Another sunny morning in Seattle on Saturday. It being the weekend, we braved driving into the city (25 minutes) to see a couple of things. First stop was the Smith Tower. We found a parking spot on the street right across the street from the tower. (Pay and Display using credit card – it cost $8.50 for the two hours – cheap compared to parking lots).
The Smith Tower, Seattle’s original skyscraper, was built in 1914 and contains 38 floors. It was the tallest building west of the Mississippi when it was built. It remains a working office building but also contains the Observatory, a 360 degree outdoor viewing platform at the top complete with a full bar. The street level entrance contains historical information before you ride to the top in a restored Otis elevator. The views of downtown Seattle from the top are outstanding. It’s not as tall as the Space Needle, but you get a totally different perspective of the city.
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After descending from the Observatory at the Smith Tower, we walked around Pioneer Square a bit. On this Saturday the tourists outnumbered the homeless . . . just barely. The area started to get busy as there was a Seattle Mariner’s game this afternoon at nearby Safeco Field. (The Seahawks, away this weekend in AZ, play at CenturyLink Field which is practically next door to Safeco Field.) So we hopped into Blue and headed to our next stop.
On our tour with Ken and Greg, we drove along Alki Beach. We decided to return there to take some Seattle skyline pictures and have lunch. No traffic problems getting there and plenty of free on-street parking. Alki is known as the birthplace of Seattle as it is where settlers first landed. We made a brief visit to the Log House, a tiny museum run by the West Seattle Historical Society. It’s very small and has just two focuses (foci?): Seattle fire departments and Seattle music. Seattle was home to the Ventures (Walk Don’t Run, Telstar), Nirvana and Kurt Cobain (Smells Like Teen Spirit), Jimi Hendrix (Hey Joe, Purple Haze), Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam (Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town), Quincy Jones (we Are the World, Billie Jean), Kenny Loggins (Footloose, Whenever I Call You Friend), Ray Charles (Hit the Road Jack, I Can’t Stop Loving You), and lots more.
After the museum we headed to another Seattle institution for food, Duke’s Chowder House, for lunch. It would be our main (and only) meal of the day, served outside on the upper deck. We both had their famous clam chowder (delicious!). Elaine had a salmon sandwich with sweet potato fries. I had wild Alaskan cod with new potatoes and veg. It was accompanied by a nice Willamette Valley pinot noir.
Then we headed back to our digs for a nap – my first in Seattle. By early afternoon it had clouded up and remained cloudy the rest of the day. It was cool on the balcony, but we were out there for cocktails. And off in the distance there was a glorious sunset behind Vachon Island with the Cascades in view.
What great weather. We were one of those cruise ships, but the furthest one away.(in June). Tomorrow starts our land tour, breakfast and then bus to Niagara Falls. We are in bed at 7pm, doing 21,000 steps for two days does a girl in!! LOL!!