It is easy to get busy in life and let things that you want to do slip by.

So, in that spirit, I’m posting some quick photographs I took while my family and I visited Port Townsend, Wash. earlier this month.

With the top photograph, it was fitting that after I snapped the image that a man walking his dog appeared and hopped into his white van. It looked like he and his dog were living inside.

It also was fitting that to the right of the van was an appropriately-named coffeehouse for this city: The Better Living Through Coffee Coffeehouse.

Inside the coffeehouse, you can watch your drip coffee actually drip, if you’d like.

Outside the coffeehouse are a beach and a red brick building partially over the water.

Speaking of brick buildings, blocks away is the Historic Elks Building.

There’s also a window with mugs, a vase, flowers and the reflection of a Victorian-era building, which had an amphibious tricycle across from it.

My family and I have visited Port Townsend before – we saw a lone castle as well as buildings that have symmetry.

I’m certain we will return.

I should say upfront that the old Immigration and Naturalization Service building in Seattle – which has office space for lease and has neoclassical architectural touches from the 1920s and 1930s - sits on a centrally-located piece of land.

It rests at 815 Airport Way S. on the border of the city’s International District (and across the street from Uwajimaya, the big Asian supermarket) and within walking distance of the sports stadiums, restaurants and bus stops.

So, yes, it is easy to see why the building will be a draw for people in 2010 and beyond. But keep in mind: This 77,000-square-foot building, which opened in 1932 and completed under the supervision of architect James Wetmore, has plenty of history.

As in: It once housed Chinese immigrants – who were detained under the Chinese Exclusion Act, the country’s first racially-specific immigration law to block people from entering the United States.

HistoryLink.org notes that Alvin “Creepy” Karpis – a 1930s gangster and member of the Ma Barker Gang – called the building a temporary home (involuntarily, of course). He also spent time on Alcatraz. He apparently was a real-life public enemy.

On the upper floors, employees once processed gold – by 1955, nearly 1,000 pounds of it, federal officials said. Miners from the Klondike Gold Rush stopped at the office with what the precious metal. The U.S. government wanted to boost its gold reserves.

When I toured the building in 2006 with Hing Chinn, a Seattle resident who was detained there under the Chinese Exclusion Act, I spotted cramped rooms, tiny offices and holding cells – all of which undoubtedly will change with renovation efforts.

Now, as they say, all of this can be yours – or at least a slice of it if you lease office space in the building. This sign photographed below sits in front of what officially was called the United States Immigrant Station and Assay Office.

The leasing is a continuation of the sale of the building for $4.4 million by the federal government. INS Holdings LLC, comprised of a group of Seattle-area investors, purchased the building in an online, eBay-style bid.

At one point, the city of Seattle had hoped to receive the building for free from the federal government. There was talk about using the building to house travel and trade offices and some type of Asian Pacific center.

The city later pursued a sale of the building at a price tag of at least $998,000.

That idea, though, of the city taking ownership of the building fell through and the online bid process surfaced. The initial bid was $2.2 million and INS Holdings LLC won the day.

Urban Visions, a Seattle-based developer, envisioned using the space for environmental projects. 

At one point, the Highline School District, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Salvation Army and private developers also expressed some interest in using the building, a federal official said.

Shawn Jackson of Holden Street Partners LLC is taking calls regarding office space at (206) 510-2576. A2 – Anisoglu Associates – or A2 – of Bainbridge Island is the architecture firm working on the renovations.

Cihan Anisoglu of Anisoglu Associates and a development partner said that the new owners plan to have space in the building to mark its place in Seattle and U.S. history.

Last year’s poor economy apparently delayed the posting of the office lease sign until recent months in 2010.

So: Will people rent space in the building?

I can see how people who support urban density could gravitate toward leasing space in the building, which required millions of dollars in renovations to bring it up to safety code. The building, as I’ve said, is close to Uwajimaya, restaurants and office buildings.

Jen Graves of The Stranger notes on the Slog that some artists already are in the building.

In terms of architecture, well, there are touches that people won’t see in the shiny, new steel-and-glass skyscrapers in the city. There is an Old World charm to its light fixtures, what with all the metal framing and ornate styling, as well as a modern touch with the energy-efficient bulb.

The building is on the National Register of Historic Places – so the owners need to keep much of the structure as it is.

The other day, after I spotted the office lease sign, I stood near the building and realized that its gate was open. A parking company is using the back lot.

I had never looked behind the building – I always saw it from the front, just as a facade and history marker in many ways. Well, here are some images from the other side of the building.

