Or - Downtown, Things Will Be Great When You're Downtown…
It's the day to go to the bank. Gotta go, once a month and today was the day. We've discovered that at the last stop on the Link, at the Westlake Mall, there is both a Wells Fargo and a Chase Bank within one block of each other. So we get an excuse to go downtown, get our bank business done and then walk around and enjoy the city.
Win-Win!!
The start of this blog is unusual for two reasons...one is not that unusual, but I'm starting the blog with a selfie and I don't usually do that. The second reason is the kicker. We walked to the Link station and I didn't take one single picture of a flower. Not a one. Unusual. Odd.
Y'Know what I mean?
OK, let's kick this baby into gear...
Street Corner Selfie!!
MLK Selfie!!
Westlake Link Station Selfie!!
Whew!! Enough with the Selfies, right!?!
We came out on 4th and Pine. I got this shot of the Wells Fargo from the corner and right behind us, about three-quarters of a block down is the Chase.
Tres convenient, eh!?!
It really works for us. Haha, we get something done and have an adventure on top of it. It's a lot easier than driving to the Wells Fargo in Columbia City and then coming back several miles to the Chase. Much more convenient.
So we walked over to the Westlake Mall's Food Court. It overlooks Olive Way and 5th Avenue.
Still in the Food Court and looking up Olive Way to 6th Avenue. The City is always busy with foot traffic and vehicle traffic.
Now, the reason I was there, at that window, looking out over 5th Avenue was the Monorail. I wanted to get a shot from that angle of the Monorail. I've seen it from the street level looking up and I wanted to try it from a different angle.
And I did. Here she comes from the Seattle Center.
The Seattle Center Monorail was built for the '62 Seattle World's Fair to provide a link between the fairgrounds and the downtown.
Construction began in April of '61 and the Monorail was opened to the public on March 24, 1962, nearly one month before the start of the World's Fair. It was built at a cost of $3.5 million and the trains carried more than eight million guests during the six months of the fair, easily paying for the cost of the construction.
Following the Fair, the Monorail system was turned over to Century 21 Corporation at no cost. Century 21 sold the system to the City of Seattle in 1965 for $600,000.
Today, the trains carry approximately two million passengers every year. The Monorail has become an important fixture in Seattle for locals, who use the trains during major festivals and sporting events and the tourists who flock to the Emerald City from around the world. The Seattle Center Monorail is one of the few fully self-sufficient public rail transit systems in the Nation.
Seattle Transit-Lockheed Aircraft, shown here, made a proposal for building the Monorail but Alweg Rapid Transit Systems won the bid.
Here's a Monoral car being lifted onto the beam. The trains were built in Germany, shipped to New York and carried via railroad cars to Seattle.
And here is the modern version...which looks remarkably like the original. In fact, it probably is but I'm too lazy to go and research it right now. If you find out, let me know.
We saw this mural in the Food Court, too. All the Seattle Hi-Lites. On the far left, in case you were wondering where it was, is Mt. Rainier.
Seattlites do love their murals, outdoor dining and craft brews. Oh, and marijuana, too. We rarely come downtown anymore without smelling it at least once as we stroll around.
Some more of the Food Court. Actually, it's the entrance to the Food Court as you come up the escalator.
And, as we were leaving the Food Court, I saw this...Hahaha, it works!!
Downstairs, at street level, there is a shop that sells...boutique soap.
Yeah, that's right. They make smelly soap and sell it for unearthly prices!! Oh, and they shape them into all kinds of bizarre things.
Don't ask me, I still buy Irish Spring and think it's a luxury.
I don't know.
I guess this glass stuff is one of the 'in' things here in Seattle. Not for me, obviously.
I guess the folks here love oddly shaped and colored glassware.
I've done this before, shown all the things being sold with the Space Needle on it. It's everywhere. It's made more money for artists and merchants in Seattle than anything else.
But we made it out of the Mall unscathed. Well, at least my wallet was unscathed. And then we headed over to the Westlake Park.
A favorite for the Chronically Unemployed and our own Valued Homeless. Oh, and some Food Trucks, too.
It really is a nice urban oasis.
