Kubota Gardens
We explored the Seattle Japanese Garden when we were in Seattle in 2014, so we decided to check out Kubota Gardens near Tacoma. The history of Kubota Gardens is all about Fujitaro Kubota who bought 5 acres of logged-off swampland in 1923 to start his garden. Fujitaro and his family continued to develop and expand the gardens throughout his lifetime except for a 4-year internment in Minitoka, Idaho during World War II. In 1987, Seattle purchased the garden from the Kobab family.
Kubota Gardens is a place to wander around with paths that seemed to venture in every direction; some were wide and paved while others were more like paths that ventured into less developed areas. It didn't have the traditional, formal look of a Japanese garden, but every plant seemed to be perfectly pruned. The artistry was the contrasts of color, texture, shape, and types of plants that were used in groupings throughout the park. Kubota Gardens was meant for a slow stroll to soak in the surroundings on a beautiful summer day.
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Columbia Sky View Observatory
The Columbia Sky View Observatory
is on the 73rd floor of the Columbia Building in downtown Seattle. It's an ultra-modern building
in downtown Seattle near Pioneer Square. While you ascend to the 73rd floor in an elevator, a media presentation of Washington displays
on the screens surrounding you. There were young guides everywhere to ensure we knew where we're going and to answer questions. The view from the
top is amazing! You can walk around the four sides of the 73rd floor to get a full 360-degree view of the area. We timed it so we would be there
shortly before sunset, but we were mostly interested in photographing the city lit up at night. The one problem was they don't allow tripods.
That meant very high ISO's on the cameras and lots of noise in the images. Nevertheless, the view was fabulous.
Next time we'll go to Smith Tower where the observation deck is lower and on a balcony. They allow tripods, which should make a huge difference.
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