In 2005, the federal government issued a quick history of the building – including the fact that a safe-cracker who plied his gingerly trade during the Depression Era once was locked up inside.

Like I said before: This place has lots of history.

Anything that can make people stop and think about themselves, their surroundings and others nearby really can serve the public good.

Art, photography, architecture and even the news media can fill these societal niches – which hopefully will help us think in new, more broad ways.

So, I’m sure the sidewalk art video produced by Brian Stillman and posted on NYPost.com last week has produced page views as well as questions and thoughts.

Why?

Well, in the video, a mysterious street artist drew a white stripe down Fifth Avenue, between 22nd and 23rd streets. One side is labeled “NEW YORKERS.” The other is designated for “TOURISTS.”

The words are in big white lettering. They make all of us think.

The message is clear: Tourists are a bunch of slow-moving people who gawk and gaze once they hit the city and really are similar to countryfolk who marvel at anything that New York has to offer.

A few years ago, they might even stop, point and yell: “Look! There’s Bernie Madoff.”

And locals, well, are a speedy bunch who need to get to places, like, last week. So: “Outta my way!”

Stillman does a great job of including a variety of opinions in the piece and includes the important fact that tourism brings in money and can actually transform a fast-changing, on-the-edge place.

One thing, though, is that Stillman overlooks the buildings around the area where the stripe mysteriously appeared.

If Google maps is correct, the stripe is near the Flatiron Building – which is a great triangular piece of architecture.

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For some reason – and I’m going out on a limb here by guessing – but humans really love triangular – or odd shaped – architecture.

Or I should be more precise: I like traingular architecture.

So, in a sense, when you have something that is different – and especially in a place that is so famous – you’re going to have, well, out-of-towners stop, look and raise their cameras.

In the past, I’ve pointed out the interesting geometric shapes of the CCTV tower in Beijing, the International Forum in Tokyo and the Central Library in Seattle.

Yes, even in Seattle, there is the Triangle Pub and floors above it – and each time I’m near the building, I try and make it a point to look at it, well, because many of the buildings around it are square or rectangle in shape.

In fact, the Triangle Pub building is so noteworthy that it is on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the National Park Service.

And if a LEGO replica is a sign of flattery and success, well, then the Triangle Pub building has arrived, as evidenced by the creation pictured below.

Seattle's Triangle Pub building is seen here in a depiction by a LEGO artist. The actual Triangle Pub in Seattle is an offshoot of the famous Flatiron Building on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Image source: Puriri deVry's photostream on flickr.

But I digress.

In terms of that dividing line on Fifth Avenue, it makes sense in one way: It is efficient.

It reminds me of going up those escalators and there are people who want to stand. They either move to their right or left (I forgot exactly which side).

Then, those who need to sprint up the moving escalator – say, you’re late for a meeting – can do so on the other side.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg reportedly commented on the line. But Ben Fractenberg of DNAinfo pointed out that Bloomberg might not have fully understood the line’s meaning.

I’ve been fortunate enough to live in New York City years ago. Yes, the city is crowded. On Canal Street in Manhattan’s Chinatown, I often walked near the curb to make my way from place to place.

Once, when I was near Times Square, I saw a bulky guy become frustrated at some slow-moving women who were soaking in the sights and noise that New York City has to offer the world.

After he passed them he turned, raised his arms a bit and yelled – and loud enough that I perked up: “You must be from Ohio!”

And I thought, as we say now: Classy.

I was also in New York City after the September 11th terrorist attacks. One thing I do remember: People from around the country – from cities and towns of all shapes – rallied to give their support to the people of New York City.

So, did other people from around the world.

And you know what? People around the world consider New York City to be the World’s Capital – and they are going to visit.

Yes, they might walk too slowly for your fast, hurry-it-up, you’re-in-my-way pace of life.

So, when I hear that one New Yorker say on that NYPost.com video that he knocks tourists down when they’re in his way, I think about karma.

It’s a good thing that people from New York City don’t like visiting other cities and countries – say, as tourists in Beijing or Shanghai.

Then again, people in China really are expected to speak and spell English correctly because, well, the country is opening to the world.

And there are so many mistakes that a native English speaker in China can spot.

Right?

UPDATE: I forgot that not all sidewalks that look open to the public actually fit the bill.

Fireworks and crowds in Beijing's Tiananmen Square mark the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China in October 2009. There are some reports that the square is no longer China's largest. Photo source: Xinhua

Oh, boy.

On the day that my thoughts turned to Tiananmen Square, in the sense of the vast public space near the Forbidden City and which is so central to China, comes word (in English, too) of an eyebrow-raising news story. It certainly prompts questions as to whether some Chinese people are lost in the new awakening occurring there. Or possibly, is a new push for privacy and freedom emerging?

