Make no mistake about it – the Pacific Northwest of the US has long been a frontrunner in the green movement. Then again, this isn’t a huge surprise. The area features majestic mountain ranges, lush forests and continually evolving eco-friendly towns and cities. Many residents make sustainability a priority, and the following demonstrates five ways the Pacific Northwest keeps pushing green forward… To keep reading, just follow this link to Sustainablog.

My girlfriend and I took a trip up north to Vanouver this weekend to celebrate our one-year anniversary. Besides absolutely falling in love with the city, here are some photos I shot. Click the photos to enlarge!

The first shot from the Lakeview Boulevard East overpass in Seattle, looking towards downtown. On the left and in the middle (express lanes) is traffic heading north on I-5, while the right side shows traffic heading south on I-5.

The second shot from the Lakeview Boulevard East overpass in Seattle, looking towards downtown. On the left and in the middle (express lanes) is traffic heading north on I-5, while the right side shows traffic heading south on I-5.

The third shot from the Lakeview Boulevard East overpass, looking north past downtown Seattle. On the left is traffic headed south into downtown Seattle, while the middle (express lanes and right side shows traffic heading north on I-5.

A close-up of traffic heading north past downtown Seattle on I-5, viewed from the Lakeview Boulevard East overpass. The right side of the photo shows both an on-ramp and express lanes.

For larger views, visit my Flickr page.

Honorable Mentions:
- Ursula Judkins Viewpoint and Ella Bailey Park (Magnolia): Both of these parks offer nice views of downtown, but they feel a very long ways away. Definitely bring your zoom lens. Besides this, power lines can get in the way of your shots. Still worth checking out, especially since this is one of the city’s most relaxing and quiet neighborhoods.

Viewing downtown from Ella Bailey Park in Magnolia.

- University of Washington: Okay, so no great views of downtown here, but the UW offers one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. Whether its Mount Rainier behind Drumheller Fountain or Suzzallo Library or the cherry blossoms in the spring, you can spend hours here finding plenty to photograph.

Suzzallo Library on the University of Washington campus.

- Northeast 45th Street Bridge: I’d recommend this for night shots, mostly because you can get some great traffic trails here. Running right below the bridge is I-5, the busiest road in the state of Washington. Set up, try to find a nice angle (unlike my poor effort below) and enjoy.

Looking at I-5 northbound from the 45th Street Bridge in Seattle.

- Volunteer Park: The one place on my list I haven’t been — at least with a camera. But it also has some nice views of the Seattle skyline from the always-entertaining Capitol Hill neighborhood.

5. Harborview Park Viewpoint: This is a tremendous place to get up-close and personal with the Seattle skyline. In fact, it feels like you can almost reach out and touch Smith Tower or the cars traveling along I-5. While you can pay for Harborview Medical Center parking, I found some street parking that worked just fine.

Just outside Harborview Medical Center, you'll find Harborview Park, with up-close views of downtown.

4. Kerry Park (Queen Anne): Located in Queen Anne, Kerry Park is THE place to take tourists. But to me, this view gets a little old after your first trip. You’ll get Seattle Center (including the Space Needle) in front of the rest of the skyline, and that’s the main draw. The park itself is tiny and feels very safe, thanks to it being in a residential neighborhood. It is a nice place to catch ferries coming in and out of the city.

The most popular viewpoint in Seattle, Kerry Park.

3. Beacon Hill: Well, there are a few options here. The appropriately named Beacon Hill Viewpoint is fine, but it wouldn’t make this list. I recommend heading to Jose Rizal Park because you get a spectacular view of I-5, I-90, the stadiums, and downtown. If you’re feeling adventurous, try setting up your equipment on the Jose Rizal Bridge, which will have I-90 running directly beneath you.

Beacon Hill gives you all you could want.

2. Gas Works Park: Not only does Gas Works Park offer an amazing view of Lake Union and downtown Seattle, but it’s just an awesome park in general. The city bought the land in the 1950s from the Seattle Gas Light Company. Thus the park has some interesting gasification plants left over. For the best viewpoint, you can either go right up to the water or venture up a winding path to the top of the park’s hill.

An HDR photograph of downtown Seattle from Gas Works Park.

A seaplane takes off from Lake Union.

1. West Seattle: Saving the best for last, West Seattle offers multiple viewpoints that rank among the best of any around the city. All of the following are highly recommended: Admiral Way Viewpoint, Hamilton Viewpoint Park and Jack Block Park. However, the best view of Seattle you’ll find is from Alki Beach — there’s nothing like capturing the city from this popular destination.

Across the water from downtown is the city's best viewpoint -- Alki Beach.

What’s your favorite Seattle viewpoint? Find any others you want to share? Or a location that isn’t on the beaten path? Let me know in the comments.

