Flying Fish, Fresh Cut Flowers, and a Space Needle

Okay, business first. I have a little over a week and a half left here in Oregon and I am anticipating my return home. I will be heading to New Bern, North Carolina for my next assignment. It's not as close to home as I would have like to have been, but at least it is on the same coast.

Now on to the fun stuff. In my quest to see every state in the US, I knew that I was too close to Washington to not take the opportunity to visit. Even thought it is only about an 8 hour drive, I chose to fly...I will reserve the driving for the 3,000 miles it will take to get back home. Seattle was just as I had imagined it from the movies and pictures that I have seen...wet, rainy, windy, with the sun breaking through the clouds occasionally. My overall impression of Seattle: beautiful and charming with a bunch of grumpy people. Not that everyone was this way, but it seemed the majority of people that I passed all had sour looks on their faces. Is it the rain and climate? Maybe. One place though, that seemed to have happy people was Pike Place Market. Immediately you see beautiful, over-sized flower arrangements being diligently made by the SE Asian Hmong women. Walk a little farther and mounds of colorful fruits and veggies abound. Vendors were every where displaying their crafts. The main attraction though, was the entertaining fishmongers at Pike Fish Market hurling fish high over customers to the countertops to be weighed and wrapped for travel. Much to my dismay, you had to purchase a fish to be able to catch it. Honestly, I didn't want to bother with flying back with a large fish that I wouldn't know how to cook. I was also disappointed to learn that I would not see a geoduck in person (you will have to look this up yourself). Anyway, did get to see some flying fish and purchase some smoked salmon. I can't leave out the gum wall. It is located in an alley near the market. You guessed it...already chewed gum stuck to the side of a wall. Quite interesting. Across from Pike Place Market was the original Starbucks' which started back in 1971. Not a big thrill for me. Being as Seattle is known for its coffee, I made it my mission to sample all the local brands. My winner- Tully's. What it lacked in atmosphere, it made up in flavor. I think I stayed jacked up on caffeine all weekend long.

The view from the hotel was spacey. Seattle's architectural icon, the Space Needle, was framed perfectly by the window and was a short walk away. At about 600 ft, the ride up the vintage, external elevators to the top was enjoyable, but the 360 degree panoramic view while dining at the revolving Space City restaraunt was awesome. I quickly got over my motion sickness and enjoy the great food. Another great view of the city was from the top of the Smith's Tower, built in 1914. It was once the tallest building west of New York. The history of this building is fascinating, especially the Chinese Room with its antique carvings and inlaid porcelain ceiling.

One final point of interest and probably my favorite of the whole trip was the Hiram C. Chittenden Locks and the adjacent salmon ladders. The Locks are like the Panama Canal but on a much smaller scale. I still marveled at the engineering it took to raise and lower the ships and boats allowing them to pass. The salmon ladder was equally exciting. You could go below and actually view the salmon jumping and moving upstream through the large glass windows. I found myself cheering for the little guys (and extremely large guys). "Go, go, swim, swim!"

Although a cab would have seemed like the sensible option for maneuvering around the city, I got plenty of exercise by exploring on foot. I am glad I did though because I really got a flavor for the city and its many different areas. From Freemont with its trendy and artsy boutiques and restaurants, to Queen Anne with its elaborate houses on the hill; From Ballard with its enduring charm and small town feel , to Downtown with its business district and what seemed like a large homeless population; From Lake Union with its boat houses and Center for Wooden Boats, to Pioneer Square and its underground city, I was satisfied that I had seen most of Seattle and had done this in only 2 days.