2020 Seattle

Thu Feb 6, 2020: Road Trip - Seattle

This week we began a long talked about trip to Seattle. Tom flew to Portland on Wednesday and the next day we took off for Seattle in Joel and Elaine's van.

We are staying in a hotel in the Northgate area and have mapped our out destinations for the next 6 days.

Fri Feb 7, 2020: Sightseeing Seattle

This day we drove to the Space Needle. We had tickets for the Chihuly Glass and Garden cente is it right next door. It was a fabulous feast for our eyes.

Tom figuring out the parking machine at the Space Needle

Tom, Joel and Elaine at the entrance to the Chijuly Garden and Glass exhibition center.

Note reflection of Space Needle on the glass ball!

Glass Forest at the entrance.

Northwest Room ... Indian baskets and glassware on the left. Pendleton Indian blankets back wall Indian photo exhibit on right wall.

Glassware inspired by Indian Basket designs.

Wall of Pendleton Indian-motif blankets.

Sea Life Room

Persian Ceiling

Thousand Flowers installation.

More "flowers"

Chandeliers ... many huge glass (once installed over canals in Venice)

Maccia Forest ... very large glass "bowls" 300 colors became available to studio glass makers from German stained glass artists.

Maccia is "spotted" in Italian.

Rolling the molten clear glass in colored glass shards.

Shaping what became a colored glass vase.

Process of putting the pole on the bottom of the glass vase (left) and removing the blow pipe (right). The kilns are in an old air stream trailer. To the left is the melted glass and to the right is the glory hole where they kept heating up the glass. In the middle (white doors) are the annealing ovens.

Yellow Green Tower part of the garden installations

Elaine, Joel and Tom under the 100 foot installation in the "Glasshouse" ... adjacent to gardens.

Pikes Place Market

Look down the aisles of stalls selling crafts, dried flowers, fish, etc.

Fresh produce.

We ate lunch in the building on the left. No photos of the restaurant, but we had views of Puget Sound and the ferries coming and going.

Sat Feb 8: Lunch with cousin Annette

Today we met up with cousin Annette. She suggested a restaurant in the Capitol Hill area called Cafe Presse. We had a nice table in a quiet corner.

Elaine, Tom, Annette and Joel

Annette and Tom ordered Salade Verte (VE Bibb lettuce with hazelnut vinaigrette).

Tom also ordered a bowl of French Onion Soup.

Joel and Elaine had the Croque Monsieur (Ham, gruyère, béchame)

After lunch we walked a couple of blocks to a new bakery called Batch. It is run by a couple of friends of Annettes and had only recently opened.

Elaine, Joel, Annette and Tom

Joel buying a pair of Pro Crampons from a Craigslist seller named Bennedict.

Bennedict.

Sun Feb 9: More Seattle Fun

Today we were allowed time on our own to continue our exploration of Seattle. Nephew Philip suggested two places: Gas Works Park and the Fremont Sunday Market.

The Gas Works machinery is a collection of handsome industrial sculptures. Surrounded by grassy mounds and winding pathways. Lots of people there ... especially young kids using the play ground equipment and college age kids hanging out.

Climb on Structures at the Gas Works Park

Painted gas works equipment

More industrial sculpture

Seattle skyline from Gas Works Park

Joel and Tom

More gas works

Fremont Sunday Market

Booths at Fremont Sunday Market

We met Elaine's cousins at Chinook Restaurant located at Salmon Bay and Fisherman's Terminal. We were a tiny bit early so we walked around the dock behind the restaurant.

Tom, Joel, Grandson Andrew and his friend Rachael

Cousins and more cousins: Dillon, Rose, Elaine, Joel, Andrew, Rachael

Other side of table: David, Bob, Elinor, Tom, Alan, Tim and Kate

Huge bread pudding dessert shared by 13 of us. Happy birthday, Elaine (tomorrow)

Alan: Happy Birthday (tomorrow)

Leaving the restaurant: Elaine, Bob, Alan, Elinor, David, Andrew, Rachael, Joel and Tom

Monday Feb 10: Dinner with Kate and Jamie

We drove downtown to the Amazon Go store. Nearby are these Amazon Spheres. You need a badge to get enter. You would find plantings, meeting areas, work area, etc. with views of the surrounding high-rise building.

The Spheres is an ultramodern office building with lush botanical gardens.

Joel and Elaine

Elaine, Joel and Tom

Inside the Amazon Go store. When you remove an item from the shelf it goes into your virtual shopping cart and when you leave the store, you pay for the cart contents.

More Spheres.

Dogs are a big thing downtown. This doggie drinking fountain is next to a small urban dog park.

Elaine and her grandson Ben in the Evans Scholars house

Joel, Ben and Tom outside the Evans Scholar house

Elaine, Ben and Joel

Ben in the University of Washington Library

On the U of W Campus.

Ranier Vista: "Scenic views of Mount Rainer are offered from this grassy park with space for events & activities" You can barely see this mountain in the distance.