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- Seattle, Washington - Statue of Viking Leif Erickson
At the shore of Shilshole Bay in Ballard in Seattle there is a bronze statue of Leif the Lucky looking out over the Puget Sound, a body of water he never knew existed.
There is also a wooden statue of a viking that I call the Monument to the Unknown Norwegian on the side of a bank on Market street, the main drag of Ballard which is heavily Scandinavian in population. As yet we have no monuments to Irish monks in coracles but give us time.
[Rahne Kirkham, 07/15/2001]Statue of Viking Leif Erickson:- Address:
- 7001 Seaview Ave. NW, Seattle, WA
- Directions:
- Just south of the entry building for the Shilshole Bay Marina, in the parking lot, overlooking Puget Sound.
- Admission:
- Free
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
- Seattle, Washington - Twin Teepees Restaurant - closed
Sadly, the Twin Teepees Restaurant in Seattle is closed. We live less than a mile away, and ate there often, even though the inside had been horribly remodeled in the 80s. Several months ago, there was a fire in the kitchen, and the restaurant had to close. The restaurant management, who were leasing the space from the owner, decided to pack it in and not reopen, and the owner doesn't want to get back into the restaurant biz himself, so it sits there, sad and alone.
The awnings are starting to rip apart, and the paint looks bad; it looks so sharp in your photo, but now it's another decrepit relic in a city that ignores its past.
[Steve Thornton, 01/15/2001]Twin Teepees Restaurant:- Hours:
- July 2001: Demolished.
- Status:
- Gone
- Seattle, Washington - Spite House
In the 1920s there was a *nasty divorce*. The judge awarded the husband the house and the wife the front yard. Perhaps he thought a sale would bring the two back together? Alas, twas not to be. The wife took her property and built a house on it.
From the front the Spite House looks perfectly ordinary, if a little old- fashioned (pink stucco, spanish-tiled roof). It's the side dimensions that make it unique. The north end is only ten feet wide, the south, only five.
[Mark Lockwood, 09/07/2000]Spite House:- Address:
- 2022 24th Ave. E., Seattle, WA
- Directions:
- I-5 exit 168 onto Hwy 520 east. Take the first exit onto Montlake Blvd. Drive south on Montlake, which turns into 24th Ave. About seven blocks south, on the southeast corner of 24th Ave. E. and E. Boston St.
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
- Seattle, Washington - Huge Stuffed Grizzly Bear
At the Goodwill store, there is a huge stuffed grizzly bear in a glass case that has been there for a very long time, at least he was there when I was 5, that was 20 years ago, but he probably has been there much longer. He is quite the attraction. People come to Goodwill just to see the bear. He's gotta be at least 10 feet tall! Also that Goodwill has a museum full of old memorabilia and curiosities from Seattle history.
[Angelica Osman, 05/15/2000]Goodwill Stuffed Grizzly Bear:- Directions:
- At the Goodwill Community Learning Center. Just northeast of the intersection of I-90 and I-5. Take I-90 exit 3 north on Rainier Ave/Hwy 167 for two blocks, then turn left onto Dearborn St.
- Hours:
- Feb. 2012: Reported gone. (Call to verify)
- Phone:
- 206-860-5791
- Status:
- Gone
- Seattle, Washington - Real Dead Elephant
The elephant over the Aurora Flowers florist is a real elephant, so local residents tell me. Originally shot by the first owner, he had it stuffed. Unfortunately, mounting it on a sign on Hwy 99 in Seattle was bad plan, because Mr. Elephant began to rot. So he had it varnished. That too, did not last, as pigeons made a home in the rotting-out belly, stuffed with excelsior. When that failed, he had it first stuccoed and then covered in concrete. The tusks were stolen at some point, and replaced with fakes. Mr. Elephant is still there, on Aurora/Hwy 99, with plenty of pigeons living in the open belly cavity. Both fascinating, and gross, if the story is true. Not sure who you'd ask to verify it.
[James Hopkins & David Emery, 12/06/1999]Aurora Elephant:RoadsideAmerica.com Team Field Report
- Address:
- 8808 Aurora Ave. N, Seattle, WA
- Directions:
- Aurora Rents. Hwy 99 and 88th St. on the east side, just south of the Vacancy Motel and next to a googie restaurant.
- Phone:
- 206-522-5336
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
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The statue was unveiled July 17, 1962, during Norway Day at the Seattle World's Fair.