winter light

This time of year in Seattle, as January gives way to February, the daylight comes a little earlier and lasts a bit longer each evening. Everybody here is ready for spring, all the more so because temperatures are gradually starting to warm.

Still, when it's cloudy and rainy, the darkness seems to creep in awfully early. It remains so oppressively dark so much of the time, in fact, that any relief from the gloom is welcome. That's probably why Seattle's neon lights occupy a special place in the hearts of the natives, and never more so than in late winter.

Some of these signs, such as the Post-Intelligencer Globe and the Pike Place's "Public Market" sign have long local histories and are known even outside the Northwest. This portfolio of Seattle's beloved neon ran in yesterday's P-I, which no longer exists as a "dead tree" newspaper and is now reduced to an internet site.

These classic features of the night are beautiful all year round, but never more so than at this time of year.

"Fresh Fish" sign in the Pike Place Market photo by Mike Urban, Seattle Post-Intelligencer.