Seattle Secrets: Waterfall Garden Park

When you think of UPS, what comes to mind? Brown uniforms. Legally Blonde. Mail Delivery. What doesn't come to mind? Waterfalls. 

Except for the people of Seattle. If you live in Seattle you associate UPS with a tranquil waterfall garden. 

Say What?! 

Ok, fun little history lesson starts now. UPS was founded in a Seattle basement in 1907 by Jim Casey and Claude Ryan. Then (spoiler) UPS became kind of a big deal. Today more than 407,000 people work for UPS, and we would bet quite a few of them don't know they have a beautiful waterfall park dedicated to them in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Seattle.

That's right, Jim Casey built a tiny, but amazing park in Seattle in 1978 to honor all of the people who have worked for UPS. It is maintained by the Annie E Casey Foundation (named in remembrance of Jim Casey's mother. Is anyone else thinking how good of a guy Jim must have been?) and is a true hidden gem of Seattle. You can find it on the corner of 2nd Avenue South and South Main Street in Pioneer Square. 

Right in the middle of everything for all the city folks to enjoy!

You will hear the rushing water from the 22-foot waterfall before you see the park. When you find the entrance you will be guided into a small garden with two-tiers. There is usually plenty of seating available so feel free to come with your coffee or lunch and sit with a friend enjoying the peaceful sound of the water instead of the normal construction sounds we are all so used to. 

3 Specialty Book Shops We Love

Book Larder

Book Larder

Whether you love cooking or your fridge is full of take-out containers, you won't be able to resist the warm, inviting atmosphere of Book Larder. This specialty bookstore carries hundreds of cookbooks in their north Fremont location. It is completely normal to walk in and smell baked goods from one of their books cooking in the test kitchen or see a local author having a book signing. It is a place that will make you feel like you can conquer the world one recipe at a time. 

Metsker Maps

Metsker Maps 

While they don't only sell books, they do sell a lot of them. Metsker Maps in Pike Place Market has been drawing in travel enthusiasts since the 1950s, and we can never resist popping in to get inspired for our next trip. They have travel books for every destination under the sun and tons of additional books like travel memoirs, nautical exploration guides, and travel stories for kids. We guarantee you will get lost in this store as the maps and books transport you across the globe. 

Seattle Mystery Bookshop

Seattle Mystery Bookshop

The Seattle Mystery Bookshop lives in the perfect location in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood on the first floor of an old stone building that is crammed full of mystery books and makes you feel a bit like Sherlock Holmes (or Watson, whichever suits you more). You can tell the staff love their jobs and love the genre. They have a large selection of signed copies, which we have found make for great gifts (even if they are for your own bookshelf). 

Seattle's Famous Film Locations

We are always a little bitter when we excitedly sit down to watch a new show or movie set in Seattle and we see Vancouver, BC buildings and public transport show up in the scenes. It is decidedly cheaper to film in Canada, so most production companies take the discount thinking Seattle and Vancouver are basically interchangeable. Throw in a shot of the Space Needle and you're good, right? 

Nope. Because we know. And we are loyal to our city.

So, let's pay homage to the films and TV shows that spent the cash and used real Seattle locations to film. Let's take a little tour around Seattle to find all the spots in various movies and shows.

TV

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Frasier's tour around Seattle. Top Left: Famous "Public Market" sign at Pike Place Market, Top Right: Space Needle, Bottom Left: Pike Place Fish, Bottom Right: Riding the Monorail

Frasier

We are letting them on this list, but just barely. 99.9% of Fraser was filmed on a set in L.A but for one special episode they came and shot in Seattle. They make it on the list because they hit up all the big hitters in 20 minutes, which is pretty amazing. In Season 5, Episode 5, you can see The Space Needle, the Monorail, and Pike Place Market including Pike Place Fish and Don and Joe's Meats.

Meredith Grey's house from Grey's Anatomy located in Queen Anne. Photo Credit

Greys Anatomy

Again, most of this show was shot on a set in L.A., but they do use a couple of genuine Seattle locations in the show! Fisher Plaza, home of KOMO News, is used to represent some of the hospital shots, and Meredith's Queen Anne home is a real house located at 303 W. Comstock St. in the Queen Anne neighborhood.

MOVIES

The Singles apartment complex located in Capitol Hill

Singles (1992)

This cult classic brings together everything Seattleites want in a film: music, love, and a good coffee shop. Plus that HAIR and alllll the flannel and a young Eddie Vedder! It also takes in a lot of Seattle over the 99 minute long picture. Occidental Park in Pioneer Square is the site where Kyra Sedgwick and Campbell Scott take a stroll. Scott eats a meal at Chandler's Crabhouse. They visit Seattle famous dive bars Re-Bar and El Corazon for concerts and they live in an apartment complex in Capitol Hill (totally where they would live if this was a true story). You also get to see Gasworks Park again (filmmakers love Gasworks, huh?)!