That truck? Bean Fish...Hot, Fresh and Yummy Japanese Fish-Shaped Waffles.
Don't ask me.
I didn't try them.
'Nuff said.
In addition to the extra-large Chess Set, they also have a ping-pong table and a foosball table. All busy.
As we walked over to the Chase Bank, I got this shot of Macy's from Westlake Park.
I really enjoy the energy of this city. The bustle of the streets...they're always busy.
We were done with our banking and just wandering around. This is one of our favorite buildings. It's the old Times Square Building. It's a flatiron building. This is near the pointed edge of the building. We've never been in this building but today we did go in.
To a Mariners Store!!
Haha, games, shirts, hats, balls, bats, puzzles...any and everything in the world that is Mariner.
Yeah, that's right. They've made a store right there in this neat building in the middle of downtown just for selling stuff for a baseball team!!
Don't ask me.
I don't know.
But this was neat!!
OK, I don' t know how Charlie Brown got in there. I guess because he was on a losing baseball team. Kinda like the Mariners at the end of each and every season. I guess.
Oh, there are a LOT of Selfies in this blog.
Reflected Concave Mirror
Mariner Store Selfie!!
A pyramid of Mariner Beer Cozies.
What are those things called?
As we left, I spotted this and grabbed a quick shot.
What is it? C'Mon, what is it?
Here's a shot of 5th Avenue.
Reflected 5th Avenue
Restaurant Window Selfie X 2!!
Hahaha, see us? We're in there twice. Once in the small mirror and then again in the large, window reflection. Well, at least Carol is in there twice.
Reflected 5th Avenue
Restaurant Window Selfie, Part II
There I am!!
Hahaha, but not in the small one anymore.
Ah, fuchsia. Pretty cool, eh?
Yeah, that's right. A Giant Popsicle here in the Emerald City.
Who wouldn't want a picture of themselves with a Giant Popsicle.
Honestly? They paid money for this? It looks like a high school art project, doesn't it? The kind the over-achieving kid does to impress everyone.
Now, why would anyone go to all the trouble to get up high enough to paint this...on the side of a building?
Hobbe!
Was Calvin here?
What are the runes after that? I don't know.
Artsy-Fartsy Alert!!
But I do know these!! Hahahahaha, I told you there would be more 'leaf' pictures.
I told you!!
So we were walking down Blanchard Street and we saw this large Motorhome Bus Thingie with a line stretching out behind it. So, being naturally nosy, we went on over and we, and by we I mean Carol, asked one of the people what they were in line for.
The guy she asked wasn't all that friendly to begin with but then, after he opened his mouth (finally), he told us everything. He said he was standing in line, for a friend (and he emphasized this) to get him some concert tickets. Maybe that's why he was in a slightly grumpy mood. Maybe.
I've mentioned this before, how Seattlites love to get outside to eat whenever the sun comes out or it stops raining, whichever comes first. Here's some prime examples.
The first one is a kinda rough looking place called Carny's. Their logo is a rather rough looking Clown smoking a cigar. Kinda looks like a Stephen King sorta clown.
Next to that is Mama's Mexican Kitchen.
See!?! It doesn't matter how cheesy the setting might be, Seattlites just love to eat and drink outside.
This place must be popular. Elvis even eats here.
I just liked this door. The one on the left. Honestly, some of the things you see down here. Oh, and note the outdoor seating for eating and drinking.
Seattle, sometimes it is so predictable.
We stopped by the Army/Navy Surplus Store looking for a field jacket, OD, Army issue.
None there but we did find another chance for a...
Reflected Concave Mirror Surplus Store Selfie!!
Hahaha, I told you there'd be a lot of Selfies in this blog.
Then, when we were leaving the Surplus Store we saw this mannequin and another chance for a...
Reflected Sunglasses Mannequin Selfie!!
Tres cool, eh?
Detail of the Virginia Inn wall. What a neat building. It slopes down towards the Sound.
Another detail of the architecture along 1st Avenue.
Looking down Pine Street towards the Pike Public Market and the Puget Sound.
We finally made it back to the Westlake Center and the Link for the trip home.