It involves a former college professor, who in Mandarin would be addressed as “jiao shou.” But as my wife reminded me, some in China have taken to chat rooms to describe this instructor as “jiao shou.”

The pronunciation is the same. The Chinese characters are different. When these other Chinese characters are used, people are calling the person a “shouting animal” – essentially, a wild animal.

I’ll stick to Tiananmen Square and one of the more intriguing possibilities that I thought would never happen – that other public squares are larger in square meters than the symbolic center, or heart, of the People’s Republic of China.

Could it be true?

Mind you, Tiananmen Square covers 440,000 square meters and is the place where leaders – including President Hu Jintao and others – gather each year to mark the beginning of the Chinese Communist Party leading the country.

The large portrait of Mao Zedong looks down on all who pass in the square or those going to and from the Forbidden City. Zhongnanhai, the central headquarters for senior Chinese leaders, is nearby.

Military troops and others march in front of the leaders, nation and thanks to the Internet and television feeds, the world. Last year, Hu stood in a Chinese-made Red Flag limousine and addressed the troops as comrades.

Chinese President Hu Jintao and other senior leaders gathered in October 2009 to watch the festivities in and around Tiananmen Squre that marked the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. Photo source: Xinhua

Symbolically, the message was clear about who had the privilege to conduct such a review and the power to call soldiers, sailors, airmen, militia women and others in colorful, traditional garb for a grand review (see the embedded video from photojournalist Dan Chung).

Last year, in March, Chinese lawmaker Zhou Xiaoguang told reporters that Tiananmen Square – which blossomed as a central meeting place after the Communists gained control of the country – was no longer the largest in the country, and by extension, the world, according to a Xinhua article.

The Chinese news agency quoted him as saying:

Even some small townships have created squares 20,000 square meters bigger than the Tian’anmen square.

It appears that China’s race for luxurious, oversized construction apparently has pushed Tiananmen from the No. 1 spot on the list of largest public spaces on Earth.

From the Xinhua dispatch:

After a thorough investigation into the situation, the lawmaker said that a number of medium and small cities and townships have become craze in constructing mammoth government buildings with fairyland-like artificial lakes and squares….In China, there has been a long tradition of constructing oversized architects, such as mausoleums, palaces, dams and great walls, to show off the leaders’ merits.

The news article also identified Zhou as chairman of the Neoglory Group in Zhejiang province.

Zhou also did not list any of the squares that apparently are bigger than Tiananmen. But the news story carried a Xinhua tag to it and it was posted on China.org.cn.

China.org.cn is the authorized portal for China and has the support of the State Council Information Office.

There is no doubt that China can be a competitive place – what with 1.3 billion people or 20 percent of the world’s population and limited opportunities.

But if this is true, it’s fascinating that the competitive edge for the world’s largest square did not come from some other upstart country or mature one. Rather, the competition was internal – from townships and smaller cities.

In the sense of nationalistic pride, one could understand if the world’s largest square sprouted up in Shanghai, presuming the space was there. For years, senior Chinese leaders have favored the city, especially in shaping it as a regional, and possibly global, financial capital.

Keep in mind that Expo 2010 is going on in Shanghai.

For those who need a conversion from the metric system and presuming that my calculation is correct, Tiananmen Square covers 4,736,120 square feet. The China Daily has reported that is equivalent to 63 football fields.

Xinhua reported that it can hold more than 1 million people, meaning every single person in San Francisco could fit. For Seattle residents, the square could hold, in rough terms, two times the city’s population.

And you thought your high school graduating class or company photo had a bunch of people.

The space which is now Tiananmen Square was created in the 15th century as royal space for the Forbidden City, Xinhua noted. The gate itself – or Tiananmen – was built in 1417 during the Ming Dynasty.

Though it was originally a royal space, it became one for the public.

As part of the May Fourth movement in 1919, students arrived to oppose imperialism. They wanted a stronger Chinese government.

People gather in front of Tiananmen during the May Fourth movement in 1919, when students protested imperialism. Photo source: Wikipedia

In the 1920s, it was an open area where people of various backgrounds could gather, according to political scientist David Strand.