Downtown Seattle from Alki Beach

Blazing Seattle Ferry

I-5 Through Seattle

University of Washington Entrance

3 a.m. in Downtown Seattle

Husky Stadium (Cell Phone Pic)

Cannon Beach Sand

Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, OR

Cannon Beach Shoes

View from the Astoria Column

Captain My Captain Doughnut from Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, OR

Portland, OR Waterfront

Portland, OR Bridge

Anyways, onto the music — and “The Death of You and Me” is a pure summer tune. Opening with a tickling guitar line, the song shifts to a breezy bounce (similar to “The Importance of Being Idle”). Gallagher’s vocals here strengthen as he leads the song into an incredibly catchy and strong chorus — “And is it any wonder / why the sea is calling out to me? / I seem to spend my whole life running / from people who could be / the death of you and me.”

Somewhere around the two-minute mark comes the dizzying horn section that also returns for the song’s close. Not only does it give off a New Orleans jazz vibe, but it gives the song even more of an identity. Nevertheless, it will most certainly be pointed out that the song sounds like it could fit anywhere on The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s” or “Magical Mystery Tour.”

Then again, this is an excellent step in the right direction for Gallagher. It’s hard to imagine brother Liam singing on this one — with the high-notes and all, of course. Furthermore, Noel’s songwriting shines through after a couple listens. It goes without saying that, lyrically, “The Death of You and Me” beats anything on Beady Eye’s debut “Different Gear, Still Speeding.” Ignoring the title, it turns out that “The Death of You and Me” is a love song (“Let’s run away and see / forever we’d be free”), following in the footsteps of Oasis songs that have a strange way of being uplifting.

For Noel Gallagher, it’s a strong start. No disrespect to Liam, but in looking back at the ups-and-downs of Beady Eye, “The Death of You and Me” is an exciting reminder that the best half of Oasis has finally returned.

The scenario:

The problem: The “Digital Copy” on both films has EXPIRED. In fact, the ‘Scott Pilgrim’ code expired on April 30, 2011. That’s less than SIX MONTHS after the Blu-ray was released. Thanks, Universal Pictures.

The movie studios’ strategy: Give consumers incentive to buy films when they’re first released on Blu-ray.

Why it’s messed up: Because the studios are often still advertising the “Digital Copy” aspect well after they release the films on Blu-ray, which is obviously misleading. Actually, I’d call it false advertising.

A recommended solution: Why not just make available the “Digital Copy” in a select amount of Blu-ray releases with no expiration date? Then, once they’re gone, they’re gone. No horrendous advertising and no upset customers who can’t redeem their codes.

In the meantime: Give upset customers codes that work in place of their expired codes. Seems like a smart business decision to me.

Over the course of two hours — and much less screen time than Carell — Gosling predictably turns his character from womanizer to love-stricken. The surprise is how funny he is. In fact, Gosling upstages Carell in just about every scene the two share.

To be fair to Carell, some of that likely has to do with the character he plays — the suddenly-single Cal Weaver, a middle-aged family man somewhat simliar to Carell’s character in the touching ‘Dan in Real Life.’ His wife Emily (Moore) asks for a divorce after sleeping with co-worker David Lindhagen (Bacon). This leads to a meeting between Cal and Jacob at a fancy bar, in which Jacob proposes to teach Cal his womanizing ways. It all sounds pretty basic, but there’s actually three love stories here: the aforementioned broken marriage, Jacob’s love-at-first-sight attraction to a young woman (Stone) at the same bar, and Cal and Emily’s 13-year-old son’s (Jonah Bobo) addiction to his babysitter (Analeigh Tipton).

Instead of being the funnyman in every scene, Carell is asked to drive the movie, leaving plenty of room for his co-stars to deliver tremendous performances. By the time the separated-Cal is having one-night stands, his wife is coming to the realization that she’s made the biggest mistake of her life. Of course, that’s just another excellent day at work for Julianne Moore. Meanwhile, Emma Stone’s star continues to shine brighter and brighter. In this outing, she comes to her own realization that maybe she really has found her Prince Charming.

In smaller roles, Marisa Tomei seemingly has fun playing a crazy — er, driven-crazy — woman that ends up one of Cal’s one-night stands, and Kevin Bacon comes off less as a guy ruining a marriage as a guy just wanting love like everyone else. Truthfully, there’s really not a character here you don’t feel for. Additionally, it’s a credit to Jonah Bobo’s acting that you’ll be rooting for a 13-year-old by the film’s end.

And through all its twists and turns, ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love.’ isn’t nearly as predictable as other rom-coms. Even if it was predictable, the payoff of everything coming together rewards the viewer with a hilarious slapstick scene that I won’t soon forget.

No, the film doesn’t exactly breathe new life back into a cliche-filled genre. But it is cute, sexy, and — most of all — smart. Add in its professional and truly humorous cast (especially Gosling), and ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love.’ is immensely enjoyable.

9/10