Tom Hank's Lake Union floating house in Sleepless in Seattle

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Seattle's favorite film. Don't argue, this is Seattle's favorite film. We love this movie and no one can take it away from us. Tom Hanks is a movie god, and he walked around our city to film this movie, so it is the best Seattle movie. Period. You can see a lot of the places from this film. The Baldwin's house boat still sits on Lake Union and looks exactly the same. You can take a boat tour to see it or our preferred method is to rent a kayak and paddle over. (Agua Verde is a good option). 

Sit your butt in the same stool that Tom Hanks sat in at The Athenian in Pike Place Market.

You can also plant your butt in the same seat as Tom Hanks at The Athenian. This is the restaurant Sam Baldwin (Hanks) gets lunch with his friend Ray. You also spot other Pike Place Market landmarks like the fish market and Inn at the Market as they walk to The Athenian. 

The famous paint ball course at Gasworks Park in 10 Things I Hate About You

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Now Sleepless in Seattle might reign #1 for Seattle films, but let's be honest, it was a littttttttle creepy. 10 Things I Hate About You is a much more accurate and realistic love story. And it is when we all first fell in love with Heath Ledger, so brooding, so misunderstood, he just wanted someone to play paintball with! 

The Fremont Troll where Joseph Gordon Levitt filmed

This movie has our favorite Seattle spotting, the Fremont Troll. Young and still dorky Joseph Gordon Levitt has a hormone filled conversation with his love interest Bianca (such a 90s name).

Gasworks Park also makes an appearance when Heath and Julia have a crazy game of paintball, although we don't think that giant paintball course has ever been open to the public. And their prom is filmed at The Paramount Theatre, Balllllerrrrr! 

Left: I-90 Bridge, Right: Chihuly Garden and Glass

Laggies (2014)

We still can't decide if we liked this movie or not..but if you hate it you still get some decent Seattle shots. Chihuly Garden and Glass makes an appearance as a wedding venue. You really can rent this for a wedding, it costs $-- or your first born child, one or the other.

You also get a very pretty shot of the I-90 floating bridge since the main character (Knightley) lives on the Eastside.

Say Anything (1989)

Corey's house is real!! Gosh we love when this happens! It is in Ballard, located at 6507 Parker Court Northwest, Seattle, WA 98117.

Bob's Java Jive from Say Anything is a bit worn down these days

Bob's Java Jive in Tacoma makes a drive-by appearance in Say Anything. Today this is a super strange coffee shop turned bar. We don't recommend it as a place to go unless we really hate the person. 

Waiting for Interurban. Photo by Xurxo Martinez

You can also catch a glimpse of the statue 'Waiting for the Interurban', a local favorite located in Fremont, Seattle, when Diane is on her way to graduation. On graduation day in Seattle this statue could very probably be decorated in the exact same manner. 

3 Seattle Houses We Love

Do you ever play that game where you walk around a city and try to pick out your favorite house? Money is no object (this is an important rule in Seattle), all you have to do is explore long enough to make sure you've check out every house and can make an educated decision. We play this game. We play while we drive, walk the dog, and go for our morning runs. Seattle is full of beautiful homes, but we have a soft spot in our hearts for the truly unique. Lucky for us Seattle also has some homes that are literally like no others on earth! 

Photo cred

1. The Flower House

From May to October Alki Beach is home to our favorite house in Seattle. We aren't the only ones either, this house is loved by people around the world. Owner Randie Stone bought the houses in 1989 and has since spent countless hours and dollars maintaining her beautiful garden so that others can come and enjoy it. It is a sight for sore eyes nestled in between two glass and concrete condo complexes, and we always make a point to stop and take it all in when we are in West Seattle. 

Photo cred

Photo cred: Alan Berner/The Seattle Times

2. Edith Macefield House

This house has lovingly been dubbed the "Up House" because of its owner's refusal to leave her 1,050 square foot home to let it be demolished for commercial use. It is rumored Edith Macefield once turned down $750,000 to stay put. And why would she? Macefield moved into this home in 1952 and died in it in 2008. Since then various organizations have been trying to make sure it is kept safe from demolition. Right now it is sadly in a bit of limbo. No one seems to know what the fate of this little beacon of hope will be right now, so we encourage you to visit it while you can!

Photo cred

Photo cred: Real Estate Gals

3. The Victorian

This home sits in one of Seattle's most prestigious neighborhoods, Queen Anne. You could spend hours strolling the sidewalks looking at the homes here. You would eventually stumble upon The Victorian, a normal craftsman turned into a turreted tribute to the Victorian era. The paint is striking, the garden is beautifully maintained. The turret has the latin phrase Quo Amplius Eo Amplius which roughly translates to more is more. And you can tell the house was designed with this motto in mind, the sunflowers, the little balcony, the porch, we just can't..this house is TOO amazing. 

Want to see what it looks like behind the door? Take a tour of the inside.