Seattle - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 148

street life is this chocolate factory on the site of the old Redhood Brewery (now moved to
Woodinville). The micro-chocolate producer makes organic chocolate, producing an
aroma that permeates half the neighborhood. Follow the smell to the small store, where
you can put your name down for a factory tour.
Ballard & Discovery Park
Ballard, despite its hip veneer, still has the feel of an old Scandinavian fishing village -
especially around the locks, the marina and the Nordic Heritage Museum. The old town
is a nightlife hot spot, but even in the daytime its historic buildings and cobblestone
streets make it a pleasure to wander through.
Nordic Heritage Museum MUSEUM
( 206-789-5707; www.nordicmuseum.org ; 3014 NW 67th St; adult/child $6/4; 10am-4pm
Tue-Sat, noon-4pm Sun; 17) This museum preserves the history of the northern
Europeans who settled in Ballard and the Pacific Northwest, as well as bringing in spe-
cial exhibits of new work by contemporary Scandinavian artists. It's the only museum in
the USA that commemorates the history of settlers from all five Scandinavian countries.
A permanent exhibit, with one room for each country, features costumes, photographs
and maritime equipment, while a second gallery is devoted to changing exhibitions. The
museum also offers Scandinavian-language instruction, lectures and films.
Hiram M Chittenden Locks LOCK
(3015 NW 54th St; locks 24hr, ladder & gardens 7am-9pm, visitor center 10am-6pm May-Sep;
62) Seattle shimmers like an Impressionist painting on sunny days at the Hiram M
Chittenden Locks. Here, the freshwater of Lake Washington and Lake Union that flows
through the 8-mile-long Lake Washington Ship Canal drops 22ft into salt-water Puget
Sound. Construction of the canal and locks began in 1911; today 100,000 boats a year
pass through them. They are situated a half-mile west of Ballard, off NW Market St, and
act as a bridge across the canal for pedestrians.
On the southern side of the Locks, the fish ladder was built in 1976 to allow salmon
to fight their way to spawning grounds in the Cascade headwaters of the Sammamish
River, which feeds Lake Washington. Visitors can watch the fish from underwater glass-
sided tanks or from above (there are nets to keep salmon from overleaping and stranding
themselves on the pavement). Sea lions munch on the salmon while the fish attempt to
negotiate the ladder. The best time to visit is during spawning season, from mid-June to
September.