In my opinion, this is one of the ugliest retaining walls in Seattle! You can't deny that the steel reinforcement is robust, but because it's on the outside of the wall it draws attention to itself. Even the way the horizontal rod, which is a section of railroad rail, is anchored into the wall is ugly: At regular points along the rail, huge steel cables loop around it, and the ends of the cable are set in the concrete.
If you are in Seattle, you can check it out in person as it's easily accessable. It's just west of the corner of Jackson and 12th, just a few blocks north of the Jose' Rizal Bridge.
Being in a neighborhood with a high degree of pedestrian traffic, the rail is a natural for trash collection. On the upside, it's clear that the steel reinforcement really works, as I couldn't find any glaring cracks along the concrete portion of the wall. I suspect, but cannot prove, that this wall is quite old, and built in a time and a place that didn't place a whole lot of emphasis on the aesthetic value of public structures like this.