I am a bit hazy on our trip to Everett, WA, and nearby Seattle -- it was days ago, and my poor old mind is fast deteriorating. The short story: We loved Seattle and had amazing weather for our visit.
The (mostly) pictorial version -- which I know is preferable for many of you:
Our first night we ate at Anthony's in downtown Everett, WA. The waterfront restaurant sits on one of the biggest marinas in the state. We both had steaks, which were brought out lukewarm. We sent them back, but unfortunately the meals came out tepid once again. We ate most of it anyway and told our waiter later (we didn't want to send the food back again and risk the chef's wrath -- or spit). To our shock, however, "Benny" came back and told us that Becky the manager said to take both entrees off our bill. We were mortified and objected strenuously, but Becky insisted. She was a really lovely woman who knows how to treat customers. So I hugged her and as her "reward" took her photo for the blog, of course. Our bill came to $27. Ridiculous.
Anthony's is a beautiful restaurant with wonderful food. It was just a bad night for the expediter, I guess. Becky and I are pictured above, along with other shots of the restaurant.
We then spent our next three days exploring Seattle. We went up in the Space Needle, took a Ducks land/sea tour and a walking/eating tour of Pike's Market, and then spent a day at the Museum of Flight. Great experiences all.
I divide this entry into air; land; and land/sea, reflecting the title...
The Air Tour
Two portions of our Seattle experience can be loosely classified as "air"-based: The trip up the Space Needle, and the Museum of Flight.
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| The Space Needle from the sidewalk below. |
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| One view of Seattle from the Needle. Mount Rainier is in the background. |
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| A different view from the top of the Needle. |
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| Lake Union from the Space Needle. |
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| Had to have our official Space Needle portrait, natch. You can barely make out Buddy's face through the mesh bag. |
Next, our trip to the Museum of Flight...
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| Various shots from this amazing museum. Beau loved it all. He is pictured with a P-51 Mustang. The photo next to him is of the famous Boeing "barn." Top, left to right: A F4U Corsair, a BAE Harrier right after landing, and the "great hall" in the museum. |
BTW - you might be wondering if Beau had to provide the aircraft names for me. No, not at all. While he is indeed an expert in WWII-vintage planes, in my past life I was the editor of a gas turbine engines research publication and wrote about various aircraft engine systems. As a result, I can often still recognize quite a few planes. My favorite was always the F-14 Tomcat. Not sure why.
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| Beau tried out the flight simulator at the museum. Unfortunately, he found it too tame. The Stars Wars ride at Disney is much better, he says. |
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| Umm, sure Beau. Of course you are. |
Outside the museum there were two aircraft you could actually board and walk through -- an old Air Force One and the Concorde.
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| This was JFK's Air Force One plane, later taken over by LBJ. We saw LBJ's other AF One when we were at his Texas ranch. What a coincidence. |
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| Where JFK and LBJ pooped. |
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| Did you know that the Concorde when in supersonic flight stretched 6-10 inches due to heating? |
The Land Tour
The tour of Seattle's famous Pike's Market was a feast for the tastebuds, the nose, and the eyes. From savoring different flavors of smoked salmon, to watching the mongers throw fish over the heads of the spectators, to getting samples of Oprah's favorite mac and cheese, to swooning over the creamy seafood chowders and delectable chocolate-covered cherries, all while hearing about the history of the market and its member vendors -- every part was fabulous.
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| Beau scarfs down a marvelous cinnamon doughnut sample from the Daily Doughnut Company. |
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| Our guide Marcelle shows off the crawfish. |
The Land/Sea Tour
Loved the Ducks tour -- what silliness. You start wheels on the ground, then go amphibious and boat around on Lake Union, then back to rubber on the road again. All with crazy music and even crazier narration.
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| Fabulous time with a wacky tour guide. We toured on Lake Union to the "Gilligan's Island" theme song. |
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| The floating home on the left with the flowers is the one used for the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan film, "Sleepless in Seattle." We saw both houseboats and floating homes on the lake during our tour. |
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| A fuzzy copy of our official Ducks photo -- our crazy Captain, Chuck Wagon, is at the bottom. So stupid, but so fun. (My Nike sandals look like bedroom slippers, don't they? But soooo comfy.) |
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| Aurora Bridge over Lake Union |
Oddities, of Course
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| Ya gotta give this panhandler credit for creativity, if not spelling: "My wife was captured by Ninjas. I need money for Karate lessons." Who would think this up? He made us laugh, so we gave him some change. |
Another oddity: I had to include this photo of one of my terrible, horrible wounds from the near-disastrous fall down the RV steps. Somehow I saved Buddy, who was in my arms at the time. I am extraordinarily selfless, aren't I?
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| No vanity here, folks. And check out the age/sunspots. |
Practicing my acting, I played this up for the camera: "Oh, the pain, the pain." (Honestly, a few days later it looked much worse -- like a giant nasty raspberry from sliding along asphalt. I also have a large, lovely purple bruise on the other arm. Very colorful. I think perhaps people suspect Beau is beating me. I try to look appropriately pitiful whenever possible.)
Magic Mountains
Finally, I like this shot that frames the Cascade Mountains.
And this one of Mount Rainier:
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| Majestic Mount Rainier -- the highest mountain in the Cascade Range and the fifth-highest in the contiguous United States, at 14,410 ft. |
Next up, Grand Coulee Dam. Wait till ya see THAT RV park. Another doozy.
Living the high life.
Tanks, Panky
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