The Occidental Tourist

The Seattle Urban sketchers Ad Hoc meetup took place at Occidental Park this morning. If you've ever been to the Pioneer Square district in Seattle, you may have discovered this tree lined square on the back side (east) of the historic Pioneer Building. 

I found myself smiling throughout the morning, affected by the upbeat atmosphere created by the combination of fantastic summer weather, Jambalaya Brass Rock music played by Tubaluba (one of the free lunchtime concert bands), and the mix of people in the square.

I imagined how a tourist might experience this place:

One might look up through the trees and see the top of the Smith Tower, once the tallest building on the West coast.

The top of the Smith Tower from Occidental Park-7/17/15

The shop front of Arundel Books is a reminder that Seattle is "the most well read city in the U.S." according to Amazon. I finished my sketch just as they opened the shop.

Arundel Books opened for business as I finished my sketch.

With only  twenty minutes left before sharing our sketches, I hurried into position to speed sketch the tuba player. Nearby, a couple "of a certain age" got up and broke into "buck jumpin", a New Orleans style of dance with bouncy, intricate footwork. They were smiling, too.

Rough Sketch, Tuba Player

The word play in my title ironically alludes to the novel "Accidental Tourist" by Anne Tyler. It's about Macon Leary, a travel writer who hates both travel and anything out of the ordinary.  But you would know that as one of those "well read" Seattleites.