Gas Works Park

Gas Works Park at Lake Union with downtown Seattle in the distance. This prime 20 acre point on Lake Union was cleared in 1906 to construct a plant to manufacture gas from coal - later converted to crude oil. The import of natural gas in the 1950's made the plant obsolete. The city owned park was opened to the public in 1975. The park is popular for picnics, exercising, kite flying, boat watching, and taking in the beautiful view of Seattle. It's also a wonderful spot to watch the fireworks on the 4th of July.

South Lake Union and Mt. Rainier

View of the South Lake Union neighborhood in Seattle. Mt. Rainier hovers over the Fred Hutchinson Caner Research Center where I established the Scientific Imaging Lab.

Lake Union and Mt. Rainier

Mt. Rainier, Capitol Hill and South Lake Union. This scene has a 3-dimensional quality and depth due to the natural light late in the day.

Sailing Regatta on Lake Union in Seattle

It's fun to watch the sailing regatta on Lake Union, near downtown Seattle. This view is from Gasworks Park bordering the lake.

View of Lake Union from the Aurora Bridge

If you take the time to get out of your car and walk around Seattle you will notice some amazing sights. This view of Seattle, featuring Lake Union and Mt. Rainier, was captured high up on the Aurora Bridge - between Fremont and Queen Anne neighborhoods. It's an amazing view on a clear day!

Yes, this is a real photo - no image manipulation was required. The photo was captured using a Canon SLR digital camera mounted on a very steady tripod. The best time to capture a photo from this vantage point is in the late afternoon. Unfortunately, the natural light is best around rush hour. The auto, truck and bus traffic makes the bridge vibrate like crazy. The buses also generate a lot of wind as they speed past, so you have to hold on tight to the camera equipment.

The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, where I worked for over a decade, is in the center of the photo. The Aurora Bridge is officially named the "George Washington Memorial Bridge" -- but nobody seems to use this name. The Aurora Bridge is 167 ft (51 m) above the water. The bridge crosses the Lake Union section of the Lake Washington Ship Canal.