The Space Needle

By the time we left the pier, I was getting a little testy and Bob was tired of walking. so we hopped a bus headed in the general direction of the Space Needle. We were in the "ride free" zone in downtown Seattle, so we didn't need a free day pass a bus driver had given to use earlier in the day when Bob asked for directions. She let us off at Bell Street, about 6 long blocks from our temporary home, and we took the elevator up a few flights to shorten the walk to 1st Avenue, for yet another bus.

We had a fairly long walk after getting off the bus at Seattle Center, and by now it was quite hot. The jackets that had been so welcome earlier in the day were now an unwelcome burden. The walk to the Space Needle was actually very pleasant, and I quite enjoyed the little summer festival just outside the ramp to the tower.

Mount Rainier is visible about 60 days of the year, and this is one of them. I think you can see it in this picture, in the distance, covered with snow. Expected to blow ... apparently ... sometime in the next two weeks to two thousand years. Spectacular.

My favorite view is of one of the lakes, full of watercraft. Fun to watch float planes land, one after another, looking as though they're headed straight for one of the boats in the water. However, at about 600 feet, it's hard to tell. I love heights, but I did feel a little queasy for awhile. Bob asked the elevator operator, and she said that the tower moved an inch for every 10 mph of wind. Today, that was about an inch!

We took a cab back to the condo. I felt a little sulky, because I had wanted to go to Mass today, or, failing that, I was pining for a ride on the monorail. I was overruled, and have been happily writing ever since.

It is so lovely here. We saw the Norwegian Sun leave port a little while ago, right on time. Our ship, the Norwegian Pearl, arrives in at the Bell Street Terminal tomorrow at 8 AM. We'll see the Pearl from the deck before we leave. Because the day promises to be hot once again, we'll pack our swimsuits in hand luggage in case our stateroom isn't ready until later in the afternoon.