Getting ready for our first cruise, Sharon and I decided to arrive in Seattle one day ahead of or ship's departure date. I'm feeling jazzed about being in Seattle, mostly because it is Sharon's old haunting ground. It will be fun to relive through her stories some of her grad student experiences.
Marc dropped us off at the airport, which led to our first surprise: for a change, I was not feeling anxious. Normally I can only rest once I am sitting at the gate and feel antsy until we get there. This time it was different; we sat at a Starbucks, had coffee and chatted until about 30 minutes before our flight with me actually feeling relaxed. I am sure this feeling will pass.
Getting from the airport to our downtown hotel was trivial, though the limo service ripped us of saying their price was the same as a taxi's. $45 vs. $32 is not the same, but at least they got us to the hotel quickly.
We spent the day in Seattle exploring the two landmarks I've never seen in my previous trips: Pike's Place and the Space Needle. Pike's place was crowded, busy, loud, colorful and smelled of fish. I liked it! It's a mixture of the hippie fair in Rio with an actual farmer's market. We ended up eating there, at a small hole-in-the-wall that served adequate food.
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After coffee at the Nordstrom where Sharon used to go for her 25-cent coffee (the place has changed drastically, though) we went on to the Space Needle. True to its World Fair history, we took the monorail to get there. Haven't ridden a monorail since I was in Disneyworld in 1979, so it was a treat.
The Space Needle was ok. Elevator to the top, walk around the platform and look at the different sights. Interesting to see was the sports stadia, the downtown skyline, the living roof at some museum and a helicopter landing on one of the local TV station buildings.
And that was it for Seattle. A good night's sleep and in the morn we board the boat for places north.
Wildlife seen: 4 grunge musicians
Pictures can be found here
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