Fri Sept 12 Seattle

Don't have to get up so early here in the city because no one else does.  The market crawls out of bed about 7:30, maybe, so it's hard to find breakfast before then.  We found The Daily Dozen which will sell you a dozen little donuts still very hot from the fryer.  They were no good for you, and great.  Rachel is there all the time.

We walked down to Pioneer Square, the site of the original Seattle.  Being in full-fledged tourist mode, we took the Seattle Underground Tour, recommended by several sources.

Seattle was conveniently founded by guys from Ohio on a tidal flat so it flooded twice a day.  This was a continuing problem until the inner city burned to the ground and they had a chance to fix it right.  The city fathers raised the streets by15 feet or more, while the sidewalks remained at the old level.  After saloon customers drunkenly fell from street to sidewalk (the one-step program) the sidewalks were raised by roofing them, leaving the original sidewalks as tunnels.  And that's where we went.

Snacks after the tour:  a company named Cow Chips sold large chocolate chip cookies.  Very good and very messy.  Liked the names too.

In the pioneer square area there's Occidental park, with giant chess sets, sunning elders and statues for fallen firemen,

waterfall park, with a man (actually UPS) made water feature

the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Site, the second smallest NPS site

 and the Smith Tower, at 42 stories the largest building west of the Mississippi for quite a while.

In tourist mode, we took the manned elevator to the observation deck of the Smith Tower, the 36th floor.  We didn't go to the Space Needle but our Underground Tour guide said the views from ST were better.  I'll take him at his word.  And if you're looking for a nice apartment in the city, the top three floors can be yours.  You have to walk up the last 3 flights to get to it, but the views are stunning.

A workman in kilts.  It was a hot day.

We dined at Elliots Oyster House, chosen for its location on pier 55 rather than its menu.  We split a Sirloin Steak salad and a Chicken Bacon sandwich, both of which were excellent.  I can only imagine how good the oysters must be.  Here the Bainbridge ferry goes past our table.

Right next door was the harbor cruise on the Spirit of Seattle, so of course we went.  Excellent views of Elliot Bay.

 Celebrity's Solstice at the cruise ship terminal. (On Saturday, 3 cruise ships were in)

 Seattle has an active ship building and repairing business, here fixing up the USS Momsen, an Arleigh Burke class destroyer.

 And, of course, a huge container port.  Populated with HUGE container ships.

We straggled back to the hotel tired (the 150 steps up from the wharfs to our hotel helped a great deal there) and hungry.  We went to the market looking for something for dinner, and Rachel was still there.