Lake Union - Fairview Ave

Equipment: Canon 20D, Sigma 10-24, Cokin graduated ND filter Image details:

Fairview Avenue runs along the east side of Lake Union. It has mostly business establishments, restaurants and Marina’s. Some of the best views of Lake Union during sunset are from Fairview Avenue. Refer to the map below for directions to Fairview Avenue

Fairview Avenue directions

One of my favorite spots is a little distance north from the last South Lake Union Trolley station.
See the map below
Directions to Fairview Avenue spot

Try to find a parking spot a little before the bridge. I usually pull into one of the parking lots on the west side of Fairview, parking is usually free after 6 pm. Stairs from the parking lot lead down to a little pier on the water. The pier has a good view of the Aurora bridge. If you walk left just before the pier you will find yourself on a little walkway that leads to the Marina. This is a great place to shoot the Marina at Sunset. I prefer to go here in early summer/spring when they have beautiful flowers along the edge of the marina. You can use a wide angle lens to shoot sunset over the Marina with the flowers in the foreground. A graduated neutral density filter is very useful here.

Even if you don’t have the flowers this is still a beautiful place to shoot sunset over Lake Union. It tends to be a little windy here so a sturdy tripod will be very useful. Find a nice spot and try to shoot low so that you can use emphasize the boats in the Marina.

If you wish to find more spots with a view of the Lake drive along Fairview Avenue a little further. There are a couple more public parks with a view of the lake.