Seattle - Day 1

We set out for Seattle on Tuesday morning.  The closest ferry terminal from the RV park is approximately 8 miles down the road on Bainbridge Island.  We didn't want to ferry the car over, so we parked in a public parking lot at the terminal.  You pay to park all day (10 hours or more) then you can walk inside the terminal and board the ferry.  Only $4.00 round trip each for seniors.  The weather was outstanding!  It was sunny and warm.....in fact, Seattle actually broke a record Tuesday for a high temperature of 86.  Wow!  That was a record folks!  It was only 71 yesterday (Thursday). Below are some pictures of the inside of the ferry we rode to Seattle.  It was much bigger than the one we took from Coupeville to Port Townsend the day before.

 Sitting at this end you can watch the Seattle skyline get closer.

This is only a fraction of the seats.  

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In the center section of the passenger deck, closer to where the snack bar is, there are many tables to eat or work at during the ride.

Snack bar/restaurant area is bigger than this picture shows.

 Outside on the deck we were able to get some great pictures of Mt. Rainier.

  

We were fortunate to see Mt. Rainier so well.  Two day later we couldn't see it at all. 

Right away we see two of the things on our agenda for today. 

The Space Needle.....

and the Seattle Great Ferris Wheel!

It is a giant Ferris wheel located at Pier 57.  With an overall height of 175 feet, it was the tallest Ferris wheel on the west coast of the US when it opened on June 29, 2012.

This view is part of the Seattle skyline from the ferry as we were coming in.

 

The anticipation is building!

 This is a look from the bottom of the wheel before we got on.  It's huge!

The pictures below were taken from the top as we went around.  We got to ride three times around before they stopped to let you off.  Of course everyone gets to sit at the very top while they start unloading from the bottom.

On our way UP!

When you are on the ground, the interstate is usually way above you.  On the Ferris wheel, you are way above that highway. 

The ride is over....we made it!

After the Ferris wheel, we headed toward the Space Needle.  We had to walk several blocks down the waterfront and then cross the street to start uphill towards the Westlake Center (mall area) downtown to catch the monorail.  The monorail station was located (outside) on the third floor of the mall.   The pictures below are some of the neat things we passed along the way.

 Fun shops and restaurants.

 Brass bench....lots of photos taken there.

Shrimp or Lobster?

These steps lead up to the next level or street.  I never thought of Seattle as being hilly.  There are also some really steep downtown streets.  Some of the printed directions for tourists usually include whether or not there are significant inclines.

A really big Macy's store in the middle of town.  

Oh no!  More steps!

We finally made it to the Westlake Center where we will go inside to catch the monorail

 to the Space Needle. 

The monorail runs through downtown for about 1 mile.

Next stop.....Space Needle.

From below...buying tickets.

Pictures below are some views from the top.

You can see Mt. Rainier in the background.

Above picture is of Lake Union where the Kenmore Air seaplane base is located and where we started our tour.

Looking out over the sound.  Looks like a Carnival cruise ship is in port.

Yes, those are spiders painted on the top of the building below.  Yikes!

      

We had a spectacular view of the city from 520 feet in the air!

We got back on the monorail and headed  back to the Waterfront to eat lunch.  We decided on the "Crab Pot" for some Fish 'n' Chips.  It was very good!

YUM!

After lunch we made our way over to the ferry terminal for the ride back to Bainbridge Island.  We had a great day sightseeing in Seattle and couldn't wait to start again the next day.  Our plans for Wednesday are to take an Argosy boat tour of the two lakes in the city.  Union and Washington.