SUNDAY, SEPT 21

SUNDAY, SEPT 21:

     Another gorgeous day, although not quite as clear as yesterday – the Mountain wasn’t out.  So we’re thrilled that we took the trips/tours we did yesterday, when we had optimum visibility of Her Majesty.

     Got into the city a little earlier this morning than the previous two.  A BIG football game was being played down in the stadium today – Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos, in a re-match of last  year’s Super Bowl.  We didn’t know what the parking situation in the bus Park & Ride lots would be, so wanted to give ourselves an early start.  We’ve taken the bus in every day.  We’ve pretty much figured out how to read the schedules now, and if we’re unsure, we just ask.  Like other large cities, it seems that a car is more a liability than an asset here.  Seattle is known for its terrible traffic, and parking is always an issue.  There’s no way we would try and navigate that big truck downtown, let alone try and park it!  The area has a marvelous public transportation system stretching way out to the far suburbs . . . it’s just a matter of having confidence that you can eventually figure it out.  

     So after another leisurely walk through the ever-fascinating and stimulating downtown streets, made even more colorful this morning because of all of the pre-game hoopla going on, we headed down once again to the docks.  We’d decided that we would indulge in a second boat tour – this one was 2 ½ hours and would take us over part of Lake Union and through the locks there.   This was another fantastic tour.  Tours like this are one of the most enjoyable and fun things we do on our trips – expanding our learning and knowledge about a place while experiencing amazing natural beauty, out in glorious weather.

     On this tour, we floated by a marvelous diversity of working waterfront and luxurious, recreational shoreline.  We saw several communities of house boats and floating homes (we learned that the former have motors, the latter don’t),

                                                                   

 

  including the one which was Tom Hanks’ character’s and his son’s home in Sleepless in Seattle.

                                                   the houseboat to the left, with the brown trim:

 We saw modern bridges,
                                                            

                                                    
              old drawbridges open for tall boats (in Seattle, boats have the right of way when it comes to bridges),                                                             

          

a fleet of one of the most renowned tugboat companies in the world,

                                                             

  a couple of the boats featured in the TV series Deadliest Catch,

                                              

 

 

             and an unexpected front yard display of patriotism.   

 

     We learned a lot about the locks – how they worked, why they were built here in the early 20^th century . . . as part of a new shipping channel & canal created by expanding Lake Union to connect freshwater Lake Washington to the saltwater Puget Sound, thus providing a way for local boats carrying lumber and other products to sail continuously from land locked Lake Washington to the ocean thru Puget Sound. The locks solved two problems in accomplishing this goal: the two bodies of water were at different levels (as much as 20 feet, depending on the ocean tides), and they couldn’t have the salt water contaminating the fresh water in the lake, since the lake provided a large part of Seattle’s drinking water.  It was really cool getting to actually experience being in the lock and seeing the water level lower right beneath our eyes. 

                                                                 

       Since every single vessel heading either to or from Puget Sound from the inland must pass thru this shipping channel and locks, it’s said that standing on the footbridges alongside the canal offers perhaps the liveliest continuous boat parade in all of the West – everything from Alaska-bound barges to luxury yachts to kayaks.  If we return, we’d love to return on foot here to see this!

     As we passed over into the Puget Sound side of the locks, we immediately felt the difference between the protected, stable water of the lake and the cooler, choppier water of the open Sound. 

 

 

                                                       

 

We enjoyed seeing other pleasure boaters out, taking advantage of perfect sailing weather so unexpectedly late in the season.   

                                                  

 

                                                       
                                                          

And as a small lighthouse indicated where the protected waters were,

                                                          

  we once again cruised along Seattle’s beautiful waterfront and skyline. 

                                                             

 

 

 Even though the cruise ship season is ending,  all of the city’s cruise ship berths were filled today, adding their share to Seattle’s economy.

                                                  

     We found a great place to eat right next door to where we docked   – a perfect compromise between splurging on an expensive dinner or just having take-out or the equivalent again.  I treated myself to a delicious crab leg, served with corn-on-the-cob and a scrumptious cole slaw.  Bill just wanted their fish ‘n’ chips, which he said were even better than Ivar’s.  We  had a shaded outdoor spot all to ourselves.  A perfect and satisfying last meal here.

 

               Then we granted ourselves one last tourist indulgence:  the Space Needle.  After all, how can you be in Seattle and not??    We hopped on the monorail, which whisked us over to Seattle Center, just a few miles away.  This is an area of maybe a couple of square miles which I’m assuming housed all of the buildings and structures of the World’s Fair in 1962 and which now contains 2 or 3 museums,

                                                 

a repertory theatre, a new Chihuly Glass Garden (enclosed; you have to pay), and of course the Space Needle.  

 

           It’s all surrounded by wonderful landscaping and park-like open spaces.  An absolutely lovely, very serene oasis within the city.                                               

     It was such a pleasure to stroll all around in the perfect evening air, listening to a very good South American ensemble with pan pipes, guitars, & mandolin as we waited for our designated time for our elevator ride up the Space Needle.  We ended up buying one of their CD’s

    And then the thrilling ride up to the top of Seattle’s iconic symbol.  And the nighttime views!  They were spectacular!!  Worth every dollar for this rare treat – an experience we’ll always remember.