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Center for Wooden Boats, Seattle

 

Seattle's Lake Union was once a major industrial and shipbuilding area; today it's a mixture of park and recreation, residential and commercial use.

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It's also the home of the Center for Wooden Boats, which links its past to its present, restoring wooden boats—including some that were built on the lake. The Center runs a museum, holds classes for youth and adults and wants you to get out on the water by renting one of its varied fleet of small (wooden, of course) boats.

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Like many others, I first noticed it on my way to its next-door neighbor, the Museum of History and Industry. Unfortunately, by the time I headed for the Center on purpose, Covid had sharply reduced access and the museum area wasn't open—but classes and other activities were still on.

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The Center's picturesque buildings at the water's edge could almost be survivors of previous times, but they're definitely up-to-date. And they're not all there is; there is also a workshop and warehouse at the other end of the lake and a facility at Cama Beach State Park on Camano Island.

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One of the newer buildings is only yards away, with education space and serious workshop space.

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Also nearby are some boats that reflect a history of native peoples in the area, well-protected by an owl totem.

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Clearly waiting their turn in the shops...

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And reminder that not all wooden boats look wooden...and below them, a boat whose skin is so translucent you can see its ribs in the light.

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The Center doesn't charge admission, either at Lake Union or at Cama Beach, but it does charge for boat rentals. Rental hours can change, the current ones are on the Center's website

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The best part of every trip is realizing that it has upset your expectations

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