Really S-e-e-ing Seattle...

"You just can't beat this 360 degree view of Seattle," I smiled as we looked out from the top of the Space Needle. Dan and I had ventured downtown today after my meetings were over. We even took advantage of the little bit warmer weather by folding down the rag top of the rental car for that breezy ride up the 405. The agent had been nice enough to throw in a convertible for free. And although it's still a little brisk here for a convertible it's well worth the chill. Nothing beats tooling around sightseeing with an unobstructed view.

We got downtown before five and started our tour at Pike's Market where they sell fish...and throw the slippery smelly things to the customers! It's part of the attraction and draws a crowd of camera-happy people. Dan and me included!

Next we maneuvered our way through the interesting crowd of people to get to the monorail. We were both surprised to see so many transients on the streets of this beautiful city. There is an overabundance of street urchins...and strangely dressed characters who honestly appear to either be strung out or burned out on drugs. You would think the cold winters would prevent such a crowd from hanging here. It left us feeling a little odd about this city...

Nevertheless, we hurried along and jumped on the monorail for short sky ride to the Space Needle. And we ate dinner at the very top in the revolving restaurant. It has the best view imaginable of Seattle. We could see the snow-capped peak of Mt. Rainier just behind the high rises of downtown. Wow! Mt. Rainier proudly looms above the sky scraper skyline!! What a juxtaposition! Pure, natural, pristine mother nature...against modern, contrived, steel and glass. Interesting...a very interesting combination.

Seattle is surrounded by water so as we enjoyed our meal we watched the sky planes fly in and out of one of the many harbors. We also saw a few shipping freighters maneuver the waters and an occasional sailboat here and there. The inlets were surprisingly empty this time of year, but that's because it's still a bit chilly here. As the weather warms up I'm guessing a frenzy of boats will fill the waters around the city.

"Good grief, where did we park our car!" After dinner Dan and I headed back to find our car and had to walk in and out of several garages...before we finally found the right one. The buildings downtown tend to all meld together and look the same, especially when you're tired from walking and ready to get back and crash. "I'm glad you are with me," I said to Dan. I would sure hate to be lost here all by myself.

We finally found our rental car and arrived at the hotel about eight PM to find a few work friends sitting in the lobby lounge talking over drinks. We stopped for introductions... Yes, I wanted every one to meet my Danny. We talked with them a bit and then headed back to our room to finish up our day and get ready for the early morning.

After work tomorrow we are joining my colleague Lori and an old friend Jackie for dinner. It will be Dan's last night here...and boy I will hate to see him leave. He has been a fun traveling companion the last several days.