Riding the Rails with Roy Again

9/9/24 Mt. Baker neighborhood

Neither Roy nor I had sketched at Mt. Baker Light Rail Station, so we decided Monday was the day. Although I hadn’t heard anything about the station itself that seemed particularly interesting, the neighborhood was interesting to me for nostalgic reasons: I went to Franklin High School, which is just a few minutes’ walk from the station. And it was the first thing I spotted when we got off the train: a great view of the neo-Classical building. We both sketched it immediately, as it was certain to be a better view than any from the street.

Although I found an intriguing view of the light rail track and pedestrian overpasses, the rest of our visit was mostly disappointing. (Given that Roy and I are both big sketchers of “nothing” and require little inspiration, that says a lot about the location.)

Lunch at the Jewel Box Cafe

Stopping for lunch at the Jewel Box Café was disappointing, too. The food was OK, but they didn’t even have a public restroom, which I found surprising. We had to hike a few blocks to the Lowe’s for that, which turned out to be a fun nostalgia tour for me, too. The store is located on the site of historic Sick’s Stadium, which was the home of Seattle’s former baseball team, the Rainiers, until 1979. I wasn’t a baseball fan, but the stadium’s (and Lowe’s) parking lot is where my dad had taught me how to drive. (No sketch of the parking lot, however – even nostalgia couldn’t make that fun to draw.)

International District/Chinatown

Uninspired but still wanting to sketch more, we hopped back on the train and rode a few stops to International District/Chinatown Station. Knowing that area well, we went straight to the Chinatown Gate (with King Street Station behind it) and Hing Hay Park. I’ve sketched both many times, so this time I challenged myself by resisting the inclusion of the entire focal subject. It’s not easy to do – the brain always wants to complete the picture.

The morning’s overcast had burned off to sunshine by early afternoon, and best of all, the smoke had cleared. Even with a disappointing start, it was a good sketching day.

Placard at Lowe's parking lot, where I learned to drive in 1974.