In his book, Rickshaw Beijing: City People and Politics in the 1920s, he writes on Page 172 (which has footnotes):

During the twenties Beijing was the site of social movements, such as feminism, mass nationalism, and unionism, which gave new political meaning to public spaces like the area outside Tianan Gate. In the 1920s Tiananmen ‘square’ was not yet a square in the formal architectural sense. The local press referred to the spot as the ‘empty space outside Tianan Gate.’ Filling this space periodically with townspeople (shimin) and citizens (gongmin) projected an evocative, albeit fleeting, image of municipal and national solidarity. Since many other ‘public’ settings, like temples, guildhalls, teahouses and parks, were either restricted to private or corporate memberships, charged fees, or required purchases of food or drink, spaces opened up to all by the pressure of social movements were critical to the generation of a truly ‘mass’ politics.

Mao had the area expanded after he took power, which was 60 years ago.

Today, you can stroll through Tiananmen Square and keep in mind all of the historic moments that have happened there in China’s long history.

It’s long been a popular place for kite flyers and a place for visitors to stand for souvenir photographs.

It apparently is so big that people get lost in it and need to contact the police for help, the China Daily reported in 2006.

That year, during the country’s National Day holiday – a popular time for sightseeing – a reported 3,700 people became lost in Tiananmen Square, according to police and cited in the press.

From the China Daily article:

Long queues formed at lost-and-found centres, which broadcasted messages alerting lost people where to meet. Police also provided broadcast and telephone services. Some lost visitors gave up looking for loved ones and police provided public transport information so they could return home. Cleaning workers were kept busy having to remove 113.8 tons of rubbish on the square in the first three days of the holiday, 20 times the usual daily amount, according to the Beijing News. 

My wife and I did a quick search of the Internet to find out what other Chinese squares might be larger than Tiananmen. We found other squares, including Xinghai Square in Dalian.

One Dalian tourism site reports that it’s 45,000 square meters and apparently Asia’s largest municipal square.

But using that number, Tiananmen Square is larger at 440,000 square meters.

It’s also unclear as to whether that 45,000 square meters area only covers the yellow star or includes the landscaped portion in the second photo.

That travel site about Dalian notes:

It is almost three times larger than Tiananmen Square.

Whichever square is the largest, Tiananmen will still be central to the People’s Republic of China.

It always will be.

One Chinese man reportedly has more than 20,000 items that relate to Tiananmen Square.

And one Chinese science fiction writer envisions that Tiananmen Square will feature prominently in 2069, which will be the 120th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.

How so?

Chinese astronauts, this writer says, will be able to salute Tiananmen Square from the moon.

Stay tuned.

As I ran errands on Saturday, my wife and son strolled along the Seattle waterfront and basked in the sun’s warm rays.

Later, we met off Post Alley at 84 Union St. to head home.

Before I hopped back in the car, I looked up and saw the scene which is photographed above.

I liked it: Tall buildings, interesting angles, two people looking at Puget Sound.

Captured in the image, too, are Seattle buildings that have history – at least in terms of recent times.

You might recognize the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences in the foreground. It offers sweeping views from its rooms as well as fine dining in its restaurant.

Not that news is everything to everyone these days, but the building has made headlines in recent months. If you are in the market for a luxury condominium, it looks like units are available.

In the background of the photograph stands what used to be a skyscraper owned by Washington Mutual, also known as the WaMu Center. JPMorgan Chase took over WaMu and later sold the building to Russell Investments, The Seattle Times reported last year.

In the lower left-hand corner of the photograph is an apartment building that once housed bunk beds for Hostelling International. It is the building you see photographed below.

Hostelling International opened its new hostel last year in the city’s International District.

If you live in the Seattle area, I know you’re familiar with Post Alley – a popular walking path for visitors and residents to and from Pike Place Market.

If you walk up the path (and under the sign), you’ll find an art wall with gum. Photographer Dan DeLong of Red Box Pictures made this image of the famous place late last year.

It’s interesting that after I’ve covered news events after all these years, that stories and facts behind buildings and places enter my mind when I see them. I also try to keep up with current events in the Seattle area.

So, after my family and I left 84 Union St., we headed to the International District. Earlier in the day, when I was grocery shopping, I spotted this image below.

There was something peculiar and practical about what I saw.

It was hot. The person inside might have needed space to hang some wet clothing – and well, this was in the scope of possibilities.

By the way, this apartment sits on top of Jade Garden, the popular dim sum restaurant in Seattle.

Across the street, if you’re interested, is the Amitabha Buddhist Society of Seattle.

Note that Buddha name chanting takes place each Monday. Buddhism recitation occurs each Saturday.

The Buddhist group has its meeting center in one of the Kong Yick Buildings – the West one, which is seen above.

Just up the street sits the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience. The museum resides in the East Kong Yick Building.

In 1921, a Chinese lion dance team performed nearby.

In the future, I think I’m going to try and drive my family directly home – and not think too much about the buildings that I see and stories that I remember.

