bellevue Place and Lincoln Square complexes and has run from the day after Thanksgiving to Christmas.


Soap-sud snow, rather than real snow, fell on Bellevue's Celebration Lane along Bellevue Way on 27-December-2008

Since 2006, the show has continued through New Year's Eve under the name "Celebration Lane," trading the traditional holiday songs in for a rock and roll retrospective of the history of Bellevue and New Year's themed music. Upon arrival along the sidewalk in Bellevue, Washington tonight, disposable kazoos were being passed out to foster the New Year's theme.


A drummer performed during the Celebration Lane show in Bellevue, Washington on 27-December-2008

This year's Celebration Lane performance featured Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" from the 1950's, the Beatles' "Twist and Shout" from the 1960's, the Jackson 5's "ABC" from the 1970's, Kenny Loggins' "Footloose" from the 1980's, Ricky Martin's "Living La Vida Loca" form the 1990's, and Pink's "Get This Party Started" from the last decade before transitioning to New Year's tunes.


Snowflakes were projected on the side of Crate and Barrel store during a patriotic moment of Celebration Lane on 27-December-2008

The Celebration Lane performances continue each evening at 7 pm through December 31st along Bellevue Way near NE 8th Street in downtown Bellevue.

Heritage: Downtown Bellevue Safeway

The downtown Bellevue Safeway store as it appeared on 26-January-2006

BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON - The downtown Bellevue Safeway store was an anachronism for most of my life. Today, for the first time I saw the building closed, and experienced the replacement building, just across NE 4th Street from its traditional location.

Opened twelve years to the day before I was born, on 30-January-1963, the old downtown Bellevue Safeway was built in what was called the "Marina" style after the Marina Avenue store in San Francisco, California, the first-built example. The history of the building was best told at Brian Lutz's website as the store closed in late June of this year, right after my last visit.

The "Marina"-style storefront defined Safeway to me. Whenever I saw a store in that style, all up and down the west coast, I knew what grocery store I was looking at. A number of these stores still remain; I even noted one in Winnipeg, Manitoba earlier this year.


A "Marina"-style Safeway was noted on Ellice Avenue in Winnipeg, Manitoba on 11-July-2008

Furthermore, this store had been the quintessential grocery store of my youth. There were plenty of other chains in Bellevue, but others tended to be higher-priced (like QFC or even Lucky) or simply not as convenient. The downtown Safeway store was what I would now consider walking distance from my parents' home.

There had been talk of the store being torn down for as long as I could remember. Located at one of the key intersections in the city, on the northeast corner of Bellevue Way NE and NE 4th Street, on land long since owned by developer Kemper Freeman Jr., it was inevitable that it would be replaced by a denser structure. Saved each recession, its number finally came up earlier this decade. Safeway agreed to move to a new multi-use development on the southeast corner of the same intersection with a new 55,000-square foot store.

Today was my first time to enter the new store, and it was a completely different experience. Gone were the simplistic meat and seafood departments of the old store. Instead, the interior of the new Safeway could be mistaken for the contemporary QFC located only about six blocks away. Most remarkable was an enormous wine section, easily five times the size of the one in the corner of the old store. Yet, the prices still seemed to be the modest Safeway norms. The QFC in downtown may be facing some serious competition.


The new downtown Bellevue Safeway at dusk on 24-November-2008

With another recession either looming or just starting, perhaps the building will be spared a bit longer. The Bartell Drugs still operates in the northern portion of the structure. Safeway, though, is gone, and with it another portion of my youth.