On the Waterfront

 

6/18/25 Pike Place Market and waterfront

When Seattle’s Waterfront Overlook opened last fall, a key part of that major renovation project was still in progress: the new Waterfront Park itself. In time for the summer season, the park is finally complete (or almost; some pieces still looked unfinished). Roy, Mary Jean and I decided to check it out last week.

Beginning at Pike Place Market, we walked along the Overlook down to the waterfront and kept going south all the way to the newish Pioneer Square Habitat Beach, “a man-made beach supporting the waterfront ecosystem, including enhancing the salmon corridor by adding rocks and nearshore vegetation.” The beach is landmarked by the historic Washington Street Boat Landing, which has also been restored – and is now the home of a Molly Moon’s ice cream shop!

Although I tell you all this, ironically, I didn’t sketch any of what I mentioned! We’ll be having a USk outing there later this summer, so I saved all the highlights for then (but you can see photos below). Instead, I sketched other things along the way, most notably the bricklayers who were repairing part of a Pike Place Market street. All of us were fascinated by how the workers applying mortar between the bricks used a cone that looked just like bakers piping a pastry with frosting.

The three of us have started another round-robin using single-sheet sketchbooks that Roy made. We switched books at the end of the day, and next time we have a play date, we'll use that book to sketch in, then continue the rotation.

Sketchbook note: The past year, I’ve been using A5-ish “wide” landscape format Uglybooks at outings when I want more space than my daily-carry A6-ish size Uglybook. But often I find the landscape format awkward to use, especially when I want to work across a spread.

Thinking about this as I was heading out, I grabbed a Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook for this outing. I wanted the same A5-ish size but in portrait format, which I find to be more flexible. Indeed, I like working with this format better, especially with my comics style, but then I missed the colored page. Sure wish Uglybooks would make some larger portrait-format books!

A George Tsutakawa fountain, formerly elsewhere on the waterfront, has been restored and reinstalled in a new location.

These giant swings (with the most comfy seats I've ever sat in on a swing) are made of reused materials.

Still incomplete and behind fencing, this interesting structure seems to be some kind of playground attraction.

Perhaps the most exciting attraction of all are the brand new, much-needed public restrooms -- first time ever on the Seattle waterfront! My tax dollars put to good use at last!

OK, the restrooms are exciting, but we all know what the MOST exciting thing is -- a new Molly Moon's ice cream shop! The shop is under this historic Washington Street Boat Landing, which is the former ferry landing.