Labbit Travels: Volunteer Park, Seattle WA

Inside Isamu Noguchi's "Black Sun" sculpture

On another fine, sunny and clear skied day in Seattle (really!) Pipkin and Domo rode bicycles to Volunteer Park to climb the water tower and take in more views of the city.

They hopped aboard the Mediterranean Inn's $5 a day bike rentals and pedaled from Queen Anne past Lake Union, over Capitol Hill and into Volunteer Park. It's a bit of work on a heavy cruiser with 3 gears, but a whole lot of fun.

Volunteer Park is the home of the Seattle Asian Art Museum, and outside, facing the reservoir and rising over the Seattle Center is Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi's sculpture Black Sun. Pipkin and Domo like giant outdoor sculptures that you can climb in and play on. They admired the view before heading up the Volunteer Park Water Tower.

They hopped up the dark, curving staircase inside the water tower and emerged at its top where barred, open air windows give visitors a 360° view of Seattle. For animals, children, labbits and...whatever Domo is, these low windows make for fantastic viewing.

It helps to get a boost from a friend. Not everyone can climb as well as Domo.

Domo may be imagining a King Kong sort of situation right about now.

If you visit Volunteer Park in Seattle, be sure to climb the water tower (it's free!) and take in the Olmsted Exhibit along with the city's views. The Olmsted Brothers firm has been commissioned for many famous parks, university campus and outdoor landscaping projects across the United States and Canada, including Seattle's Volunteer Park. The exhibit is a tribute to their extensive work to improve public spaces.