Below: Hammering Man is a series of monumental kinetic sculptures designed by Jonathan Borofsky which have been installed in various cities around the world including Frankfurt, Seoul, New York City, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Dallas, Basel Switzerland, La Jolla California, and Gainesville Florida.

This project was structurally engineered by Leslie E. Robertson Associates (LERA). Hammering Man in Seattle is 48 feet tall, 30 inches wide and 7 inches deep, and weighs 26,000 pounds. He is located directly in front of the Seattle Art Museum. He is made out of hollow-fabricated steel with a mechanized arm of aluminum, an electric motor and flat black automotive paint. He was built in 1992 at a cost of $450,000. Original funding was provided by the Virginia Wright Fund in honor of Prentice Bloedel; City of Seattle 1% for Art funds; the Museum Development Authority and PONCHO (Patrons of Northwest Civic, Cultural and Charitable Organizations).

During installation in 1992, the first sculpture fell and had to be replaced.

Hammering Man's arm "hammers" silently and smoothly four times per minute 24 hours a day. It runs on a 3-hp electric motor set on an automatic timer. Hammering Man rests his arm every year on Labor Day.

The sculpture was fabricated by Lippincott, Inc., North Haven, Connecticut and installed by Fabrication Specialties, Seattle.

Below: One of the totem poles in downtown Seattle, just behind the Tree of Life shown above. This is a park area - Victor Steinbeck Park - and people were relaxing everywhere, so the two RV Gypsies could not get a better photo of the totem pole.

Below: Karen Duquette and her sister, Ilse Blahak

Below; The Seattle Space Needle

Below: Pike Place Market

Below: Pike Place Market is one of the oldest in the country, with over 200 shops and restaurants. Lee Duquette wanted to go here to see the fish fly through the air (and he did - as shown below). Shoppers can buy fresh seafood and fruit or have a snack. The Market is open every day of the year, but merchants set their own hours. Parking is available at 1531 Western Avenue just down the hill from Victor Steinbeck Park.

BELOW: The Pike Place Fish Market, founded in 1930, is an open air fish market located in Seattle, Washington's Pike Place Market, at the corner of Pike Street and Pike Place. It is known for their tradition of fishmongers throwing fish that customers have purchased, before they are wrapped. After nearing bankruptcy in 1986, the fish market owner and employees decided to become "world famous", changing their way of doing business by introducing their flying fish, games, and customer performances. Four years later, they were featured repeatedly in the national media and television shows. The store is now a popular tourist destination in Seattle, attracting up to 10,000 daily visitors, and is often billed as world-famous.

BekiwL The Pike Place Fish Market is best known for their habit of hurling customers' orders across the shopping area. A typical routine will involve a customer ordering a fish, with their fishmongers calling out the order, which is loudly shouted back by all the other staff, at which point the original fishmonger will throw the customer's fish behind the counter for wrapping. Initially, the shouted repeating of the ordered fish began as a prank on one employee, but was enjoyed by customers, so it became a tradition. While working, the staff continually yell to each other and chant in unison while they throw ordered fish. At times, the fish market staff will throw a foam fish into the crowd to scare bystanders, or select a customer from the crowds to participate in the fish toss.

Below; A popular feature at the Pike Place Fish Market is the monkfish, which sometimes, thanks to a hidden line, is made to "snap" at customers. In 1991, CNN named the Pike Place Fish Market as one of the three most fun places to work in America.

Below: Because Lee loves chocolate, Ilse bought Lee a shirt from here to thank him for everything he does for her when she vacations with Lee and her sister, Karen. How thoughtful of Ilse.
(Note: Lee gets comments on the shirt whenever he wears it, but nobody has ever handed him chocolate).

Below: While Ilse Blahak was buying the shirt, the two RV Gypsies enjoyed another store nearby.

Below: At another store, Lee Duquette tried on an elephant hat.

Below: Painting on a building and a dummy with a guitar on the balcony.

Seattle has been divided up into two pages to allow the photos to process and upload faster and this will add to your viewing enjoyment. So please continue on to page two of Seattle: The Waterfront and Olympic Sculpture Park. Thank you.