Into the night, we pressed on in search of the heart and soul of Ballard.
Portraits of Jennifer at Ballard Inn.
She and I had ventured onto an interesting journey.
Sights. Sounds. History. Ghosts. Maybe some answers.
Tag Archives: Travel
BALLARD COMICS #11
Editor’s Note: While any place of quality is welcome in the Ballard hub, we have a soft spot for any business that finds a way to authentically integrate itself within the culture. The Noble Fir is a fine example of thinking locally. It is a tavern with an eye, a mind, and a heart, to being part of the community. You’re looking for something unique and refreshing? You want to feel like you’re really still in Ballard? Then visit The Noble Fir.
Maybe a place like The Noble Fir would have seemed just a bit too luxurious in the past. Maybe. But then again, Seattle has maintained a long love affair with microbrewies and can boast at having some of the best in the world.
Why not have that level of excellence, and even elegance, amid the industrial and mechanical fixtures of old Ballard?
What we all wish to avoid is The Planet Hollywood treatment. If a place has no real connection to anywhere, then it contributes to diminishing that place. Not to put down Planet Hollywood but I think you know what I mean. So, yeah, The Noble Fir, and other fine establishments like it, are what we want to see: something that enhances the character of Ballard and actually fits.
These sort of ponderings take time but we have plenty of that. And, once a good mood is set, perhaps with a fine ale, in a good place, we can settle in and find all sorts of stories to tell.
Filed under Ballard, Ballard Comics, Comics, Seattle, Webcomics
BALLARD COMICS #9
As our story continues, we finally check in at Ballard Inn. For longtime residents, Ballard Inn is a landmark. Now, it is part of the ownership behind the brand new Hotel Ballard and the revamped Olympic Athletic Club. We made sure to enjoy our complimentary access to Olympic Athletic Club. And we dined at Hotel Ballard’s restaurant, Stoneburner.
The combination of all this hospitality was a thrill for the senses indeed.
Filed under Ballard, Ballard Comics, Comics, Henry Chamberlain
Devolver Digital Films To Distribute Doc on Couchsurfing, ONE COUCH AT A TIME
There’s a good chance you’ve at least heard of couchsurfing. It’s actually a pretty old concept used by college students, tourists, and all sorts of artists and bohemians. You stay on a friend’s couch temporarily, maybe a day or so. And then, depending on your plans, you move on to another couch. It’s that free-spirited act of sharing that has evolved over time. Consider the Occupy movement and all the questions it has helped raise. We have reason to question plenty, don’t we? We are forced to even question things that seem so fundamental. Can we continue as we’re going in our capitalist society? That’s something we’ll talk more about. For now, let’s consider couchsurfing and sharing in general. That’s what filmmaker Alexandra Liss does in her new documentary, ONE COUCH AT A TIME, which is being distributed by Devolver Digital Films.
ONE COUCH AT AT TIME is an eye-opening documentary that will take you places you may have not fully considered. I look forward to viewing this in full. It already speaks to me on many levels. I am a firm believer in sharing what you have, seeking out help when you need it, and not being bashful of making new connections with your fellow human beings. My graphic novel, ALICE IN NEW YORK, is about the wonders and magic that are possible when you put your trust in the right places and allow yourself to have an adventure. Interestingly enough, that book will be published thanks to crowdfunding. There’s really no limit to what you can do and this documentary helps to demonstrate that.
Press release follows:
Filed under Crowdfunding, Documentaries, Sharing Movement, Travel
Review: PEPITA: TAKEHIKO INOUE MEETS GAUDI
I was introduced to the work of Gaudí in a very Woody Allen way. This was many years ago and I was on a date. We were very young and full of energy and dropping various names and titles to all the art we had consumed thus far in our little lives. “Oh, Gaudí!” It was the biggest name drop of them all for her since she had just returned from Spain. At the time, the best I could find was a book in the library. I put two and two togehter pretty quickly after that. And I have admired the work of Gaudí ever since.
If you go to Barcelona, you can’t help but find the enormous cathedral of Sagrada Família, the iconic Roman Catholic catheral which is regarded as one of the great wonders of the modern world even if, one hundred years since it was begun, it continues to grow. The legendary Spanish Modernist architect Antoni Gaudí continues, in spirit, to oversee construction.
Today, the works of Gaudí hold their own very well with contemporary giants like Rem Koolhaus and Frank Gehry. Experimental and expressive architecture are more acceptable these days, even if you may still find an old guard of resistance. Artist Takehiko Inoue makes for a wonderful tour guide, with an open and animated spirit, in his recent book about his pilgrimage to the world and art of Gaudí, “Pepita: Takehiko Inoue Meets Gaudí,” published by VIZ Media and offered under the VIZ Signature imprint, priced at $24.99 U.S/ $28.99 CAN.
Takehiko Inoue is in a unique position to share his views on master architect Antoni Gaudí (1852 – 1926), the famous Spanish architect and leader of Catalan Modernism. An accomplished artist in his own right, Inoue is known for landmark manga titles, SLAM DUNK, REAL, and VAGABOND, all published by VIZ Media. Inoue approaches his subject with great enthusiasm and the insights of a fellow artist.
What readers will find striking about this book is the various ways that Inoue comes to his subject: sketchbook drawings, notes, journal entries, more formal prose, photographs, and his own inimitable hyper-realistic artwork.
