Chilly Belltown

 

10/5/25 Belltown

It felt like eons since USk Seattle had met in Belltown near Fire Station No. 2, and in urban sketching time, it was – 2018!

I enjoyed such a great summer that I forgot how many layers I need to wear in October – three is apparently not enough! Sunday’s chill and stiff breeze all morning kept me on the sunny side of the street, so I decided to skip the fire station (lots of hardy sketchers sat on the shady side to catch it). My favorite view was the Space Needle reflected in one of Belltown’s glassy buildings (instead of the Storm flag in my 2018 sketch, the Needle was flying the Mariners flag, of course).

Next, I walked a few blocks south to Fourth and Blanchard, where Catherine Mayer’s sculpture, The Red Popsicle (which I also last sketched in 2018) is a whimsical landmark.

By that time, I needed a warmup at Uptown Espresso, where I sketched a couple of cars across the street. In the time remaining before the throwdown, I headed back to the historic bell in front of the fire station to make a quick sketch of it next to the red station doors.

The sun came out in time to warm us all up during the throwdown!

Sunny throwdown!