It would be much faster.

I think I’ve treated each physical location – and the stories behind them – in the same way that Google, bing and other search engines enable users to click on a link and learn about them quickly.

New times. Huh?

For years, this was the typical view that ordinary people saw of Zhongnanhai, the government compound in Beijing used by senior Chinese leaders. Google maps, especially the Earth view option, has changed that. Photo source: beijing2007.wordpress.com

So, do you remember the recent Google in China row?

The one earlier this year in which the Silicon Valley-based search and technology giant made global news with reports of hacked email accounts and possibly stolen code? The company – which questioned operating a filtered site in the rapidly-growing country – later decamped its mainland China search engine operations to Hong Kong.

Well, in an interesting twist, it looks like the California technology wizards have scored a point (or two) for transparency regarding Zhongnanhai, the compound near the Forbidden City that many in the senior Chinese leadership call home.

How so?

Satellite images on Google maps permit viewers to see over the walls of the compound, where many in China’s leadership meet and reside.

In a way, it’s not a super secret that this complex exists. People living in and visiting Beijing know it’s there – right near the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.

The U.S. government posted images of former Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez’s visit to Zhongnanhai in 2006. Chinese media outlets have published photographs.

Back in 1999, on the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Time Asia ran an insightful article about Zhongnanhai, complete with palace intrigue, a black-and-white photograph of leader Mao Zedong rowing a boat in a lake behind the walls and notes about protesters standing outside at various times.

For the power elite in China, the article noted, Zhongnanhai has always been a coveted destination:

Getting into Zhongnanhai has always been hard work, and once you’re in, staying there has never been easy. Thinkers, economists and rebels have all vied to be received there by party leaders.

And I know international reporters have visited and likely have taken photographs to show others.

But as GlobalSecurity.org noted in its description of the Chinese government compound:

Although foreign visitors cannot enter the complex, they can examine it from the exterior.

There are guards around the entrances, such that once when I visited years ago, I saw one telling a person to put a video camera away.

The fact that almost anyone with access to Google maps – including users of Google.com.hk, the site to which mainland Chinese users are directed after they go to Google.cn – can now peer over the walls is, well, something that probably has come to the attention of the security detail responsible for keeping everything calm.

I’m sure, if given the choice, Chinese security officials would prefer that the aerial images not be available to, well, the public.

Think about it this way: Long before a satellite could hover in space and transmit images back to Earth so that Google could repurpose (to use that word) them for daily use by ordinary people, the Chinese government had essentially what was a moat around Zhongnanhai.

As we know, moats have long been a convenient way of telling someone in an unspoken, visual way that you’d like some space.

If you have never seen over the compound’s walls or the moat inside, have a look below:

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If the map is not showing up as an embedded image, click on “View Larger Map” to see it in a Google window.

Of course, some in China and other parts of the world might question whether Google’s use of these aerial photographs invade other people’s privacy.

I’m sure that if a company based in another country decided to post aerial images taken of the United States, well, there would be lively chatter about what was happening.

I suppose for the senior Chinese leadership – or at least their security officers - it could be much worse.

First, as we know, there are underground pathways under nearby Tiananmen Square. Google maps to my knowledge has not put those online for the world to see.

Second, Google actually could have add three-dimensional graphics to Zhongnanhai.

The technology giant did so with the nearby Forbidden City (scroll to the right in the Google map above) to give viewers a virtual sense of visiting one of the most famous places in China.

The Great Wall received graphic treatment from Google as well.

Google also added graphics to the White House in Washington, D.C.

I’m sure enough people, including students, were curious enough to see what the White House looked like with walls that Google decided to proceed with it.

By the way, the Grand Canyon takes on a fascinating look with Google Earth maps.

So does the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Hong Kong’s skyscrapers certainly stand out with the Google Earth maps.

By the way, if you can at some point, it’s good to actually visit a place in person. You get a sense of the smell, the people, the noise, the lights, the vibe.

Virtual traveling is a great introduction. But it’s not until you’re physically in a place and realize that everyone around you doesn’t speak English that it sinks in how big the world is.

You also start to wonder how you’re going to order food.

Anyway, the Google maping system hasn’t always won fans around the world.

But the fact that you could see an aerial view of Zhongnanhai also has been possible since last year – even before Google went public with the hacking attempts, which were believed to have originated in China.

I noted the aerial view of the Forbidden City last year. At the time, the middle line that can be seen from above in the Forbidden City fascinated me – it still does.

Only recently did I think about the map system and Zhongnanhai in the context of the Google in China issue.

The images show that technology and its backers can sometimes push the boundaries of what governments want – or like.

