In the mid-1980s, photographer James Nicoloro wandered down Seattle’s Post Alley with a camera and a quiet purpose. Long before it became known for the Gum Wall and tourist selfies, Post Alley was a hushed, overlooked corridor—slick with rain, rich with texture, and alive with shadow. Stretching from Pike Place Market to Pioneer Square, it ran parallel to the city’s heartbeat, but moved at its own pace.

Shot entirely on Fujichrome 400 film, Post Alley captures a Seattle moment often forgotten—a time when alleys were empty, analog, and full of mood. This was the Reagan era, the dawn of the personal computer, the rise of MTV. But Nicoloro wasn’t chasing headlines. He was chasing light.

For Seattle readers and wanderers, this book is a time capsule. It recalls a city before tech took over, when photography was tactile and deliberate, and when freedom could be found in the quiet spaces most people walked past.

This is a Seattle story told through grain and color—one alley, one frame at a time.