Friday, 29 September 2023
Seattle, Washington

 

I manage to get all my packing--and myself--together to make Thursday afternoon's flight to Seattle. Will drives me to the airport at a reasonable hour (rather than the crack-of-dawn flights I usually take heading east), check-in and security proceed easily, and then I enjoy (?) the usual sit and wait time.

But the Delta flight departs on time and travels quickly through clear skies followed by a good tail wind, and we land about 20 minutes early. A more comfortable seat and a light lunch are the chief perks of first class. I had pre-ordered a private car to take me from the airport to the Hyatt at Olive 8; the driver is waiting at the baggage exit and it is a pleasant drive to downtown Seattle. Because there are three Hyatt Hotels within a two-block area--the Hyatt Regency, the Grand Hyatt, and the Hyatt at Olive 8--the driver is a bit confused but eventually gets me to the correct destination.

The early evening weather is so beautiful and very un-Seattle-like that I take a walk downhill to the Pike Street Market, at which time everything is in the process of shutting down for the evening. So I clamber uphill back to the hotel for dinner at their seafood restaurant then clamber into bed after a long day of traveling.

Saturday, 30 September 2023
Seattle, Washington

This morning's weather is more typical of Seattle, cloudy and unsettled. But there is no rain in the forecast so I head out for some sightseeing. When I walked to the Pike Street Market yesterday evening, most shops and restaurants were closed and there were not many people on the streets. Today, however, everything seems more lively and the Market is crowded with locals and tourists. While the retail parts of downtown seem to have declined over the past several years (like many other American cities), Seattle's waterfront area is booming.

After wandering through the Market and enjoying the views of Puget Sound, I walk north to the Olympic Sculpture Park, at the intersection of Broad Street and Alaskan Way.

 

The park exhibits not only a selection of very large artworks, but also interesting views of the changing colors of the leaves--something I don't get to see much in Tucson--and the parade of dogs and their owners.

From the Sculpture Park it is a long and very steep walk uphill to Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World's Fair and its iconic Space Needle. The Center houses a number of museums and exhibit halls, including a Science Museum, a Children's Museum, a Chihuly Glass Exhibit, and a Pop Culture Museum with an interesting sculpted exterior. 

I opt for the latter, at a steep price of $31.75 (for seniors!). Although the musical instrument collection (mostly guitars) is interesting, the rest of the museum--science fiction, horror, hip-hop--is not quite my cup of tea.

From the Seattle Center I ride the Monorail back to downtown and a return walk to the hotel. The end of a pleasant day in Seattle.

And a final reminder that prices in Tucson are not so bad after all, I leave you to fill up your gas tank in Seattle: