Olympic Sculpture Park

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thedriverguy

Joined 4 years ago

We watched 'em build it | Rate 2.5. We watched from 150 feet above as the construction of the park progressed during the months throughout 2006. The labors of the workers to put the physical thing into reality was interesting and enlightening regarding construction sequencing. A huge amount of soil was imported. Moved here, there, then back again a couple of times. - -

- The funniest thing was watching the installation of the Silver Tree. "Do you get 'Silver Coins' as fruit?" - -

- The big eraser, the bench, the rusty waves, and other things were rather novel and inspired some giggles in their presence. Then when the uprooted tree was put into the climate controlled shed, we thought, "There's a lot of money going into a good compost pile!" Still, the microcosm environment should yield much good information for those interested in what grows on a fallen evergreen tree in an enclosure with no other stuff to fall on it. -- -- --

All in all, probably a good place for a sunny day romance with a bit of hugging and so on at a corner of the little walkway in the trees!

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iluvrain

Joined 5 years ago

Average. The Sculpture park is ok on a sunny day if you are going to be downtown anyway, but it isn't as exciting as I would have like it to be. I saw pictures of all the best sculptures before I even visited, so my experience wasn't the best.

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jgren

Joined 6 years ago

Great place to see art; don't plan on a meal there.. The Sculpture Park is beautiful with intriguing art and breathtaking views. It's a great place to take out of town guests to show off our gorgeous city. And it's free!

Just stop in the Taste Cafe for a beverage or a bakery item. The kids' meals came with apple slices which were nice but the hot dog was split down the middle and grilled; the result was brown and unrecognizable. A green salad was wilted. The pizza is fine, but may not appeal to children.

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minnesotan_1981

Joined 6 years ago

Never crowded for me. I walk down to the Sculpture garden every day on my lunch hour during the week and there has NEVER been crowds. It's a beautiful place, and not very many people know how extensive it is.

The cafe inside has wonderful whole foods as well. Not your usual fried everything and hamburgers.

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Anna Roth

Joined 8 years ago

Built on nine formerly industrial acres on the north edge of downtown, this vibrant park offers a unique urban experience.. The View
The indoor steel and glass indoor pavilion opens onto a wide Z-shaped path that winds its way through the sculpture installations, over busy Elliott Avenue and the railroad tracks, to end at a recaptured public beach. All plants are local and the entire park offers a sweeping vista of Elliott Bay and the Olympics as well as peekaboo views of the big local landmarks--the Space Needle, Smith Tower, downtown, Mount Rainier and more.

The Appeal
The modern sculptures scattered around the park are all enhanced by the landscape. Alexander Calder's "Eagle" is a large, bright metal piece that echoes the red cranes behind it. A striking permanent installation is Mark Dion's "Vivarium," a fully-functioning nurse log set inside a greenhouse at the corner of Elliott Avenue and Broad Street. More works include Claes Oldenburg's playful "Typwriter Eraser," Teresita Fernandez's "Seattle Cloud Cover" bridge, Louise Bourgeois "Father and Son" fountain and many more.

Photo by Chris Daniel

Doesn't Recommend

schwaenchen

Joined 6 years ago

Don't touch the boring sculptures. We went to thye Olympic Sculpture Park on the weekend, and were rather disappointed. Firstly, the crowds were unmanagable, so be sure to go early in the morning to avoid them. The only cool exhibits are the life-size silver tree, the wake [rusty copper structures], and a giant uni-wheel rollerblade with crazy hair. Otherwise, the place was a bore.

The 'do not touch' policy seems a little absurd with sculptures like "Bench", which, as its name implies, is a perfectly functional cement bench. If they want to enforce the do not touch policy, I think this place should put up fences around the sculptures, not put up blue signs everywhere telling me not to sit on the bench looking thing that is called "bench". My prediction is: one visit and you've had enough...

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browncm83

Joined 6 years ago

Best Outdoor Space. What a beautiful view! It's so exciting to see tourists and natives unite to enjoy the best Seattle has to offer. Great place for a walk. Be sure to take your camera! (Side note- there's still some construction going on. I can't wait to see what it looks like when it's all finished!)