After playing tourist in so many places all over the world, sometimes it's nice to play tourist in your own "hometown". When I was young, I remember learning that all of the tiny purple squares in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle were actually skylights for the underground city--this fascinated me, and I began to imagine an underground version of the very same city that mirrored the world above ground. Skyscrapers, waterfronts, and entire bus lines, existed in this underground world, but instead of a blue sky (or, more realistically, a grey drippy sky), there was a cavelike, dirt ceiling with thin purple light filtering through tiny skylights.
This weekend, I learned that this vision was entirely untrue, but definitely not less interesting.
Nikky and I hadn't seen each other in a while, so when he asked if I had ever done an underground tour, I knew it would be perfect for an official adventure. We were actually the only locals on our tour, and the guide seemed very surprised that we weren't being dragged along by relatives visiting from out of town. If you'd like to book a trip of your own (whether you're a local or not), I highly recommend
Beneath The Streets.
I've listened to a bit of Seattle's History (thanks to
The Seattle Files), and I adore MOHAI, but I've never really dug into our city's past, and my freshman year Pacific Northwest History class seems like it was eons ago. This was a great opportunity to really see some of the local history first hand.
Many of the spaces are filled with the detritus of years past. These corridors were established as temporary storefronts before the streets of Seattle were graded down or built up. This allowed businesses to operate while construction was still happening. As the streets were built up, and the second story became the main entrance, the first floor became the basement of these buildings, and the alleys around the buildings were used to store unwanted items, broken machinery, and trash.
Many stops on the tour have large old photographs too, to help visitors orient themselves as to where they're standing in relationship to what it looks like above the sidewalks too.
Parts of the tour involved looking at the architecture from above the streets too. Many of the buildings have the year 1889 across the top, as that's when people were able to rebuild after the fire had destroyed everything.
"Hidden" staircases like this lead to underground areas that are still in use today! During prohibition, these entrances were very handy for people interested in bootlegged liquor and illicit activities. There was no shortage of "entertainment" in the Pioneer Square area of Seattle back in the day!
These small pieces of glass used to be clear, but have turned purple over the years. This particular shape of glass was designed to help spread the light out underneath the dark sidewalk, and give more light to the areas underneath the new streets. This particular area is now used as a bar in the Comedy Underground, but their booze is legal now.
The Comedy Underground also is a refurbished space that makes use of valuable real estate in Seattle. A performance venue is the perfect use for a space with no windows!
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Circular glass "skylights" from above!
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| Thanks for a great afternoon Nikky! |