Above all, this is a refreshingly honest and open book. Inoue makes no claims to a lifelong affinity to Gaudí. In fact, he admits that the first time he saw the work of Gaudí, in 1992, it was as part of a rushed tour and he did not have a chance to develop any significant impressions. However, it was in 2011, that Inoue was determined to learn about the great master.
What you’ll find in this book is such a variety of information from someone you quickly connect with. I’ve always been attracted to these type of books that present you with more than just the facts. You get the facts, to be sure. There is full documentation on Gaudí’s career, family, and where he lived and worked. What’s great is when you have a unique guide that will bring in a variety of unexpected facts. For instance, just consider the title of this book. Pepita? Who are what is that? Well, buried within the book is the answer. Not to spoil anything, I think it helps a lot to go ahead and know what that means. The definition of “pepita” is “fruit seed” and that is meant to describe Inoue’s journey, to find the fruit seed to Gaudí’s creativity. It is also the nickname of Gaudí’s one and only sweetheart! Now, try finding that in your typical book on Gaudí.
“Pepita: Takehiko Inoue Meets Gaudí” is a 108-page hardcover, priced at $24.99. You can find it here.
For more information on other Takehiko Inoue titles available from VIZ Media, please visit www.viz.com.
Filed under Antoni Gaudí, Architecture, Art, Manga, Takehiko Inoue, Travel, VIZ Media
OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL: NEW YEAR’S WISH TWITTER SWEEPSTAKES
Disney has announced today a New Year’s Sweepstakes and an Instant Win game on December 31 in support of “Oz The Great and Powerful,” which opens in U.S. theaters on March 8, 2013. And the Grand Prize is a trip to Seattle. Yes, Seattle is known as “The Emerald City,” after all. But, did you know, that Houston is also known by that name? Both cities can boast about being surrounded by a lot of lush greenery. But we seriously digress. Both cities are winners! And you can be a winner too if you enter the New Year’s Sweepstakes. Just Tweet your New Year’s Wish here. More details follow.
Filed under Disney, movies, Wizard of Oz
24 HOUR COMICS DAY: Further Down the Rabbit Hole
The trick to a successful 24 Hour Comics Day is to be a truly bad mofo. You’re into staying awake and drawing like crazy.
There is no easy way about it. You can’t cram for this. You can’t try to do this ahead of time. You just do it.
So, if you’re in a venue with a variety of possibilities, you stake your spot and go from there. I chose to spend a good bit of time at the Sorrento’s Hunt Club.
I also made sure to visit to legendary “haunted” fourth floor. There’s something about room #408. Let me know if you find out. Something happened in there, at least in urban legend.
And, of course, your feet get restless. You get itchy feet and need to wander about a bit. The soles of your feet are crying for stimulation, right? I chose to try the nearby watering hole, The Hideout. Here are a few photos of the men’s room artwork. Pretty cool, huh? Well, definitely above average. Must be the local artist element at work.
Okay, back to work.
Filed under Art, comic books, Comics, Comics Dungeon, Henry Chamberlain, Seattle, Sorrento Hotel
24 HOUR COMICS DAY: First Impressions
The Sorrento Hotel is a wonderful experience from the moment you walk in the door and you’re greeted at the front desk. I think the staff are very courteous and friendly and I find the Sorrento to be so full of character. I love my room. It has a nice view that provides me a catbird’s seat to new arrivals and the activity down below. There’s plenty of room to settle into and a big fancy desk to get to work on.
I’ll have to get some dinner soon. And I’ll settle into the Fireside Room later on and listen to some jazz. I have a good layout already under way with plenty of room for changes and additions, just the way it should be for a 24 Hour Comics Day. And thanks always to Comics Dungeon for their sponsorship. And expect an awesome book to come from all this. You can see some of my previous work here. A page from “The Dog Who Would Be King” was auctioned off this year at the annual Artist Trust Benefit Art Auction.
Filed under Art, Artist Trust, comic books, Comics, Comics Dungeon, Henry Chamberlain, Seattle, Sorrento Hotel
BALLARD COMICS #6
Editor’s Note: Marshall McLuhan is gaining ground, much like Nikola Tesla, as a hero from the past speaking for today. He would certainly have something to say about the hotspot that is today’s Ballard, a far cry from the sleepy little hamlet that it once was. McLuhan was sensitive to such things as the character and identity of a place.
Has Ballard lost something? Well, it’s always been under development, that’s one way of looking at it. Consider the last panel in this comic. You see what was once a grand old fire station. It was converted into one of Ballard’s leading restaurants, The Hi-Life, long before the arrival of all the other new hotspots that make up the new Ballard. It’s certainly a great place and enhances the whole area. All you have to do is try their famously good fried chicken to know they belong right where they are.
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Filed under 24 Hour Comics, Ballard, Ballard Comics, Comics, Commentary, Edith Macefield, Henry Chamberlain, Humor, pop culture, Satire, Seattle, Webcomics
Tagged as 24 hour comics, 24 Hour Comics Day, Ballard, cartoons, Comedy, comics, Commentary, Edith Macefield, Food, Foodies, henry chamberlain, Humor, Marshall McLuhan, Media, Pacific Northwest, Restaurants, Satire, Seattle, Travel, webcomics