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An icon of Fremont’s free spirit is a 15-ft (4.5-m) tall Volkswagen-eating troll created by Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter, and Ross Whitehead, after winning a national competition sponsored by the Fremont Arts Council, that in 1989 decided that public art was the best use for a dark space beneath a highway bridge. Though ugly, the troll’s location under the north end of Aurora Bridge means that it remains on the route of almost every visitor who walks or takes a tour bus.

Another remnant of the World’s Fair, this tiny amusement park has loud carnival rides and games. Kids love the bumper cars and the small but exciting roller coaster. The entertainment pavilion offers laser tag, mini-golf, and a video arcade.

Alternative lifestyles are not only tolerated, but encouraged with flagrant same-sex smooching and handholding on the streets. Gay and lesbian clubs (see Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgendered Venues) proliferate on the Hill, as do shops selling what used to be called marital aids — sex toys in today’s parlance.

Ballard’s largest park, and one of Seattle’s true urban escapes, includes 87 acres of forested trails, beaches, picnic areas, and great views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Originally, the gardens stood at the end of the line for electric streetcars which were funded by realtors, who wanted Seattle residents to get away from the city’s noise and grit. Cool summer nights along the shore bring groups to huddle around bonfires, while sunny days see hundreds of revelers getting tans or playing volleyball in the sand. There is also an off-leash area for dogs, and a boat ramp at the marina.

Mounds of gravel, asphalt, and conveyor belts make stark contrast with the solemnity and serenity of the water and parkland nearby.

If you happen to be near the Seattle Art Museum on First Avenue and need to get down to the waterfront, try the Harbor Steps. A street’s abrupt end has been turned into a wide-open stairway landscaped with water sculpture and planters. The steps are spacious and an ideal urban meeting place, located below a nouveau luxury apartment complex in the heart of an ever-changing downtown Seattle. Countless restaurant and nightlife options abound in the vicinity.

Darryl Smith, an artist once based at the Fremont Fine Arts Foundry, created a lifesize bronze statue of Jimi Hendrix that now graces the Pine Street sidewalk. It shows the musician in his trademark rockstar pose, kneeling in bellbottoms with his Fender guitar pointed skyward. Before Paul Allen built his Experience Music Project (see Experience Music Project (EMP) & Experience Music Project), inspired by Hendrix and his music, this installation was Seattle’s best known memorial dedicated to the city’s famous guitarist.

Seattle’s colorful past is on view at History House where historians interpret and preserve the heritage of the city’s distinct neighborhoods. Exhibits in the main gallery complement a three-sided, sepia-tone wall mural that depicts 100 years of Seattle history, encompassing the arts, technology, and industry. Peruse the pictorial history of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (see The Locks & The Locks). Other features include a sculpture garden and a gift shop.

Its proximity to Fun Forest and the highway has its obvious conveniences. (see Holiday Inn)

Huge plants decorate the front, and bright grow lights illuminate the interior of Seattle’s favorite neighborhood home and garden store.