Out and about in Seattle

Shoppers and browsers clog Seattle’s Pike Place Market.   (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Stroll along the sand of Seattle’s Golden Gardens Park and you might encounter Guila Muir, a devoted, fiftysomething open-water swimmer.   (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Brrr, that’s some cold water! Braving 55-degree water, kids play at Golden Gardens Park in the Ballard area of Seattle.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

As the signs suggest, the Seattle neighborhood of Fremont just might consider itself the center of the universe.   (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

A piece of public art frames an idyllic moment along the Burke-Gilman Trail in the Fremont area of Seattle. The neighborhood is known for its bohemians and unpredictable statuary, including statues of Lenin and a concrete troll.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Theo Chocolate, which is based in the Seattle neighborhood of Fremont, gives tours so popular that they usually require advance reservations.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

At Seattle’s Theo Chocolate, the pins on the map represent where tourists have come from.   (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Manager Gary Davidson gets down a guitar at Dusty Strings Acoustic Music Shop. The Seattle den of folkies also make harps and dulcimers and give music lessons and workshops.   (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Folks gather atop Queen Anne Hill in Kerry Park to enjoy the view in Seattle.   (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

In summer, daredevils hit the floating high-dive platforms in Green Lake. One can also rent kayaks, canoes, rowboats and more.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

In need of some toy tentacles? There’s only one place to head -- Archie McPhee, Seattle’s venerable vendor of goofball gifts and toys.   (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Sleepless in Seattle? Well, maybe just a brief loll is in order at Olympic Sculpture Park when there’s so much to see and do. The Space Needle looms in the distance.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Playing in the rocks at the water’s edge near Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Browse the many offerings at Elliott Bay Book Co. The local institution moved to the Capitol Hill neighborhood in 2010.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The Hotel Deca is a striking example of Streamline Moderne near the University of Washington campus in Seattle.  (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)