Urban Renewal Awards, Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle
The curved rusted steel of Richard Serra’s Wake (2004) resembles the hull of a ship, perfectly suited for Seattle’s seafaring tradition. Children run around the large structure, warned by their parents not to touch. Other families meander by Calder’s tall, red Eagle (1971), eyeing the iconic Space Needle in the background. A dog walker ambles past one of Oldenburg’s signature typewriter erasers, following the zig-zag trail that rises above railroad tracks and leads to the waters of Puget Sound and the snowcapped peaks that stand tall in the horizon.
Unveiled in January 2007, Seattle’s Olympic Sculpture Park is a glorious addition to the city’s waterfront. It’s even more remarkable when you understand the history behind this 9-acre parcel of land. For more than 60 years, this section of Belltown was dotted with oil tanks owned by UNOCAL (Union Oil Company of California). The petroleum seeped into the land creating a brownfield that would take over a decade to clean up when operations ceased in 1975. Yet, today, the once vacated industrial wharf is now brimming with life as more than a half-million people visited Olympic Sculpture Park in its first year.
I’ve had the good fortune to work with talented editors who could tweak your stories seamlessly, only enhancing your voice. I’ve also known editors who were used as staff writers, creating well-crafted stories. But very rarely did I find an editor who could do both jobs well, edit and write. One of the few exceptions was Nichole Bernier, my former editor at Boston Magazine. She was a wonderful editor to work with, sculpting each one of my stories effortlessly. I also looked forward to reading her intriguing work. So it comes as no surprise that Nichole’s debut novel was just released by Crown Books. Actually, when you consider she’s now a mother of five, it’s a marvel that she had time to pen one paragraph, let alone a book The Washington Post recently praised: “Why do we keep secrets from those we love most? Is it possible for mothers and fathers to have it all — work and family? Bernier’s excellent storytelling skills will keep you pondering long after the final page.”
With two mass murders of innocent civilians just this past week in America, you would think the country is hiding behind closed doors watching endless hours of CNN. Perhaps that’s true to some extent but here at our small travel agency on the outskirts of Boston, the phone has been ringing off the hook. In the past 48 hours, I have spoken to a grandmother who wants to bring her entire family of 15 to Belize, two friends headed to the beaches of Bahia, a family going to Kangaroo Island, Australia, a Cuba-bound couple, a group of 10 friends celebrating a 50th birthday by hiking Mount Kilimanjaro, and a number of requests for all-inclusive resorts or boutique properties in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. Many people mentioned how they just want to turn off. No television, no newspaper, no constant barrage of violent imagery, or having to hear the next moronic comment uttered by Trump. They want to be on a remote beach with their loved ones reading a good thick novel or, on the contrary, being incredibly active. But one client simply summed it up by stating, “I understand the fragility of life and while I’m still breathing, I want to live.” These are volatile times and nothing good can come out of these abhorrent crimes. But, at the very least, it’s a slap on the face telling us not to take anything for granted, most importantly today. Have a memorable weekend! 
Last January, we spent my wife’s birthday at one of my favorite places to stay in the Portland area, the 
If you like Heady Topper as much as I do, then you’re going to enjoy