Fremont is known in these parts as the center of the universe. I used to live in this former hippy hangout. The hippy vibe might have disipated, but Weird is still a state of mind.
In fremont, you can shop at trendy boutiques (much to the horror of the hippies, I imagine). You can wine and dine at a variety of restaurants and bars.
There’s a fabulous outdoor Fremont Sunday Market where you can buy everything from food to antiques, socks to books. The indoor Fremont Vintage Market operates seven days a week. You’ll find everything from lava lamps (the originals) to roller skates in this wonderful bargain basement delight.
Outside, you’ll find a 16′ tall statue of Vladimir Lenin. Strange but true.
Backstory: The statue was created by a Slovak Bulgarian sculptor under commission by the Soviet government. After the fall of Communism, the statue was removed from Lenin Square in Poprad, Czechoslovakia and destined for the scrap heap. A man teaching English in what was then still Czechoslovakia somehow brought the statue home to Issaquah, Washington. It ended up in Fremont, probably the only place a former Communist leader be tolerated—in bronze form or otherwise.
Another cold war relic is the salvaged rocket fuselage erected at the corner of one of my favorite shops, Burnt Sugar.
The Fremont Troll, who lives under the Aurora Bridge, is also worth a gander. This giant sculpture has a hub cap eye and has captured a real-life Volkswagon beetle under his hand.
A trip to Seattle isn’t complete without a visit to Fremont.
jeanofalltrades 