Places sierrawest Wants to Go

A sliver of nostalgia in Seattle's Viretta Park.

An enclosed rotunda at the Henry Art Gallery in which viewers can look up and see the uninterrupted sky.

Old submarine parts have been converted into faux whale fins.

Spanning an elevation of 160 feet and containing 388 steps, this is Seattle's longest staircase.

Residents of Fremont in Seattle have considered it the center of the universe since the 1970s.

This historic building provides a powerful glimpse into the lives of Japanese Americans forced to relocate during World War II.

A "sinister, whimsical, tacky, and really orange" public art installation hidden under a Seattle bridge.

The tale of a strong-willed woman who stood her ground when the commercial world came rumbling in.

This edible park is open to any and all foragers.

The first park built over a freeway is a brutalist masterwork.

Though strikingly beautiful, Seattle's other railway station is now largely forgotten.

A wall of chewing gum moonlights as collective art.

This former coal gasification plant found a curious second life as a popular public park.

A colorful architectural gem in Seattle’s uniquely modern Central Library.

Couple's personal collection of pinball machines turned public pinball museum.

This semi-secret garden in south Seattle emulates a traditional Japanese garden using the plants of the Pacific Northwest.

A huge musical sculpture and other art installations on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grounds.

A giant Troll lurks under one of Seattle's oldest bridges.

360° views of the city plus five floors of optical illusions and hands-on science.

An offbeat angle on the ocean viewed through an antiquated lens.

A nondescript building that's been functioning as a speakeasy for nearly a century and a half.

A rococo retro-futurist future-rustic vernacular between yesterday’s tomorrow and the future that never was.

Nestled in the heart of San Francisco’s bustling Financial District stands a unique homage to the Mayan and Beaux Arts.

The randomness of this wall of lava lamps helps encrypt up to 10 percent of the internet.