I love the city of Seattle, I really do. There’s a reason why I take time out of my busy schedule every year to visit the state of Washington. That particular area has a vibe like none other that I’ve experienced and the scenery is just breath-taking. I use my travels as an excuse to work and shoot cars for magazines but honestly, they are an escape from every day life and are actually helpful in keeping my drive strong. My chosen profession gives me a lot of freedom to do as I please, and while it is work a lot of the time, it is also equal parts “play”. I sacrifice having a consistent paycheck and other long term things that adults want so that I can do what I love. Seattle serves as a destination for me annually because I feel like it is always an untapped resource when it comes to seeing what is great about our vast car community. The weather makes it a little difficult for them to have as many events or as much exposure but when the sun is out, you best be assured that car enthusiasts will take advantage of it. The people are really great there too and I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some people who have become my friends over the years. It would be nice to be able to see them more often but whenever I do make it up there to Seattle, the people always find time out of their busy schedules to come chill for a little bit or even just to stop by to say hi…

I started doing a meet in Seattle last year because I felt it was the best way to bring out many of the custom car builds in that city that I wouldn’t otherwise see online or anywhere else. I only spend a few days out there so organizing a get-together serves as the best tool to bring people out. A meet also helps because I am able to scout cars that I want to shoot in the future so it makes perfect sense. Alki Beach is a local waterfront located in the Seattle area that has a beautiful backdrop for a gathering. You can even see Downtown Seattle on the other side with the Space Needle and all. The only downside of having it at Alki is that there isn’t a whole lot of space. We started using the boat launch parking lot last year, and it quickly filled-up, but with little options and space, I decided to hold the meet there once again this year. Locals had told me that the local authorities were being more strict about the boat launch area of Alki but others said it would be okay so we moved forward with the event…

Things were going smoothly but I gave advance notice of the meet a week or so prior, so many more people came out this year…and well, as most would expect, it drew way too much attention. I don’t have exact numbers because they aren’t important, but I want to say the meet almost doubled in size this year. The streets became clustered up with custom cars and regulars who were just trying to pass through, and it brought things to a standstill at Alki. People couldn’t come and go, the boat launch area was so congested that people who were boating couldn’t get through, and the police eventually came through to the meet and shut us down. It wasn’t a total lost cause though, as the meet went on for almost three hours before being spurned by local authorities. I was even able to get a good amount of photos and video coverage. It might not have gone long enough where any one in that area could have experienced the sunset, but I think it was highly successful. People seemed to have a good time and we got to see plenty of great cars. I don’t know if I want to try to do a meet again next year, but I will definitely be back in that area. I went with a bigger group of friends this year which made it more enjoyable to see the city. The first few years I went out there, I sort of just stayed in my hotel room because I saw my travel as purely a work-related experience. Now I go out and enjoy the city and even though I have seen just about everything the city has to offer, I still go to roam the area because it is just a beautiful place to be. Thank you Seattle, here are some photos from that afternoon. It wasn’t necessarily a Sunset at Alki, let’s just say it was more of a “Sunny afternoon where we shut down Alki”…

Two of the cars that immediately caught my eye upon my arrival at Alki were these two red Civic hatchbacks that were both sporting J*Blood front bumpers. One had a traditional B-series swap under the hood while the other had a newer K motor…

The Civic wearing a darker shade of red also had black Spoon SW388 wheels. Notice the rare EC Works side mirrors with black base plates…

Under the hood is a K20 engine swap with the cleaned-up engine bay with custom brake lines. It bewilders me when I see guys drive around with no intakes on their cars but I noticed whenever I go city-to-city that it was quite common, especially with K-swapped Hondas….