As the Google in China issue unfolded earlier this year, company executives talked about running an unfiltered search engine in that country.

Some Chinese writers and government officials responded by saying that Google had to follow the law in China and that there is never a true free flow of online information.

But in the case of the satellite maps, though, the Google techies have proved a point – all you have to do is look.

One difference, though, is that when you use Google maps to view your own home, you know what time of day the camera took the picture.

All you have to do is see if your cars are out front.

UPDATE: I forgot to say that the International Forum in Tokyo is on Google’s list of graphically-enhanced buildings.

As I was looking for it and surveying Tokyo’s skyline, I realized that Google Earth maps remind me of what artist Rob Carter did on Vimeo.

Yes, Seattle’s Space Needle stands in 3-D glory on Google as well.

The world’s party is happening in Shanghai – at Expo 2010.

And China’s “The Crown of the East” is turning heads at Expo 2010, which runs through the end of October.

Officials estimate 70 million people will attend. In many ways, the entire Expo 2010 symbolizes much of China – big, beautiful, complex, meaningful, modern, traditional and head-scratching.

In a nod to Fark, here’s a quick rundown of observations:

COLORFUL: Yahoo-branded Chinese websites go with colorful images, including fireworks.

BOUNTIFUL: Xinhua, China Daily and People’s Daily devote much space to Expo 2010. Xinhua’s online layout stands out.

PAVILION SEARCH: Find the one from your home country.

NOTEWORTHY: The Chinese government spent $45 billion on Expo 2010, reportedly more than the Beijing Olymics in 2008.

FACTOID: Last year, World Bank said it would invest $45 billion to speed up global economic recovery. Also, in 2009, FDIC asks U.S. banks to pay $45 billion to boost cash reserves.

GREENWORTHY: Chinese media report says Expo 2010 fireworks were free of smoke and milk boxes used for 2,000 seats for VIPS.

IMAGE WORTHY: Yahoo’s English site goes with nearly 200 photos of Expo 2010.

YUM: Xinhua offers special section – in English – on Shanghai snacks, including steamed bun with crab inside.

A JAVA COMPLAINT: French journalist asks for stronger-tasting coffee but says all is modern.

SHOPPER ALERT: Opportunities await, especially on Nanjing Road.

SHOPPER PROTECTION: Shanghai sends English-speaking attorneys to Expo 2010 to resolve consumer complaints (if they surface).

BUILDING WISE: Macau makes pavilion in shape of a jade rabbit, which in Chinese mythology stands in front of ”nantianmen” as its pronounced in Mandarin.

In the Monkey King, one of China’s most famous tales, “nantianmen” is the door leading to Heaven, separating life on Earth and an ever-lasting world.

Shanghai is home to White Rabbit candy (which has had a few problems in recent years).

CROSS-STRAITS WATCH: Chinese President Hu Jintao shakes hands and poses for photographs with Guomingdang officials, or KMT, from Taiwan.

NOTEWORTHY II: Apparently, first time in 40 years that Taiwan has participated in an Expo.

BUDGETWORTHY: Chinese officials said $45 billion makes for nice and simple event - budget could have been larger.

CUBA AT THE EXPO: Pavilion of U.S. neighbor reportedly will feature cigars and Cuban-style cocktails.

NORTH KOREA WATCH: If you can’t get into that country on a visa, you can walk to its pavilion.

COCA COLA PAVILION: It exists – with wind-proof metal blinds.

JAPANESE ROBOT: At least one, measuring 130 centimeters in height, will be on display in a Japanese industry pavilion (photograph is below).

CHINESE ROBOTS: The Shaanxi pavilion has robots depicting Emperor Xuanzong from the Tang Dynasty. Fast-foward to robots that can be journalists and can cook Chinese food.

USA PAVILION: It apparently received early good marks. The structure is pictured below.

PAVILION OF FUTURE: Artist’s rendition, pictured below, shows books. Hopefully, it includes the iPad or HP Slate.

VEHICLES OF THE FUTURE: GM is showcasing its new electric car, produced with a Shanghai partner, at Expo 2010. Images are from GM.

OLDER: In the 1990s, Chinese tourists flocked to Windows of the World in Shenzhen to see replicas of global monuments. Clearly, in many ways, Expo 2010 eclipses that theme park.

NATIONAL DAY 2010: Chinese citizens usually have a week-long vacation. They might head to Expo 2010.

WORTHY: Who says China doesn’t have fun things to do? China knows how to throw a world party.

AIRFARE: Hainan Airlines flies directly from Seattle to Beijing. 

SAD: The New York Times and other media outlets report attacks on school-age kids in China. Help needed.

