The Emerald City

A few weeks ago I took a trip to Seattle. It was a very successful trip and I got to see a lot of the city. I met up with Megan on Saturday and had a relaxing afternoon touring the neighborhood and making dinner. On Sunday we went downtown and took a ferry to Bainbridge Island.

The view of the city from the ferry was excellent and the weather cooperated, if only briefly, to let us enjoy a pleasant walk around the island.

Megan on the ferry and me and the space needle.


Later that day we walked around Pike Place Market which was bustling. I got to witness the "fish guys" shouting and throwing people's orders (whole fish) around the booth.


There were also a lot of fresh veggies and other interesting products at the various booths.


That evening we went to the arboretum where lots of plants had already started blooming. It was beautiful and perhaps one of the last times I saw the sun in Seattle. There were a few breaks in the weather but they never lasted long.


Some kind of birch I think, I don't remember what species.




Megan swinging at the park near the arb.

On Monday Megan had to work and I went out to explore the city on my own. I took a trip to the space needle but refused to pay the $15 required to go to the top so these are the kinds of pictures I have of it.


Next to the space needle is a museum called the emp/sfm (experience music project and science fiction hall of fame). I wasn't all that interested in the science fiction museum, but the EMP was one of the coolest museums I have ever been to. There was an exhibit of a guitar history timeline. Each new model of guitar was represented. I bought the headphones which gave more of an explanation of each guitar and gave an example of the sound of many of them. There were also exhibits on the history of the Seattle music scene and Jimi Hendrix. One of my favorite things about the EMP was a room that you could try out different instruments. I got to experiment with the drums and try out the mixing board.
The outside of the EMP/SFM is just as interesting as the inside. It is a very oddly shaped building made of a lot of shiny, colorful materials.



That afternoon I visited the Seattle public library. It was very new and very neat, maybe one of the coolest public libraries I have ever seen. It was also nice to see that there were so many people taking advantage of it. Most of the ceiling is made of glass which must be beautiful when the sun is shining.
That night Megan and I went to a Mariners game. Our seats were about as far away from everything as they could possibly be, but it was fun. The game was exciting, but unfortunately the Mariners lost.





At the end of my trip I stayed with Monica and Mark Coen, relatives of mine, on Mercer Island. They were nice enough to put me up for two nights and help me with some car troubles.
On the ride back I stopped of in Olympia to tell Alec that I saw the capital building. I didn't spend too much time in the city, just made a quick drive through.


Overall it was a great trip and I would like to go back some time soon!