The rear ends of the two Civics, both wearing different rear wings and rear add-on lips…

This silver Integra looked great with red Volk Racing CEs and a nicely executed engine bay with K-motor…

Spoon Sports-themed EM1 Civic SI coupe on bright yellow Volk TE37 wheels. Interesting touch with the color-matched First Molding front lip with the traditional “Type One” decal placement…

Zach Dunn decided to leave his EF at home that weekend and drove his Lexus SC coupe out to the meet. Love the hood, polished TEs, and Ganador Super Mirrors…

Jerimiah Styles’ Mugen-themed DA Integra is a car that I am keeping an eye on in hopes of possibly shooting the car for a feature the next time I go out to that area. It is increasingly rare to see really good DA builds these days and I really like this one. The Mugen theme suits it even though he isn’t running a Mugen front bumper. He currently has Mugen seats on order and when those come in, it will complete the package and make this a great overall build…

Bill Master’s turbocharged EP3 Civic is one of the best in the Northwest and regarded as one of the best EP builds in the country. Glad to see it still in incredible condition and looking great on Volk Racing CE28s…

The interior of Bill’s EP3…

Mel Diego’s Civic SI coupe on Volk ZE40s…

Huy Hoang’s turbocharged Mugen DC5 RSX was a car that I specifically went out to Seattle to shoot for a feature last year. As you guys will remember, it ended up on the cover of Super Street magazine…

Nothing like using an authentic Mugen umbrella to hold up the hood on his DC5 to show off the turbo set-up…

If that DC5 isn’t enough, Huy also owns this K-supercharged Civic. This is his other project that he put together while simultaneously building his DC5…

Jackson Racing supercharger and K20 engine swap running a host of Jiffy-Tite fittings…

The interior of Huy’s Civic…

Simple EG Civic hatchback on WED’s wheels…

Aggressive front aero set-up on this turbocharged Integra with Japanese ITR front end…

Slammed Civic hatchback, also running forced induction, on aggressive Work Meister S1 wheels….

Front-staggered Volk TE set-up on this Civic utilizing Track Life fender cut-outs…

Widebody NA1 NSX on Rays-produced Prodrive wheels…

Turbocharged B20-powered Civic on 16-inch Regamaster EVOs…

I saw a crowd surrounding this mid-engine powered build and upon closer inspection, was surprised to see a turbocharged K-series engine inside…

It was surprising because the actual car it was residing in wasn’t of the Honda variety and actually an SW20 MR-2…

Always good to see this RHD Kouki S14 Silvia on Desmond Regamaster wheels…

Another shot of the Spoon Sports EM1 coupe…

…and another of Styles’ Mugen-themed DA…

Cool little EF that is a little rough around the edges on Work Equip 01 wheels running a thick Falken Tire set-up…

Honda S2000 from Super Kawaii crew running a Mooncraft top and big Advan Racing wheels…

One of the three Trik Speed Honda Ruckus builds…

The car that I actually flew up to Seattle for this year to shoot for a feature was Franklin Woo’s K-swapped Civic build. I spotted it last year at the Alki Beach Meet that I hosted and made sure to stay in contact with him until he had his car exactly how he wanted it. Everything fell into place and I made it up to Seattle in time to capture his car at its very best…

Well executed engine bay of Woo’s Civic that is very minimalistic while not being to cleanly-shaved or smoothed-out…

Overhead view of his Civic with the carbon First Molding Flugel Plate…

My buddy Terry Suvonnarith’s two Honda builds. The Integra is his longtime build which he has had for over a decade now. The NA2 NSX is a car that he’s always dreamed of owning and worked hard to acquire…

Last year when I saw the NSX, it was pretty much stock. Now it has the same matching StopTech Trophy brake kit that his Integra has and Advan Racing RZ wheels…

I stopped by his house on my first night in Seattle to pick up something and this Integra was in pieces. He managed to find time to put it all back together and brought it out for the meet…

Cutting the photo set in half right here with a shot of this white RE Amemiya-equipped FC3S RX-7 on Work VS wheels. It seems like I see a white RE FC in every city I stop at and I absolutely love it…

That’s a wrap on Part 1. Stay tuned for Part 2 coming up next! Thanks for looking…