THOUGHT INDUCER: The Gray Lady quotes U.S. architect in China as saying:

The Expo won’t make architectural history….But this is a more sustainable approach. The Water Cube is being eaten alive by acid rain.

SIDE NOTE: This incident in Houston doesn’t sound good.

LAST NOTE: Thanks for reading this post!

A few days ago, I talked about my family’s visit to Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, Wash.

I always like noting that it’s on a peninsula, where the Strait of Juan de Fuca meets the Puget Sound. There’s something nice about that meeting point.

One of the most fascinating structures that my family and I saw at the state park was Alexander’s Castle, a red brick castle with a turret-like top.

It’s one of those structures that you see and ask: What is that? Is that what I think it is? How did that get here?

Then, obviously, you walk closer.

We did.

We learned something pretty fascinating about how the castle arrived on Point Wilson in what was then a territory – and an entry point for vessels heading toward Seattle.

One noteworthy fact about the castle is its top – apparently used to catch rain water to be used later.

Consider it as a forerunner to all the rain barrels that many in the Seattle area have to collect rain water from their top of their homes.

Or, you can consider it a giant brick rain barrel of sorts.

Here is more history from a nearby park sign:

John B. Alexander served as a rector at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Port Townsend from 1882-1886. In 1883, he acquired 10 acres of land near Port Wilson and constructed the building known as Alexander’s Castle. Alexander intended the building to serve as a home for himself and his bride. Traveling to Scotland, Alexander found that his bride-to-be had married another. He returned to Port Townsend alone and used the building as a temporary residence. The property was acquired by the federal government in 1897 and construction of Fort Worden began that same year.

Yes, that must have been a long return trip to Port Townsend for Alexander.

When the military used the building, the tower served as an observation post, tailor shop, a place to live and Post Exchange.

Longtime Seattle-area residents might be familiar with this park and the castle.

It’s new to me.

I grew up in California – and I’ve always liked history no matter where I’ve lived or traveled.

In the 1880s, the port, as I noted, served as an entry point for ships heading to Seattle. As a result, many countries had “honorary counsul positions” in the area to help with international trade.

One great part about the Alexander’s Castle is that it – as well as other former military buildings at the park – can be rented for getaways.

The park serves as a convention center and it’s open to members of the public for a waterfront adventure.

The castle has one bedroom and one bathroom and can house two people per night, according to the Fort Worden State Park Conference Center.

It costs $260 per night – and prices might change.

Nearby, another park house for rent is the Blissful Vista – which gives a sweeping view of the water. That can house three people each night and rents for a listed price of $279.50 per night.

If you’re interested, call the conference center at (360) 344-4434 or visit the center’s Web site.

Another thing, if you rent or visit the castle and like trees, you’re in luck.

There are trees, as you can see below, behind the castle – as well in other parts of the park.

There’s a lighthouse, former gun batteries to explore and a huge parade ground to chase balls, fly kites and toss plastic discs.

But remember to look at the castle tower.

It is possible that Washington state or the territory had some form of royalty.

I might not have heard about that fact.

The only story I came across is from HistoryLink.org – about the King of Norway who visited Seattle in May 1969.

When he was a prince, he visited Seattle in 1939 and 1942, according to the article.

It’s a side note but here’s one passage from the HistoryLink.org entry about that 1969 visit that I found interesting:

At the UW, a group of demonstrators waited for the king with signs reading ‘Scandanavia Unite as a Neutral Republic’ and scuffled with another group of students who tore up their signs. The king did not see the confrontation.

I didn’t realize that there was a movement, at one point, for Scandanavia to be one, neutral republic. Now, I know.

Over the years, I’ve seen or heard about various castles.

In California, there’s Hearst Castle – which is now a state park.

When I visited the opulent castle built by William Randolph Hearst, the media baron, I stood by one of the buildings, gazed at it and told my friend: “This a great castle. Look at this entry way.”

My friend, who lives in the area, replied: “That’s a guest house.”

LEGO fans know that you can use the plastic bricks to make various castles, including this one, this one and this one (and thanks to the various blogs for posting images).

California also has the Disneyland castle, where reality and fantasy meet.

That castle was modeled after King Ludwig’s enormous, impressive turret-topped structure in Germany.

I have had the good fortune to visit this castle. What I remember is that one of the bed frames inside the castle had been carved out of wood.

Do you know what sat on top of this wooden frame?

A replica of King Ludwig’s castle – the one that visitors were standing in.

For some reason, seeing Alexander’s Castle also was memorable.

Yes, I like castles.

Right now, I’m going to take a break from talking about them.

