As I mentioned previously, I dragged Marianna out for a photo tour of West Seattle this past Saturday. I thought she needed to be reminded of some of the things she was excited about when she first started planning her move to Seattle. I offered to show her some of my favorite photo spots in the south end.

The day was a little cloudy and gray, but the sun was threatening to break through and clouds often provide a little drama in the sky, so we headed off for Alki. Our first stop was at the boat launch across Elliott Bay from downtown Seattle.  From here you get fantastic views of the city and the Port of Seattle. Hopping back in the car, we then headed further west around the point, through Alki Beach proper finally winding up at Me-Kwa-Mooks Park with it’s fantastic views across the Puget Sound. A quick jaunt through downtown West Seattle and we were back near our first stop, but now up on the hill at the Hamilton Viewpoint Park.

Then we decided to head further south in search of a route to Lincoln Park. I had visited this park in the past but via a convoluted path from the south. Marianna offered to use her GPS but I kind of like just navigating with the compass built-in to my car. I tend to find things that are interesting when I just wind my way around in the general direction I want to go. Sure enough, we managed to find it with no major problems. Finding parking took a few minutes as the place was packed with Seattleites looking for a last gasp of Summer.

The park here is a great blend of forest, fields and shoreline. Something for everyone! You also get views of the ferry traffic coming and going from the Fauntleroy Terminal. We hiked down to the beach and spent time taking it all in. We headed north along the shore taking photos as we went, then opted to head back to the car. This began the “death march” portion of our outing, as we discovered that the direct route back was a trail that climbed nearly straight up the bluff, several hundred feet of elevation gain I’d guess. We were both huffing and puffing by the time we hit the top, but it did give us an appetite for lunch, which was next on the agenda.

For that, we headed to my favorite little neighborhood, Burien. I’ve lived in and around this area for quite a few years, and its where many of my favorite restaurants are. Today we visited the Elliott Bay Brewpub for their fantastic beer-battered fish and chips. It was a great end to a morning spent peering through the view finder at some of the stunning sights that the Seattle-area has on tap for avid photographers!

More photos on Flickr…