Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls December 2012

Multnomah Falls December 2012 

Multnomah Falls December 2012 

Multnomah Falls December 2012 

 Multnomah Falls December 2012

Multnomah Falls can be found along the Columbia River Gorge in Multnomah County, Oregon.  It is not far from the City of Portland, on the Historic Columbia River Highway.  The falls drops in two major steps, one much longer than the other. The total height of the waterfall is 620 feet.  The whole thing is really quite stunning.  This is the tallest waterfall in Oregon, fed by underground springs.  In contrast, Niagara Falls is only 165 feet tall.  Snoqualmie Falls is 268 feet.  A foot trail from a large parking lot leads to Benson Footbridge 105 feet above the lower cascade. The trail continues to a platform at the top of the upper falls.  The way to the bottom of the lower cascade is not far from the parking lot.  There is also a trail to Wahkeena Falls from the lodge adjacent to the parking lot.  Wahkeena Falls are definitely worth seeing.  You can walk or drive.  The falls are most abundant in winter & spring.

Wahkeena Falls

Wahkeena Falls December 2012

Wahkeena Falls December 2012

Wahkeena Falls December 2012

Wahkeena Falls December 2012

Wahkeena Falls can be found along the Columbia River Gorge in Multnomah County, Oregon.  It is not far from the City of Portland, on the Historic Columbia River Highway. A short trail from the parking lot leads to a stone bridge crossig the main part of the falls. The trail continues east to Multnomah Falls, where there is a much larger parking lot, & a lodge with a restaurant & restrooms.  Although Multnomah Falls is more famous & has a longer drop, I think Wahkeena Falls is more immediate & exciting.  You can get quite close to the water, which sends great clouds of mist across the bridge.  The rock formations remind me of a Chinese scroll painting.  It is also much less crowded with tourists.  But please see both falls while you are here.  You can walk or drive between them.  The falls are most abundant in winter & spring.

Waterfall Garden in Pioneer Square

Waterfall Garden April 2010

Waterfall Garden April 2010

Waterfall Garden April 2010

Waterfall Garden April 2010

The Waterfall Garden in Pioneer Square in Seattle is an amazing place, the finest artificial waterfall I've seen.  The size of the waterfall & the amount of water that cascades over the basalt boulders seems barely contained by the tiny park.  Yet there is room for tables, benches, planting beds & 2 small fountains.  The space is covered on 2 sides by canopies, making it possible to sit, eat & watch the tumbling water while it rains!  The Waterfall Garden was designed by Masahiro Kinoshita and completed in 1977. It was commissioned by James Casey, a founder of the United Parcel Service & funded by the Annie E Casey Foundation. The garden sits on the site of the 1907 birthplace of United Parcel Service at 2nd Avenue S & S Main Street, very near Occidental Park & the Klondike Museum.  You can grab a sandwich from the Grand Central Bakery in the beautifully restored Grand Central Hotel at 1st Avenue S & S Main Street.  Enter from Occidental Park.  The Waterfall Garden, Klondike Museum & Grand Central Hotel (which also contains shops) together make a very satisfying excursion to Pioneer Square, an easy walk from Downtown Seattle.

Waterfall at Union Square

2 Union Square April 2010

Source of the Waterfall at Union Square April 2010

Waterfall at Union Square April 2010

 Waterfall at Union Square April 2010

Waterfall & Courtyard at Union Square April 2010

The waterfall in the courtyard at Union Square in Downtown Seattle is a treat.  You will find a bountiful amount of splashing water, easy to approach on several levels because it is flanked by flights of stairs.  (Kids are sure to love it!)  The design of the waterfall works well with the tall building (2 Union Square) behind & above it.  The water leads your eye up toward the skyscraper & appears to spring from the tower's base.  There is a 2nd, smaller waterfall across the courtyard.  The planting design isn't wonderful, the paving is mundane & there is very little seating.  But the cascading water is reason enough to visit the courtyard during your jaunt downtown.  It is located very near the center of the retail district at 6th Avenue & Union Street.

Harbor Steps

The Harbor Steps April 2010
 

 The Harbor Steps April 2010

The Harbor Steps April 2010

The Harbor Steps in Downtown Seattle is a broad flight of stairs that span the width of University Street between 1st Avenue & Western Avenue.  The planting design is spare & uninspired.  But the hardscape (a series of steps, terraces & expansive water features that qualify as both fountains & waterfalls) is quite nice.  Restaurants & shops line the steps.  There are many places to sit, some with shade from trees.  The land is too steep here to accommodate a street with vehicular traffic.  Before the Harbor Steps were built, there was a fence across a high retaining wall & a narrow staircase.  The Harbor Steps are a very pleasant way to move from Downtown to the Waterfront.  They are directly across from the Seattle Art Museum, very near Benaroya Hall & the Garden of Remembrance, close to the Pike Place Market.  Post Alley connects to the Harbor Steps at their center.

Garden of Remembrance

Garden of Remembrance in Seattle April 2010

 

Garden of Remembrance April 2010

Garden of Remembrance April 2010

Garden of Remembrance April 2010

Garden of Remembrance April 2010

The Garden of Remembrance shares space with Benaroya Hall on 2nd Avenue at University Street in Downtown Seattle.  It is impossible to fault the design in any way.  It is exquisitely tasteful.  The paving & stone work is beautiful.  The planting design is unusually complex for such a small, intensely urban space.  Many trees, a small waterfall & plenty of seating make this a very pleasant, shaded place to rest. The contrast with the nearby Harbor Steps could hardly be greater. This memorial to Washingtonians who died in military conflicts was designed by Murase Associates, with engraved black granite slabs similar to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC.  The Garden of Remembrance is near the Seattle Art Museum & the Pike Place Market.  The University Street Station of the Seattle Transit Tunnel has an exit that leads to the Garden of Remembrance.