I’m going to go shopping for some apples.

My family and I took advantage of a free weekend day and drove from the Seattle area to Fort Worden – where the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Puget Sound meet.

Fortunately, the sun was shining and there was no rain. The wind whipped around – enough for kite fans to send their aircraft aloft and for my son’s pinwheel to twirl faster than we expected.

As we visited this former military base built in the 1890s and a strategic point at that time, I thought: Man, many of these buildings really do have a symmetry to them.

Who knows?

It could just have been me.

Or was it government specifications of the time? Or the fact that the U.S. military has always liked utilitarian buildings?

It also helped that I stood at the midpoint of each building to snap some quick images with my digital camera.

Some of you might have visited Fort Worden, which is part of the Washington state park system.

It was our first trip – and we had a blast.

The lighthouse you see in the two photographs above is Point Wilson Light.

The lighthouse opened in 1879 but it has been at its present location since 1913, according to a sign near the structure.

In 1976, the lighthouse went from manual operation to automatic.

The bottom picture is of the cavernous rooms and doorways to one of batteries – this one is of Kinzie.

Some older kids had a blast running in and out of the rooms, hooting and hollering.

We just watched them have fun.

We also saw rocks, rocks and water and a lone tree that has endured the coastal wind for years.

I also spotted a sign – translated into many languages, including Vietnamese, Korean and Chinese - reminding people to keep the seaweed at the state park.

I should note, as a full disclosure, that I like eating seaweed, especially in soup.

But I don’t go to state parks to collect it.

I’m too much of a consumer – so I actually go to stores and trade dollars for seaweed.

Oh, yes, on our way to the Fort Worden, we saw an old-style truck, sitting by the side of the road.

I’m glad my family and I had time to enjoy our roadtrip.

My wife, son and I threw many rocks in the water.

The Fennell Residence, in Portland, Ore., incorporates contours from a river. Image source: Robert Harvey Oshatz Architect, oshatz.com

I know economic hardship can put a true damper on architects and those trying to push design boundaries worldwide.

So, I am glad to see when designs become reality and make us all look once or twice – or even three times. That’s why I was happy to stumble upon the work of architect Robert Harvey Oshatz.

It’s easy, of course, these days to gaze at boxy buildings with steel and lots of glass, especially in the Pacific Northwest or China.

In Vancouver, British Columbia and Seattle, for example, there is limited light during the long winter. So, I understand why there is need for large bay windows.

In China, skyscrapers have shot up in many large cities – as one way to tell the world that the country once closed is catapulting toward the future.

But Oshatz, who is based in Portland, Ore., incorporates circles and curves in his work.

His use of wood also is a nice touch and addition of nature.

This is how he explains his work and approach to design:

Except for the basic elements of design composition, dominance, transition, and identity; I stay away from design theories. They seem to be too transitory and irrelevant to my work. Design theories tend to outshine their author’s performance, becoming limiting concepts, prejudicing the mind while tying one’s hands behind one’s back. They are roadblocks to new ideas. While subscribing to a particular theory of design an architect must solve problems within the parameters of that theory; this is limiting at best. Without architectural theories the process of designing a structure remains in its purest form, simply solving a given problem.

Well said.

I admit there are some images of completed homes on his Web site that make me look closer to figure out whether or not it strikes my eye.

But there are some photographs that accomplish just the right balance to make it inviting or eye-catching in a moment.

I know projects such as these often require a hefty amount of capital.

And, well, coming up with capital these days is a bit more trying than some of the go-go years that the United States has seen in recent decades.

That said, I am happy these buildings were able to get off the ground (in a manner of speaking).

This Mt. Crested Butte Residence was completed in 1987 but its attention to shape and flow give it a more timeless feel. Image source: Robert Harvey Oshatz Architect, oshatz.com

The Miyasaka Residence in Hokkaido, Japan uses circles and curves throughout the house. Image source: Robert Harvey Oshatz Architect, oshatz.com

The Wilkinson Residence was built among a tree canopy in Portland, Ore. Image source: Robert Harvey Oshatz Architect, oshatz.com

With the Wilkinson Residence, Robert Harvey Oshatz, the architect, says that the exterior and interior flow together smoothly - something a camera cannot always capture. Image source: Robert Harvey Oshatz Architect, oshatz.com

The Wilkinson Residence includes a sitting area within a circle. Image source: Robert Harvey Oshatz Architect, oshatz.com

This image shows the Mt. Crested Butte Residence and its roof, which mirrors the mountain behind it. Locals call it the "snow clam." Image source: Robert Harvey Oshatz Architect, oshatz.com