Unlike the walk to the Link in the morning, I was determined to get some shots of the foliage as we walked back.
And I did.
And I got a bee, too!!
Win-Win!!
Seriously, liking the clover.
I'm also liking this season where the leaves change color and the world goes from one extreme to the other. My favorite seasons are the transition seasons. Spring and Fall are the best for me.
Look under the tree and you can see my Faithful Mini sitting in front of the garage. Here's the intersection of Kenyon and Renton Ave. S.
That afternoon we went shopping at Walmart and we indulged ourselves and bought some Double Chocolate Muffins and took them to our park for a mini-picnic.
From a cloudy and overcast morning the afternoon became blue skies with some cloud cover.
Really nice.
It was late in the afternoon and the Coots were all hanging out close to the Trailer Park Marina.
The Kayaker was heading home and disturbing the Coots further out in the lake.
This guy was practicing his approaches and take-offs. I guess. Regardless, he took off about 5 or 6 times while we were at the park.
There he is...almost dead center towards the bottom of this picture. What a sky, eh?
To the west, the clouds were a bit thicker and a lot more ominous.
There he goes, again. He was one busy little student-pilot. My excellent Son-In-Law, Matt, was an instructor here at the Renton Air Field. He probably remembers doing this, a lot.
Looking past the Trailer Park Marina towards Mercer Island.
And, I checked out the Eagle Tree to see if anyone was home. They weren't.
But the cormorants were out. This guy was drying out his wings while floating along with the drift. Usually, they climb up on one of the logs in the lake to dry out.
Nutty birds.
Looking across towards Coulon Park...
...we spotted this guy, winging his way out and then back across the lake heading towards the Eagle Tree.
Where he took up his position to survey the lake.
Look at those talons!! Cheez, Louise, those things are humungus!!
This Grandma was there with her Granddaughter.
As we were leaving, we went to look and see if we could spot any turtles...more on that later.
The Fall colors are starting to come out around the lake.
Hahaha, what a ham!!
She's doing the Autumn Dance...
I've included this just to prove that there really are times when I take that vest off. Honest!! And this is the first time I've worn long pants for two days in a row since April. It's been a long, hot summer.
Getting semi artsy-fartsy here. Trying to get a picture of a plane taking off with the tree behind us.
Ah, what the heck. I just like taking shots of the sky, too. Still, it's kinda interesting, the cloud formations.
We had started talking to the Grandma and her Granddaughter. She was looking for turtles in the lake and so we, and by we I mean Carol, started telling her about all the turtles we had seen there. So, while they were talking, I walked down a bit and, WOWSERS, I saw a salmon there. We've never seen a salmon this far from the river and so I called out to them and pointed it out and then, naturally, I tried to get a picture. I did get this...not very good picture of the salmon. But look in the upper right hand corner. I'll come back to this in a moment.
OK, we'd talked with Grandma and then we were getting ready to go, we were by the mini, and this other woman called out, Did you want to see a turtle? She was near the lake and had spotted one. So Carol hollered over to the Grandma to come quick, this lady had spotted a turtle. Grandma and kid began hot-footing it over to take a look-see and so did Carol.
They oohed and ached over the turtle for a while.
Now, the kicker is this. I was so intent on getting the picture of the salmon that I never noticed the TURTLE that was swimming almost right next to the doggone salmon!! You can see the outline of the salmon below and to the left of the turtle.
Hahaha, talk about some tunnel vision.
It's true, y'know, you see only what you want to see.
While Carol was over looking at the OTHER turtle they'd spotted, I wandered over to where the seaplanes were parked and got this semi artsy-fartsy shot.
No apologies.
I liked it
And, hahaha, more shots of leaves.
Oh, lighten up. You're gonna see a lot more leaves, count on it.
And, while we were by the Mini, I spotted this scull rowing across the lake and got this LOOOONG shot of the crew. They're from the Renton Rowing Center where we rented the kayaks.
What a day. Banks, parks, selfies, walks, eagles, cormorants, sculls, planes, clouds, clovers, bees and so much more.
It was fun. It was interesting. It was worthwhile.
And, y'know, life IS good.
Hooah!!
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