Belltown Bent

A plane runs through it

It's been over thirty years since an admiring audience watched Alexander Calder complete the painting of his abstract design on a Braniff jet at the 1975 Paris Air Show. But almost every week you can see a Boeing jet fuselage (from the French fuselé, spindle- shaped, no less) roll by Calder's Eagle, on a train, right through the middle of a museum.  Good seats are usually available.

Earlier this week, Harvard University Graduate School of Design announced the Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban design was awarded to Weiss/Manfredi Architects in recognition Belltown's (OK, and Seattle's) Olympic Sculpture Park - in large part because their design makes such seemingly incongruous events commonplace. As the judges put it, "The park becomes a piece of sculpture itself, reframing its urban condition."

As the Bent sees it, thanks to Weiss/Manfredi's design, the cars, trains, boats, and yes, planes do a fascinating job of re-framing the art.

The lady gets around

Since the lovely yacht Laurel last graced the Bent's view of Elliott Bay, she has covered thousands of nautical miles visited glamorous ports of call.

Wherever she went, it seems, folks wanted to know more about her. Thanks to those who found posts about her here on the Bent, and the Ship's Blog, just up the bay in Shilshole Marina, we know some of the places she's been. You can probably use your imagination (and Google maps) to fill in the blanks in the itinerary. Really, let it run wild, I did:

Cabo San Lucas in late April; Ft. Lauderdale in early May; Amador, Panama (at the entrance to the canal) shortly thereafter; jump to Venice in late June; Split, Croatia in early July; Naxos, Rhodes, Lindos, and Symi, Greece through mid-August; Civitavecchia, Italy in late August; then back to Rybovich Marina in Riviera Beach, Florida the first week of December; St. Thomas V.I. by mid-month; then Falmouth Harbour, Antigua just after the new year. (Thanks, folks, for the comments. They make this whole thing work.)

But as beautiful as those destinations must be, Laurel couldn't have looked any more lovely anywhere than she did slowly cruising Alki on this rainy Saturday morning, before she anchored off Salty's. After a trip like that, the folks on board were probably ready to enjoy some Northwestern soul food and see what Sommelier Tim O'Brien (Washington Wine Commission's Sommelier of the Year 2006) was pouring for St. Patrick's Day.