By: Ties Rijcken | 2006/02/28 | Destination: Lake Union, Seattle WA, USA
Since the movie “Sleepless in Seattle”, with Tom Hanks, the houseboats of Seattle have become an icon for trendy living, not only in Seattle but also in other parts of the American Continent. As the movie popularized living on the water, some influential and some famous people picked up the trend and managed to legalize the houseboat status, which formerly was the trademark of the poor: sailors, loggers, dockworkers and seasonal handy men. Today living on the water is not only trendy, but also expensive as a result of the improved infrastructure and increased taxation.
By: Leonard Henny | 2006/05/23 | Destination: Portland, USA
Portland, Ore. harbors a number of floating communities along the Columbia River. Although the seasonal water levels differ enormously, the stability and rigidity of the floating homes is highly under control. One characteristic of the floating homes in Portland is that they not only provide living space for residents, but also provide in-house mooring facility for pleasure boats: "a boat within a boat" is the slogan here! The new trend is towards luxurious living, and expensive new building.
By: Leonard Henny | 2006/05/17 | Destination: Seattle, USA
Floating Communities at Lake Union in Seattle, Washington, date from the early Nineteen Tens. Recently, various communities are going through a process of gentrification which tend to result in excessive price increases. The cooperative Home Owners Association has no easy task to maintain a balance between the interests of the newcomers and the lifestyle of the earlier settlers. While the newcomers aspire a luxurious standard of living, the older residents find it difficult to cope with the rising cost of living.
By: Ties Rijcken | 2006/02/28 | Destination: San Francisco Sausolito, USA
The houseboat dwellers in the bay of San Francisco, California are a very special kind of people. Not only because many of them live in a unique home made shelter, but also because their lifestyle tends to be rather out of the ordinary. Ties Rijcken spent a sunny day on the docks of Sausalito and became fully enchanted with the happy-go-lucky life of its inhabitants. By the end of the day he found himself in a hot tub under a star spangled sky with a view in the distance on the twinkling skyline of San Francisco.
